Chapter Four

LIAM BENJAMIN

July 2, 2015...

I looked at my wristwatch to see if I am really late but to my surprise, it was only 7:50 in the morning. It means I still have ten minutes to enter. I'm not late basically, so why is there a teacher here now? He’s just excited to teach, is it?

I don't know if I'm going to enter or not because the teacher is already in front of the class. I'm rude if I suddenly make a scene and greet him. I might be slapped on my first day for sure if I do that. No way. I would rather not attend this class than be embarrassed in front of this bunch of students.

I was about to leave when the teacher suddenly turned in my direction. Oh, fudge… He looked at me as if he wondered if I was his student or not.

I'm stuck in a total ticklish moment.

Why did he even turn around? I really want to go home because I don't really like the vibes of this school. I was about to step away when the teacher in front spoke. “Are you looking for your home room?” He asked, he let go of the book he was holding and picked up something like a notebook? I think it is like attendance? The teacher approached me while looking at the thing in his hand, “can you tell your name, please?” He said, still scanning at what he was holding.

Why do I feel this is the end of my life once I tell him my name? What the heck, Liam. He's just asking your damn name! What are you thinking about? I still spit my name even though I am nervous, “L-Liam Benjamin C-Chua, sir.” Shit, why did I stutter? Liam, for Pete’s sake, put yourself together if you want to avoid being humiliated on your first day!

The man in front of me didn't speak right away. He seemed to have confirming on that notebook that I don't know what is that for, why do I care about he is holding? I hope he finishes whatever he is checking so I can sit down because I feel all of the people on this room are melting me again with their inferring looks.

“Oh, I see," he looked at me again with gladness in his eyes. “So, you're the new student from St. Dominic Institute. I'm Mr. Paolo Diaz, by the way. I'm the home room adviser of this class. Nice to meet you, Mr. Chua.“

“N-nice meeting you, too, Sir,” I stuttered once again, goddamn it!

“Just call me Sir Pao. Come in, I'll introduce you to the class.”

As if my respiratory system suddenly stopped functioning when the person in front of me gestured his hand inside the classroom. My hands are starting to sweat because of nervousness that raging through all my veins.

This is happening again, the part that I hate the most.

Even though I didn't want to go in, I started stepping on my foot. Will I still choose to back out? It's here, just go with the flow. Good luck, Liam. I pray to all the gods that I won't pass out.

“Okay class, listen for a while,” and yes, they all stop from what they're doing and I guess… they are all judging me. Shit. This is really shit! “Remember what I said on our last meeting? That you have a new classmate from another school. He's here now, please say hi to him.”

I heard murmurs, someone gasps, the others just looked at me as if they didn't care what Sir Pao said. That's what I want, they aren't concerned about my presence. Oh please, please! Ignore me! I'm just an insignificant creature!

“Girl, that's handsome!”

“My god… His beautiful, bestie!”

“His my crush from now on, girls. There's no snatcher, okay?! The one who will snatch the newbie from me will grow a p*nis on her forehead!”

“Hello, cutie guy! Are you single?”

“Ew. Stop flirting, guys. Will you?”

“Hey, bro! Come on, sit here right next to us.”

“Oh, please, shut your stinky mouth! No! Don't stick to those grotty freaks.”

“Can you get clear skin first? Itchy skin!”

Laughter filled the classroom because of the trash talk of one of my classmates. It looks like the girl who belittled the other guys annoyed because she threw the notebook at the man who pissed her off. Hmm, it looks like the man is right that she has itchy skin because her face is full of acne. I tried to hide my laugh so hard, I don't want to look that I face shaming here.

I just don't get the irony of this girl. She doesn't want to be throw foul words about her physical appearance, but she insults others. I brushed off the thoughts that running on my mind. I will no longer take part in their bullying, even if I just laughed in my mind.

Everyone was still laughing when my attention turned to a girl sitting at the last row near the window. Suddenly, my knees bend because… that girl is staring at me intently!

Why is she staring at me so… deeply?!

Her glances at me are debilitating! I felt something peculiar in her glances. I could feel my chest pounding, the nervousness creeping into my chest had tripled just because of the looks she had.

That's weird. And it makes it even weirder because she's biting her pen while she's staring at me. Why is she biting her ball pen? Is she hungry? Didn't she have breakfast before going to class? But I didn't pay much attention to that but to her eyes that are still staring at me until now.

Is there something inexplicable in her eyes, or maybe I'm just imagining? I don't know, but her gazes on me are really bizarre. I just stopped staring at that woman when I heard someone cough next to me.

