THE MODERN RAPUNZEL

What's so memorable and new to her in the rooftop of all places?

"Are serious?"

"What?" she asked innocently facing me after twirling around for quite sometime.

I could feel the nerves in my head twitching. "You ask me what? You put me to the trouble of sneaking inside the school and drag me up here cold, drenched and hungry to what? Just twirling around the rooftop like a total idiot," I retorted.

She chuckled. "Silly. That wasn't what I intend to do here."

"Then what?!" I said my voice in rage.

She pouted. "Yeesh. No need to be all grumpy about it. You're just impatient." She looked at her turquoise wristwatch and her smile widen. "It's time!" she said jumping around and clapping her hands like a child.

"Time for what?"

She raise both her arms in the air and said, "TA DA!"

Before I could even talk back to her their was a sudden explosion that surprise me and made me a jump a step backward. Making my heart skip a beat. Then the black sky was filled with sparkling colors formed like beautiful flowers in the sky. Different colors shoot up from the sky like red, blue, green, yellow, and white. I walked close to her who was watching the fireworks display with such amazement in her face. I propped my arms on the railings and silently watch the black canvass being painted with firecrackers.

"WOW! This is so pretty!" she said with utmost glee.

"Is this your first time seeing fireworks?" I asked a little bit intrigued.

If I remember it right, her life story is just like that of a princess in a story called Rapunzel. The one that was trapped in a tower for many years and only got to experience what the world really is after meeting a prince. Forever is like Rapunzel, everything is new to her.

She shook her head lightly. "Nope," she said popping the p. I looked at her sideways and watch the colors dance in her happy face. "We always commemorate our new year celebrations and any other occasions with fireworks display like this at home," she said casually her eyes still glued in the night sky.

"So what makes this special to you? How did you even know that there was a fireworks display tonight?"

"Well, I heard from a classmate of mine that he was planning to confess to the girl he loves with a fireworks display tonight. So I didn't bypass the chance to experience it. Isn't romantic! Look! It's starting to show up words!" she said pointing towards the sky.

I looked at it briefly to see the words, 'Will you be my Girlfriend, Jessica?'. Whoever this Jessica is she's a lucky gal. Kinda think of it, should I use this tactic to get back with Eunice? Then if we get back together I don't need to help this girl out. I thoroughly think it through. I mentally shrugged my head. This won't do. This fireworks display of romance would be the talk of the school when morning comes and it would be too unoriginal to just copy the same tactic over and over again. I reverted back my attention to her. "But I don't see why this is so special to you if you already saw this countless times."

"It's still special," She looked at me straight in the eyes. "Because I got to see it with you."

I was taken back by the words she utter. It wasn't everyday that people will want to be with me. In most cases, people don't want anything to do with me since they don't want trouble. Even Eunice avoids me and don't even want to engage in a small conversation with me without finding an excuse to escape. But Chihuahua is different. She embraces trouble, she embraces me. She doesn't run away from the problem instead she faces it head on with a smile. Just like in that dream I had with her. Instead of taking shelter and run away from the storm she run towards it and dance in the rain like she doesn't have a care in the world.

She smiled at me. Her eyes glistening from the light and the dancing colors. And I can't help getting stuck in watching her smile, watching her. I feel my heart speeding up from the mere sight of her smile.

Chihuahua. Just what did you do to me?

LATER THAT night we parted ways after she run off saying that everyone was worried sick because she hasn't gone home and they started a search warrant for her after she didn't answer any calls and text in her phone since she clumsily forgot her bag on the bench besides the pool where she also left her phone. When we got to retrieve it she was bombarded with a hundred messages and calls. I offered to escort her out but she said there was already someone waiting for her in the school gates so she sprinted and said goodbye to me.

I went back to my unit feeling all drained from all that suspense and excitement she made me go through. I sighed heavily. Will I be this drain every time I interact with her? I hope not.

I got to my unit I saw Arden still busy on his phone while we was lying cozily on his bed. When I open and close the door he looked up at me and immediately drag away his attention from his phone and place it on the bedside table.

"So how did it go man?" He observed me from head to toe and his eyes instantly widen we he notice the state I am in. "Woah! What happen to you, bro? Why are you drenched?"

"Long story," I said, bored. I took a clean towel from my closet and put it on one of my shoulder. I searched for clean clothes to wear when Arden get out of his bed and bombarded me with questions. "What happened? Come on man. You got to tell me what happened. Spill the beans with me. Spill it."

Tss. Doesn't he see that I'm not in the state of conversing right now? All I want to do is take a warm bath then go to the cafeteria to have my dinner and went straight to bed.. I gave him a don't-ask-if-you-still-want-to-be-alive look. He got the idea and backed away raising his palms in defeat. "Okay. I'll ask when you're ready. I got it." He jumped back to his bed, took his phone and acted that I didn't just came back and went back to being busy chatting with people on his phone.

After I got to choose my clothes I went straight to the bathroom and took a bath. I let the warm water from the shower to warm me up. As I was washing myself with soap my mind flew to the time we just had earlier. Thinking back from what happen it was quite funny. How her expression change from determined and brave to a total coward after hiding from a security guard. Then her smiling face suddenly popped up in my mind. How her dimples deepen when her smile grew wider.

I just realize. I never to get to ask her what the thing that was exactly written in her bucket list.

Maybe, next time.