Imee Bonvon, The Rat Hero

Renir stared baffled at this pretty girl seemingly at the same age as his. Since she said that they attend the same school so they must be on the same batch.

"W-why did you do that?", was the first question that Renir blurted out with stuttering as if mandatory in this case.

Disappointed that she didn't get the praise she wanted, the girl answered, "As I said, your uncle left you so no one would pay the bills. Do you want to be in debt while being a student?"

"No,", Renir felt a headache, "I'm asking is why did you do that. I don't even know you."

After that, Renir felt his tone was rude. Since she was the one who helped her, he shouldn't be rude to her. He was just surprised.

"You seriously don't know me? Maybe you did lose some memories."

Renir thought and couldn't deny that. He wouldn't know if he lost memory until someone proves it to him.

"Then", he began to search his past, "Who are you to me?"

"I go to the same school.", she bluntly said.

"And?", Renir waited for a continuation but received nothing.

The girl seemed like she pouted or putting a lowkey tantrum as she said, "That's all."

"Not a friend, at least?", Renir began to doubt. Why would you help someone this big just because he comes to the same school as you? Is this girl that benevolent and rich?

The tantrum was becoming less of a lowkey, "Yes"

"Then... who are you?"

"Oh", the girl's eyes widened in realization, "If you really forgot me maybe hearing the name Imee(Ay-mi) would ring a bell.", she stared at Renir with expectation.

"Imee, who?"

"Imee Bonvon..."

Renir shrugged his shoulders.

"You really forgot me~?", Imee wanted to cry.

"I think...", Renir took a pause, "When did we first meet?"

"In the 5th grade...", Imee frowned, "But I wouldn't be surprised if you forgot the first time we really met. I am saying this 11th grade, you met me on the first day of school."

Renir thought back and seemed like he remembered most of it with no blanks to be filled, "How?"

"Oddly for you to forget that specifically.", Imee crossed her arms underneath her developed chest, "For me, it was unforgettable as I introduced myself in the entrance ceremony."

At that last sentence, it clicked to Renir as he remembered that day, "If it's the entrance ceremony, I still remember that part, even if not clearly."

"Oh, so you remember now?", Imee widely smiled.

"Of course, I never forgot it in the first place.", Renir nodded.

"Then you remembered how I made the whole school wild with my introduction?", Imee proudly exclaimed and continued which made Renir just gazed over her enthusiasm, "As the newly chosen student school president over the senior high school students even though I wasn't a 12th grader, I domineeringly proclaimed that I will change the school! Clean up the scum teachers! Expel the bullies! Assist the weak! And fixed this damned hierarchy!", Imee recalled every moment in her speech that she even reenacted some of it, "From now on, you won't call me the school president but the Rat Hero!"

Virtual cheers applauded her as the bullies trembled at the sight of new power. Teachers glaring at her stupidity for this public stunt!

"You remember that!", at that point, Imee stood with her arms in the air, receiving all the virtual praises to her. She looked at Renir with hopeful eyes.

"..."

Yet, Renir had a guilty face as he replied, "I remember going to school early to see my drunk uncle on the road, intoxicated to sleep. When I brought him home after some time, he woke up and threw the bottle of beer at me, scolded me because of helping him. The rest is that I was late and missed the entrance ceremony...", his eyes escaping Imee's glare.

It was like cold water dropped to the fiery enthusiasm of Imee as she sat down, dejected before she mumbled;

"That explains a lot... Why you never approached me and why you never gave me attention... hehe... so that's why...", Imee had an image of which her soul left her. She trembled and muttered, "I will drown that uncle in beer using all of his money if I ever see that scumbag again!"

She remembered how she stupidly thought that Renir was admiring her in the shadows, that he was just too shy to approach her while looking at herself in the mirror, saying things like:

"You're so beautiful that even though you have a body that makes every boy skipped a beat, they still stare at your gracefulness."

"A charismatic president like you was able to slap those corrupted teachers their own games. Those good-for-nothings couldn't be compared to your intellect."

"How could one not admire you when even the bullies ran away at your presence!"

Oblivious to Imee's past and the real reason for her sulking, Renir was on a guilty trip even though he was not at fault. However, there was something he found curious about.

"Rat Hero?", he strangely looked at Imee who was contemplating her life decisions.

"You didn't forget that, don't you?", Imee became solemn as she continued, "We were always together in 5th grade."

Renir's eyes slowly opened.

