Chapter 8: "Back to Normal?"

I can't believe that he said that? Am I still in bed and this is all just a dream? Ooh please mom, don't you dare wake me up right now! I pinched myself to see if I was dreaming but I wasn't. Then it's true? My long time crush just said he likes me?

"Hey... I'm not dreaming, right?" I asked

Angelo laughs, "It's pretty obvious, isn't it? I was pretty obvious towards it."

Holy crap, I can die happy right now, oh wait don't kill me just yet, let me savor this moment. 

Before either of us says anything more, the rain started pouring heavily. Angelo grabs my hand as we ran towards some cover.

Even as we reached shelter, he was still holding my hand, so I said, "Y...you can let go now."

He looks at me a little longer then he lets go. He sneezes so I said, "That's what you get for going back in the rain and getting my lunchbox."

Angelo mutters, "But it made me really happy... that you cooked for me. I can't let it go to waste."

I was taken aback at how thoughtful he was but I managed to say, "You should at least dry your hair first."

He bows his head down to my level and gave me his towel. He was so cute like a child. I grabbed the towel and I gently dried his hair. It was so soft and pretty.

After I'm done he dried my hair.

This feels like what couple would do... ah, I can't help but get my hopes up. I can't help but imagine holding his hand and hugging him or just him in my field of vision everyday.

Like a song I've memorized hundred of times but it remains my favorite. 

He gently uses the towel to direct my face towards his and he draw his face nearer as well, he says, "How come you look cutest when you're embarrassed?"

Angelo draws his face nearer as I closed my eyes, he patted my head and he continued, "You should stop looking that cute while I can still control myself."

I wonder what he means by that. Does he really like me?...am I in the right mind to believe that right now?

 What if I want to believe him?

I stared outside, getting lost in my thoughts as I watched the rain pouring continuously, as if they were masking the quietness that surrounded us.

Can he truly like me even if he starts remembering why he hated me in the first place? If he remembers everything about me? How about her? 

I doubt he will but at least, this moment, this was ours. 

I can be greedy just for this moment.

I reached out my hand to feel the rain slowly stopping, I remarked, "The sky's almost clearing up."

We went back to our classroom with my thoughts stuck in our moment together. Our subject teachers came in and out fleetingly, my mind was up in space. In spite of the fact that we are studying ICT class right now which usually piqued my interests, my mind remains up there in the rooftop.

Suddenly, a classmate claps his hands in front of me, he says, "Hey, classmate, want to join us for karaoke later?"

I was confused like I just woke up, "I'm sorry, what was that?"

They laughs, "You really have guys standing up to our crappy professor earlier. So we were wondering if you want to join us later, we're going karaoke." 

"Uh.. Oh, okay." I replied with barely giving any thought about it, I was never invited out to those kind of things before so I guess it'll be fun to hang out with my classmates.

Our home room teacher, Mrs. Anne came to the room to give out reminders and all when she looks at me and says, "Ah you, you're the other transferee, right?"

I nodded and Mrs. Anne continued, "Right, what's your name again dear?"

"Uh... Kristina." I continued, "Kristina Valdez."

"Right, I registered you in the computer coding club? They said they invited you but you're to shy to register so I did it for you. The head especially asks for you." 

I nodded but I was confused... Did Ashley asked for me? My thought were immediately cut off as I saw Angelo's reaction. He looked so surprised and grim.

I asked him, "Hey, is everything all right?"

He moves away to avoid my hand and asks, "Valdez? Your last name is Valdez? You're Kristina Valdez?"

I replied, "Yes, what about it?"

Angelo didn't say anything else, he fell silent amd he made such a face. The same face he made when they were kids just before he left me.

I know this feeling... he probably remembers me now.

What are the chances of him remembering me just when things are going good? I guess I can't stay that longer after all.

As soon as Mrs. Anne dismissed our classes, Angelo grabs his bag and left. This feels like the past all over again...

This time, I followed him. I was shouting, "Angelo! Wait up!"

He always walked with a fast pace and I can barely keep up. I fall down tripping on my knees but he didn't even stop to worry about me for a second.

I shakes off the debris from my knees and I walked even faster tolerating the pain. I finally caught up to him and I grabbed his hand, "Angelo."

Angelo roughly removes my hands off of him, he says with those piercing gaze, "You're still the same from when we were kids, you're just as manipulative."

I protested, "You're the one who's the same, you keep leaving without even hearing me out!"

"I don't have to hear anything from you!" Angelo continues, "All that's coming out of your mouth are lies and deceptions, you're a liar and a user."

"You say the same things from back then, did it even occur to you if you remembered things correctly?" 

He pauses, "What do you mean?"

"I never lied to you but you kept saying I did."

