• “Yo Greg wake up.” I looked up and saw Ayumu leaning over my desk. Her smooth black hair fell in front of her face and brushed mine. She got off my desk and walked behind me. I kept staring strait ahead and waited. I was kind of zoned out so I didn’t notice she was about to hit me.
    “Baka!! Come on I hate it when you zone out. We have a test to study for!” She yelled as she clopped me on the back of the head. I was still zoned out and I looked over my shoulder at her with an expressionless face.
    “What’s with you today? Stay up all night reading manga or something?” I shook my head out and reached into my bag.
    “Uhhh sorry, yeah…” I rummaged through my bag looking for my notes for the Global test we were gonna have. “Ohhhh crap…”
    “What is it?” Ayumu stood over me and tried looking to see what I was annoyed about. I quickly pulled out my notes and zipped up the bag. She stood there impatiently and gave me the ‘what are you hiding’ look.
    “Nothing…” I answered sheepishly.
    “Come on Greg-kun.” She gave me a look that said ‘pwwweeeeaaasse.’ I just looked away. So she wouldn’t see the color my face was turning.
    “You know the rule if you mention something you have to tell the whole story.” I still looked away.
    “Look for yourself then.” I said my face still turned away. She grabbed my bag and I looked away and buried my head in my notes in shame. She opened the pocket and dumped it out on my desk in front of me. Out fell a few pencils, a notebook, a manga and a red card. She picked up the card, as it was the odd thing out. I saw her eyes scan over it and she put it back down on the desk.
    “Oh” she said looking down. “I umm I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have.”
    “It doesn’t matter it was meant to be given to you anyway…. .So?” I kept my head in my book to hide my now growing tears. I waited for the response to what the card had said, to what it had asked.
    “I’m sorry Greg. I’m already Jake’s valentine.” That’s all I could take so I got up and ran right out of the room. Ayumu stood there looking down at the card and then I was gone I didn’t know where I was running to I just was. Suppressing everything I felt like I had been for the past two years and like I will for the next one. The date was February 14, 2007. We were in 6th grade.
    Let me tell you a little about the background before I give you the real story. Ayumu has been my best friend since we met in 4th grade. And since then I’ve known she’s absolutely perfect. She started out a little taller than me but since like 7th or 6th grade I’ve grown taller and we were even then I got taller. She has the most complex melting brown eyes you have even seen. I can’t even call them brown it’s actually so much more like you are falling into them. She has beautiful straight shoulder-length black hair that in bright light looks almost midnight blue. Her smile lights up a room and makes you want to smile too. And don’t even get me started on her laugh.
    Anyway a looks aren’t all there is to a person, in fact Ayumu’s personality may be even better than her angelic looks. Oh but look at me I’m probably boring you just rambling on about her. I’ll tell you more after the next little story from when we first met.
    I was doodling in my notebook half asleep and bored. Science was always boring the teacher needs to give so many instructions and very little are needed. Someone knocked on the classroom door and the principal walked in with a girl close behind him. I didn’t recognize her so she must be new or something. The teacher and the principle talked for a second and then the girl walked up to the teacher’s desk.
    “Class today you are very lucky you have a new student. Her name is Murakami Ayumu.” She has such a weird name I think it’s foreign or something. Everyone in the class replied their classic greeting,
    “Good morning Murakami.” The girl at the front of the room giggled.
    “What’s so funny Murakami?” The teacher asked wondering if they had pronounced it wrong or something.
    “Oh it’s just I’m Japanese, well half, but my name is Japanese. You say the surname first then the first name. My first name is Ayumu.” She talked with such a sweet voice, so cute. The teacher started talking again but I didn’t hear. It felt like a fog fell over me I was in love the second I heard her name. She was wearing a shirt with a chibi girl smiling and jeans. Her hair was in a ponytail and she was very energetic. But then again weren’t we all in 4th grade?
    Suddenly Ayumu was walking over to the empty desk at my table next to mine. I didn’t realize what was happening and sat up strait. She sat down and looked at what I was doodling. I immediately got self conscious and panicked. I shoved the paper under a notebook and she laughed. That laugh. Oh god that laugh. Ever since that day it has made everything inside me want to turn into a bird and fly away.
    “Hey you’re pretty good don’t hide your drawings. I draw too. Manga.” She liked manga too! I was so shocked I thought I was the only one. “Hey we can eat lunch together and I’ll show you some of my drawings.” My heart was fluttering was this a dream? This amazing girl is talking to me. She certainly wasn’t shy.
