Chapter 1
"Stop that Gia. Don't you feel sorry for yourself?" Shama shouted to me. I shook my head and smiled when I finished decorating the love letter that I would give to Ricardo later. I took out my new perfume from my bag and sprayed it on the paper. I smelled the paper before i planted a peck of kiss.
"What the fudge, are you listening to me Gia?!" Shama hit my chair.
"Yes, I'm listening" I answered, still smiling.
"I don't know! You're smart, but you're a stupid when it comes to Ricardo" she hissed as she stood up.
I followed her until she left the classroom. I looked again at the love letter I made.
Dear Ricardo,
I know you already know what I'm going to say but I'm going to tell you this again. I won't get tired of telling you this again and again. The first time you set foot here in the classroom, I know you'll be a part of my life. Not just a part, you'll be be going to bemy responsibility. I will serve you to the best of my ability, I will love you until we grow old. I only wish that you would accept my love offering, so that, you would see the true meaning of the word eternal love. Good day!
Loving you,
Gia
"What is that?" I was surprised when suddenly someone grabbed a paper from behind."Love letter again?"
"That's mine!" I shouted and grabbed the letter from Princess' hand.
"Aren't you tired of giving Ricardo love letters?" Jewel asked me. Her arms were crossed as she watched Princess and I fight over the letter. Next to her, Liberty was also watching.
"Give it back to me!" I said again and tried to grab the letter again.
"What the hell?" Princess said cheaply. "I will love you until we grow old?" she read a line I wrote."Are you insane? Do you think Ricardo will grow old with you?" Jewel and Liberty laughed from the side.
"It's nauseating. I wonder what Ricardo feels while reading at your trashy letters" Jewel laughed.
"Maybe he's not reading" Liberty interjected.
"You don't care. Give it to me" The three of them laughed so I took that moment to get the letter from Princess' hand.
"Hey, I don't plan to take your letter home. It's just yours" Princess hissed. I didn't answer and just went back to my seat to fix the letter that was messed up.
"Goodmorning Ricardo" Princess suddenly greeted.
Upon hearing that, I immediately looked up. My heart pounded immediately and I quickly stopped sorting through the letter. I smelled his familiar scent when he was inside the classroom. I bowed with a smile and continued arranging the letter.
"Morning" Ricardo greeted them. He passed them and went straight to his seat, his friends immediately followed. I frowned when I saw that Princess also followed them. When I turned around, our eyes met said Ricardo. It was as if I was suddenly palpitated by the strength of my heartbeat. I smiled at him but it was immediately faded when Princess called him once again. Ricardo looked away and never looked at me again.
"What?" Ricardo asked her
. "I...i have something to tell you" she bowed down. Ricardo remained silent while looking at Princess.
"Spill the tea, Cess" Venpaul said, one of his friends.
"I like you" I dropped the letter and staredat her. What? She likes Ricardo too?
"What the f*ck, dude? You're really handsome" his friends laugh.
"I'm sorry if I confessed like this. I just wanna tell you my feelings for you...." My eyes widened when Princess suddenly walked up to Ricardo. It was like something pierced my heart when I heard the screams of Ricardo's friends and my other classmates.
"Ah...It's like Gia too. Ricardo was really different" Kenneth laughed. After he muttered those words, they looked at me.
"Don't compare Princess to that girl, Ken. She's so cheap, I read her love letter earlier, probably for Ricardo again. Gosh, it's nauseating" Jewel interjected. I swallowed hard and picked the letter on the floor.
"love letter again?" Kenneth asked.
"Every day" Venpaul answered. When I turned to her, Ricardo was looking at me. I gathered all my courage to stand up. I stood up and walked to their place.
"Hi Gia!" Venpaul greeted me. I ignored him and just looked at Ricardo. He looked up at me and our eyes met again.
"Ohhh" they reacted when I handed over the letter I made earlier. I heard Liberty and Jewel laughing beside me, including Princess. Venpaul, Kenneth and my classmates cheered too.
I felt ashamed when Ricardo didn't accept the paper. As usual, I will put it on the table of his chair again. I don't care if he takes it or not, the important thing is that he saw that I gave it to him.
"Dude, speak up" Venpaul said to his friend. Ricardo looked at Princess.
"I'm sorry but I don't entertain"
"But Ricardo, I said that I like you" Princess said desperately.
"But I don't feel the same"
"Ricardo!" Princess shouted frustratedly. Jewel and Liberty attended her and comforted her. "I hate you!" she shouted and quickly ran out. His friends quickly followed. While Ricardo remained serious. He suddenly looked at me.
