Prologue
“You are, and always have been, my dream” _Nicholas Spark
RINA’S POV:
Do you ever stare at the sky and just draw images in your head from the clouds?
Sometimes I just imagine reaching up with a big pin and poking them. They were so free, out of shape and yet they always seemed to form a pattern. A drawing of some sort, that if you look really closely you can idealize it, filing the image at the back of your head.
It is my last year at Vince Simon High School. I will be graduating. I will gain admission and I will go to college. A lot happened before my parents decided it was time I changed schools and before that my life wasn’t any better, you can say I have a bit of bad luck.
I thought I would drop out, lose my sanity, forsake my humanity but I survived. My life in WEDSTAR High made me question myself, my friends and my feelings.
I transferred to this school to restart my journey. My parents made sure to move me faraway from our town. I didn’t mind nor complain. I loved seeing new places. I fitted in quite well, I was smart so it was easy for me to catch up with the other students. I made a few friends, I was happy in the little world I’d fit myself into, the darkness inside my heart was gone but what if I told you my whole life took an unexpected twist back in my town. The place where it all began:
Today, just like every other Saturday morning, I was at Taki’s Café.
A small shop located a few miles from my dorm in Vince Simon High School, a prestigious private boarding school flourishing with every educational and recreational facility you could dream of. Surprisingly, this was my school, solely because I earned a scholarship that allowed me to attend. A reality that took me some time to get used to.
The Cafe was a cute place. The walls were drowned in pastel colours and the wooden furniture’s gave the place a homey vibe, not to mention Mr Bean, the owner who hung up little portraits at every corner of the shop, drawn specially by his little minions (children). It was a nice touch if you ask me but then I knew nothing about art.
I tore my eyes away from the glass window as the sun’s glare slowly emerged in full display. Leaning into my chair, I picked up SILENCE BREAKING. It was one of my favourite books of all time, even though I’d read it like a zillion times, every page still spiked my attention as if it were the first time I opened the book. With my headset on, I tuned out the world and began reading. My friends always mocked me about my routine, they said I was nerdy, sometimes they called me boring but I didn’t care, reading novels was my favourite thing to do in my spare time. So every morning on weekends you’d find me here, coffee in hand, book on lap and headphones plugged in. Indulged in my fantasy land. Because if I’m being real the real world sucks and I’d rather be stuck in my imaginations where I can control everything that happens to me.
Bzzzzzzzzt bzzzzzzzzt bzzzzzzzzt bzzzzzzzzzt
The vibration of my phone broke my attention, I was tempted to ignore the call but the incessant ringing wouldn’t stop and when I glanced at the caller ID. I knew why.
“Yes” I snapped, bringing the phone to my ear.
“My darlinnnnnnnggg Rin, I know you must be in lala land right now but could you look back for like five seconds” His gruff voice drawled.
“What th-” I dropped my phone, startled as my face almost collided into his lanky figure.
“Hey” He smiled mischievously, sliding into the chair opposite mine.
I glared back at his honey eyes.
“You know normal people don’t call someone when they’re standing behind them” I said picking up my phone.
“Good thing we’re not normal then”. He replied cheekily.
I shook my head and wagged my finger in a disapproving manner “Correction. Good thing you’re not normal, my mental health is perfect”.
“You think?!” he scoffed playfully. “Whenever you open a book you lose your normal. I’m pretty sure I could have walked in, stole your cup of tea, walked in and out this store a couple more times and you wouldn’t have noticed”.
I opened my mouth to argue and shut it back. He was right. I was that bad. So I simply rolled my eyes and muttered a ‘whatever’.
Ethan Miles.
The boy sitting on the opposite side has constantly been the number 1 pest in my life ever since I joined this school. We were both in the same class and bonded quickly over our keen love for music, hatred for maths assignment, food and writing. Our favourite past time was analysing other people’s relationships. Weird hobby but for the both of us it was a passage way to different interesting gossips and speculations. He was about 5’7, slim with honey brown eyes, his hair was a shade of light brown and the roots were black. He had a keen eye for details and for some reason he’d boast about them every time we argued about someone or something. and the stubble underneath his chin made him look manlier than he truly was. Ethan wasn’t athletic or skilled, to be honest he was a guy with the mind of a 13-year-old boy who loved video games, didn’t know how to talk to girls, effortlessly annoying and an accounting geek. Often times our classmates mistook us for a couple and while the thought of it utterly grossed me out, I didn’t blame them, we were around each other most of the time in class, but we have never once been attracted to each other in a romantic manner and never will be.
Today he wore a pair of black jeans and a sky blue patterned button up shirt that complemented his light skin which meant he came to drag me somewhere.
“Why are you here Ethan?” I raised a brow.
“Awwwwwn I’m so happy to see you too” he quipped when I didn’t return his humour he said
“I was bored. Nicole’s really busy this weekend so we decided to shift our plans for next weekend”. Did I forget to mention that he has a girlfriend!
Yup.
Nicole has been his girlfriend for about 4 years now. She attended a different school in this city far from our district. I had never met her personally but I’d seen their pictures together on his phone. She was really pretty and out of his league that most times I’d ask myself how he’d gotten a girl like her. Their relationship was unstable sometimes, in the period I’d gotten to know them they were always breaking up and coming back together just a few weeks after. To be honest they been on break up point so much that this one time I got a notebook app listing all the times Ethan would come over asking for my advice and what he wanted me to tell him because in the end they always got back together.
I picked up my book and flipped the pages to where I inserted the bookmark “So what do you want me to do” I asked uninterested.
“Let’s go have some fun” He answered rubbing his palms together. His eyes gleamed with mischief.
I stared at him for a second, stared down at my book, stared at him again and decided my book sounded more interesting. I pressed the tip of my index finger to my tongue for a little moisture and flipped open a new chapter. Ethan’s ideas of fun were never fun. Especially if you were on the receiving end of whatever idea he was cooking up.
“I’m having fun”. I told him. My eyes focused on the paragraph I was reading, pretending not to notice the darts he was shooting my way and began to hum the song I was previously listening to.
“You know with the way you read romance novels, one would think you’re a sappy romantic not a heartless player” This got my attention.
I didn’t want to make a remark because I knew exactly where this conversation would lead to and I was going to do everything in my power to avoid the topic. I knew even though he never mentioned it, secretly, he was still pissed about what I did to his friend.
I sighed and closed my book shut. “On second thought, why don’t we go play tennis and grab a bite at Maggie’s” I chirped with a little smile that was fake as hell. I picked up my black one hand bag, shoving my book and other items of little concern in there.
Getting up he said “Sounds good to me” He spoke a little too loud disturbing the peace of the store and a few customers turned their heads in our direction.
“I don’t know him” I mouthed, pointing a thumb in his direction.
“We both know you love me, Rin” he remarked as we made our way to the door.
“You know, one would think with all that facial hair growing on you, you’d act mature once in a while”.
He smiled “Touché”.
My skin glowed under the bright yellow star, the radiance made me squint my eyes. I got my cheap pair of sunshades from my satchel winking at him before putting them on.
“Let’s go”
A.N: please lovelies don’t forget to hit that little star it takes 0.000 seconds to do so. Thank you.