    I regain consciousness and answer, “Of course yeah.” She giggled again and the teacher asked her something about her old school’s curriculum.
    “Oh I took advanced classes in my old school I’m sure I can keep up with whatever you are doing here.” The teacher looked surprised. And I was too. She is cute, smart, and artist, outgoing. Was this girl an angel? Okay now I am sounding obsessed and I just met her. Wait until after lunch until you freak out.
    After not too long class ended. I went up to my friends Jake, Will and Andrew. They were talking and when I came over Jake high fived me.
    “What was that for?” I questioned.
    “Dude. Ayumu asked you to lunch.” Jake said.
    “Wait how did you know I was just coming to tell you.” I gasped.
    “Jake asked her and she said she was already eating lunch with you.” Will said while Jake nudged him.
    “Jake what…?” I asked confused. I mean Jake hadn’t even talked to her and he asked her to eat lunch. What was with this guy? He was my best friend shouldn’t I know him well?
    “Well I figure she’s cute and it would be nice to get to know her.” Jake says looking down and putting his hands in his pockets. Little did I know the threat his getting to know her would cause.
    Later I met Ayumu for lunch and she had ramen. Yum. We talked about drawing and manga and she recommended some to me. I also learned a little bit more about her. She lived in Japan up until now and went to school there. She speaks Japanese and English fluently because her dad is Japanese and her mom is American. They met when the mom was on vacation. She told me about what music she liked that was Japanese and I didn’t know any of them. She giggled and I told her some of my favorite bands that are American (and some British.)
    After school we got on the same bus because it turns out we live only a few blocks from each other and get off and on at the same school bus stop. I swear it was like someone was writing my life out to be a story perfect with a fairy tale ending. Only now I realize there is no such thing as fairy tales. At least not in my life.
    If only I had seen Jake coming I wouldn’t have trusted him all those years. Damnit he was my best friend then he took my current best friend. I mean who knows what would have happened with Ayumu and me if Jake didn’t ask her out on that Valentines Day almost 2 years ago.
    After I had sat in the hallway cooling down for a bit Ayumu came out of the classroom and walked up to me. I pretended I didn’t see her and buried my head between my knees and hugged them to my chest in an effort to hold myself together. After a while I felt her put her hand on my back.
    “Greg it’s okay. Please calm down. We can pretend like this never happened and go on being best friends,” she said in her most soothing voice, but it wasn’t good enough. I didn’t want to pretend that card never happened. I wanted to pretend that she had said yes and we had hugged and lived happily ever after. I stayed with my head tucked out of sight and refused to move.
    “Greg please. You’re my best friend I don’t want to lose you,” She said again with sadness. HAH she was going to lose me. I would stay by her side forever even if she was made of toxic waste and was on fire. It’s funny how she says those words even though I will lose her.
    As if on cue with my thoughts Jake walked down the hallway. God I hated that little betraying a*****e. He was my best friend until 4th grade. And then that b*****d asked out Ayumu. He knew I liked her. He knew I was going to give her that card. He knew I would die if she didn’t say yes.
    “Yo Ayumu what are you doing?” He said. I tensed up and refused to move I didn’t want to face that back-stabber. I felt Ayumu’s hand come off my back and heard her get up.
    “Greg’s upset I was just trying to make him feel better.” Yeah sure you don’t want to lose me until Jake comes along then you’re gonna leave me. God Ayumu why are you putty in the palm of Jake.
    “Eh I bet he’s fine come on let’s go.” Jake said with a chuckle and I could hear his smirk in his voice. Ayumu bent down and gave me a hug.
    She whispered in my ear, “I’m sorry Greg I have to go. Please feel better. I’ll see you after school.” She got up and I heard them walk down the hallway. Away from me. It was like Ayumu stepped out of my life and she would never be the same again.

    Someone starts shaking me and I wake up out of my personal thought bubble. I was doodling a lonely person sitting by himself, while a group of people laughs a few feet away.
    “You were zoned out forever what were you thinking about?” Asks Ayumu, who is sitting across from me at a lunch table with Jake next to her.
    “Oh I was just remembering a few things.” I say and keep drawing. Jake looks at what I’m drawing and laughs and Ayumu hits him.
    “Hey!” Jake glares at her angrily.
    “Buzz off you can’t draw half as well as Jake so shut up and stop laughing.” She snaps. Even after being together for 2 years they argue all the time.
    “Look guys if you’ll argue about me I’ll just leave.” I say for the thousandth time. And get up for the thousandth time and walk away for the last time. Ayumu looks down sad and Jake snickers. I leave the lunch room and find an empty classroom. I open my sketchbook and draw my heart out.
