Chapter 25: Roller Coaster

That day, the boy assisted Alicia until they got to the clinic.

Alicia apologized for being so emotional, but the boy kept assuring her that it's fine.

Since then, Alicia began paying attention to the boy and it only made her realize how fascinating that boy was.

She would often pet the cats that he had fed on his way home and she would watch him step in when he saw a scene of bullying.

He'd stand up for someone despite being hopeless and weak.

She became more and more drawn towards him.

For the rest of the school year, she truly admired him and they eventually became friends.

In their twelfth grade at the last semester, Alicia finally confessed her feelings, telling him that she likes him and that she wanted to go out with him.

"I'm sorry… but I can't."

She could remember him apologizing and saying something else, but she couldn't understand it anymore.

Alicia was filled with embarrassment and nervousness that she just ran off.

She cried at the corner behind an empty classroom, regretting her confession and then being rejected.

It only took a few months and cries until she was able to finally get over it.

She focused on studying for college entrance exams and playing basketball with her friends.

She strived and enjoyed until she got into a good university.

Soon, she totally forgot about the boy.

She took up a program related to physical education and graduated happily.

She wasn't intelligent or diligent enough to get honors, but she genuinely enjoyed her 4-year program and the times she spent with her friends.

3 years later, she got invited into a reunion, which she gladly accepted.

And there, she met that boy once again.

All the memories flashed inside her head pleasantly.

Alicia was already matured at the time and felt really great about remembering the memories of him during high school.

And to make it all the better…

"It feels like you haven't changed one bit," She told him straightforwardly. "Your clothing style, gestures, and aura. It's almost the same as back then."

The boy—that's now a man -- smiled warmly like a teenage boy he was then and replied, "I wanted to be the same person you remembered."

He chuckled and she laughed with him.

They had a good time with their classmates and friends that day.

When nightfall came, the boy came up to Alicia and asked if he could walk her home.

"Sure! Why not?"

It felt like they had nothing behind them as they walked together like the old times.

At first, they were talking about the casual stuff like how they have been, what their jobs are, and what they are up to lately.

And soon, the boy opened up about that confession.