The Time When It All Went Wrong

Chapter Three

I still can't move on about what happened yesterday, the thing that happened to our neighbor. It was on the news. She was a college student, got pregnant so she aborted it, her parents disowned her. She failed in the scholarship program. It must be really hard for her to carry such difficulties. And here I am, annoyed that our breakfast is an egg expecting that it would be bacon.

“You're going to be late for school, eat fast,” my mum said.

“It's okay I'm always late and they wouldn't expect me to come early in the first place,” I said.

I took my bag and kissed my mum on her cheeks. Opened the door and the smell of incoming stresses was trapped in my nose. The distance between our house and my school is not that far so I don't have to ride a jeepney. I heard the bell of our school rang so it means that I'm late again.

“Good morning teacher I'm sorry I'm late,” I said outside our room.

“Get inside!” my teacher in Science yelled. Why does it have to be Science in the first period? My brain is not ready yet.

I sat in the last row so it's a double-edged sword for me. My teachers won't see me sleeping and I can't hear them properly so I don't understand the lesson. If only my seatmate is smart it won't be big trouble for me.

“Now can somebody tell me what the mechanical layers of the earth are consist of?” My teacher asked. Does earth have other layers? I thought it was only Crust, Mantle, and Core. I was bored with the lesson so I took my food in my bag and started eating it—rice and eggs. 

“Who the hell is eating at the back while I'm teaching here?!”

I got scared so I immediately kept my food but my fork fell and made a very loud clinging sound. Fork! I have not yet swallowed the food I'm eating. I'm doomed.

Kring Kring Kring.

The bell rang so it means the first period was done. I'm saved! That was intense. “Okay, class let's continue the lesson tomorrow” Our Science teacher left our room. The next subject was Math then English then our one hour vacant and many more. I was not in the mood to go to school in the first place I know it would be a terrible day. I have to wait till 2 pm so that I can spend the rest of my day laying on the bed.

While I was walking towards our home I felt the urged to eat ice cream so I went to the park. The store was famous for its Mocha Ice Cream which for me is weird because Mocha is in first place for my list of “Top 100 Foods that I, in my life would never Eat” so I'm always expecting that the queue would be long. It has been ten minutes since I waited for my turn to buy. Why the hell is the queue always long?! I don't have patience. Then I felt that someone is grabbing my bag. It was the little girl who's always wearing the same red dress.

“What are you doing!?” I said, annoyed.

“I'm looking for your wallet,” she said without a doubt.

“Buy me a Mocha flavored ice cream please” she added.

This brat is expecting me to buy her ice cream while she wanted to steal my wallet in the first place.

“No,” I said whole-heartedly.

“That's why you don't hav—

“Next in line please” It's my turn to buy already.

“One vanilla and one mocha ice cream please” I looked at the little girl. She smiled at me brightly.

We sat at the bench while we're eating our ice cream. Observing the little kids playing and running at the park. There are many people at this point in time especially students from my school.

“Done!” she said.

“Already?! I haven't licked mine yet!”

“It's because the one you are eating is not mocha flavored. I badly recommend you to taste it” she added.

“Hello no,” I said.

“Do you have friends?” she said out of curiosity.

“Yeah?”

“You're lying,” she said.

“Alright, none”

“Well you have one already,” she said smiling at me.

“You're not my friend, you're just an annoying little kid that I always see,” I said unaware that I might hurt her feelings.

“Well for me you're my friend” she replied.

“And I don't care if you don't treat me as one” she added.

There's a deep silence between the two of us and it's deafening.

“Okay, you're now obliged to be my friend,” I said smiling at her. 

“Really!?” she said grinning from ear to ear then she hugged me.

“Stop the drama and go play with those little kids while I'm eating my ice cream”

“I don't want to because I hate kids,” she said.

“But you are a kid,” I said.

“I want to grow up already,” she said.

“You don't want to do that, you will regret it someday,” I told her.

“Listen annoying little girl. Enjoy your childhood, relish it like how you ate your mocha flavored ice cream. Because someday you'll realize that the world is different, the reality is different from what you are expecting. It's not always about rainbows and cookies, you will someday learn how to swim through a raging current. And I'm telling you this because I don't want you to feel the feeling that I've been regretting for so long. And I'm also telling you this because you are my friend” I added.

“But—"

“No buts and excuses. Go play now” I said.

“Arggg okay! Don't leave me alone okay?” she said.

I smiled at her and she gave me a silly face. Deep inside I'm very thankful for having this annoying little girl my companion. I just can't express my feelings easily. She's like my little sister already, I really want one though but I guess I don't need it anymore.

“Sure,” I said.