    I draw a picture of a girl in a jail cell. And I think back to 7th grade on the first day of school. When I saw Ayumu we ran up to each other and hugged and said how much we missed each other, although there wasn’t much to miss. After a few months of Jake and Ayumu going out she hung out with me less and less. And forget now in 8th grade. And by the summer she spent more time with Jake than she did with me. I mean sure they were boy friend and girl friend they were supposed to spend time together. But Ayumu and me would hang out in every free minute. We always had manga to recommend, drawings to compare, things to talk about, things to laugh about. And when we didn’t we would just enjoy having the other person there.
    When Ayumu started spending most of her time with Jake I realized how dependent I had really become on her. Before she came along I had a whole circle of friends. I wasn’t really too popular, but who is in 4th grade. And now I’m alone so much. Maybe I should get a girl friend to distract me from her. I mean I can’t love her forever when she’s with Jake. I can’t just let my life slide away into self-pity.
    I remember that a nice girl named Scarlett is in my homeroom class and several others and on more than one occasion she had done that ‘smile look down and when she thinks I look away look up again’ thing. I finished drawing and stood up left the classroom very composed and went to wait for lunch to end outside my next classroom.
    I doodled for about five minutes when who but Scarlett sat down outside the classroom as well. She was relatively pretty with her long black hair and bangs that fell in her face died red. Also she made almost everything she wears and I got to hand it to her. She looks really cute in it. When she sat down she took out a sketchbook of her own and started drawing something.
    I moved over to sit next to her and she looked up at me almost frightened like I had been when Ayumu tried to see what I was drawing back in 4th grade.
    “May I see what you are drawing? I am interested in sketching myself.” I ask in my most calm tone I can muster up.
    “Sure,” she answers and hands over the sketchbook. I flip through it to see spell-casting fairies and gallant princes with swords as tall as they are. Clearly she liked drawing fantasy and she was really good at it. When I flipped to one page there was a prince who looked particularly like me carrying a princess that looked particularly like her. I smiled and Scarlett looked at me.
    “What?” she said confused.
    I gave a little laugh and turned the book to show her what page I was on. “You are good your faces are very accurate.” She blushed furiously and I smiled. Maybe I was beginning to fall for her because she was incredibly cute when she blushed. But should I take advantage of her like this? I mean she likes me but I still like Ayumu…I think. I’m just going for it. She is very nice and this is just Junior High it’s just for fun.
    “Sooo Scarlett I was wondering if you are free today after school.” I tried to sound my coolest. Her face lit up.
    “Yes. Yeah I am.” She said being cutely nervous. It made me feel like I want to hold her and kiss her head and tell her she was the cutest girl ever. I stared at her for what felt like a long time and she laughed at me. “What are you staring at?” she asked.
    “You,” I said and smiled. Just then the bell for class rang and we got up and went into the room.
    I sat down at my desk and took out my books and for one of the first times I am thinking about someone besides Ayumu. I don’t know why I stuck around with her for so long. I mean I always end up sitting alone in a classroom and she’s stopped following me.
    Class flowed by smoothly, as it always does and next period Ayumu was in my class. Should I tell her about Scarlett? But why would she care it’s not like she’ll be jealous. Maybe I should just tell her anyway. It’s not like she’s my enemy, in fact she’s still one of my best friends. I’m just being harsh on her Jake is the a*****e.
    This was my only class with Ayumu that Jake wasn’t in so it’s now or never. I got out of the crowded hallway and found Ayumu at her desk. I walked over to her took a deep breath and tapped her shoulder.
    “Oh hi Greg. Are you okay? I’m sorry about lunch.” She said.
    “Oh yeah I’m fine.” I said annoyed, “I just wanted to get your advice on this. I’m asking Scarlett out.“ I threw at her, waiting for her response.
    “What?!?!?” she screeched. What was wrong with her? Is it so wrong that I like someone besides her?
    “What’s with you? Why are you screaming?” I said panicked. What was wrong did she like me? Or did she think that she owns me. Or that I’m some kind of freaky asexual person?
    “I thought you were gay.” I threw my head back and laughed and people stared at me. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being gay, but I like girls. Maybe I’m a little bisexual. But there is nothing more appealing that a cute girl.
    “Ayumu I’m not gay. I asked you to be my valentine in 6th grade remember?” I laughed. She looked confused.
    “I thought you did that to make me feel better because I liked you.” My brain stopped. What did she just say. She liked me. She, me. Not me liking her?