Best Gift of God

Defend her

Maya POV

I fixed myself before answering the door. And it was none other than Neeya. I should have known. I hate to admit it, but I am kind of happy to see her again.

"What do you want?" I asked her rudely.

"I wanted to do something," she said. And before I could understand the meaning of her words, She pulled me into a tight embrace, just like that night. No one... no one has ever hugged me with so much affection. I stopped my tears from spilling. I stopped myself from hugging her back, even if I wanted to.

I felt disappointed when she pushed back. I composed myself before stumbling with my words, "Wh... what was that?"

"A friendly hug," she replied with a grin. "Oh, I wanted to say one more thing," she said, saying that she suddenly cupped my face with both hands. And said, "Don't ever disappear on me ever again!" I kept staring at her. She once again left me speechless. I composed myself before shrugging her hands off of me.

"Didn't I tell you before that I am your teacher? Don't be so friendly with me!" I screamed at her.

"You are my teacher inside the college building. Outside the building, we aren't students and teachers," she replied with puppy dog eyes. I snickered at her words.

"Do you have anything else to say? If not, then leave," I growled, pointing outside the door.

"Fine! See you at college. Bye." She finally left me all alone in this big house.

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It's been three months since Neeya started working under my supervision. She is quite diligent in her work. I feel so happy whenever she is around me. She always tries to make me smile. I smile, but whenever she isn't looking.

I was passing by her class and looking forward to seeing a glimpse of her. And I can see her from a distance. She has an off period. She was sitting on her desk, lowering her head. She looked sad. Did something happen? She abruptly stood up, turning in the direction of other students. She was saying something. On closer observation, she was screaming at them. Something must have happened. I went closer to their classroom so that I could hear her.

"....How can you say something so vulgar to a person, even if she is your enemy? Do you know anything about her personal life? Do you know how she is as a person? Have you ever tried to get to know her or become close to her? No, right? Then you have no right to curse her or badmouth her. If I ever hear anything bad about Ms. Stanley from any of you, I swear I will show you how badass I can be." After saying the last word, she grabbed her bag and left the room.

I stood stunned. She...she defended me. She stood up for me. I know what my students whisper behind my back. I never cared about this thing. Because I was rude to them in the first place, what else should I expect? But watching someone stand up for me, which I never expected from anyone, brought tears to my eyes. I hurried back to my office and slumped myself on the couch, leaning against the sofa. Tears fell down my cheeks like a waterfall as I closed my eyes.

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"Ms. Stanley... Ms. Stanley, are you alright? Ms. Stanley..." I felt a warm palm caressing my cheek and calling my name repeatedly. She is so annoying. I opened my eyes out of annoyance only to find Neeya's worried eyes bored into mine. "You, okay?" she asked me again. I remained silent and continued to look at her. "Maya, you are scaring me," I still didn't respond. "Maya. Please, say something— anything." This time, I straightened up.

"Why did you defend me?" I asked her, gazing into space. "Why don't you hate me like they do? I have scolded you in front of the whole class. I scold you at the lab all the time. Then why don't you hate me? Why...?" I screamed in frustration, running my fingers through my hair.

"Why should I?" I snapped my head toward her. "You scolded me because I was at fault. I made a mistake, and as my teacher, you have the right to correct me. Then why should I hate you?" she stated. I can't stop staring at her strangely. "I know you work hard to teach us, to bring out the best version of ourselves. You want us to grow up to be better person. That's why you are a little bit strict with us." She leaned toward me and whispered, wiping my tears away, "Believe it or not, you are a good person with a kind heart, Maya."

I abruptly got up from my seat. This girl surely knows how to shut me off. I take a few deep breaths, scrub my face with my palms. And when I got my voice back to speak, I messed up again.

"Do you realize you have called me by my name inside the college building and you can get punished for it?" I shouted at her.

"Are you going to give me detention?" she asked with mischief in her eyes.

"You asked for it," I retorted.

"Detention accepted," she replied with a smug face. Is she stupid?

"What are you grinning for? I just gave you a punishment!"

"Working with you is fun. I love this punishment." Her answer somehow made me happy. And I wanted this happiness to last a long time.

"Alright, then you have your detention for the rest of your semester," I said, extending her detention period.

"Perfect!"

"Don't be so sure. I will make sure you regret it," I tried to warn her.

"Be my guest," she commented with a grin. Dealing with her was far more difficult than I thought. I let out a groan and left the room.

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I was working on a project at the lab. The submission was two days later. It's already 7.45, and I am still working on it. Feeling a little bit tired, I leaned against the chair, closing my eyes. I felt a warm, soft hand massage my temple. I let out a moan as Neeya's soft fingers brushed over my temple. It's the third week of her detention. And she has been a great help all along.

Neeya leaned against my ear and asked, "Need a coffee?" I smiled involuntarily. No one knows my cravings better than her.

"Yes, please," I mumbled.

"Then come outside," she said, going out of the room. I followed her reluctantly. A fresh breeze brushed over my face as I stepped outside. I looked around to find Neeya. She was sitting on a bench with two cups of coffee. As I went closer to her, she looked up at me and smiled. I can't describe in words how much this smile meant to me. Over the months, she has become closer to me than I thought she would be. She has brightened up my dark life.

"Maya." Her voice brought me back to reality. "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing important," I said with a sigh.

"Then, come. Sit," she said, pointing to the empty seat. I nodded, taking a seat beside her. She handed me the coffee. I took a sip and looked up at the vast sky. My lips involuntarily twisted up, watching the twinkling stars and the shining moon. The sky is more lively at night than during the day. It sometimes makes me want to enjoy my dark life. A warm hand touched my head, and I leaned on her touch.

"You are relaxed, aren't you?" I nodded as her soft voice reached my ears.

"Neeya, thank you. Thank you so much. This project wouldn't be possible if it weren't for you. Thanks for your help," I confessed, looking down at her. She was staring at me with unreadable eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"Maya, I didn't help to get your appreciation. I helped because I wanted to. I love to help my elder sister." My eyes widened at what she addressed me. 'Elder...sister?'

"What?"

"Yes. You heard right. I consider you my elder sister. I don't know how, but somehow you manage to be the one on whom I can rely. Somehow, you were able to make a place for yourself in my heart as a big sister," she continued, but I couldn't hear her anymore. The only thing that was ringing in my ears was a series of painful screams.

The only thing I saw was a dark, confined space from which I couldn't reach or hear anyone. I am stuck... stuck in the darkness again. My heart began to race miles per second. The air seemed to be sucked in by the darkness, and I can't breathe in here anymore. My body started to tremble uncontrollably. I can't feel my limbs anymore.

I wanted to reach Neeya. I wanted to tell her, 'Don't... don't consider me your elder sister. I am not qualified for it. I am not... I am... I am not... qualified.'