Zen is very happy-go-lucky boy. He doesn't care about what people says or what people think about him. For him, his life is his life and no one should interfere in what he wants to do with it. Because of this, he develops an arrogant and rude attitude towards others. And he even said that he doesn't need anyone to help him, he can do it all alone.
But no one stays the same forever. So Zen, is just about to encounter his heart changing experience but in a simple, sweet yet meaningful way.
One day, as Zen is walking across the school corridors, he intentionally bumps a girl who is busy reading her book while walking. The girl gets mad and demanded for an apology but Zen just ignored her and continues his walk.
"Reading won't do her any good. It will just corrupt her mind with things that she shouldn't be thinking. She should be thankful that I try to stop her from being corrupted." He said while smiling mischievously as he walk down the staircase.
As the whole day have pass, Zen just stay in his favorite place for hanging out. This is under a mango tree at the back of the school building. In this place he can sleep all he wants and no one can disturb him. He usually doesn't attend classes because he said that it is just a waste of time. And most of the teachers are just scolding him over and over again.
And while he is asleep, the girl earlier appears in his dream. The girl is staring at him with a pitiful expression on her face that matches her sorrowful eyes. And this look really annoys Zen and angrily asked the girl why she is looking at him like that. He doesn't need pity from others because he think that it was their way of simply insulting him. The girl didn't answer his question but instead she walk towards him and much to his surprise the girl hug him. Shock from what's happening Zen couldn't react immediately.
"I never thought that you could be as bad as they said you are." she said with a sad voice. "I always thought that there is good hidden within your heart. But now, after several days of observing you from a far, I think I was wrong right from the start."
"Who are you?" he asked out of the sudden.
"I'm nobody." she replied. "I am just simple girl who have fallen in love with a jerk like you."
Before Zen could react to what the girl just said, he wakes up and found out that it is already raining hard. He quickly stands up and run towards the school building to avoid getting soaked in the rain. Then he wanders about his dream about that girl. And afterwards he think that maybe it was just a joke created by his mind. So, he tries to forget all about it.
But Zen did not forget about it. That dream keeps appearing in his thoughts every now and then. It seems like; it doesn't want to be forgotten.
Days have pass, the dream keeps on lingering in his mind. He keeps on trying to forget about it but fails to do so. He even tries to make himself busy all day long just to forget that dream. He found himself reading books, doing his homeworks, and most of the time attending classes just to keep him busy. Even his teachers and classmates are surprise to see him entering their classroom one day. And much to everyone's surprise he sometimes recites politely in a class discussion without saying rude words to his teachers and peers.
He also notice these changes in his lifestyle and often asked himself why is he try so hard to forget that girl in his dreams to the point that it comes to changing his own self? And as much as he tries to forget, he always finds himself sketching the face of that girl in his notebooks and he even buy a sketchbook to which there he sketches the girl.
And then one day, he came up with the decision to go look for that girl. He uses his sketches of the girl as his bases in finding her because in the first place he doesn't even know her name.
At first he does it alone and he just looks around the campus to look for the girl. But eventually fails because everytime he notice a resemblance of her from other girls, he seriously stare at them and always end up from him being called pervert by girls for staring at them like that. Then he seeks one of his classmates help to find the girl and luckily his classmate willing help him. This is the time they go to every room in the campus to ask if someone recognizes the sketches he have. And after asking so many students they finally meet someone who recognizes her.
"She used to be my classmate back in grade 10 and we used to hang-out a lot." said by the girl they asked with a sad tone and that statement got them both curious. "Maybe if it wasn't because of that accident she would still be here right now. But she died in a car accident along with her driver."
Zen shook his head to misbelief and asked the girl if what she said is really true because it was not a good joke. The girl they asked continue telling them what happen and they were both shock to hear the rest of it. That girl died last year in a car accident right before the end of the school year. And it is said that the car she was riding crash in a tree and then explode afterwards.
Zen really can't believe that all of it is true. Because the last time he saw her was just a month ago, it is impossible that it has been a year that she died. But then he stops doubting when the girl they asked shows the photo of the girl and it was really her and it really matches the sketches he made.
Failing to see the girl in person and knowing that he will not see her ever again, Zen felt hopeless. It seems that all his effort of finding her has gone to waste.
He wants to speak to her and asked her something. He wants to see her and say his thanks to her. He just needs one last chance to know the answer that only she could give, the answer that he's been searching all this time.
Several months have pass, Zen often seen studying in the school library. It became his habit going there and reading books during his free time but he actually didn't know why. He just feels like it when surrounded by books.
Then one time, while Zen is busy searching for a book for one of his assignments in the library he accidentally touch a book and drop on the floor. And to his surprise, he recognizes this book. It was the book that the girl was reading when he first meets her. He immediately picked it up and wanders while looking at it. He never expected to see this book in the school library and to make sure that it was really that book he checked it out. He saw her name written in the books' return post and moreover a piece of paper falls from the book. He opens it and surprise to see his name on it. The letter is for him and it was written the day before the accident happen base on the date stated in the letter.
~fin~
