Ugly Duckling's Mr. Right

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

                When my Mom finally arrived, I was not on the mood for doing the “crying-on-the-shoulder” thing anymore. I immediately headed to my room and slept.

                Sure, I had affairs with boys in the past, too. But none of them turned out to be great. All of them didn’t last long.

                Fragments of my past began racing to my brain cells one by one. I hate this part.

                There’s Kevin. The boy who taught me how puppy love was supposed to bite you and leave your heart sore. He was my seat mate and we were so close to each other—literally and figuratively. He used to share with me whatever’s in his lunchbox. If he’s got two sandwiches, he’ll give me the other.

                “You are special to me.” He once said while treating me to fish balls. That was something my nine-year old mind could not yet comprehend, but I remembered my heart beating faster and my eyelids begin to flutter. And I didn’t say a word. I felt like didn’t have to. We were very, very young that time and I felt like there’s still more to come next school year. I always thought we’d still be seatmates the next school year. So when Kevin migrated to US that vacation, I felt so sad. If only I could have fish balls with him again, I’d tell him he’s special to me, too.

                My high school life was spent mainly inside the library, the sanctuary for dorks like me since Mean Girls and bullies of the school don’t have the power to step inside a room full of books. Books are like their Kryptonite. So I used it to my advantage. The first three years of my high school life went smooth. Thanks to the library which became my official hideout and the school librarian who has become my bff. I also practiced the skill of eating inside the CR, because nobody’s kind enough to share a table with me. For a while, I thought it was okay that I didn’t belong. But deep down, I knew I was all alone.

                A particular memory from high school started to rush back to me. One that I didn’t expect because I have been trying my hardest to forget it for years now.

                I found myself walking briskly along the basketball court of the school gymnasium. It was such a beautiful day. Little did I know that it’s going to be a great day to find love, too. I was holding a tumbler filled with ice scramble and I was enjoying every sip of it. I was having the time of my life in that wonderful day and somehow I thought that my jinx would just let me be. But it didn’t. A ball from behind hit me and knocked my head. I felt like nuts. And not only that. Boy, did I look like nuts, too! My uniform was stained by my heavenly ice scramble and all its “pinkness” smothered on my blouse like some fancy work of art. Everybody was laughing at me. Everybody, except the boy who threw the ball towards my direction.

                “Miss, sorry ha?”  I heard him say.

                “Miss, sorry ha?’  Was that all you can say?” I grunted.

                “What do you want me to say? You knew that we’re having a practice and you still had the guts to walk in here, crossing the court in the middle of a ball rally?” He grunted back.

                This boy’s cute, alright. But he’s got to go back to his mother for some Good Manners and Right Conduct 101.

                “Look, I already told you I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to throw the ball on you. Now, could you at least get the hell out of the court and stop staring at my body? If you want, see me after the game, and let me know if I passed your standards.” He winked at me and then laughed.