3. Love Interest

Ella slowly opens her eyes and realizes she's in the nurse office. She sits up and notices Enrique sitting on the chair with his arms cross and his eyes were shut. (Enrique...) Back of her right hand touch her left cheek, she was in pain but after seeing him, she thought, (It's worth it.) She slowly gets out of the bed and grab her bag. In a low voice, she said, "Thanks, Enrique." She exits out of the room and head home without waking Enrique.

A few minutes later, his eyes slowly opens and he begins to stretch. His eyes widened as soon as he notice the bed was empty. He immediately stands up and dash out to find Ella; however, Ella already made it home. "I'm home." The college nurse appears, "Are you alright?" "Yeah. I'm fine."

She hands Ella an ice pack, Ella takes it and place on her left cheek.

"Enrique..." Ella flinch when she said his name. "Who is he to you, Ella?" "Aunt. Does it matter?" "As your guardian..." "Do you regret it?" Her aunt was shocked by Ella's question. Ella looks at her aunt in the eye. "Do you regret taking a monster under your wings?" Her aunt couldn't find words to say which Ella stands up and head to her bedroom. Her aunt sighs. "It's been eight years since."

[8 years ago]

Ella was just a little 7th grader, who seem to be the easiest target to pick on due to her heavy weight. Not once she ever fought back to her bullies because she was weak until she met him. Enrique. He transferred into her school and save her a bunch of times. She was grateful to him and his honest words.

She changed how she view the black and white world into colored. She was very happy by standing next to Enrique; however, she was going to surprised Enrique for his birthday, she overheard his conversation with other kids. "Enrique, why do you always hang out with that chubby girl?" "What's wrong with that?" "Do you like her in a romantic way?" They all teased Enrique. Ella felt nervous but wants to know how he feels about her. He said, "What's wrong helping a friend?" (Friend...? I see.)

Ella turns her heels and throw the gift in the trash can. That same day, she head home without walking with Enrique. As soon as she got home, she witness her father beating her mother. She dropped her bag and dash towards her mother's side. "Father. That's enough!" "Stupid kid. Get out of the way." "No!" Her mother tried to persuade Ella to go to her bedroom; however, Ella refused.

Her father beat Ella for protecting her mother. Her mother tried to stop her father from beating her but her father pushed her mother out of his way. Her mother fell and hit her head hard. "Ack!" He head her mother's direction and start beating her. Ella slowly stand back up and looks around to find something to hit him with. She spotted a shiny sharp object on the counter top.

She immediately grabbed the object and stabbed him at his abdomen. As she stabbed him, she continuously stabbed him until he stops moving. Her mother was shocked to witness her daughter becoming a monster. Ella stopped stabbing her father and turn to her mother. "Mommy..?" Her mother flinched. "..E-Ella..." Ella looked down at her hands, covered in blood.

She stood up and tried to walk up to her mother. Her mother shouted, "Don't get close to me!" "Mommy?" She tilted her head, confused. Her mother burst into tears, "H-how come you killed your own father?" Ella turned to see her father laying on the floor, bleeding to death, then turns to her mother. "Him? You care about him? Why? He hits you, cuts you, blames you, demands you to give him money....I don't get it..why do you care about him when he never care about us?"

"You...know nothing." Ella bluntly said, "Maybe you do deserve the beating." Her mother looked at her daughter, disbelief. "What?" She turned to her mother. "You really deserve to be beaten by that man. Why? You had an affair." Her mother's eyes widened. "E-Ella.." "How did he know? Easy. I told him. He went to grabbed your hair and force you to come home." Her mother couldn't believe it.

"You think I don't know, Mo~ther." Her mother shivered as she see the glint in her daughter's eyes. "Every night....you always give me that glass of milk which you spiked." "E-Ella. I don't know what you're talking about." "HAHAHAHAHA!!!!" Ella laughed hard. "You're selling your own daughter just to save your ass. You and Father are just the same. No wonder we're some shitty family."

Her mother spotted a baseball bat laying nearby. She grabbed it and quietly walk towards Ella, who was still talking to her. (She knows too much. I need to get rid of this lousy child of mine.) She lifts the baseball bat and tries to strike Ella from behind; however, Ella immediately stabs her mother with the knife that was in her hand which she didn't stop there. She continued to stab her mother. Blood was everywhere in the living room.

Ella stands up and was breathing heavily. "Haa...haaa...." She dropped the knife on the ground and picked up the home phone. She dialed a number and it was a woman's voice who answered the call. "Hello?" "Aunt. Ella here." "Ah. Ella." "Can you pick me up?" "Hm? What's wrong?" "....I...killed them." Her aunt was shocked. "What?" "They were arguing...he hit her.....I was protecting her...then she comes and attack me..." "Ella, stay where you are. I'll come." "Okay." "Did you call the cops?" "...I don't trust them." "Alright."

Her aunt hang up the phone and was speechless. (She killed...them? What happen?) She hurries and as soon as she got there, Ella opened the door for her aunt to come inside. Her aunt was shocked to see the horror scene of her sister and her brother-in-law. She turned to Ella, who was covered in blood. "Ella..." "Am I going to jail?" "Eh?" "I killed them. Am I going to jail? Are you going to take me to jail?"

She knew Ella has the ability to hunt her preys. Her aunt was trying to remain calm. She bends down and touch Ella's head. "No. It's self-defense since you're protecting her from your father and you're just protecting yourself from her." "What about their bodies?" "I'll call my friend to take this case, okay?" Ella nods.

Her aunt hired a PI to investigate about her sister's marriage life. She was shocked to found out that she's had multiple of affairs behind her brother-in-law's back. Her cop friend also told her the devastating news. He handed her a small jar of powder. "What is it?" "I found it in your sister's belongings. It's GHB." Her eyes widened. "G-GHB?!" He turned and looked at Ella who was sitting patiently on the chair. Her aunt asked, "What does that have to do with Ella?" Then it hits her. She immediately turned to Ella.

"She told one of my staff that she witnessed seeing her mother putting into a glass of milk and gave her the cup of glass." Her aunt was in disbelief of what she's hearing. "Why...why would she harm her own child?" He handed her a picture, she takes it and she was shocked. A photo of Ella, with a red marking on it. "$20,000" (S-she was selling Ella?) She looked up at Ella. Without shifting her eyes, she asked, "Will she be charge?" "No. She won't. With these evidence, she will proven not guilty." "I will take care of her." "Liza. She killed them heartlessly." "It's because of them. She needs to know how to love. I can teach her how." He sighs as he has given up.

[Present]

Few days later, Ella asks Enrique out to meet with her. He shows up. "Ella." Ella looks up and sees him walking towards her. "What is it?" She stares at him and asks, "....Enrique...what do I mean to you?" He was startled by her blunt question. "You're my very best friend." "...Just a friend..?" He nods and asks, "Why?" She looks at him in the eye. "Enrique. Could it be you forgot what I said to you earlier?" He tilts his head, confused.

"I said I want your heart." He did recalls what she had told him; however, he did forget. "Ahh..." "Can you like me...just a little bit?" He looks at her. She said, "In a romantic way? Or...is it impossible to think of me that way??" Enrique didn't know what to say. Ella sadly smiles. "I get it." "Huh?" "Thanks." Ella turns her heels and was about to leave however he grabs her hand. "Ella." "I don't think I could ever stay friends with you." She looks at him. "The more I stayed next to you, the more I want you to notice me, look at me. I like you, Enrique. Not as a friend. As a love interest." She pulls her hand away and walks further away from him. He couldn't do anything but watch her leave.