Tracing Memories

10: P u z z l i n g. w o r d s

Even though I have a basketful of memories of our countless adventures in Junior High sometimes with all our friends and sometimes just the two of us, this one strikes me as one of the most amusing. The one that involves you, me, a puzzle book and a roller-coaster.

It was a lazy day at school and I was in no mood to pay attention to classes that day. All of you were engrossed in planning your strategies for your next match while I sat in the empty clubroom that stood aloof on the school campus and was the only place of peace and quiet at the moment. I had completed all my duties as the manager and was now passing my time sitting in front of the small table the place contained, spreading a puzzle book in front of me.

I was in deep thought trying to solve one of the puzzles when you entered the club-room. I was so engrossed with the puzzle that I didn't look up to see who it was. You quietly sat down at the opposite chair resting your head on both of your palms.

"Tuesday." You chimed in after a moment of silence.

"Huh what?" I looked up at you, confused and found you looking at me with an amused smile.

"The answer is Tuesday." You repeated.

I checked and it was correct. I had been pondering on it for a couple of minutes.

"You're not very good at these are you?" You teased.

"That's not true! You just got lucky." I pouted.

"Ok then ask me another one." You seemed confident. I asked one that included wordplay. This time you were stumped. I smirked as I watched you struggle with it for a while then told you the answer, reveling in my victory.

"So maybe you're not all bad at it." You casually remarked again to which I replied by challenging you for a bet.

"And what would the winner get?" You leaned in, smirking.

"Anything they want." I did the same.

You stared at me for a while before agreeing to it enthusiastically.

Contrary to my expectations, I lost, which made me realize I made that bet too quick. I was just aggravated by you making fun of me and now that had landed me in trouble. You leaned back on your chair, crossing your arms in front of your chest, looking at me smugly.

"Damn it." I muttered under my breath, looking away, "What do you want?" I reluctantly asked.

"That you will find out tomorrow. Be ready, I'll pick you up." You declared and walked out leaving me in wonder.

Next morning I found you waiting for me in front of my house at the said time. I quickly picked up my small bag that I always carried with me and left.

"So where are we going?" I asked as we walked together towards the bus stop.

"Aren't you a curious one!" Was all you said. I was getting a little bit nervous now and once again I regretted the idea of the bet.

After a bus ride of twenty minutes, I found myself standing in front of the amusement park. Before I could ask anything more you took my hand and made me follow you. I blushed slightly at your action but didn't say anything. We stopped in front of the roller-coaster and you pointed towards it, "This is why we are here."

I looked at you with amusement, "You think I'm scared of rollercoasters? Because if you are then you're wrong."

"We'll see." You smirked.

Again, I was wrong. I had been to a couple of roller-coasters before but none of them were as intense as this one. As it reached its peak, I held onto your sleeve reflexively.

"It's ok." You whispered but that didn't help. As soon as it dropped, I screamed at the top of my lungs, closing my eyes and hiding my face against your shoulder.

By the time the ride reached its end, I was scared and grasping onto your arm tightly for support. As you helped me get on the stable ground again, I saw you suppressing a smile.

"What?!" I blurted.

"I thought you weren't scared of roller-coasters."

"I'm not!"

"Then I must have heard someone else screaming." You commented.

"I wasn't screaming because I was scared, I was screaming because it was fun." I lied in my defense. You looked at me with amusement before walking away. I followed you continuing to defend myself.

We spent another hour walking around the park because I insisted. I enjoyed a lot running around from place to place while you casually accompanied me, not commenting on anything. After that we headed back home. Just when we were about to reach my home, we ran into Haruna who looked at us quizzically.

"Where are you two coming from?" She asked.

"We went to the amusement park." I blurted without thinking.

"Ehh?Does that mean you two finally went on a date?" She teased.

We both blushed upon hearing this. I looked over to you and couldn't help but think how cute you looked when you blushed. You yelled in defence that it wasn't anything like that.

"You keep saying that but I find it very hard to believe." She joked again.

"Not again Haruna." I facepalmed, "It's not like that. It was a stupid bet."

"If you say so." She finally let go and walked away, saying goodbye.

We remained quiet the rest of our way because we were too flustered to say anything. When we finally reached my home, I mumbled, "I had fun today. Thank you." In return, you remained silent, your cheeks still slightly pink and flashed a smile before leaving.  

A/N: Dedicated to Queenofhoen15. Thank you soo much for your continued support on all my books and thank you for nominating me for @TheWriterAwards 

A/n 2 : Guys, if you like this story please don't forget to VOTE and COMMENT.I'd love to hear from you what you guys think of it so far. Please don't hesitate.