11:11

1

It's 11:11.

When the day grew old, we used to make wishes and laugh at our foolishness. Though now, it doesn't seem so foolish.

She came to me like the first spring. That day, she wore a beautiful hot pink dress that matched well with your nearly pale skin tone. Her brown and blonde hair stood out from other girls' solid-colored strands. 

The brown orbs of her eyes reflected the sun perfectly and captured me the most. Like a painter's best work, they were sacred.

"Hi, my name's Chaeyoung," she said to me as she extended her hand and smiled. "What's your name?"

I felt frozen like a robber who got caught stealing. Back then, I was shy and sought shelter in my shell. My only friend was my drawing pad. Until the day she came and changed my world.

"Han," I stuttered out.

Her smile shined like the sun above us. My name fascinated her.

"Like the Han River?"

I nodded and gravitated to the drawing pad in front of me. Then, she sat next to me.

I knew her as the new transfer student from Busan. A city full of the biggest companies and prestigious schools. She was among the group of kids preparing to take over your parents' business. Yet, she came to a nobody like me.

"What're you drawing?" She asked.

She tried to peek at my work, but I protected it. I wasn't confident in showing others my drawings, and she was no exception, yet she never left the idea alone. Every day I found her in the same spot, stealing peeks, and she would laugh it off when caught.

The others spoke poorly of her. They disapproved of our "friendship," if I could call it that. Within a week, we were the gossip of the school, but she continued to visit me.

I didn't show it, but it made me happy when I heard her skip across the school garden every day. Then, something happened.

One day, I didn't hear her skipping. Instead, I listened to her feet dragging themselves as she approached our bench. My reflexes sent my pad into my chest, but I noticed she wasn't looking at me that time--she was looking down.

Her hands were clenched themselves, and for the first time, I saw her frown.

Ever since we've met, she has always been the one smiling at me. The change in her demeanor surprised me, and I felt obligated to check on her.

"What's wrong, Chaeyoung?" I asked, putting all my attention on her.

When she looked back at me, she resembled a sad puppy. Her eyes, once glowing with glee, became dimmer lamps.

"My family's moving again because of their work. Now we have to start all over." She sighed and continued. " Honestly, this happens so often, I shouldn't be surprised. But it isn't fair that I can't make friends often because of their jobs. I'm just so tired of restarting, Han."

" I'm sorry to hear that." I tried to sound more sympathetic, but it came out a bit monotone.

Obviously, I never comforted someone before--especially a girl.

"It's fine," you began. "At least they're giving me some time to prepare."

"How much?"

"A month. They want to leave before winter settles in."

I wanted to curse at that moment. Not at her parents, but myself. Every day, she came to me, wanting to get to know me, but my self-fulfilling prophecy closed me off. All the time I spent ignoring her could've been time used befriending her. But it wasn't too late.

Some ideas came to mind. I knew she'd want to enjoy the time she had left, so I needed something worth remembering. It was the least I could do. So I made the boldest move of my life.

"What if we...." I second-guessed myself, debating if I could really say it, but the words managed to come out anyways. "...hung out until your last day?"

That faded light in her eyes lit up with the rest of her face. Her frown became a smile, and it felt like the old Chaeyoung returned.

"Could we? That would be awesome!"

I nodded, returning to my shy persona. "I know a few places."

"Good! We'll start after school!"

I watched her skip across the garden like many times before and smiled, knowing I did the right thing.

So between then and the end of the last day, we explored the world.

We hit the town's biggest arcades where we played basketball together. I tried my best to let her win, but basketball just wasn't her sport. Not to forget how much of a sore loser she was.

And the time we went to the dog park at her request, but it was closed. I thought she was cute when she pouted at the "Sorry, we're closed" sign and treated her to ice cream instead.

Through our time together, I became more comfortable with her, too. I worked up the courage to see my drawings, despite how ugly I thought they were. She adored my picture of her and her ice cream the most, so I gave it to her. Though, I should've charged her for it.

Her parents seemed to like me, too. Her dad would tease me because of my soft personality while her mom grew accustomed to calling me her son-in-law, despite how flustered we'd get. Nevertheless, I liked them because of how accepting they were towards our friendship and our sleepovers.

At night, we waited for 11:11 to make wishes. At first, I thought the idea was dumb and childish, but when she would pout, I surrendered. So, I fell into the trap and waited, too.

During our last night together, as we together beside her bed, I grew curious about her tradition.

"Hey, Chae," I called her by the nickname she adored so much. "How do you know if your wishes will come true?"

She shrugged and smiled at the clock reflecting "11:20." "I don't know. My Dad told  me if I believed hard enough and made a wish, anything will come true."

"Fair enough. So, what did you wish for?" I asked.

Her eyes met mines, and her cheeks became a light tint of pink. "To meet someone like you wherever I go next."

My cheeks became warm. I was blushing, too. "Why would you wish for something like that? That's a waste of a good wish."

"How so?" She drew closer.

I stuttered. "Why would you want two of me? I'll always be here no matter where you go."

She giggled and sat down next to me. Her head nuzzled into my neck. "I suppose you're right."

I grew stiff. It was the first time we were ever that close. My first time being that close with a female that wasn't my mother. Many thoughts ran through my mind. I wondered how to react and what to say, but she glued herself to me. The faint sound of her snores filled my ears.

"Good night, Chae," I whispered, giving up on moving.

Eventually, I managed to fall asleep.

We found ourselves in the same position the following day.

I helped load her things into her parents' car, and when we were alone, she said these words to me:

"Thank you for giving me these amazing memories. I want to cherish them forever and never let them go." Her arms found themselves around me. "I'll miss you the most."

I returned the embrace. "Well, wherever you go, I'll always be here waiting for you. You can bet on it."

We released each other and lock eyes for only a moment before her dad called her name. One final farewell later, I was waving goodbye as her car disappeared into the distance.

Now, when the clock shows "11:11," I hope that she's doing well with her new school. I would wish for her return, but I'm happier if she's doing the things she loved so much. All I wish is that she'll never forget me.

Word Count: 1300