So This Is Love

Getting to know each other

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

"READY. SET. GO!"

I won't hold back anymore. I'll beat this guy. I seriously want to beat this guy. I don't care how hot he is, but all I could think is that ‘You can't lose to that jerk’.

     *First Lap: He won.*

     *Second Lap: I won.*

     *Third Lap: (...)*

We were both panting heavily and neither of us wants to lose. I can't believe this. At this rate I'm going to lose. 

NO. NO. NO. REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE AALIYAH MATSUMOTO AND NO ONE CAN BEAT YOU. THE FIRST AND SECOND TIME YOU LOST TO HIM IT'S JUST OUT OF LUCK.

FOCUS.

"Jeno leading!" Ms. Sam shouted.

No. This can't be. My speed is decreasing. Why is it?

"Prrrrrrtttt! We have a winner. It was Jeno Yoon. Congratulations for beating Aaliyah for me Jeno. " Ms. Sam announced while all of the students who came to watch us were shocked.

Yeah, me, myself was also shock. I've never met someone like him that can beat me in everything. I never had a problem with anything. I can excel in both academics and extracurricular activities. I was always on top, before I met this freaking annoying guy.

"So, I won. AGAIN." he said grinning while emphasizing the word 'AGAIN'. Urghhh!!! I want to freaking kill this guy right now. Why does he keep making my life complicated?   

I plop down at the shadow of the tree after exhaling heavily. Running is my stress relieving routine but I feel like today is not my day.

First, people were forcing me to audition for the Broadway. Second, I was surrounded by a bunch of people before collapsing. And last but not the least, that jerk Jeno keeps on making my life miserable.

Wait. Did I just remember his name? Wow. I'm so proud of myself. I can now remember other people's name, especially the uninteresting one.

I felt that someone also plop down beside me. "You're pretty amazing. You know that."

I look who was it and my guess was right. It's Jeno, the guy who has an ego bigger than Russia.

"What do you want now? Are you satisfied that you won against me for the third time? Do you want to laugh now? Go ahead I'm giving you the permission to laugh at me before I change my mind." I said in a cold and sarcastic way

He looked at me in the eyes and gave me a warm smile. I can see his dimples clearly specially that I'm face to face with him 

Wait. What? Face to face?

I quickly turned away from him and distant myself.

Why do I feel like I'm blushing? Urgh! This is so not like me. I have to stop this. It feels really strange.

"Aww, my Short Cake is blushing. Sooooo cute." he playfully said while laughing.

And after that, the atmosphere became awkward.

I was about to open a topic when he suddenly speak. "You know what, I envy you. You can be yourself anytime you want. You don't care what other people thinks about you because you are who you are. "I can feel that he is in deep pain right now. Why does he sound so hurt? 

I turned to face him and only to witness tears rolling down on his face. It's making my heart hurt when I see someone smiling just to hold up their tears.

At this point, I can really see myself in his place.

"BE STRONG. DON'T TRUST PEOPLE SO EASILY. AND LASTLY, DO NOT FALL IN LOVE." we said in unison before staring at each other.

We both sit up before laughing non-stop.

"Wow. That was so cool. Is that also your perspective in life?" he asked me. I gazed up the sky before nodding. "I have to be strong to complete every piece that's missing to me. I don't trust a person that easily, because I feel that it has something to do with my past. And lastly, I can't fall in love to someone because I'm just going to end up hurting my own feelings."

I looked at him and only to see that he was scanning my face for some hint. I knew he would want to know the past that I accidentally said but I want to keep it to myself so I didn't give him a single hint on my face. I just gave him my coldest look so he won't be too suspicious of me.

He murmured something that I don't really catch so I just asked him "What about you? Why does your perspective in life same as mine?" 

He now stops staring at me and gazed up at the sky. "I have to be strong so I can move forward. I don't trust people so easily because I've experience to be betrayed. And I can't fall in love because it's just for fools."

I frowned at his last sentence not really getting what he meant there. Fools? He can't fall in love because it's for fools? Oh, come on. You're kidding right? Just admit that you do not want to fall in love 'AGAIN' because you don't want to get hurt 'AGAIN'

"I have to advice you something. You really need to stop voicing out your opinion inside your head especially when it's negative 'cause you're putting yourself in trouble, you know that?"

"Oh, did I just say that out loud? You're right. I'm putting myself in trouble. Okay, I really need to work on shutting to voice out my opinions in my head."

We both laugh out loud not caring if someone might see us.

This is the first time I really had a decent conversation with him. I think that when you got to know this guy, he's not really that bad.

Then suddenly I felt dizzy and I recall something.

"Aa-chan is Abby. The girl I've been looking for."

"I like her."

"BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Jeno panicked when he saw me. He looked really worried at me. "Are you okay?" he asked. I smiled at him and said "Yeah. I'm okay. Don't worry about me."

                    *   *   *   *   *

 It's already 3:3O in the afternoon and it was our homeroom time. Wow. Time flies really fast.

"Class take your seats." our class adviser said. This day is so tiring. I want to go home now. 

"By the way, if you guys are interested to join the Broadway, feel free to audition. Especially you Jeno and Aaliyah" our class adviser said. See? That's why I wanna go home. They'll just going to talk about Broadway this and Broadway that.

I raised my hand and asked if I could go out for a while. Then our adviser said okay. I picked up my bag before going out. I stopped by at my locker to get my headphones when Jacob also went out of his class. 

Wow. I'm really proud of myself. I can now slowly remember other people's name

He waved at me before approaching me. "Hey, long time no chat, huh? Are you going to the dance room right now?" he asked. I just gave him a weak smile before nodding. "How about you?" I asked. He yawned and told me that he's going to the library to take a nap. We looked at each other before laughing hysterically.

                                              *   *   *   *   *

   *At the dance room*

I set up the speakers and start warming up. 

After warming up I started dancing continuing the steps Chloe and I last made. 

I'm on my own world whenever I dance. This is also one of my stress reliving routine. As I was dancing someone barged in without even knocking. I was so irritated that I want to punch this someone who interrupted my moment. 

I turned to check it up who is it and to my surprise it was. . .