Seventeen imagines

#115 The Start

There is a guy in my class named Minghao. He is rich, handsome and came from a well-known family. Despite of his positive portraits, he never acts like one. Being known as a trouble maker; he always got into a fight, talking back to our teachers, saying foul words every minute and never shown respect both to boys and girls. Minghao is a total jerk. And I think he is on his rebellion stage.

However, I find it weird when he treated me in a different way. Minghao never cursed, shouted on me or embarass me like how he did to my other classmates. There are also some times when he helped me cleaning the room.

Why?

Why is he like that towards me?

I am walking on the way to my home, thinking about him while holding a plastic bag of sweet tangerines. My mom told me to bought fruits before I go home from school. I swing the plastic bag, back and forth, until it accidentally stripped, so the tangerines rolled down on the ground.

"Oh no!"  I gasped.

I picked up one... two... three tangerines so far. The other five rolled in the other direction. As I am about to pick the five remaining tangerines, I saw two hands. Based on its appearance, I am certain that he is a guy. So I lifted my head and my eyes went round when I recognized the man who picked up my fruits.

"M-Minghao?"

He looked at me while holding the tangerines. "Going home? Alyssa?"

I stood up right there, quite amazed by the fact that for the past 3 years of being his classmate, this is the first time he talked to me! And he even called my name!? Waaah! I need to calm down!

"Y-Yes," I managed to utter a word. I gulped and continued, "T-Thanks for helping me."

"No problem. But I think you can't bring all of this by yourself. Your bag," his eyes glanced on my bag. "is packed with books," he added. "So let me carry these on the way to your home."

WHAT?! NOW HE OFFERED TO HELP ME?!

Before I could response, he started to walk and leave me no choice but to follow him. As we walked to my path, our steps are in sync: left, right, left and right. The silence is in between and the awkwardness is thicker than the clouds I saw up in the sky.

I want to break the wall between us. I know I can do it by asking some questions like: how are you? Are you going home too? How's your family? Etc. But I am so weak that  I can't utter some words. I am afraid I might change his mood. Also, for this moment, I suddenly forgot how to breathe.

"We are here," he said and stopped walking.

I freeze and lifted my sight. That was so quick! I didn't notice the time that passes by!

"Ah yeah, we are here," I answered. "Thanks for-"

Wait. How did he know that this is my house?

  "But can I ask something? H-How did you know that this is my house?"

He paused, and I can see by his actions that he is hesitating to looked back, nor to talked back and answered my question.

"Oh Alyssa! You came back!" my mother exclaimed and approached us. She hugged me before shifting her gaze on the guy standing beside me. "Minghao? You are here, together with my daughter?"

My eyes widened when my mother called his name. They knew each other?! But how?!

"Ahem," Minghao forged a cough. "Alyssa is my classmate," he said.

"Really?! Aigoo. What a coincidence. Why didn't you tell me?!" my mother laughed.

"Well, sorry," he apologized then he looked away.