Leaving Stones Part 1

Leaving Stones Chapter 7

My life is Dean. Dean and I were best of friends since the second grade when we attended Star Wood Primary, a school in the small state where we lived in. With Dean, I feel comfortable, I feel secure. He would usually walk me home from school and especially on rainy days, he would protect me from the cold with the shade of his skin and as much as I really wanted to stay there in that comfortable place forever, I was afraid that he might be hearing my heart beating too fast, as fast as sliding down an icy road and as hard as hammer hitting on a metal scrap.

One day, in a social study class, our teacher Mr. Hendric, asked the entire class to team up as a pair and I could still remember everyone in the class running around to find their own partner. There he was, standing just a few feet away, staring at me as I stare him back. The memory was recorded in slow motion as I glance at him with his eyes blinking behind his glasses while he sips his Starbucks.
"Okay class! Time is up! Now I want to see each team gather up in the corner near the counter and I will ask each group to pick a card with the topics that you will be assigned for and present on next week's class." Mr. Hendric explained briefly, clapping his hands, trying to get the students' attention in the chaotic classroom.
"Beverly? Dean? Have you guys picked your partners yet?" he asked us while the other groups have gathered around. "Mr. Hendric?" a boy wearing a denim jacket and stripy t-shirt raise his hand as far as he could reach.
"Yes Andy?" Mr. Hendric turned around to look at the boy whose left hand is in his pocket.
"Umm, I don't have a partner." he stated innocently.
"Okay, looks like we have an odd number of students. Since the three of you don't have a partner, Dean, Beverly and Andy, you guys are a team. Remember that when you gather in the corner and remember that for a week." the young teacher commanded. "You got it, Mr. Hendric!" Dean said before tripping on his shoe lace and spilled tea-like drink on my shirt. "I am so sorry." I remembered how much of a kid he sounded that day. For the whole week of assignment, Andy wasn't able to join us for discussion because of his flu and had to move away due to the unstable climate change there so me and Dean spend most of our times together and had play dates since we live only a few blocks away from each other.

It was not until our graduation that I found out I have been having these unexplainable feelings for him and it's not an ordinary one. I was stuck and confused by my own feelings and I don't know how to describe it. I wanted to tell him about how I feel but I have to move away from the neighborhood and I thought we would never be as close as we were but Dean always visits me. It was never an ordinary feeling, but I decided not to tell him because he might get upset. But what was I ever going to do? Im was hopelessly in love.