"From the first to the third quarter of school, we were always together. I always protected you from Johnmo, that bastard, I still remember what he did!", Imee imagined Johnmo's smirking face being beaten up.

"Johnmo...?", Renir's memory of this guy was hazy. Many had bullied him, he couldn't remember any of their faces nor their name.

"Yes, the ugly one! Once you go back to school I'll show you how he disgustingly sucks up to me just because I am the school president now.", Imee scoffed and sneered, "He thought I forgot what he did to us? Heh!"

Renir couldn't forget that girl in his life, yet, he forgot her name, 'That is so stupid.', however, when he recollected his time with her, associating with her name. It was as if there was a messy page of his life that was written anew.

"Imee...", he murmured. Memories of him and she flashed through his head. It was an exaggeration to say that they were always together though.

They were together almost every day in 5th grade but only during recess and lunch breaks. They never played together, they just talked about studies and sometimes random that they clicked.

It was rare to see an elementary student being serious in their studies, that was why it was only the two of them together.

Their first encounter was when Renir didn't bring the required materials to the class of a horror teacher. Old and stern, the teacher that is strict if not angry, angry if not scolding, scolding if not having favoritism.

Renir could only think of them like that since he was always the target of that old teacher. Just because he's poor, he couldn't buy books so he needed a scolding for not bringing them to class?

However, Imee saw this every now and then that she took pity and helped Renir. Her first interaction with him was what pulled her in.

That thankful smile that was pure of gratefulness Imee didn't know she needed. Soon, she was always helping him until they are always together where she found more than one thing to like about him.

But, of course, children would be children when Imee experienced the bullying Renir had gone through every day.

"I thought I could handle it so I couldn't care about them. Even if they call me unendearing words, I thought I could stick with it. But I was wrong.", Imee hated herself for it.

At first, it was only Johnmo and his few friends that started to include Imee in their bullying. However, things started to escalate as Imee was fighting back while Renir just accepted everything they said to him.

"Back then, I thought you were acting weak..."

As time passed, Imee questioned why Renir wouldn't want to fight back. Just closing his mind to it was enough. Because of this, others joined the bullying.

"But I didn't know you were acting mature."

So the child Imee had enough and hated Renir for it. She left him and never got to be with him again.

"When we entered high school, I moved to a better school with a scholarship. That was when I began to question myself if it was really worth it. Since 6th grade, I never forgot how sad you look as I joined the bullying to regain back my respect. As I remember that, I felt so dumb...", Imee weakened just from hearing herself.

"I know I was just a kid at that time but that made me go through a lot. That became my drive to despise those who bully and somehow, it became my personality."

Before Renir could speak, there was a knock on the door before the young nurse came in, bringing some heavier food than the apple shake.

"Miss Bonvon, visiting hours are now closed.", he said as he placed the food in front of Renir.

"Seriously?!", Imee was taken aback as she looked at her wristwatch, "This is the first time, time went so fast!", she bit her lips in fear as she took her bag and took out her phone, seeing multiple messages and missed calls from her dad as she inwardly cursed, "Dad is going to kill me!! He was already waiting for half an hour in the park! I forgot that I always mute my phone in here!"

Imee stood up and hastily ran out of the door while the two men just watched her, entertained.

But before the young nurse could speak to Renir, the door was slammed open and Imee peeked her head that dropped her smooth and long black hair as she waved her slender hands, "See you later, Renir!"

Before the door closed again, the two men heard an angry old lady's voice.

"Young girl, this is a hospital, not your house. Be mindful of others."

Then a fading reply could be heard, "I'm sorry~!"

When the door closed, the young nurse spoke to Renir after he chuckled, "You're a lucky man, huh. Your girlfriend is not just pretty but also that committed to you."

While Renir explored his food while his head full of thoughts, he was confused, "Committed?", he asked.

The young nurse nodded and told him, "Yes, she's been going here every day for the past two weeks after school. Not missing a day since you were confined here."

After that small talk, the young nurse updated him that his check-up was moved tomorrow morning and then left.

Renir ate as he blushed, 'She's not my girlfriend...'

That night, he found it hard to sleep that he had to open the tv then felt the need to help nature by releasing his discomfort.

'I'm not acting mature back then. I was just accustomed to it...', thoughts about their conversation still lingered.

It has been a while since he sat on a toilet. In Gantlet, every food was energy and there was no waste he needed to relieve himself.

Renir finally accepted that he was back. When he went back to sleep, he was so full of thoughts that before he knew it, he fell asleep.