SUCH IS LIFE

COMPETITION

FOREWORD

Hello, you. Legends know that this is a reupload. Thank you for giving this story a chance and thank you for reading this foreword. This is my first attempt at writing a purely romance-based story. Is it terrible? You be the judge of that. Anyhow, I have other stories at my page, so do give them a chance. Very few people read my work, and the reads that I do have are just me forcing people to click on links and scrolling down. As a final remark, if you are reading this just for the sake of reading it, thank you so much. I had a long break from writing, since no one really reads what I write, and I'm trying to start writing again. Hopefully this time things don't get as depressing as it was. Or not. Time will tell. 

COMPETITION

Tying the lace of his shoes and adjusting his hair using the reflection of his father's car, Izz got ready to leave the house. The blue car itself was getting a bit dusty, so the order to wash it would come pretty soon. He received that day's pocket money, kissed his parents' hands, and opened the gate. Even at the age of twelve, Izz was almost as tall as his mother. His father on the other hand, was of average height and heavily built. Izz often compared his old man with Kratos.

Izz got on his bicycle and cycled away. Looking up ahead, he saw a familiar figure, Hani. She was about the same height as Izz, and that is saying something because Izz was a short person. At the time, Izz wouldn't notice that, but soon he would realize that he had inherited his mother's height genes. Izz could see that for a slight moment, Hani tried to speed up her pedalling, but Izz decided to just brush it off.

Izz reached Hani and said good morning. "I'm not very fast. You can pedal on if you want," she said. Izz shook his head and stated that he wished to cycle with her to school.

"See you when school is over," Izz said jubilantly, hoping to see her again and go back home together with her. Hani's house was just behind Izz's, and they had known each other for several years. They weren't in the same class but since their school wasn't very big, they always crossed paths during recess, after school, and of course, around their neighbourhood.

"Hello, bro," Izz greeted Haziq, another individual who was at the same height as Izz. "Yes. She is pretty," was Haziq's response when asked of his opinion of Hani. "So, do you like her?" Haziq asked, nudging Izz's shoulder. "Well, she is nice and pretty". Haziq laughed at Izz's answer.

Izz asked his best friend if he should try to get her. "Go for it. It's the last year of primary school. Might as well walk away with someone". Haziq said, sounding disinterested. "You have been cycling with her to school and back home the whole week. 'A' for amazing effort," Haziq added.

The bell rung signalling recess. Izz walked out of the class and saw that Hani had just walked out the door. Izz rushed to meet her and gave a warm smile. "Canteen? What are you eating?" She told him that she would like to have a bun this recess. Izz told her that he would like to have a hotdog. Hani walked along, but Izz followed behind. She tensed up, clearly a bit uncomfortable with the situation, but Izz was just too invested at this point to notice.

This sudden infatuation resulted from an interaction Izz had with his father at dinner a few weeks back. Izz had just hit puberty. "When a boy hits puberty, he becomes a man," Riza declared, his gruff voice asserting authority without him even trying. "And he can get married," Riza added. Izz's eyes widened comedically. Pointing to himself. "So, I have to get married??"

Riza's lip twitched a bit, almost revealing that he was just playing a trick. "Yes, son. You better start looking". Riza's wife slapped her husband as a scolding, but considering how thick it was, it wasn't very effective.