Chapter 3

Aya took me home and I sighed deeply. She smiled at me and waved.

"Goodbye." I waved back at her.

I entered the apartment and I saw a paper bag with a lunchbox inside it. I smiled at the note, "Get-well-soon."

We were in our third grade when he was teasing me again. I was pissed by him and I pushed him hard to the ground. Our classmates were laughing at him and I felt dizzy.

Everything went black.

That day, he tried to carry me but he did not have too much strength. Our adviser carried me to the clinic and he insisted to stay with me until I got well.

I opened the lunchbox and it was a hot porridge. I tasted it but it was hot. I sat on the chair and started to blew it. It tasted sweet because of the chicken and boiled egg.

"He's thoughtful." I smiled widely and shook my head, "What am I saying?" 

I woke up with pair of panda eyes again but I ignored it. I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth. He entered in my thoughts again but I shoved it away. I went to the kitchen to make a sandwich and there he was.

"Why don't you leave me alone?" I had my tantrums. I could not help myself thinking about him. I need to make him away from me.

The bell rang for a lunch break. Aya and I went to the cafeteria. She offered me her sandwich and I smiled at her. "Thank you."

I saw the four boys walking at the counter. I hid myself behind my book. Aya looked at them and hid herself too with her hands. I heard them coming to us and I closed my eyes. My heart was pounding heavily.

"Do you think you can hide from us?" Nick sat beside me.

I put down my book and frowned at him. He put the cabbage on my food. "Just eat it."

The three boys laughed at him. 

"You're not just used to eat veggies."

"Stop it, Graham.", he frowned. I secretly laughed at him while he was forced to eat the cabbage.

We looked at him and we were amazed that he ate it for the first time in his life. He smiled at us and pretended that he liked it.

"Delicious!", he said happily while he was chewing the cabbage in his mouth.

I smiled wryly at him. I put the cabbage on top of his rice and he smiled at me with a gritted teeth. I laughed at him. The three boys were teasing him and Aya laughed at them too.

"Stop it, Kim." Nick was annoyed and we stopped laughing before he could get angry.

He really ate the cabbage and we saw how he swallowed it. He smiled and winked.

"Haha! You really looked cool.", Felix said happily. He put his cabbage on his rice and he teased him, "Just eat it." and the rest followed.

He frowned and he looked disappointed at them. He looked at his food sadly.

"Why are you all like this to me?" He bit his lower lip.

I looked around at the covered court and the girls were cheering for the basketball men playing.

"Go, Gray!", a girl shouted.

"Go, Timmy!", the three girls shouted at the opposite side.

Aya and I sat down on the bleachers. I saw her smiling at Gray. I touched her side and it tickled her.

"Stop looking at him. He'll get melted." I teased her and she pouted her lips.

"I'm just admiring him. Look, he's so handsome wearing his jersey!" She looked at him adorably.

I hissed. I looked at a corner and there were three boys walking at our row. Nick met my eyes and he smirked. He was holding two potato chips and two bottled orange juice. They sat next to us, holding the blue balloons to cheer Gray. He gave the potato chips to me and I accepted it.

"Can you say, thank you?" He almost whispered on my ear.

"Say, please." I smiled wryly.

"Please." His eyes widened and I pinched his hand.

"Thank you.", I said smiling. He touched his hurt hand and looked away.

I got bored watching the basketball and I was eating the potato chips for the second half of the game.

"Are you bored?" He was looking at me and Aya was focused on watching Gray's moves.

"What?" It seemed like his voice was soft because of the crowd, screaming and the loud cheers. 

"I said, are you bored?" He leaned his head near my ear. 

"Yes," I answered and saw Aya looked sad.

I intently stood when Gray shot the ball, three points. Aya looked at me with a wide smile and cheered for him.

Nick was looking at me without blinking. I waved at his face but his eyes were not blinking.

"Nick, are you okay?" I asked him while patting his shoulder. He nodded and his face reddened. He put the coat of his uniform on my lap and he looked away.

I realized that I just wore my uniform and my skirt was above my knee. I smiled wryly at him and I bit my lower lip.

We did not utter anything after he did it. When the game was done, I gave it back to him and he walked with a smile on his face.

Aya teased me with her eyes. She smiled like an idiot and laughed at me. "Do you like him now?"

I shook my head. "No."

We headed back to our room and I was busy cleaning the window. I was reaching for the upper part but I could not reach it.

Someone reached it for me. He was taller than me and he started wiping it. When I looked at him, it was Nick.

Because I was surprised by him, I twisted my foot and I fell out of balance but he saved me again. He pulled me against his body and we fell. I was on top of him and I was worried when he closed his eyes.

"Nick, are you okay?" I patted his cheek twice and he smiled.

"I'm okay." He sat and our classmates were looking at us smiling.

"No way. Your thoughts are wrong." I smiled wryly and slapped his chest. "Get up, you, big man."

He was hurt and he stood beside me. "Why did you do that?"

"I'm really pissed." I turned my back at him but I felt my ankle hurt.

He caught my arms before I fell. He put back the coat of his uniform about my waist. He carried me to the chair and twisted my ankle back.

Our classmates were teasing us and I shouted at them to stop but they seemed like they were not about to hear it. Aya and the three boys were smiling like an idiot behind our classmates and I was thinking that they were plotting something bad at us.

I was walking with Aya when a car stopped. The window was pulled down and it was Nick, smiling at us.

"Hop in." He offered confidently. 

"Hainz, I have to go. My dad is there waiting for me. Bye!" She ran behind me and I frowned at Nick.

He helped me to hop in and we headed to the apartment. I panicked when the landlady was walking opposite to us.

"I'm dead." I was pissed by his presence.

"Hey, kid. What are you doing to her?" She came near us and looked at him like he did something wrong.

"I'm here to help her. She just twisted her foot and-" She cut her words and invited us to come in the apartment.

She made a hot tea in a teapot and poured in the three teacups. I smiled at her and I saw how calm Nick was. How could he be like this in front of my landlady?

"So, who are you?" The landlady was examining his looks. 

"I'm Nick and she's my-" She cut his words again and she smiled sweetly.

"I know that you're a handsome man for her. Please, take care of her." She began and he was smiling secretly. 

What was she thinking of? I am not his girlfriend. 

"She might sometimes have messy room or even having no food to eat, or she could not do the household chores but, I know that she's kindhearted and she was doing her best to graduate." She was making herself assured that he should accept me the way I am. 

My mouth went open and he looked at me with disbelief. I felt embarrassed on what she said. How could she say that to him? 

"He's not my boy-" He cut my words.

"I'm sorry to tell you, Aunt. I'm not her boyfriend. I'm her classmate." He smiled at her. 

"But you'll look like a good couple." She put our hands together and I felt the current through his hands and it was tickling my heart.

What did his charms do to the landlady? I sighed deeply and bit my lower lip.