'Don't do this.... don't do that... That's all mom always say. She never appreciates. Its tiring. I want her to say the things I do right.'
~ A birthday wish of Manya
.....
'Your doodles are cute.'
A voice said near my ear as I laid on grass with my eyes close in one of the school gardens near the lake. It was sudden. The sound of his voice against my ear. The words he said.
It produced a sudden reaction. My heart runnung in full speed as if dad had caught me reading romance novel in my history book.
I opened my eyes. His face was looming over mine, that smirk present on his face.
I sat up and looked around. Did I fell asleep again? I mused as I tried ro ignore him and my atheletic heart. Hope it wasn't for long because If I tanned mom will know.
' hey sleepy cartoon. Look at me.' He commanded.
Cartoon? I was distracted for a moment. It was his first nick name for me. I secretly thought it was cute but I didn't plan to let him know.
'I'm not a cartoon.' I informed him in my no nonsense voice as I removed the broken grass blades off my uniform.
'You look like one.' He told me. His hand reached forward and grabbed my ponytail.
My hairs were long, wavy and black. They weren't silky at all. In fact looked like donkey's hair. Rough and brittle-no matter how much I conditioned them. I had pleaded to my parents many time to either let me cut them off or get them properly treated.
He touched the rough texture. 'Are they real?' He experimentally pulled them causing me to defend myself by slapping his hands off. 'Stop you jerk. It hurts.' I told him and then pushed him away until there was a gap between us.
He suddenly laughed. It was unexpected. It sounded like ringing bells. Loud ones. Oh wait- that was the classroom bell sound. His laugh sounded like... him. It was unique but it made me mad at him for some reason and also made me want to smile at him. Like I thought earlier, it was weird.
'You're like a wild cat.' He said softly as his laughter stopped. Then, he got up and said,'Come. Class has started.'
And even knowing that among the two of us, he was the real wild one, I started walking the path he was taking.
