Love Life At School (Chapter Seventeen)

Arron saw Hebe sitting on a bench at the park. He cautiously walked to her. “Hebe.”

She turned around and saw him walking towards her. She slowly got up and went to him. When they were right in front of each other, Arron looked away and Hebe looked at the ground. A moment of silence followed. Then, “Arron?”

Arron: Uh...Yeah?

Hebe: I.. erm.. You mind... telling me about it? (blush)

Arron: (blush) Oh. Ok, I guess. Er.. I....

Hebe: Its ok if you don’t want to.

Arron: I must. If I don’t get it out now, I never will.

Hebe: Don’t force yourself.

Arron: I have to. Here goes nothing. (take a deep breath) My father was a drunkard. My mum was a homemaker. Every night without fail, he would hit my mother in his drunkard state. But she still believed he loved her and that he hit her because he was sad as we were poor. Everyday, we were hungry. We didn’t have enough to eat. I guess my mum was right that he still loved her because in the morning he would try to put things right. One day, some loan sharks came to my house. We owed them a lot of money. My father took my mum away and left me in the house. I didn’t know what to do. I hid while the loan sharks tore down the whole house. Then they left. I starved in the house for a few days. One day, I fainted. I woke up in my orphanage. The owner is called Uncle Tom. He was the one who cared for me all these years. My parents abandoned me when I was only six. Since then I stayed in the orphanage. A few weeks after I lived there, Uncle Tom showed me a newspaper clipping. It was about my parents. The loan sharks found them and they were tortured. They died and the loan sharks went to jail. Ever since then, whenever there was any assignment about families in school, I wouldn’t do it and was always punished. I hardly had any friends. Jiro was the one who helped me. He was my one and only good friend. He was the one I spent almost my entire life with. He is my best friend and no one can take over his place. I have nothing else in this world.

Hebe listened to Arron’s story. When he finished, she saw a tear drop. She herself couldn’t help feeling the sadness he went through that she cried. Then she hugged him. “You also have me,” she said. “I liked you since you came to school. But I didn’t dare to tell you.”

Arron: (hugged her back) Me too. I have been in love with you all this while. But I didn’t have the courage to confess till now.

Hebe: (looked at Arron) Are you sure?

Arron: I love you. With all my heart. Are you willing to be my girlfriend? (blush)

Hebe: (wipe off her tears, then his) I am.

Arron kissed Hebe on the cheek. “You don’t mind me being an orphan?” he asked. “What do you think?” she replied. “Erm... No?” he said, blushing. “Smart boy, hehe,” she giggled.

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(Jiro’s POV)
Do I ask her or not? It seems blunt to ask her straight. Yet it seems cowardly if I don’t. Should I or not?
(End of POV)

Jiro was debating with himself whether he should ask Selina to be his girlfriend. Just as he took his phone, it rang. He received a message. He opened it and the message said, “Meet me in the mall at 5 o’clock.” He looked at the number but he didn’t know whose it was. He looked at the clock. It was three o’clock. Two more hours to go to the mall. In the meantime, he could call the number. He dialed but no one answered. Guess I have to wait, he thought.

(4.30pm)

Jiro peeked out of one of the rooms in the orphanage. He didn’t want to meet Arron anywhere. He was sorry he blurted out their secret. He knew Arron would kill him the moment he saw him. Just as he was going to tip-toe out, he heard something. He hid behind the door and saw Arron go out. After a while, Jiro came out to check if the coast is clear. It was! And he went on his way to the mall.

(In the mall)

Jiro was at the mall, looking around to see if he knew anyone but he saw none. He had been waiting for ten minutes. He decided the message was a prank. He was going to leave when suddenly someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned and gasped.

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(At the park)

Arron and Hebe were sitting on a bench, talking.

Arron: Why didn’t you say anything at school?

Hebe: I just didn’t know what to say.

Arron: Actually I have something else to tell you. I have a brother.

Hebe: Really? How old is he?

Arron: Same age as me. But he’s not a twin. His birthday is earlier than mine. So he’s older, though same age.

Hebe: Oh. Which school is he studying in?

Arron: I don’t know. We were separated since we were three. My parents were too poor to feed four mouths so they gave him away for some money. I really sort of miss him. He was very kind and we were very close even though we were so young at that time.

Hebe: Oh, I’m sorry. What was his name?

Arron: I’m not really sure since we’ve been separated for so long.

Hebe: Ok. Anymore secrets? (smiling)

Arron: Er...

Hebe: Its ok. You can tell me.

Arron: I used to have a girlfriend.

Hebe: (stop smiling) Oh...

Arron: But we broke up. She said I wasn’t good enough for her because I am poor.

Hebe: Its ok. (looking at Arron’s sad face) You still have me.

Arron: Yeah. Yeah, I do. I think I want to try to find my brother. I know it will be hard. Still, he’s my brother.

Hebe: I’ll help you.

Arron: Sure? It’ll be hard.

Hebe: I know. But I’ll have you. (smile)

Arron: Of course you have me. You’ll be having me forever. (smile)

Hebe: Really? Prove it.

Arron: I don’t know how but I can...

Arron lowered his head. His lips went closer to Hebe’s. She could feel his breath. Then their lips met. It seemed like forever before they broke apart. They looked at each other and blush.

Arron: Was it your first?

Hebe: (nodded)

Arron: (in a soft voice) Me too.

Hebe: Are you sure? You had a girlfriend but you didn’t kiss her? Not even once?

Arron: No. We hardly met. Her father didn’t want us to be together.

Hebe: Oh.

Arron: By the way, what did you and Selina chat about in school just now when everyone was questioning us like the police?

Hebe: (giggled) Secret.

Arron: Oh no. you’d better tell me.

Hebe: Nope. Unless what we planned goes well.

Arron: Come on, why can’t you tell me?

Hebe: Secret.

Arron: Spill.

Hebe: Nope.

Arron kept urging Hebe to tell but wouldn’t say a word. In the end, he tickled her and she couldn’t help feeling ticklish so she told him.

Hebe: Ok. I’ll tell.

Arron: Good. What was it about?

Hebe: ..........

-brenda, co-written with ratana-