AS SOON THEY both finished eating their breakfast, her one and an only friend came to pick her up like he usually did every other school day, standing ever so proudly at the threshold back door with a wide smile of his. He wore his uniform and did try his best to look smart and clean; navy blue coat with the same coloured tone for his necktie and his crisp white shirt fit him perfectly lined with navy blue slacks, but he still looked like a mess. A button of his coat was clasp wrongly or his black shoes are not that polished or that his newly cut hair still looks shaggy yet from the adoring eyes her mother and sister gave to him –especially her sister, Gitto still looked as handsome as he will forever be.
"Morning ladies," he greeted with his usual chirpy tone. He walked over to Mrs. Ghotham and hugged her like he never did a woman before. Though he did it every other day he came to pick her up to school since they were in elementary.
"You make a young boy commit a felony by falling in love with you Mrs. Ghotham," he said as a matter of fact. Well, the boy was as an orphan ever since Stella can remember and her mother had been such a lovely person treating Gitto as her own. Not that was the first time her mother did that.
Mrs. Ghotham slapped his back with easy smiles and small laughter. "I don't mind if you want to compete with Sullivan but let me warn you, that old man temper is as mad as a bull."
The sound of bells ringing makes Lily stand up so quickly that the change in her face was almost impossible to notice. She went to their mother; kiss her goodbye and left like she was haunted by a ghost. Gitto presence beside her was totally ignored.
"Lily!" he called even before her little sister could escape. Her friends had been waiting outside to walk to the institute together. Her face was sour like apple cider. Her sudden change in attitude toward Gitto had been apparent since she entered middle-high school.
"Congrats entering 10th grade. You are now officially a senior," he said cheerfully. "And the colour suits you by the way," he added making that sour plum face turned red in seconds.
"I'm still a junior even in this uniform stupid," she grunted and ran away like any other teens she saw in television acted around guys they like. "See you at institute Stell!" she yelled.
Gitto laughed. He was actually a lot dumber than she ever expected him to be when he was supposed to be a prodigy. Guess all that brain cells only use on making sure he got an A on every tests and assessment rather than seeing the obvious.
"Brat," he said.
"You only make it worse," Stella said while she picked up her bag and ready for their ride to the institute. She did not want to arrive late for her first day of school not when Gitto already stands by the door waiting for her. It's a sign to get her feet to move and out of this house.
"Oh," he replied and she did not understand it. As always, she ignored it.
Stella approached her mom, doing all the same routine as Lily did earlier; hug and kiss. "I'll be going then."
"Safe journey," her mother said as she walked side by side to the kitchen back door, where earlier Gitto suddenly pops out of nowhere.
Stella's bicycle was perched on the wall, below the kitchen window shelf. She puts her bag inside the basket then as she tried to look behind her, to find her best friend's person wanting to take his beg to be put inside the basket together with her bag. She suddenly bumped into his chest nearly colliding with that somewhat broad and not that much muscular body of his.
"Gitt."
"You tied your hair," he said while touching her loosened pony. He flashed his perfectly white teeth at her; smiling. "A good way to start your year," added Gitto and he patted her head softly like she was a small bird that so fragile and might twig its neck if he pats with more force. After doing so, he puts his bag beside hers.
Her hand touched the top of her head where Gitto had patted her before. His words somehow had made all the ticks she had this morning gone yet an unknowingly lift at the end of her lips bloomed. Something strange is happening to her right now.
When she turned her head to look at her mother that stands at the threshold, smiling with her nose wrinkle the way she usually did, Stella tries to do the same. Although she failed miserably she still did it. It feels different from she usually does. Her smile was a smile that forms because of a hand that pats her head, complementing her change and that change was because of her mother.
"Hurry up Stell!" her friend called. He had pushed her bicycle all the way from the backyard to the front wooden gate.
Quickly she ran to her best friend side. Before that, she looked back at her mother and waves a small goodbye to her. Her mother did the same.
She took her place behind Gitto and held his unbuttoned coat.
"Don't hold it there. Here." He took both of her hand and instead of buttoning his coat; Gitto made her hugged his waist firmly.
"Just to be sure, if you fall, I will not be held responsible. So hold tight and never let go. I'm going fast," announced Gitto and started paddling along the steep alley downs the hill.
"Paddle it carefully," Mrs. Ghotham shouted making him halted so sudden and dangerously.
Stella cannot even control the inertia and slammed her face first onto her friend's back.
"Don't worry auntie. She's my princess. As if I would harm her," he assured her mother. Sounding so sure and beaming so bright.
Before Stella could recover from the accident, her best friend had saddled back and continued paddling as fast as he can, making her that sits behind hugging him even tighter. She thought that her behavior was weird but her friend was even weirder than usual because he was smiling and laughing for no reason.
BACK AT HOME, Mrs. Ghotham can only shake her head. Her smiles disappeared as soon as slopes swallowed her daughter downhill. Worry lines form on her forehead. Gitto's action will never cease to stop to get her daughter's attention. Not this particular daughter of her though she doubts Lily because she noticed her daughter was already ensnared by his weird charm.
Stella is different. Both she and her husband are worried about that boy fascination with Stella. Loving her will make his heart broken. But seeing her daughter's small smile before, maybe... just maybe, that his hard work will pay off.