Emma's Mark

POMA

IF. EF. These are our initials. IF for Igneous Mark First. It is a unique name, Igneous. Mark's dad is very passionate about volcanoes. He travels around the world hiking the highest craters. Mark doesn't hate his Igneous name but he hates it when his dad calls him Iggy. EF for Emma Betinna Franco. Many of my relatives back in the Philippines call me Betinna. When we moved to New York, I wanted a new identity. I mean I don't want to be called Betinna because it makes me miss Philippines more.

Mark and I used our initials when we leave each other secret messages in our Taekwondo lockers.

Mark was my first friend when we moved to Manhattan three years ago. Our first meeting was so bloody embarrassing thus making it so memorable.

My father forced me, Mama and my sister to leave Manila, Philippines. The company where he worked for his entire life finally promoted Papa and sent him to manage the company's New York branch. This what Papa told us before we left Manila. When we arrived in New York, Papa confessed that he got death threats from a corrupt politician in the Philippines. We are actually wanted by a Filipino gangster-politician.

Mark and I never said we were best friends I considered him to be my best friend. Well, he was my old friend back then. We hung out after Taekwondo class. Mark taught me how to take the subway. I prefer to take buses so we took the bus together on the way home. We explored almost every corner of Central Park where there were a lot of birds. Mark loves to feed them. I, on the other hand, love squirrels.

Something happened last year that changed Mark. One day, he and I were laughing at the squirrel that chased us at Gapstow Bridge and then the next day he stopped talking to me. I called and texted him but he didn't reply. Not even once. He avoided me in Taekwondo class. My theory was that I injured his ego when I defeated him in our Taekwondo sparring match. I kicked him too hard on the left side of his head and he fell on the mat. It cannot be fatal because he was wearing a protective head gear. I have beaten him several times before so that couldn't be the real reason that drove him to stop being my friend.

I started to fancy him when he stopped talking to me. I tried to speak to him several times but he looked at me with disgust like I smelled awful or something. He avoided eye contact every time. It was heartbreaking to lose him as a friend. I have known Edward "War" Lee in Taekwondo class but we became close after I beat the bullies who stalked him to our Taekwondo school.

I watched Mark got cuter from afar. He completely transformed when he had his braces removed. The change in him was remarkable. Perhaps the braces removal boosted his confidence. He grew about five inches taller in the past few months and that really made him truly attractive to me.

My sister Nina and I have been homeschooled by Mom since I was in sixth grade back in the Philippines. I got into a lot of trouble when I broke the leg of the high school student who bullied me. Isn't it justifiable to be violent with bullies? They deserve to be in pain physically because they have injured a lot of people mentally and psychologically.

My sister Nina was the happiest when Dad announced that we were moving to New York. She loved musicals and dreamed of being a Broadway star since she was in kindergarten.

I asked Mom to send me to a public school in Manhattan but she and dad refused. Mom was worried that the bullies will prey on me again.

"I can defend myself," I told Mom.

"I know you can, Emma. But I don't want to see another student's mother crying in an emergency room because of your violence," Mom said.

"It was self-defense, Mom."

"I know it was but what you did was an aberration beyond barbarism."

"Barbarism? That bitch got what she deserves!"

"Language! Ten dollars."

"Damn it," I moaned.

"Twenty dollars," Mama exclaimed.

Mom punishes me and Nina by making us pay penalties for cursing; the words BITCH and DAMN are included. Ten dollars for each word is too much but that's the way Mom wants to teach us how to watch our language.

Even though my sister and I are being homeschooled, we get fifty dollars pocket money every week. I go to Taekwondo classes on weekdays in Koreatown. Nina goes to voice lessons on the Upper West Side.

The day I met Mark for the first time was bloody memorable and I mean bloody literally. I walked out of the girls' Taekwondo locker room when this guy tapped me on the shoulder. I looked behind me. His lips were pouting in disgust and his nose was wrinkled as if he was smelling the stench from a dead mouse. I looked at him puzzled.

"What is it?" I asked annoyingly.

"You got blood on your butt," he said.

"Shit!"

"Not shit. Blood," he said.

I felt heat on my cheeks.

I ran back to the locker room and stood in front of the mirror sideways.

"Shit."

"That's not shit. That's blood," a girl sitting on the floor said.

I gave the girl a fake smile and then smirked at her.
I grabbed my duffle bag from my locker and headed to the bathroom. I changed back to my yoga pants and sweatshirt. I decided to tell Master Lee that I will go home and start my lessons tomorrow instead of that day.

I headed out of the locker room and I felt a tap on my left shoulder. I looked back and it was the same guy.

"Hey! Thanks for telling me about the stain on my butt," I said.

"So are you hurt or something? Did you sit on a nail and not feel a thing? Or did you sit on a giant mosquito that drank a lot of blood?"

"Not funny," I said sarcastically.

"Just joking. When I get my period, I wear double tampons to make sure no stain will leak on my snow-white Taekwondo pants," he said.

I laughed hard. I forgot how loud my laugh can be when I hear something really funny. Mama said my laugh is embarrassing. I hate it when she says that. My laugh doesn't is not embarrassing.

"You're hilarious. I'm Emma Betinna Franco. Who are you?"

"Mark. Igneous Mark First," he said with an outstretched arm.

"Igneous or Ignacio?"

"Igneous as in the volcanic rock."

"Cool name."

"Thanks."

I shook his hand. His grip was pretty tight.

"I got extra Taekwondo pants with me. We're the same height so I think they'll fit you all right," Mark said.

He ran before I got a chance to refuse him. The boy's locker room door swung open in a few seconds and Mark ran to me holding his extra Taekwondo pants. He placed them on my shoulders.

"I'll stretch now. You're welcome," he said energetically and left.

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Thanks for reading! What does POMA stand for? Happy hunting!

Clue: 프레이온미 어겐