"What makes you think I'll believe someone like you?" Angelo continued, "You've been lying to me the whole time, you never said you were my childhood friend!"

"What makes you believe someone like her?"

Angelo snaps, "Don't drag her into this!"

We fell into silent as some students were looking at when Angelo suddenly raised his voice.

Angelo turns his back from me and says as he left, "Let's go back to the way we used to be before. Let's never talk again and pretend that we don't exist in each other's life."

"Well, I'm sorry I can't do that. I'm sorry I believed you when you said you like me."

"Yeah, I'm sorry that I believed it too." Angelo says softly, "I hate people like you Kristina. Don't come near me ever again. The mere thought of you makes me sick to the core."

I couldn't say anything anymore because I couldn't bear to hear his hurtful words anymore. Ah crap, this is what I get for being too happy. He's probably going to run off abroad again and everything would repeat the same exact way they did today. He would always leave the moment he remembers me.

Ashley stated as she went out of her classroom, "Well, that was intense, I never even imagined he'd be mad at you."

"Are you here to gloat?"

Ashley reaches out a band aid, she replied, "To be fair, I only hated you because he likes you but seeing now that we're on the same side, I hate you less."

I laugh at her, "You should've hated me less from the beginning since he always hated me."

"I thought you were friends?"

"We used to be but then he started hating me and ignoring me like today." I explained

Ashley stated as she helps me up, "Yeah, I always thought that was weird."

"You knew about that?"

She says proudly as she winks at me, "I know everything there is to know about Angelo, except your past with him, the way he posts about it or anything about it actually seems a bit hazy."

I laughed at her, "Wow, you are so ahead of your crush game, you should teach me your skills."

She laughs as well as she left.

I covered my knees with the bandage she gave me, written there was a cute handwritted note by Ashley: "Hang in there!"

She's surprisingly cute and nicem thinking about yesterday, this must be how she felt when Angelo drove her away. The difference was no one was there for her. I wish I can be as strong and brave as her.

As I walked my way towards the school gate, my classmates saw me and greeted me, "Yo! Kristina, right?"

I nodded.

"She's really shy, that's so cute." the guys remarks and they wrapped their hands around my shoulder, they continued, "The other new guy's not with her today huh? lucky!"

"I'm sorry... uh-" I was trying to break free from their grip but I couldn't

Angelo saw us but he just looked at me and left. Ah, everything was back to normal after all... he's cold and distant towards me again.

My classmates said, "Come on, no need to be so shy, our other classmate's already there! There's plenty of girls there."

They make me feel uncomfortable but I also wanted to meet our classmates so I hesistantly went with them. We went to a karaoke bar near our school, they rented a room and we went inside.

Their cigarettes lingers in the air that makes me cough, the smell of alcohol mixed the poorly ventilation system makes me dizzy so I asked, "Uh... where are our other classmates? It's only the five of us here."

The tallest guy smirks, "Oh, are you scared?"

The guy beside me grabs me by the waist and pulls me closer he says, "So cute, you make me go crazy."

I was shivering and their other friends stated, "Chill out, consider this as a welcoming ritual for you, Kristina."

"I want to go home." I stood up shakily 

I was about to leave the room when they slamed a bottle of alcohol in my head. Ah, it hurts so much, I felt my head ringing, the sounds echoing in my head over and over. My vision's getting blurry and I'm gradually feeling weaker.

The guy said, "I told you to chill out, now look and what you made him do, they didn't call him 'beast' for nothing."

"Just sleep little princess." was the last thing I heard before I completely pass out.

Angelo Cruz POV

Did she went with those guys? They all look so awfully suspicious, ahhhh damn it! Why are you so naive and careless Kristina? I went outside my house just to check if Kristina already went home.

I saw her mom there, she said, "Oh, are you looking for Kristina?"

I nodded.

She replied, "She hasn't gone home yet, she texted me saying she'll be hanging out with her friends."

I was confused, Kristina doesn't have friends and she's not the type to hang around those guys. Why am I even concerning myself with this? For all I know, this must be her attempt to get me to care again!

But I don't know... something feels off. Those guys looked like trouble.

I asked, "Did she say where they were?"

Her mother showed me the text message, they're at the karaoke bar, the way she texts, this doesn't seem like something she would send. Plus that place, it's notorious for taking girls home. I immediately gave the phone back and ride my bike on the way there since it was faster.

Please be safe, Kristina.

I don't care if this is on of your futile efforts to get me back to manipulate me or whatever but it's working and right now, I could care less about your motives, I just need you to be safe right now.

Every minute that went by as I pedal felt like an eternity. I should've stopped them earlier, I felt something was off already. Please let me make it in time.