12. I've liked him for long now.

"Death?"

YiMing repeated as she looked at the book cover, reading out the title out loud. Not to mention how creepy the name of this book had sounded, but she also noticed how old it looked. Like it was from a thousand years ago!

And this had pricked her curiosity. Slowly, she had then brought up her hands to open up the book and see what could be behind it. A poem? A story? she would just have to find out.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Her hands instantly came to an abrupt stop after hearing a rather familiar Male voice ask from behind.

She had paused, not having the confidence to turn and face him. But he was coming anyway, this indicated by the sound of his footstep that drew near from the doorsteps towards her.

Before he came any closer, she decided to turn and face him. And she did just that.

Turning, YiMing's eyes caught with the one person that made her heart skip beats.

Before she was now standing a fellow student, a male. As tall and handsome as he was, this young man had a dashing glare that was capable of sending one into a coma.

Looking at him, YiMing found herself comparing him to The Grim Reaper. He had the same body stature as the reaper but This Young Man was much more built, especially in his uniforms.

He had both hands in his pocket as he glared at her.

She was nervous. She was always nervous. The one person she always stole glimpses at, the one person the school saw as a cool, distance weirdo and all were basically afraid of him, But YiMing had always wanted to get closer. But that was typically impossible.

"Se... Senior" She Shuttered, referring to him as she always did. He was a senior of hers who was in the Final year class While she was a class below.

The Young Man diverted his eyes down to the book in her hands. "And who gave you the right to touch other's stuff?" He questioned, his voice deep and unfriendly.

"Well..I...." She shuttered looking at the book."I saw this here....and..."

"Does that give you the reason to Open it?" He questioned.

His method of speech wasn't a calm one. Like The Grim reaper, he had an unfriendly method of speech but he seemed to be quieter and more composed than the reaper who was just aloof.

"Sorry about that" YiMing said.

One would wonder why She would fall for a guy like him. Well, the answer was simple. She saw a piece of similarities in Both their lives. Loneliness.

Right from her first day at this High school when she had come to the garden to be alone after being bullied, she had found him similar.

At That time, he leaned by the tree stem reading a book when she had sat down on the bench.

Then he had looked up at who had come and had gotten up approaching her. "Before occupying a space, you should first know if it's already taken" He had said as he walked off.

She had watched him leave and perhaps that was love at first sight? Or maybe it was the second time they met when she had come to his class to deliver something she had bought for a senior.

The female senior who was taken advantage of her had scolded and mocked her for buying cheap meals with her own money and she had simply apologized to them!

She was indeed a pushover!

Then Her crush had gotten up from his seat in the back and had walked past them.

"How can you be so naive, it's annoying" He had said as he looked at the girls "And I guess you guys want to take a trip to the principal's office?"

After that, the senior girls stopped picking on her. M maybe, that was when she had first taken interest in him... He had saved her...Even if he didn't take it as so.

She had always kept an eye on him, like a stalker. Watched as he read at all times and also do his writing. He was the quiet type. The extremely quiet time who bad a low EQ. He was never sociable and was always alone...

And YiMing felt she fell for that... His loneliness.

YiMing could count how many times they had talked...Or maybe he had talked down on her. Four times since their first meeting. And it was safe to say this was the fifth time

All through their meeting, he always spoke ill of her. and YiMing didn't then he recalled her since they barely met. But he still made her heart flutter.

"Next time... don't touch my stuff. no matter what" He said as he grabbed the book from her and walked off.

YiMing sighed as she watched him leave. It was rather safe to say that he didn't like her. And the thought had tried discouraging her countless time. But she didn't know why she never gave in.

She looked over at the locker the book had fallen from. On a stranger note, this wasn't his class nor was it his locker. How on earth did his book get in here? One would wonder.

But not YiMing, she guessed that was one of the many reasons they tagged him the strange and mysterious guy people didn't like being close to

*****

"I heard about what happened to NaYin, your best friend" The teacher who had called her, said.

YiMing was quiet.

"You must be feeling tensed up and all, don't you think you need to rest? You can get a week of rest or something. Then you recover from the shock and all" He suggested after YiMing had arrived at the office.

"I'm okay" YiMing had the habit of saying the opposite of what she felt "I've already recovered from it ..I'll be okay, " She said.

Yes, it was a habit. Saying the opposite of what she was feeling.