Life for me since that day was nothing less than a never-ending paradise. I mean, what's there to not like about being able to walk freely to class, without the fear of getting pushed against lockers? Sure, there were the occasional uncreative remarks and y glares, but thankfully, nothing I couldn't handle. It was as if Spring had settled in, bringing with it the colorful splashes and melodious whispers of Happiness. And amidst it all, the sun itself honoring me with a daily glimpse of its smile.

We had our fateful encounter on the very day she had transferred from Australia. Her dad, as it had been said previously, was a skilled entertainer in the radio industry. A trick of Fate had however forced them to relocate to our town, something I often thanked the gods for. She grew up as the loved middle child of a three-kid home, rushed into adulthood when her mother, unfortunately, passed away. The elder brother had soon left the nest as well, pursuing a dream that seemed far-fetched even to hin. Cherry was not filled with regret thou- Wait, we're getting out of subject now!

All I meant to say was that Cherry was just an ordinary girl coming from a faraway land who looked and behaved as any normal girl would. She had a past, filled with a bit of sadness and a bit of happiness, like everyone else. Nothing suspicious about how she had befriended everyone in a blink, unlike my antisocial self. To be honest, all she ever had to do was go "hey there" with anyone and boom, best friends forever... To say she was admired would be an understatement; boys would be volunteering to carry her things, walk her to class and pass her their notes whenever she was absent. And to this active fan club, I was proudly a permanent member.

I think like everyone else, I was entranced by her simple beauty, genuine kindness and that lack of height that made her look like a fragile canary. But no, she was no damsel in distress! Be it with Will, a grumpy teacher or the principal, Cherry knew how to hold her head high if need be, and I loved her for that.

I'd like to say that we became best friends too and would be doing each other's nails every weekend... But the truth is, we barely ever talked. Every day, I'd steal glances from her in English class, sneakily play with her silky hair while ticking the answers to geography questions, and follow her around like a lost puppy. Things never leveled up between us, mostly because I couldn't muster the right amount of courage...

"You're a damn stalker!" had exclaimed Paul, that one time he caught me hiding outside to sneak glances at her from the window. We were in the middle of a baseball game when the ball conveniently flew beside her class, providing me with a rare opportunity. I did not even return to the field after that, simply peeking in and memorizing the concentrated look on her face. Eyebrows raised slightly higher than usual and teeth biting into the back of her pen, she was only taking an exam but somehow looked like a masterpiece... She was that beautiful.

"No, I'm in love." would I protest but my words always met deaf ears. Friends... Why do we have them again?

So be it if I was a stalker in the eyes of the world, nothing bothered me as long as I could watch my Cherry every day, glowing like a flower covered in pixie dust under the moonlight. And as short as our interactions were for those two whole years, I enjoyed it because, whenever we did talk, we'd have a connection, you know. And every single time, my heart would attempt a breakout and my hands would become moist... I just knew I had fallen for her.

"You know, it's about high time you'd show some guts and ask her out." finally stated Josh, one day. A new semester of stress was greeting us, with more pointless stuff waiting to be carved into our minds, which explained why everyone around me looked slightly on edge. But as you can guess, things were different for me. If only we could have school on weekends too...

"I'm good," I replied, eyes searching the sea of students. There were all sorts of people attending our school but no one looked like Cherry, which made her quite easy to find. Maybe she already headed in...

"It's not like he stands a chance. We can't afford him turning into Gary." pipped in Paul, wrapping his arm around me. "He wouldn't survive it."

Let me explain; Gary was the typical example of high school love gone wrong. Though, among us boys, he was a true legend. Bathing himself in deodorant and avoiding dessert for one month, he had mustered all his courage to ask Cherry out as extravagantly as possible, only to be plainly rejected like an old sock. He did not show up for a week, only to reappear totally unrecognizable with his red eyes and baggy sweaters. I really was sorry for him but, at the same time, relieved for the fall in competition... Many Gary followed until ultimately everyone stopped trying.

It was one of the reasons why I would not ask her out, not that I would willingly admit that aloud. I knew my two idiotic friends wouldn't let me live through it...

"I won't be another Gary." I huffed as we managed to make it just in time for the bell to ring.

"Confident much," smirked Paul, before letting the conversation die. He knew that my whole attention would be elsewhere anyway... So I eventually assumed that they were done with me but boy, was I wrong. There they were again, clinging onto me at lunch as if that'd stop me from following my sunshine.

"What about graduation?" perked Josh, gaze careful as he awaited my response. His steps were slow, purposefully dragging against the dirty tiles. One of my eyebrows quirked up in response, urging him to continue. His next question was what managed to get my full attention, each word pronounced so slowly that I grew annoyed. They never acted like this. "You're gonna wait till then to ask her out?"

"How does it matter?"

"He hasn't realized it yet." groaned Paul on my other side. My steps came to a stop, arms crossing over my front. If they didn't stop beating around the bush soon...

"Realised what?"

Josh let out an irritated sigh while Paul nervously watched him. It felt like they were hiding something and since it concerned Cherry, I needed to know.

"Graduation day, Lucas! You must have thought about it, right?" Paul winced at his high pitched voice, fingers scratching at the back of his head.

"What about-"

"She'll return to Australia." cut-in Josh, visibly angered by my ignorance. And in response, all I could say was, "What?"

"Once we graduate, she'll move back to Australia and attend university there. Which means, unless you grow a pair and ask her out, you won't be seeing her ever again."

