BETWEEN HEARTS

Chapter 2

Hello everyone from Chapter 2,

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter.

As you know, a writer's motivation comes from receiving enough reactions to their work, so your feedback on each chapter is very important to me.

Thank you in advance ❤️

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For Kaner Kandemir, high school had always been serious—it had to be. His clumsiness was already a widely discussed topic during middle school. As if that wasn't enough, the growing pains of adolescence had begun to rear their head, especially the storms raging inside his own mind, pushing him toward caution and perfectionism. However, when misfortunes continued to follow him, inevitable events began to unfold one after another.

That morning, as he left the house, his mother called after him, "May luck be with you today!" Kaner had no idea just how ironic that sentence would be for him. On the way to school, he didn't want to end up on the same bus as Alparslan Eymenoğlu, but life seemed to be mocking him. That very morning, the only empty seat was right next to Alparslan at the front of the bus.

With a grin, Alparslan asked, "Care to sit next to me?"

Kaner forced a smile, but inside he was shouting, "No, I don't want to! Even if every other seat on this bus were taken, I still wouldn't want to sit here!" Of course, these thoughts only echoed in his head. Begrudgingly, he sat down, and as soon as he did, he made a terrible mistake by trying to open his backpack. All his pens and notebooks spilled onto the bus floor.

Laughing, Alparslan said, "Looks like you're well-prepared for class!"

Kaner blushed but didn't know what to do. From the back of the bus, someone kicked his pink eraser toward him with a mocking smirk plastered on their face. They turned to their friend, "Did you see? He uses a pink eraser," and burst into laughter. Trembling, Kaner mumbled, "Thanks... I guess," as he continued gathering his scattered belongings.

Though it seemed like this embarrassing moment was the worst part of the bus ride, it was only the beginning. Throughout the day, whatever misfortune befell Kaner, Alparslan was always there to witness it.

At lunch, Kaner found a quiet corner to eat his sandwich, but just as he took a bite, a stream of ketchup squirted all over him. Normally, this could have gone unnoticed, but not when Alparslan Eymenoğlu was sitting right across from him, watching.

With a blink, Alparslan said, "Looks like you could use a little help."

While Kaner frantically wiped off the ketchup, his sandwich fell to the floor. As he bent to pick it up and was about to take another bite, Alparslan chimed in again.

"You know there's a five-second rule, right?"

Kaner thought, "It can't get any worse," but of course, he was wrong. Back in class, when it was his turn to give a presentation, he tripped over the carpet on his way to the podium and fell flat on his face. This time, Alparslan didn't laugh, but the whole class erupted into laughter.

Kaner stood up, trying to smile, thinking, "Well, that's done. There's nothing worse that can happen now." But just then, he noticed a sticky note attached to the back of his pants that read, "This Side Up!" He finished the class without realizing it, but when he did, he caught Alparslan's eye.

With a wink, Alparslan grinned, "Your note is quite appropriate!"

Oddly enough, Kaner found himself laughing too. He was overwhelmed with both embarrassment and anger. Was Alparslan's constant commentary meant to soften the blow of his missteps? He wasn't sure. "Are there any more blunders left?" Kaner wondered. "If so, let them happen quickly and get it over with." That way, Alparslan could fully certify him as a walking disaster, and Pakkan and his crew would have even more fuel for their fun.

As Kaner sank into his seat, he buried his face in his books. He wondered how he would survive the whole year like this. Suddenly, he felt a hand touch his chin. He looked up to see Alparslan standing beside him, staring straight into his eyes.

"Did you forget?" Alparslan said, lifting Kaner's chin. He showed him the sticky note and winked, saying, "This Side Up!"

Kaner held his head high, feeling the warmth of Alparslan's fingers still lingering on his chin. A strange flutter stirred inside him. Up until now, he had never revealed his true feelings to anyone, but could it be that Alparslan had figured him out? Could he actually feel something for him? Kaner liked the warm, bright thought amidst the dark, murky fog of his mind, but it was quickly followed by the realization of how pathetic he was. Still, the flutter was there. He could feel it. After all, sometimes even the worst moments can turn into something good, especially when someone like Alparslan Eymenoğlu is watching.