Chapter 1
MY WOUND HURTS
"Your hair is so pretty, Coreen," Reina said while stroking my hair. I was blessed with hair that was naturally curly at the tips. With a little extra care, it can become shiny, soft, and bouncy.
"Thanks! Your straight hair looks nice, too!" I told her as I pushed her bangs to one side.
Compared to her brothers, Reina's face was covered with pimples.
All her brothers had good skin. Noah got pimples once in a blue moon. Unlike Reina, who seemed to get it all the time.
We were in Grade 7 while Noah was in Grade 8. He belonged to a very popular band in our school—Zeus. I pulled Reina after me. She refused to go with me into the auditorium.
"Reina, come on!" I called her again, but she shook her head, looking annoyed.
"What? My husband will catch us!" I jokingly told her.
I looked at where her eyes were fixated on, and there I saw Yñigo Sanchez in the corridor. He was laughing while giving high gives to his classmates. Yñigo Sanchez was one of Reina's many crushes. Unlike her, I only had eyes for Noah.
My eyes met with Yñigo's. He winked at me so I turned away. Reina held my arms tightly.
"My gosh! Yñigo winked at me!" she gushed.
I bowed my head and glanced at her face. She looked like she would die of excitement.
"Come on! Let's go!" I told her again, pulling at her sleeve. She appeared to be hyperventilating.
"My gosh! My gosh! My crush! It doesn't matter if Bench won't even look at me, as long as Yñigo winked at me," she said, ranting about her other crush. I pulled her out and away from the crowd.
"Excuse me! Excuse me!" I yelled as I headed to the front seats. I won't settle for the bleachers! I needed to watch the band up close!
I felt goosebumps when I heard Noah tune his guitar on the stage. The band members had attracted so many followers because of their looks and talent.
"Hey, Coreen! Don't push!" I heard one of Noah's classmates tell me. "Do you honestly think that Noah will notice you if you sit up front? Dream on!"
"At least I said 'excuse me!'" I answered, frowning back at him, and continued making my way to my desired seat.
At last, we found our place. My jaw dropped when I looked at Noah, who was playing his guitar. I was so awed by him that I didn't even notice the vocalist saying "Hi, Coreen!" over and over again, trying to draw my attention. The audience just laughed.
My eyes fell on Stan, the vocalist. He smirked at me, looking proud of his own little stunt.
"Hey, Coreen! I think Stan likes you," Reina teased.
"He's gay!" I told her and gazed at Noah again.
Noah looked calm but serious playing his guitar. I had liked him ever since we were kids. I liked him so much that I never even considered falling for anyone else. I was so dedicated to him.
People say you'll eventually get tired of unrequited love. But I don't think I'll ever get over him.
I've always liked being "in between." And because he didn't notice me, I was happily waiting in limbo. This love story could only get more exciting, and I was perfectly fine with that. I was happy with this journey. I'd be happy to wait for that someone who hasn't arrived yet, knowing that he'll get there eventually. The time will come when Noah will like me back, and I was going to make sure of that.
