Letters to My Almost

Kabanata 1: Bullied

"Hey! Stop it! Ano ba?" I tried so hard to reach for my limited edition Dior backpack that my evil classmate Cassy took away from me.

"What? I just want to check if this bag of yours is not fake." Cassy said as she open my bag and poured out all my belongings to the floor.

Her friends started to laugh. I was definitely trembling with anger but I can't do anything about it. I felt so terrible and I wanna cry but I just couldn't.

"Please, just stop it." But she won't stop. She started kicking my things everywhere then she raised her eyebrow and mockingly looked at me as if she won a battle.

"Poor, Miura. You can just pick up all those cheap things of yours and go home to your Mommy. Tsk" She said as she stood there so boastful of herself.

"Go ahead, little kitten!" her other friend shouted at me.

I stood there glaring the floor, heavily breathing.

"What now, Miura? Pick it up!" Cassy said shouting getting the attention of other students in the lobby. "Are you really not going to pick it up? Huh?" she starts to walk towards me and I know what gonna happen next.

She pushed me which caused for me to fall on the floor.

"Aw! P-please, stop it, Cassy! I'm not doing you anything wrong!" I said begging her to just stop.

"Why? You're gonna tell the guidance? I don't care! Do it as if you can!" then she laughed again with her friends not too far from where we are.

They were so loud and so full of themselves. And here I am, sitting on the floor with my messed things.

"Cassy..." a familiar tone made Cassy and her friends stop from laughing.

"N-Nathan! What are you doing here?" nervous Cassy took a step back from me.

Damn, it's Nathan! Nakakahiya!

"I'm asking you that. What are you doing?" he asked with no humor in it.

Cassy looked at me then to Nathan. Her eyes wanted to reason out but unfortunately she suddenly can't. I know because of Nathan. Everyone likes Nathaniel Sanques and there's no doubt that Cassy is afraid that Nathaniel might get turned off.

"N-nothing! Miura fell on her own. Right, Miura? We wanted to help her but she said it's okay. Right?" she glared at me as she said that wanting me to agree with her.

But, I didn't nod nor said yes. I sat there in silence started to pick up my bag which was on the corner. But before I could reach for it, Nathan picked it and kneeled in front of me picking up my things and putting them back inside my bag.

"N-Nathan! Miura can do that on her own!" Cassy said disagreeing on what Nathan is doing.

"You were supposed to help her, right? Yet you are just standing there. Is that helping?" Nathan said as a matter of fact.

Cassy frozed. "W-well, I-I.." then she started walking out with her friends leaving us behind.

"I-I'm sorry..I-I can do it by myself." I said helding out my hand for my bag.

Nathan just continued what he was doing and after that he stood up and held out his hand.

"Stand up."he said

I swallowed hard looking at his hand. Is this true?

"Miura, right? Stand up, now. " he said as he hold my arm to pull me up.

"Sorry!" I said out of nowhere. "I-I mean, thank you! You didn't need to help me. I'm fine."

He looked at me and nodded. "Be careful next time." and then he turned his back from me. I hold my bag so tight and smiled.

Thank you, my Nathan...

"Hey, Ketura. Tulala ka ata?" Ate Verina said looking at me ridiculously.

"H-ha? Ah wala, Ate. I'm just so tired. That's it." I said as an excuse.

"Really? Eh bakit ka nangingiti habang nakatulala?" she said not believing what I told her.

"Hm? Hindi ah! May naisip lang ako na nakakatuwa, I mean nakakatawa."

Naningkit ang mga mata ni Ate habang nakatingin sa akin. "You said, nakakatuwa, Ketura. Is this about a boy?"

Nanlaki ang mata ko sa sinabi niya. "No! I said nakakatawa hindi nakakatuwa, Ate!"

"I heard it clearly, Ketura. Are you crushing on someone?" nakataas kilay niyang sabi sa akin.

"No. I don't have one, Ate." I said not wanting to tell her about it for now.

"Come on, you're grade 8 now. It's normal to admire someone these days. Just don't get into a relationship yet. Is that clear, Ketura?" Ate Verina said.

I nodded. "I know, Ate. I assure you it is not my priority for now."

"Good. Atleast clear tayo dyan. I just didn't want you to get hurt. You are way too young for that. Trust me, if you're in college you'll see the difference of it." She said after she take a sliced of pizza on the plate and stormed out of the room.

We are actually home and doing some school stuffs in our mini library.

When she was out, I took my lavender box which contains my letters. It was actually almost full of handwritten letters. I was doing it since my fifth grade.

I put it back in my cabinet and gets another piece of scented ivory paper.

Dear Nathan,

Thank you for what you did today! I'm really pleased on what you did even if you didn't really need to. Cassy has been doing it since I transferred to your school earlier this year. I was just trying to get a glimpse of you but I shouldn't right? I will be called obsessed by doing it. But, I just can't help it. When we graduated in elementary, I thought you'll be enrolling in the school I enrolled in first year because that's where your two older brothers studied but I was wrong.

Hoping to get to know you more! You're so kind!

Love, Miura 💋

I fold it and put it inside my lavender box. I locked my cabinet and starts to do my homework smiling.