His ice-cold gaze and the total indifference in his tone did not help me at all in digesting this new information. Just like that, all the strength abandoned my legs, making me fall forward with just enough time to brace the fall with my outstretched arms. All of my things scattered, alerting the other students, who immediately stopped.

"It's okay. It's okay. Keep going." dismissed Paul, picking my things up while I pathetically sought answers from the dirty floor. Various thoughts were racing through my mind, but the one that appeared the most was the fear of her gone.

"You still got this year," whispered Josh, leaning closer to my ear. With a comforting pat on my back, he urged me to get my act together. "Ask her out and race the exams. Then, follow her to the end of the world all you want."

I knew he was right but I could not answer him. I was in some sort of trance, divided by the fear of never seeing my ray of light again, broken at the idea of her meeting a herculean Australian who'd make her forget all about me, and scared of facing her rejection. The last one was more likely to happen, which made me feel even worse. With this, the day dragged on, my feet heavy and my heart aching. Cherry and I had a few eye contact but I could only force a smile and look away.

"What's wrong?" she eventually asked in Geography, our teacher coincidentally taking his sweet time to arrive. He never did that when I really wanted to start a conversation...

"I want to ask you out because I've liked you for almost two years now, but I'm afraid you will reject me like Gary." was how I answered in my mind. But in reality, all I said was, "Nothing, just tired."

I should have been elated to have her talking to me, looking at me, sharing my air... But the pain was too great to be ignored. So I played with her hair throughout the whole class, not once caring if she noticed or not. I walked out without a word once it was over, actually ignoring her till the very last minute.

"We told you to ask her out, not run away from her," said Paul on our way back home, hitting the back of my head with his maths book.

"Ouch."

"You're an idiot!" exclaimed Josh, pinching me in turn. "Even Cherry asked whether you were angry at her."

"She did?"

"Of course she did! You barely talked to her all day and you're usually at her heels," he replied, pinching harder.

"I just- argh I- she-"

"You're scared." he interrupted, knowing well enough that my mind wasn't functional enough to form proper sentences. "And it's stupid."

"At this rate, even Will might get his chance," said Paul, which earned him a glare from the two of us. "What? It's not like it's a lie."

Indeed, Will and Cherry had by some odd tricks of Fate has grown closer, and I hated it... From time to time, they would be seen joking in the canteen, walking out of school together or even racing each other on the field. It made my blood boil every single time, especially with Will smirking whenever he would catch me glaring. I don't know what Cherry was thinking but I really didn't like the sight of them together. First of all, their height difference was a big no. Sure, I was also taller but, at least, we have the perfect gap. On the other hand, Will looked like an ugly skyscraper next to her... Then there's the fact that he was too stupid in every subject and let's not forget the times he used to practice boxing on me-

"You need to step up your game, Lucas," said Josh, pulling me to a stop. His grip on my shoulders was tight, eyes pointedly staring into mine. His expression was grim but gentle under the chocolate hair he always kept tucked under a baseball cap. "You like Cherry and I won't stand around as you lose your mind because of her. If she rejects you, then we'll be there for you, but if you act like a coward and don't face her, you might as well stop the chase."

Never would I have thought Josh, out of all people, to throw that ultimatum at me. And for some reason it fired me up; thus operation Confessing to Cherry sprung to life. Paul and Josh even helped me find ideas, though I doubt the help now... For the first attempt, I gave her a flower but the intensity of her gaze and the sight of her pursed lips had me running in the opposite direction before she could even thank me. Next, I tried a plush dinosaur toy, since Paul had read somewhere that girls like that stuff. I thought it'd pair well with the key ring attached to her pencil case and it did go well. But for some stupid reason, instead of saying I bought it for her, I told her it was for her little sister. I know, lame... We tried pretty cards, matching key rings, jewelry, sweets... literally everything heart-filled books and the Internet could offer. But I was too much of a coward to properly tell her how I actually felt.

Then, Valentine's day showed its nose and Will forced his way into our class, roses, and chocolate in hand. He walked with purpose, his smile widening when he saw me in the seat right behind hers. I cursed under my breath, pulling away completely. Eyes glued to the yellow box under my desk, I was suddenly reminded of the torturous days he once walked me through.

"W-Will? What are y-you doing here?" stuttered Cherry, as surprised as everyone else to see him. Her eyes drifted to me for a brief second before going back to him. I did not bother to hide my scowl.

"It's Valentine's day." beamed my nemesis, making quite a show as he displayed his gifts on her desk. The bouquet looked expensive and so did the chocolate. He was pulling out the big guns and judging by the other girls' expressions, it was working. "Boys are supposed to get the chocolate but the rules don't apply when it comes to you, Milady."

I could hear the whispers of our fellow classmates, all intrigued when he took hold of her hand and brought it to his lips. It was quite clear that some were already rooting for this new ship while others were confused as to why she had not rejected him yet. I was obviously part of the second group.

"That's really nice of you." she smiled sweetly. "I appreciate the gesture."

She quickly retrieved her hand, arms crossing over her chest while she looked at everyone but him. She clearly didn't know how to handle the situation.

A blunt 'I don't like you' would do the job, I muttered to myself, only to have them both turn to me. ! I said that aloud!

Cherry's gaze stayed on me for a minute too long while I picked at my jacket. I knew she was looking at me because her body was turned my way and that made me wish the ground would open up and swallow me whole. Idiot, idiot, idiot...

"Will." she finally said, looking at him dead in the eye. "Let's talk about this after school. Wait for me at the lab."

And, I didn't know if I needed to be relieved or not.