Unrequited –the day I set you free

There are merely 3 months left before the summer vacation, three months left before the school year finally ends and just a small amount of time before the current senior batch of the private school Maven Lotte graduate and separate from their friends.

"Summer."

A person from the class 4-A looked behind her desk and tapped her pen against the metal seat, staring intently at the girl sitting behind her in class, calling her name for the second time in a sharp, clear whisper.

"What?" The girl replied, looking at her classmate. She asked, but she already knew what her classmate wanted from her and it was the answer to the first item on the quiz they were currently taking.

"Just hurry up!" Her classmate hissed worried that their teacher would turn around and she would get caught.

The girl set her pen down on her desk and covered her yellow pad with her hands, embarrassed at the messy doodles and random lines from one of the stories she was fond of making. If anyone had a look at them, she'd get labeled childish again.

"Expressionism." She sighed then her classmate turned around and quickly wrote down the very words she said on a paper they were using for the test.

As much as she didn't want to say the answer, there was nothing she could do for her classmate would pester her and make up rumors again like the one that nearly ruined her image weeks back.

Her name was Summer, one of the senior students at class 4-A on the school Maven, and often the person you'd ignore, if only she wasn't ranked two on the whole batch regarding studies; a person who only takes joy with her friends and through writing and drawing. She was rather plain, in other words average.

"Hey, Summer!" A boy called out to her and her heart skipped a beat.

"Ethan." She mumbled, looking at her classmate.

All her classmates were now complaining about how heartless their arts teacher was for giving them a quiz right after discussion. Their papers now being collected, and by the looks on the teacher's face, their scores are far beyond acceptable.

"Do you want to go with me for lunch?"

"I really don't have the time." Summer looked away.

Summer's classmate goes by the name Ethan. A very sociable person, serious and calm, and one of the very few people who appreciate Summer's presence.

The class of 4-A, including the teacher, stared at the two, thinking what the first and second honor students, Ethan and Summer were talking about. It has been like this for a while; in the eyes of many, these two would make the perfect match, but no, it cannot be.

"Let's go."

Ethan pulled Summer's hand and led her through a series of staircases until they reached the rooftop of the high school building.

They sat on the cold concrete flooring of the roof top, their eyes fixated on the clouds. Summer was about to go down as she was scared of heights, one of her many flaws, but Ethan held her hand when she stood up.

"It's okay." Ethan murmured. "I won't let you fall."

Summer just stared, and then Ethan stood up. For some reason she felt nervous and wanted to go back to the class so she ran, unfortunately however, she slipped going down the stairs and fell.

The hospital room was cold when she woke up; how she got there wasn't important for she was worried of other things. Her hands shaking and her memory vague, but she remembered clearly the words Ethan told her. ‘I won’t let you fall.’ She shook her head as she remembered.

Her hand throbbed, and she cried in pain. A nurse came in to calm her down; explaining she had injured a wrist and that it would take a month or so to recover from it.

"I have to go." She pleaded.

The piano recital of hers was just a week away, and she needed to write a story, which was the only way she could calm down. She felt scared, but she didn't know why; her eyes b with tears for no apparent reason at all.

The hospital room's door opened, and Ethan came in, with a rose on one hand; A look of worry on his face.

"Summer." He said as he dropped the rose and rushed over to his friend. "It's been a day... and you haven't woken up. I was worried."

"Ethan." Summer smiled. "Can you get me out of here?"

Ethan glanced over to the nurse who had her back turned, and then he smiled at his friend. "Just a sec." He whispered.

In a split second, he had Summer lifted, princess-style and they dashed off. The doctors were outraged, but the two didn't care. Ethan continued running until they were far away. They stopped by a small playground near Ethan’s place.

"That was daring of you to say." Ethan grinned at Summer as he set her down.

"Wasn't I always the daring type?" Summer smiled.

"Yeah, but take care of yourself!" Ethan knocked lightly on Summer's head and they both laughed.

There were three months left for them to be together and Summer would truly miss this, but she knew she was better off bottling her feelings than ruining her relationship with Ethan.

She liked him, but he was in love with someone else.

They went to the mall where they enjoyed each other’s company. It was fun being with each other and Summer was extremely happy for she got to spend time with Ethan without all the stares of her classmates. Her resolve was done and she wanted to stay like this forever, on a safe relationship with the person she liked.

During dinner, she had decided to go out to use the rest room for a while leaving Ethan alone.

With her gone, Ethan on the other hand waited patiently, holding a necklace on his hand.
Summer quickly opened the door to the ladies’ bathroom and walked over to the sink but she heard a clicking sound from the door so she went over to open the door but it wouldn’t budge, not even the slightest inch. She banged her hands on the white painted door ever though her wrist was still injured.

She had a bad feeling and it was never wrong and she knew what she saw that was reflected in the mirror of the restroom.

Adelle was there.

