It was all thanks to a note. Just one note.

Sana found that note on her desk one Tuesday morning, when she entered her class and sat down at her desk. A folded piece of notebook paper lay on her desk. It could’ve been from anyone. There were twenty other students in her class. (She had never expected it to be from Chou Tzuyu.)

That note gave Sana something she could’ve never imagined, something that made her smile from ear to ear, positively b with joy. (She assumed she’d have to thank Tzuyu for it. It turned out that she wouldn’t have to.)

Sana was an ordinary high school student, in her junior year of high school. She wasn’t popular, but it wasn’t like she was a loner, either. She had a group of friends she was with. She had a girlfriend at one point, Yoo Jeongyeon, but they broke up when Jeongyeon revealed that she liked Im Nayeon, Jeongyeon’s best friend. Sana wasn’t hurt by it, though. She moved on. She was an average student, leading an average life. She was content. Then came the note.

She picked it up and unfolded it. Her eyes couldn’t help widening as she scanned the contents of the letter. Her closest friend, Myoui Mina, leaned over and asked what was wrong.

Everything was wrong. In neat handwriting were the words, On the roof at break time.

You’re in trouble. In trouble? Sana had done nothing wrong. She was a straight A student. She was on the honors roll every single year. She was polite. She never stirred up trouble. She didn’t get involved in conflicts. And now, out of nowhere, she was in trouble?

She had to go to the roof to find out what was going on. She was scared. Scared if she didn’t go, there would be consequences. For the rest of her remaining classes, Sana could barely pay attention. Fear plagued her mind, and she couldn’t stop wondering why exactly she was in trouble. She didn’t want to know, but at the same time, she did.

Break time finally arrived. Instead of hanging out with Mina and their other friend, Hirai Momo, Sana slipped away when no one was looking. She climbed the stairs two at a time, and burst through the door leading to the roof. There stood Chou Tzuyu.

Tzuyu was well known throughout the school. She was also a straight A student, she was dignified, polite, kind, caring, athletic despite her thin, model-like body, and many other things. She was everything you wanted her to be. Boys loved her and so did girls. Tzuyu was considered a goddess, untouchable, out of reach. Yet here she was, standing in front of Sana.

I couldn’t believe it. Chou Tzuyu, the most popular and admired girl in our school, was standing right in front of me. I had never thought the day where I could look Tzuyu in the eye would come. Tzuyu was a queen, and I was a peasant. Peasants can’t talk to queens, let alone stand in front of them.

“I was the one to write that note for you, Minatozaki Sana,” she said, a small smile on her face. She knew my name. That alone was enough to shock me, but the fact that she also wrote that note? That sent me into hysterics.

“What did I do?” I stammered, taking a step back, feeling my heel touch the door. It was right behind me. I could take the opportunity to escape. “Did I ever upset you? Did I do something to hurt you?”

Tzuyu laughed. Her laugh bubbled out into the air. It was warm, welcoming. It was music to my ears, literally. “No, not at all! I just wanted to meet you. After all this time, watching you, I knew you would probably throw it away if I had just written ‘meet me on the roof.’ You see, the thing is...

“I want to get to know you better.”

Tzuyu’s wish was granted.

Sana was hesitant at first. This could have been a prank, a joke. That was what all the popular kids did to everyone, when she was younger. Tzuyu was different. After a few minutes of introductions, Sana knew Tzuyu wasn’t that kind of person. She was able to warm up and talk more casually now. Answers to Tzuyu’s questions easily slipped out of . Her shields were down. She trusted Tzuyu, and it hadn’t even been a whole day.

After the school day ended, Tzuyu offered to walk Sana home, and Sana found herself accepting the offer. She got to know more about Tzuyu than anyone else. Tzuyu was raised in a poor family, her mother deceased and her father struggling to earn money with multiple part-time jobs. She was the only child, which made it easier, but she needed quite a few things. When she had turned eleven, a disease took hold of her body, and she was forced to go to the hospital. Her surgery took all of the money her father had. He had to sell their house. They were homeless. Tzuyu came out of the hospital cured and healthy once more, but her health wouldn’t last long due to the fact that they had to live on the street and beg people for money and food. Then came the note.

Thirteen year old Tzuyu had resorted to stealing food. Her father was not aware of it, because her father was dead. He had died on Tzuyu’s twelfth birthday, just like how her mother had died on her seventh birthday. Poverty was too much for them. Left alone, Tzuyu was starving, homeless, and slowly dying. She was stick thin. Without food, she wouldn’t survive. The conditions of where she lived were worse. The day would be scorching hot, the night would be freezing cold. Tzuyu felt like she was just about ready to die, when one day, she returned to her shelter, a tree, to find a note. Tzuyu was able to read and write, since she was homeschooled by her mother when her mother was alive, so she easily understood what was in the note. It read, Please head to house number five tonight.

House number five was a mansion. Everyone always talked about it. The owner of the mansion was never seen, however, so rumors started spreading about the mansion. Soon enough, it was dubbed the “haunted house.” Tzuyu was scared herself, but she was also desperate. Thus, she followed the instructions and crept over to house number five that night. She was welcomed by a woman in her twenties, a woman with long, brown hair, warm eyes, and a kind smile. That woman took Tzuyu in, and immediately declared that Tzuyu would live with her. The next day, Tzuyu was adopted by this woman, who introduced herself as Park Jihyo.

Tzuyu was bewildered but grateful. She asked no questions and accepted everything the woman gave her. Food, shelter, a bed, even her own servant, which was more than Tzuyu could ask for. Eventually, she mustered up the courage to ask Jihyo why she had taken Tzuyu in.

