05
friend
One of the many strangers on facebook
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Back to December by Taylor Swift
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When I was a little kid, I loved to make a lot of friends. My dad's co-workers, my mom's church friends, grandma's or grandpa's at the waiting shed, the homeless drug addict at the subway, the odd one at class, the mean ones... I never cared how old they were or how weird they could get. I just wanted to get along with everyone. Among all the hundred friends, Brayden Kyle Lewis was one of them.
I met Brayden at an outside-school singing contest. We competed against the other and, of course, I won. After the chance meeting, we met again when my sixth grade study group and I hanged out at the town's park one normal day, where he was also there, playing basketball with his friends.
*Throwback
"Irene Alden, right?" twelve-year-old Brayden asked me after timing-out from his game.
"Yeah... Brayden Lewis, right?"
"Yeah. It's so nice to see you again."
*End of Throwback
Since that day, we became close of friends. Very close that even our parents became buddies, too. An unusual occurrence that never happened in many years with my other pals.
As time passed by, we became so attached to each other that nothing else mattered. That was when everything changed. Brayden became my world and so I was to him. All those other friendship crumbled to the ground. I risked almost all of me- ALMOST, but he risked everything, which was too much.
Brayden even at the young age of thirteen was already a boyfriend material. I mean, he was a gentleman, he already knew how to deal with women, he had a sense of humor, and he was even a great singer... He was good, which was a problem because he was too good for me. I knew he deserved so much better that was why I let him down that day.
*Throwback
We were under "our" tree. It was almost night time, but that does not matter. I was with Brayden, so what was there to be afraid of?
Brayden and I were at our usual hang-out place, so I never thought of it. We were still in our uniforms and our bags were scattered all over the ground. Classes ended two hours ago.
"Irene..." Brayden started as he pulled me up. He was up the sitting on a branch of the tree
"Yeah?" I asked as I wipe off the invisible dirt sitting above my skirt.
"I made a song last week." Brayden said as he took the ukulele beside him and placed it against his torso.
"Really? Are you going to play it to me?" I asked, clueless of the next events coming up.
"Yup and you're the first person who will listen to it. I couldn't bring my guitar today since dad broke it last time. So, I'll just use my ukulele." Brayden said, smiling.
"Okay. Play it!" I cheered.
He started to strum the strings on the chord of C as he closed his eyes.
"... Met you for the first the time at the park..." He sang.
"Saw you watching the stars...
In your green sweater,
Eyes like no other.
Admire you from afar...
That's all I got so far."
He strum with a much greater force than before in the chord of G, his eyes now open and staring down at me.
"Saw you in my dreams
As you take my hand to sing
The song I always love to hear." He ended.
Brayden suddenly jumped down with a nervous face. I was clueless of what was happening and decided to jumped down after him.
"Are you alright, Brayden?" I asked, concerned.
"I have something to tell you." Brayden said as he put down his guitar near his bag.
A short moment of silence as I waited for what he would say.
"Brayden, what is it?" I asked.
"I like you, Irene. I like you so much..." Brayden said out loud as he took my hand.
My eyes widened and I held my breath. I was looking around my surroundings, trying to avoid his gaze. I needed to think and feeling his anxiousness as he held my hand, wasn't helping my case.
"I..." I stuttered.
"I'm sorry." I finished as I took my stuff and ran.
I broke his heart that January. Things were never the same.
*End of Throwback
"My son, Brayden, It's good to see you are back!" I saw my Uncle hugging his son as if it was the greatest thing that happened in his life. To me, it wasn't.
Who would be happy to be in the same house with the one you rejected two years ago for God knows how long?"
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