Sincerely, Clo

Chapter 7

[last edited: 09.01.13]

hey guys c: did you guys miss me? LOL. sorry it took so long for me to write the next chapter. forgive me. here's chapter 7, enjoy~!

oh, and big thanks to @yellowotter for the chapter idea *applause*

oh, oh, and i changed some things in chapter 6 so yeah. read it before reading this chapter if you want.

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11 years ago. November 3, 2002. Second Grade.

After that game of tag on the first day of school, I didn't just make friends with Jacob, but also with Matthew and Bryan and Adam and Ethan. We quickly became best friends and we literally did everything together. In class, Jacob moved his seat to the back, right next to me and we would always pair up for any partner activity. We would always end up talking about the most randomest things and we are able to hold on to the conversation for hours afterschool. During lunch, we have our own table and we would go on line together to get hot lunch and if we packed lunch, we sometimes exchange food. At recess, we would gather in front of the bench and start playing a game of tag or a game of dodge ball with other guys.

It reminded me a little of how Clo and I met back in kindergarten. How we use to do everything together and nothing can really separate us. Second grade really kept us apart. I don't even remember the last time I talked to her. I really miss how close we were before.

And that is why I decided to let her join our group.

I stood outside of my classroom with Jacob, Matthew, Bryan, Adam, and Ethan by my side as I anxiously glanced at the main entrance of the school building. Why does she always have to be so slow?

"Where is your friend?" Adam asked as he looked down at his new watch. "We've been waiting for fifteen minutes. Class is going to start soon."

"Just wait for a few minutes. She'll be here any moment now."

And there she was among the crowd, shoving her side-swept bangs off to the side of her face. I grinned and waved my hand up in the air to grab her attention.

"CLO! Over here!"

"Your friend is here?" Ethan started to scan through the crowd, trying to find Clo.

"Finally." Bryan grunted as he joined Ethan, looking for Clo.

"Is that girl with the elephant sweater your friend?" Jacob pointed at Clo, who was excitedly weaving her way towards us. They all stopped what they were doing and turned their attention towards Clo.

"Yeah. She's great. She's really funny and she has this extremely bubbly personality and it's kinda hard to hate her because of it. You guys will really like her, just you-"

"Kyle, she's a girl."

I stopped and turned around to look at them. So what if she's a girl? It doesn't make her any less of a friend. "So?"

"So? So, she has cooties."

Cooties? What are they talking about? Clo doesn't have cooties. I think. I don't know.

"What's cooties?"

"It's something you get if a girl touches you." Matthew explained. "My brother is in the third grade and he told me all about it. It's apparently super scary and everything."

"She didn't touch you, did she?" Ethan whispered, as if it was some big curse if she even did.

"No." I quickly said as I started to stare down at my shoe. Really, cooties? It even sounds stupid. They probably don't even know what they're talking about.

"Oh okay good. Because if she did, you probably need to go get a cootie shot. This girl I know gives it out for fifty cents." Bryan said, matter-of-factly.

"Hi Kyle," Clo chirped behind me. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold and she gave me one of those big warm smiles. I jumped, totally forgot that I asked her to meet the guys. But I guess it's not going to happen. Because apparently, she was a girl and girls have cooties.

The moment the guys saw the presence of Clo, they quickly scattered to their own classrooms, trying their best to the avoid Clo's touch. Jacob waited behind me, as if he was using me as a shield from Clo.

"Hey Clo," I muttered as I tried to avoid Clo's eye contact. "Look, I need to go. I'll see you afterschool, okay?"

Her smile quickly faded and her face expressed concern. "Are you okay, Kyle? You don't seem like yourself"

But before she can put her hand on my arm to console me, Jacob dragged me into the classroom as I quickly glanced at Clo. The look on her face made me want to tell her I was sorry. I never seen her this hurt before.

As we sat down on our seats, Jacob let out a deep breath of relief, "That was so close."

"Yeah," I said guiltily, as the image of Clo's face flashed into my mind over and over again. "It was close."

It was so close into losing my very best friend.

***

For the next two weeks, I was either unwillingly avoiding Clo or worrying about how Clo would feel about me avoiding her. So far, all of my possible scenarios didn't really ended quite well.

It wasn't fair that I was treating Clo like this just because she "supposedly" has cooties. It's so ridiculous and stupid that I'm starting to wonder what even made me think that it was even real. It was probably something that the third graders made up to mess with the second graders. Besides, Clo was the very first friend I ever made. She was the one who stuck with me even when nobody else did. I even pinky promised her back in kindergarten that I will be there for her forever. I can't just turn away like that.

And all those priceless memories we shared and all those times when we laughed until our stomach can't handle the pain and all those moments when we just talked until our eyes became all droopy.

And at that time, I realized. I missed her. Alot.

I missed the way she laughs, how it hungs in the air like a melody. I missed the way she smiles, how her eyes glow like one of those Christmas trees. I missed the way she talks, how it's both fast and slow, high and low, how her voice makes everything sound so exciting and so vibrant.

I just want her to be my best friend again. Cooties or no cooties.

I slowly walked up to the Clo's front porch as the sharp cold wind pierced my face and last of the leaves on the bare trees fell. I dug my face deeper into my scarf as I walked up to the front door. I pressed the door and waited for Clo to answer, hopefully letting me back into her life again.

I heard the doorbell echoed throughout the house and the muffled steps of someone rushing to the door.

"I'll get!" I heard Clo said on the other side of the door as she turned the lock and swung open the door.

And there she stood, in her Winnie the Pooh pajamas with Foxy trotting behind her. The most familiar stranger I've ever met.

"Hi" I croaked, as if it had been too long since I talked to her. Which by the way, was too long.

"You're here," Clo said gently, as if she expected me to not even show up ever.

"I'm sorry" I gave her a paper bag filled with grape-flavored lollipops. Her favorite.

She opened up the bag and her face softened into that joyous face that I've grown quite fond of.

And just like how she caught me off guard when we first met, she gave me one of her teddy bear hugs. With her arm wrapped around my neck and her chin rested on my shoulder, the paper bag gently pressed against my back, I could feel her smile and I just can't help but hug her back, smiling for the first time since all that "cootie" mess.

With her breath tickling my ear, she whispered, with more than enough forgiveness and joy,

"Took you long enough."