Fangirl

Chapter 12 Martha

I'm used to being around him. To feel light scent of his skin, to feel his warmth. I didn't need to touch him: firebenders could sense the inner fire inherent in any creature if they were sensitive enough.

I wished I could see him when he found a rose of a rare variety. It was hard to find, but I managed to get a wonderful specimen. I'm sure he would love it.

Phillip liked flowers — it was easy to notice. When spring came, he often strolled through the academy's park and stayed there the longer, the more flowerbeds bloomed. Sometimes, thinking that no one could see him, he would lean over to a blossom and inhale the fragrance, smiling.

He always studied for exams outdoors. He occupied a table under the shade of beeches, not far from the rose bushes, and spent hours on end there in the company of his friends. They were always fidgeting, complaining about the insects and the heat. When Phillip got tired, he simply closed his eyes, put his folded arms and head down on the table and lay still for a while.

Remembering the colorful summer pictures adorned with the splendor of Phillip's presence, I returned to my room. There was a small case on my desk.

I flushed scarlet.

These were the kind of cases presented on All Soumate Day. Simple boxes covered in red velvet. A slight nervous excitement ran up my spine and touched my neck. I stepped closer and gingerly took the thing in my hands.

Inside was a bracelet that resembled a thin strap of blue and purple, the color of airbenders. On the back of the strap was a capital letter F.

I sat down on the bed, closed my eyes, and inhaled, counting slowly to five. Then I opened my eyes again and checked to see if I had imagined the miracle. The bracelet was still in my hand ...

Bracelets like this were considered a confession. The color always corresponded to the giver's element, and the inscriptions on the back could be varied.

I placed the bracelet across my left arm — above the black rose — and clasped it around my wrist. I realized that there was no more precious thing to me from now on.

How could I ever hope that Phillip would pay attention to someone like me? Was it possible for anyone in his right mind to get close to me after that conversation in a gazebo where only the insane would think I wasn't crazy?

Yes, I was aware of how I looked from the side, but I decided not to hide my feelings from Phillip, for I believed that no matter how I behaved in front of him, I wouldn't look any better. So why to hide the only beautiful thing that lived in me thanks to this guy?

And yet he'd given me that bracelet.

I touched his confession with the tips of my fingers once more. It was velvety soft — just like Phillip himself.

***

The next day all the talk was about the event. Most boasted of confessions they had received, but only those that were accepted were worn. There were the unfortunate ones whose feelings had been rejected.

'Marta...' Lana intercepted me by the arm as I headed for my table.

The girls gathered in the front desk, before Spellcraft class, and were whispering animatedly.

'...whose bracelet is that?' She didn't look hostile, more surprised.

I turned to the girls, but there was nothing to say. They were staring at my arm in silence.

'Did you buy it yourself?' Irene asked and shifted her gaze to Helen.

The first beauty froze, but, unlike her friends, her look didn't bode well for me. She got up from the edge of the desk and came closer. Her arms were folded across her chest, and she made no attempt to touch me. A brown leather bracelet was clearly visible on her wrist — she must have accepted the earthbender's confession.