"And you. Can you please stop giving me a letter? I don't like you and I won't like you. You're not my type, so get lost. Even if I give you a few more love letters, I will never like you." My heart ached. Hearing those words from him is like stabbing my heart literally. It's like a knife stabbing my heart. The pain.
'I don't like you'. That's okay. I can accept that he doesn't like me. 'I will never like you'. But the fact that I heard these words came out of his mouth, it makes my heart ache. Why? Why Ricardo, Am I that hard to love? Am I ugly? Am I ugly? Do I stink ?Why?
"It hurts" I whispered. My lips were trembling.
"Don't give me a letter again. I don't want to see your letters anymore" "Dude, that's enough" Kenneth stopped him. A big silence filled the room. We all fell silent including my classmates.
"Gia!" Shama's loud voice broke the silence. I didn't look at him, instead I looked up to stop the tears that were about to fall. I'm mad. He...he just dumped me in front of our classmates. It's embarrassing.
"What?!" Shama shouted at me loudly. After a while, she pulled me to the mini forest to ask what happened. Even though I didn't want to, I told her everything. How Ricardo bashed me in front of our classmates. How much I embarrassed and..... hurt.
"Stupid! Stupid! You're so stupid!" she shouted and hit the table."I'm irritated by your stupidity!"
"Your words hurts" I looked down and played with my fingers.
"I told you, stop pursuing Ricardo." she said and took a deep breath."We're still young....The hell, Gia, we're only in grade 10! You can find someone else!"
"He's the one I want Shama" I said here which made him even more angry. Maybe he's fed up with my story about how I love Ricardo.
"Damn it, it's only been a month. It was only a month when he transferred, then your love for him is that deep?"
I nodded and didn't say anything. She told me a lot more before we went back to the classroom. I didn't even move when I entered, they were all looking at me...as if they were pitying me.
"He don't like me, what more when it comes to that girl? " I heard Princess tell my classmates.
"Hey, are you okay?" Shama elbowed me. I smiled and nodded. When I looked at Ricardo, he was busy writing. I also quickly looked away and he might catch me. I didn't speak until I got home. Good thing Shama was with me, she was the one telling me the story.
"What's the problem?" My brother taught me while we were eating. "Gia! Well, we're about to finish eating and you haven't even spooned your food yet?!"
I looked at my empty plate.
"Gia, child, are you alright?" mom asked me and cupped my forehead.
"What happened to you?" my brother asked me again.
"Jiro! Stop that" dad preached him.
"Is there a problem?" Dad asked me now.
"Nothing " I shook my head and took some rice.
"Why don't you seem like yourself?" mom asked me."Are you sick?"
"Nothing ma" I answered again and took a bite of rice.
"Mama! I have something to tell you," my brother's voice suddenly brightened. When I looked at him, he was smiling and eating. "There was a rumor earlier at school that a girl who was in his grade ten had been dumped"
I stopped chewing and slowly looked at him. "Really?" mom asked and looked at me."Do you know that, Gia?"
I looked at my brother and stared at him."Yes mom. In the other section"
"Really young people" mom shook her head while dad continued eating."So you Gia, don't do things like that."
Big brother laughed out loud while I was almost saddened by what mom said. What will be her reaction when he finds out that brother is referring to me?
I intended to enter the classroom in the next morning, but i have to. I didn't wear perfume, I didn't dress properly, I didn't comb my hair....and I didn't have a love letter with me.
"You're late" Shama said while solving the math problem.
"I woke up late" I lied to her. I also took out my math notebook and did our assignment. I refrained from looking back because I knew Ricardo was just there, sitting. Time passed quickly. I want to applaud myself because I managed not to take my eyes off Ricardo all the way home.
Two days passed and I decided to totally ignore Ricardo. My classmates know this, sometimes they tease Ricardo and me but when that happens I deny it and go to the cr to wash up.
Yes! I love it when they treat us like that.
"Hi Gia" Venpaul suddenly greeted me. One day I met them outside the canteen. Ricardo and his friends. "Hello" I greeted back here and was about to pass them when Venpaul blocked me.
"Are you avoiding Ricardo?" this laughing question.
"no"
"Why don't you pay attention to him anymore?" he asked. I frowned, What does he care? I looked at Ricardo and saw his gaze on me.
"Why don't you write him love letters anymore?"
"Why? Didn't he say that? That I should stop writing love letters?" I answered with raised eyebrows.
"She's right. Because no matter how many letters she gives me, I will never love a girl like her" he made a disgusted face before they continued walking. I heard the laughter of his friends. I clenched my fist and stomped in annoyance.
Does he need to say that? Darn it. How many times has he humiliated me.
Come on Ricardo. Defame me, embarrass me even more.
I gritted my teeth. Because when I moved, expect that it's your dead end.