Ethan on the other hand just sat quietly waiting for Summer to come back but almost ten minutes have passed and she hasn’t returned. Ethan wanted to go see if something was wrong but just then, a person tapped the table he was in and Ethan was surprised to see Adelle, a classmate of him and Summer.

“What’s bring the campus’ star here?” Adelle said.

“I was with Summer.” Ethan replied.

“Oh, her?” Adelle smiled. “You should just give up on her. She hates you and always complains to me about you when you aren’t there.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, she actually said you pester her.”

“Summer is not the kind of person to say that.”

“Believe me, she’s an ignorant person. The other day she stole money from me.” Adelle said. “You liked her ever since you started high school, but she never noticed you didn’t she?”

“What’s it to you?” Ethan smiled.

“Well, believe me… wait a whole hour for all I care and see if she comes back.”

Ethan took her word and waited, but an hour has long gone by and he was left dumbfounded, to find out that the girl he likes thought of him that badly, so he stood up from his seat and gave the necklace to Adelle who smiled as he went away. He didn’t believe a single word Adelle said but he was hurt. He didn’t know what to do.

At the time Summer came back, she was surprised to see her best friend. Her hands were swollen and she could barely move her wrists.

“Hey, Summer.” Adelle smiled. “Long time no see.”

“Why are you here? Where did Ethan go?”

“Ethan, told me he hated you and was finally happy you left.” Adelle said with a smile on her face. “I’m sorry, but you don’t suit him.”

“That’s not true.”

“Can you prove it isn’t?”

“You’re lying.”

“Summer, trust me, we’re friends.” Adelle smiled. “You’re better off keeping those foolish feelings to yourself. Ethan already told me he likes me.”

“That’s not true!”

“Then look at this.” Adelle showed her a necklace, a pretty one with a pendant of her favorite color.

“I won’t believe you.”

“Know your place.” Adelle shouted at Summer, and she pushed her. Summer having lost balance, fell to the floor.

“I like Ethan, stop stealing what’s mine! Trash, like you, what’s so good about you?!”

Adelle stepped on Summer’s wrist, the one that was broken, then she walked away, people looking daggers at her.

Summer refused to cry, but her wrist throbbed with pain as Adelle was wearing thin heeled shoes when she stepped on her. When a tear threatened to fall from her cheek, she’d wipe it before it drops and rests on the ground.

Days passed and now there were only 40 days left before school ends, Summer and Ethan growing distant with each passing day. No one knew why they never spoke to each other but amidst the crowd of people one person smiled, happy that finally the two are fighting.

“So… are you going to spend your life away in that state?”

Summer looked up from her table, her eyes red with tears. It seems that after all this time; she can’t understand why Ethan avoided her.

Today was the second day of their camping trip, the first adventure camp in the whole city, and everyone was dripping wet with water as they have just finished playing a game where you had to fill a long thick tube full of holes with water, and each member had to find a way to plug those holes without using an object.

“You know, you should move on.”

“You think I can?” Summer mumbled to Fiore; another one of her best friends. “It’s hard.” She looked down on her hands that were bleeding. It turns out she scratched herself while covering up a hole.

“Look at him!” Fiore shouted, referring to Ethan. “Do you think he even knows you exist?!”

Fiore, out of anger, lifted her hand and was about to slap Summer to get her back to her senses when a hand stopped her. Summer was crying but she didn’t make a sound, her eyes closed still hoping for Fiore’s hand to hit her.

She needed to snap out of this painful trance. If only, she wished it so, she could forget Ethan.

Suddenly, they heard shouts. Everyone shrieked with content and surprise. Adelle and Ethan, were holding hands and all over Summer, people grinned.

The two are finally a couple, at least that’s what everyone was talking about.

Summer sat down on the grass; blood mixing with water and dripping down her fingertips. She didn’t know what pained her more, to see a person she trusted with someone she liked or the deeps cuts in her fingers from the game. Rain started falling but no one cared as they were already wet from playing the game.

“I guess you’re right.” She whispered and smiled at Fiore. “Maybe it’s time I set him free.”

 Wind howled and through cheers of joy, Summer and Fiore just sat on a corner, under a tree.

“From the start… Ethan would never really like a plain girl like me. Who am I kidding?” Summer laughed, though tears were streaming down her face.

“From the start, Ethan would never look at me.”

“Aren’t you going way over board?” Fiore said. “So what now?”

“I’m setting him free; trash like me… shouldn’t mix with him.” Summer smiled, and then she excused herself and went back to the cabin room with Fiore.

On that day onwards, the two remained distant; they, who were once given a chance by fate, separated and each went on different paths. Their friendship ruined by a girl they both trusted, and now all they can do is look at each other, wishing what could have happened back then when they told each other of their feelings.

Please, I beg you.

I lost a chance, and I may never get it back, but to everyone else out there. I wish you the best.

When the chance comes, please grab it, and fight for it.

-END-