“Ehem! Mr. Chua? Please introduce yourself to your classmates.” I was still a little shocked by Sir Pao's interruption, but I managed to introduce myself even though I am already trembling because of that girl.

“Uh… My name is L-Liam Benjamin Chua. Sixteen y-years of age. I-it's my pleasure to m-meet you all.”

I quiver on the weirdness of my classmates. I don’t know why they screamed after I introduced myself, especially my female classmates. But I didn't care about them, I looked again at the direction of that strange girl. Her head is already bent over and she could no longer bite her pen. She just playing it now with her fingers and I notice something on her. She's smiling and… I don't know. I don't know why I feel my heart melts when I saw her naive smile. I hate what I'm feeling now but damn… it felt so effin' good.

She looked up again and our eyes met once more. Shit! My brain seems to have forgotten how to breathe normally. I feel like I’m going to give up my knee to the weird feeling that playing through my system.

I couldn't take my eyes off her, even though I wanted to stop myself from staring. Her gaze seemed to absorb my energy. Is this woman a mutant? Is she a demon? Power grabber? Enchantress? I am already hypnotized by her stares. Her smile is too beautiful… she herself is beautiful. She was even more alluring with her smiles and—

“CHUA!”

My thoughts cut off when someone calls my surname. It's just Ms. Capinpin. “Are you listening, Mr. Chua?” She asked, her tone sounds angry.

Why? Don't tell me that I'm spacing out again?

“She said hand over your paper to her,” my seatmate whispered to me, and he was looking at my test paper. It looks like this asshole copying my answers while I'm stunned.

“Why should I pass this?”

“Huh? You're the one who said that. You just finished answering the exam,” he clarified.

Did I really say that? When?

“Will you pass that paper or not, Chua? Maybe you're still giving an answer to your seatmates?” The professor in front said and seems she's annoyed with me.

I didn’t forced myself to explain and stood up. I took the examination paper and my bag and went straight to her table. “I'm sorry, Miss.”

She grabbed my paper and yelled at me, “hmp! You can go.”

Jeez, it's really hard when you're an old maiden, always hot-headed.

I left the room immediately, but I stopped myself from walking and look back again at the seat next to my seat. I felt the throbbing in my chest again as I glance on that seat. That's her seat… If only she hadn't had an accident, we'll be still together now answering exams and we'll finish at the same time.

I hope we can still go out of this classroom together and teasing each other until we get to wherever place we want to go and there we will have lunch and spend the remaining hours. I hope, I can stare at her like I was relentlessly staring at her before, and she will tease me that I have been in love with her because she always caught me in action. But I will say no, she's not my ideal and I will never like her even if she's the only woman left in the world. Even the truth is that my face is already red with excitement because it's true, I'm in love with her.

I'm so freaking in love with my Erie.

But yeah, I lied to her. And I'm so stupid for saying those words every time she shows her affection for me. She was hurt by the lies I planted on her mind…

I am a weakling for not telling how much I need her, that I am so into her… I won't deny my stupidity. And here I am now, just regretting my idiocy. That is all I can do to repent until I die—

“Hey, Liam—”

“You're going to die!” Shit! Why everyone is startling me now? Is it Halloween and they're surprising me already?

“Hey, that's foul, Liam! You're so mean!”

I calmed myself for a moment and realized it was Wendy who tapped me on the shoulder. “Why are you startled me? What's that again?” I asked as I held on to my chest.

“Let's go now!” She smiled and pulled me away, but I stopped her. Where this annoying brat take me again?

“Where are you taking me again? I'm not in the mood now Wendy so please…”

She looked at me with disbelief and tilted her head, “We have an appointment today, remember?”

What appointment? Will she ask for my help to program a website again? She is I.T major but does not know how to make a website but rather reaching help for Biology major, psh.

“Not now, Wendy. I'm tired. I want to go home.”

“So you don't want Aerielle to remember you again?” She asked. She rolled her eyes and continued her rant. “I thought you wouldn't let her go! Did you already forget what you said yesterday when we were in the hospital?”

I was stunned for a moment because of her blabbering. Oh, I get it—shit I almost forgot! We will visit Erie today as we promised to her. Damn it! Why did I forget that?

“Jeez Louise! Come on, Liam! Don't just stare at me! Let's go, move your ass up!” She dragged me out of campus.

Yes, I decided to fight my love for Erie and save her memories, her memories with me. And I will do anything just to make her remember me again. Wait for me Erie, I'll save you. I will save us.

-AndyThoughts-