Jihyo told her about how she had been poor once, and how a note changed her life. She wanted to pass the favor on, and one day, when she was on an outing, she saw Tzuyu. That was when she decided that she would adopt Tzuyu and make sure Tzuyu never came close to death again.

That year was the best year of Tzuyu’s life. She loved her foster mother very much, and she was healthier than she had ever been. She enrolled in school as well. It seemed like nothing could go wrong.

A bitter smile crossed Tzuyu’s face as she continued to tell the rest of her story. On Tzuyu’s fourteenth birthday, Jihyo died.

The days before her birthday, Jihyo had collapsed, her heart beating very slowly. She was taken to the hospital where the doctors discovered she was suffering from the same disease Tzuyu went through. Jihyo had been operated on, but it failed, ending in her death. Tzuyu lost another person she loved on her birthday.

The authorities told Tzuyu to hire a butler. She was a minor; she still needed someone to take care of her. She did. She inherited all of Jihyo’s wealth and her mansion as well. She continued to go to school. She didn’t want to be sad and depressed. She wanted to work towards a future where she was exactly like Jihyo. Where she could pass the favor on.

That night, Sana couldn’t sleep. She thought about Tzuyu’s past. How could one be so kind and wonderful, after going through events like those? From then on, Tzuyu was definitely Sana’s role model. But more than that – she was Sana’s friend.

The two spent much time together. During breaks, they would get together and talk. After school, they would walk home together. Tzuyu even joined Sana, Momo, and Mina in the morning walking to school, and Momo and Mina got along with her very well.

I looked up, hearing Momo snigger. “Momo? What happened?”

Momo and Mina exchanged knowing glances. They didn’t answer. I shrugged and returned to my work, shuffling papers around and taking old ones out for the trash. Tzuyu wasn’t able to come today, and so I took the opportunity to get some things done. A few seconds later, Mina spoke. “You like her, right?”

I stared at her. “Excuse me? What?”

“You like Tzuyu, don’t you?” Momo asked, grinning mischievously at me. Mina leaned over, and said in a conspiratorial whisper, “Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone.”

I blushed. They were right. I liked Tzuyu – I loved her – and if anyone else heard, they would be out for my blood. “Yes, I do. But what about you, Mina?” I retorted. “Don’t you like Chaeyoung? That really good artist?”

Mina avoided my gaze, swiftly changing the topic. It only confirmed my suspicions. “Did you guys see that new Avengers movie? Iron Man is obviously the best.”

“Ha ha, no, Captain America is way better,” Momo argued. The two went back and forth, but I didn’t pay any attention to them. Thoughts of Tzuyu had filled my head, again.  I tried desperately not to think about her, but I knew it would be no use. When someone’s in love, they think about that certain person all the time, and they can’t stop.

Her smile, her eyes, her laugh, everything about her was occupying my mind. Sorry, teacher, I can’t do any work right now because a certain Chou Tzuyu is filling my mind. There’s no space for anything else.

I was scared, though. Did Tzuyu like me back? What if, when I told her, she would stop talking to me and pretend I didn’t exist?

That was the reason why I couldn’t confess. It was a mistake. I should’ve confessed the minute I realized I loved Tzuyu.

Time passed. Tzuyu and Sana became closer. Sana was known as Tzuyu’s “best friend” and she didn’t mind the title. She liked it.

Tzuyu’s eighteenth birthday arrived after not long. Sana and Tzuyu had made plans to go out that day. Sana woke up, excited, looking forward to the day ahead of her.

She picked up her phone, looking for Tzuyu’s number, her thumb lowering to press the call button, when she suddenly collapsed. The world faded to grey, then to black. She was air out of a straw. At one point, someone leaned on her chest. Little puffs of air were it. That was all she was allowed.

She dipped in and out of reality. One moment she’d hear sobbing, the next nothing. One moment she’d hear shouting and a siren, the next nothing. One moment she’d hear someone saying she had suffered a heart attack, the next nothing.

I had suffered a heart attack.

After that, Sana was flying. Flying! What a wonderful experience it was, to fly. White everywhere. She was free. Free of her prison. Free of school. Free of life! Here she was, having so much fun! Why hadn’t she found this place before? Her life would have been so much better with it!

And then she was falling. Falling, falling, falling. Her wings were gone. She was hurtling to the ground at two hundred miles per hour.

She woke up with a jolt. She was dimly aware of the machine beside her, the bed she was lying in, the mask over her nose and mouth. She was dimly aware of the small breaths she took, the slow beating of her heart. Thump. Thump. Thump.

She was fully aware of the person in front of her. Tzuyu. Tears were streaming down her face. Her hands were clasped around Sana’s left hand. All this, and yet.

“You still...look beautiful, you know,” I whispered, managing a weak smile.

Tzuyu clenched Sana’s hand tighter. Sana heard a deep voice. It was muffled. She dragged her gaze over to the man with the white suit.

“Is she going to live?” Tzuyu asked. Her voice was clear. I could hear her easily.

The man shook his head. He raised a finger up. One minute left. With a sad expression on his face, he left. Tzuyu stared after him. She immediately burst into fresh sobs.

“Don’t leave me!” she screamed. “Don’t leave me, Minatozaki Sana! Not you too...don’t go...”

Sana could only smile weakly once more. That was it. Her time was up. She felt her eyes slowly closing. Her heartbeats became slower.

“Sana, please!” Tzuyu cried, her head hanging. “I love you...”

Sana managed to fully smile as her soul left her body. That’s what I wanted to hear. I’m sorry, Tzuyu...I love you.

One year later.

June 14^th.  On her nineteenth birthday, Chou Tzuyu committed suicide. Her room was cleared of everything, except for her dead body and a rope.

Oh, and another thing...a note. Just one note.

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revised because the original version was trash