"Mr. Zach, good day. " Ashley greeted the salesman as she entered the bookshop. A man who seemed to be in his early fifties came out from the backyard carrying a small laundry basket. His hair was white as a sign of old age but Ashley felt like it was just too early for a man in his fifties. "Ashley dear, you are here. Welcome, it's been a long time. What books do you need?" He asked her as he quickly dropped his basket so she could get his attention fully. "It's been a long time indeed. Do you have children's books? Books with virtual pictures? Elementary books or something like that?" She inquired while going through the different books on the shelves. Zach was amused, "Did your momma give birth?" Ashley was stunned, "Give birth? What do you mean and how is that related to this?" "I mean no harm, I am just wondering why you need an elementary book when you aren't even in that grade anymore." Ashley finally realized what he meant and laughed. "I get th
Jonathan entered the sitting room carrying a small bowl of popcorn that he had made that evening by himself. He gave some to Alex but the latter rejected it as he had no interest in eating. He brought out the children's books that Ashley had given him and set on working on them. This got Jonathan curious and amused at the same time. He looked at Alex. "What is going on?" He asked him. "I am reading," Alex replied bluntly. "A child's book?" "She said that it's good if I start from here." He answered. "Wow. She's a great observer and a good friend to be with. Don't you agree?" Alex was mute. He picked up his pen and started working on the exercises. Jonathan seemed pleased to have seen this because he had tried finding ways to make him study even though he really wanted to but unfortunately, he lacked the clues and ways to do so. "I told you that there will be someone out there who is gonna care about your state of living," Jonathan said proudly. Alex
Alex was sitting at a secluded spot with his usual hoodie on. He had his books in front of him and just like how everyone behaved, they walked past him, whispering about how weird and psychotic he was for not mingling with others. He didn't mind all these accusations but faced his books. He had been advised that somehow, if he continued on this path, he would be able to prove a particular person wrong and he needed to achieve that so badly. That was why he had to bear with a talkative and stubborn girl like Ashley. "Hey!" Ashley yelled from afar immediately after she got to see him. Well, speak of the devil! Alex sighed and closed his book as he heard her footsteps running eagerly toward him. By the time she got to where he was, she was already breathing loudly so she slumped to the ground to take a rest. After catching her breath, she turned her head in his direction and luckily got a full profile of his face. Her heart raced surprisingly when his eyes met
"Alright, students. Gather your things and get into line." The teacher blew his whistle so loudly and clapped his hands in the most annoying way that got the students frowning so hard about it. "I see no need for him to be here," Sammie mumbled while Josh chuckled. "Don't blame the bachelor. He is excited to go to the city so what do you expect?" He answered on the teacher's behalf. Even though the teacher had instructed and shouted at the top of his lungs that the students should get in, no one entered the bus because it wasn't time for departure yet and some of the paid students were yet to come. Sammie who was looking around aimlessly suddenly caught sight of someone coming and her eyes widened. Her mouth opened wide. "What's wrong with you? Why are you...?" Ashley was forced to stop talking when Sammie kept hitting her hard and forced her head in the opposite direction. Ashley choked on the water that she was drinking and was trying hard to stay on Earth rather than have a
Later that same night, students gathered around the campfire that was on the beach, listening to their teachers tell them stories about their childhood. Some were funny and others were gross - like the story of how they met their loved ones. Out of the five teachers, there were only four who gave their stories, excluding one which was Miss Hera. "Miss Hera, you haven't said anything yet. What about your love story or don't you have one?" Josh brought her out from the dark. "Yes, Miss Hera. You have not said yours yet. Come on. We are all waiting for it. Say something." The students started singing her name in a song. She became a bit embarrassed because she was a shy person who really didn't like to talk too much. "Alright, I will you about mine briefly so pay attention." She finally agreed and the students did as she said - they paid attention to listen to her love story. "I do have a love story and I am glad that he is the one I am with now even though it was no
The next day, the teachers organized a trip for the students to check out the diverse artworks and even to go to the museum. While everyone was excited, Ashley was the opposite. She kept staring at Alex as if she was monitoring him. She didn't have the time yet to speak with him...maybe because he was intentionally avoiding her so she would not be able to say THANK YOU. This was not the first time he was gonna do that to her. "Alright, students. You should have your things ready and by that, I mean your phones and cameras because we are going to take some lovely pictures." Miss Hera announced. She then went to meet Ashley with a smile and brought out her phone. "Here is your phone. It has been repaired." Ashley nodded, "Thank you, Miss Hera. " She answered. The woman turned around and left. The bus was on its way and the students were talking amongst themselves while Alex was left alone as usual. He was wearing his headphones to lessen whatever distraction was bo
Ashley felt like giving up. It was getting darker as the time went by and she was getting scared because it didn't seem like she was getting her way out of here at any moment soon. Her phone's signal was bad...she was scared of being eaten by a wild animal...it was almost nighttime... she was tired and hungry... everything was doubled for her. The more she walked, the farther she believed that she was getting from the world and its people literally. She stopped walking and sat down on the ruffled leaves. It seemed it was her time to leave the Earth but why? The rain was already starting to pour heavily, adding to her list of problems. She remembered her family - her father's smile, her mother's jealous face, and her sister's mischievous look. What about her friend? Thinking about this made her cry hard under the rain. She was so dumb and kept telling herself that. Even the person that she came after was long gone and probably didn't realize that she was behind him. Then she looke
The next morning, Ashley was up so she could have the chance of appreciating Alex. She was lucky to find him standing beside the pool with a cup of coffee in his hand. He was staring at the valley ahead of him and didn't bother to look at her even after she got to his side. "Good morning." She mumbled. Alex stared at his cup and shook its contents a little bit before taking a sip. Ashley didn't mind his behavior. She was getting used to it. "Thank you for yesterday." She smiled while pulling her fingers behind her. "I know that I was a bit immature by following you around. I was just curious yesterday and wanted to make sure that you are okay so..." "Stop with the lecture." Alex interrupted her. "Huh?" Ashley was taken aback by his response. He did not spare her a glance and just turned his face the other way. The best way to do this was to ignore her. "Excuse me? What do you mean by this?" She asked him for more clarification. Alex then drank the