Chapter 1: Love at First Sight
It was an early Wednesday at a food counter of my high school talk shop. After going through a lot of traumatic situations for a day during the "New Resumption Sign-In," my eye caught the beauty of a younger student with the prettiest smile I had ever seen in my life. She was clearly newly admitted to the school, and for the first time, I was sincere about what I felt — a perfect love at first sight perception. I had an uncomfortable interception of positive emotion as I stared into her eyes while she passed by me with a couple of her friends. I took the breakfast I ordered and headed to my class, but I had lost my concentration, expecting to meet her later that day for a cool discussion to get to know her more. Unfortunately, that was the last I sighted her throughout the day until the following week when she walked out of her last class period with her friends. I finally saw her after a discouraged search, but again, I couldn't meet her to have a conversation. I just waved from a distance and schemed on how to approach her when she was alone.
Chapter 2: The First Path
The next week, during the closing hour on a Friday to be precise, the resumption was finally cool and bearable. I was heading to the school main field to meet a few of my male friends after the sport sessions when I met Jane and her four friends, Hannah, Ella, Esther, and Nita, known as the baddie gang. This was where my scheme began. I kept note of each of their faces, befriended each of them, and started an investigation. Hannah had a crush on every tall and rich-looking guy she noticed, Ella was young at heart and new to love, Esther had a personality of not believing in love but was also soft-hearted, and Nita was the quiet, hardworking, intelligent one, a bit rude but also soft-hearted. I hadn't met Jane personally, but befriending her friends had me hear a lot about her without hearing from her. My scheme was to befriend her friends to become more acceptable to her.
As we all came to school the next Monday morning, I and Ella were having a quick chat when we met on the road before finally meeting the whole squad together. We greeted and hugged each other but didn't get attention from Jane. Furious at first, I had to scheme another way to make her pay attention to me.
Chapter 3: A Friendship With Ella
After the five subjects on Monday, it was closing hour as quick as the blink of an eye. I was inexplicably tired and famished, feeling the natural instinct to quickly get home. Suddenly, I met Jane and Ella at the place we had left each other earlier that day. An unexplainable calming energy filled my body instantly, causing me to forget the hunger I had. An emotion like fear but not fear. I went closer, feeling a manly posture I had never felt before, but then the hunger I had felt a while ago returned. I abruptly left from their midst when I heard a voice followed by a mighty rushing wind saying, "Testimony, wait for me." I turned back hoping it might have been Jane, but it was her friend Ella. I replied, "Alright," and she ran towards me with a bright smile. She asked why I was in a hurry, and I responded with a joke. We conversed briefly before parting ways as our homes were not far from the school. Since we couldn't have a long conversation, she suggested I visit
Chapter 4: Seeking Jane's Attention
The next day, which was a Tuesday, I appointed three of my closest male friends (Joshua, Isaac, and Paul) to accompany me as I approached the baddies. Joshua was known as the rich kid, Isaac was a natural comedian and young fashion promoter, and Paul was hardworking and proud. Before we began our journey, I explained their roles to them.
This was the attention-seeking path, where I organized a uniform approach for each male to approach each female. As we approached the girls, each guy started conversing with the girls without asking their names as planned. I was left with Jane, and she greeted me, giving me a bit of attention. Just as I was about to strike a conversation, Ella arrived with a huge smile, mentioning my name loudly. Jane left immediately, and Ella started a conversation about her night. I felt speechless and walked out, leaving the boys to their own devices and bidding Ella goodbye.
Chapter 5: The Second Path
By noon on that same Tuesday, four periods had passed, and it was the break period. I saw Jane in the hallway, laughing and talking with a couple of junior boys who were rich and popular. I chose not to intervene, aware that girls dislike bullies, and I left, feeling a hit to my self-esteem due to my average lifestyle.
This was where I began to take a different path, becoming popular in a week by making friends with everyone and starting a successful school business. My pride grew, but I remained humble due to my background. I caught Jane's full attention, but during this time, I found myself falling for Ella.
We had a date the next day, and I prepared intensely, buying new shoes and one of the best outfits I ever had. On our way to the restaurant, we were approached by the police, falsely accusing me of looking too rich. I was taken to the station while Ella was left alone. Ella did something incredibly amazing for me. She contacted all her family members and mine, not agreeing to pay any bribe for my release. Paul's dad, a lawyer, came to my rescue, and I felt grateful for Ella's support.
I was bailed out early the next morning, and one officer was charged for attempting a cover-up. Despite the fear, I felt joy and confidence, realizing my deep affection for Ella. I asked her out in front of both our parents, and though they were initially angry, they understood my feelings.
I completed my love story, and I look forward to sharing more in my next book. See you in the next season of the Jane love path in "Love of Course."
