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CHAPTER 1
Walking along the departmental corridor, Drystan heaved a heavy sigh, ignoring the irritated stares and glares coming his way, causing his eyes to drop close, with his brows furrowing as he tried his best to hold in the tears that were threatening to spill out.
He was more depressed than he had woken up to be that day and all of that was as a result of the heartbreak he just experienced a month ago.
*Flashback*
"Jenny, I love you," he confessed, placing a hand on his chest and leaned his upper body forward a bit. "I have always loved you since our high school days and though I could not tell you, I just hoped you would see me as a man worthy of your love."
0_0
Her eyes were still wide open from the sudden shock of his confession. How had things come to be?
She was just with another guy when he walked up to her looking all serious and asking for a minute of her time and now he brought her here to hear this?
"Jenny, please listen to me. I mean it. I may not be as rich or athletic as the other guys or Ryan but trust me when I say my love for you is real. Please..."
"Hold it, Drystan. I know we have been friends but I only remained friends with you because our family live next to each other and my mother always scold me for not being friends with you. As though that wasn't enough, your mother pleaded with me as well. So trust me I have tried bearing with it all but I cannot."
"Wait, I do not understand, Jenny."
"It is simple. I do not even like being friends with you in the first place. I have managed but it turns out you started having funny ideas. Please do not embarrass yourself anymore and stop bothering me."
"No Jenny, please you are joking right? This isn't you."
"Me?" A sinister laughter escaped her lips, making those passing to turn their heads in her direction.
"Drystan, please this is my last warning. I have a boyfriend, Ryan. I do not need a loser like you. You would only ruin my chances as freshman's Miss. Stop being around me. We are done."
"Done?"
"Yes. Our friendship and whatever. It is over. Gosh. Love, please?" she had the most disgusted face he had ever seen and he could not believe that this was Jenny who had always been so good to him and he always helped her out.
Without saying anything more, she walked out on him leaving him staggered and all hope lost forever.
*Flashback Ends*
A sad smile was all that remained on his lips when he was done recalling. This was the ninth time since morning that he had recalled the same situation over and over.
No matter how hard he tried, it was always the same outcome. He woke up feeling better but once he began the day and he saw her, the whole heartbreak started afresh and he was thrown back to that very day.
He looked up, the sky was bright, a perfect contrast to how his life was at the moment. Once he crossed the school gate, it was home sweet home. Not that anything was sweet in his life again.
Facing forward again, he was about to take the first step on his journey when he heard someone call a name.
"Drystan!"
At first he ignored it. He had no friends and everyone treated him like a plague. Who would want anything from him?
"Drystan!" The voice called out again and this time he stopped. "Drystan."
He heard it loud this time. He turned around and though the voice sounded feminine, he could feel the intensity and softness from it.
Subconsciously he turned, he needed to see just who that voice belonged to. The second he turned, he was shocked to see who stood behind him, panting as though she had just ran a marathon.
"Did you plug your ears or something?" He opened his mouth, trying to explain when her next words cut him off. "Meet me at the rooftop of your department in fifteen minutes. Do not be late."
With that she was gone, running as fast as she had come. He remained glued to the spot, unable to take any step.
'What just happened? Why would... No it cannot be? Did Astoria, the Queen bee of my faculty just asked me to meet her?' Drystan voiced out in his mind.
Although he could not fathom what this proposed meeting was, even though he dreaded meeting anyone these days, let alone the most beautiful girl in his faculty if not the whole school, he sudden became interested.
Without showing any form of happiness, even though he was worried, Seth took a complete turn and walked back towards where he was coming from.
It was a good thing he had stayed behind in school to wallow in his problem, else how would that look like to those passing that the hottest girl he had ever laid eyes on, spoke to him?
Ignoring any further thought in the matter, he made his way there.
~Rooftop~
To his surprise, even though he as expecting all of this to be a trick, he was shocked to meet her there.
The wind rustled, pushing back her lovely blonde hair, making her look like a model in one of those operas.
"You made it in time."
"Yeah. What is this about?" Drystan asked, looking disinterested just in case it was all a prank. He did not want to look anymore useless than Jenny has made him become.
"Drystan Aiden," she voiced out boldly but the look on her face was not any bit bold. The second she said that, she made eye contact with him and the bold voice, suddenly changed as she looked away. "I-I have been watching you," she began.
"And though people hated you, you still were jovial but now, everything changed and you became even dull than before."
"So?"
"So?" She snapped her head in his direction. "How dare you say that? Do you know how many lives are dependent on you?"
"What?"
"I mean on you being happy?" Astoria corrected.
"Pfft. Please. No one wants me. I guess I should quit school as well, at least I won't be an eyesore to any one."
"STOP IT!" Astoria hollered at him, her once shy nature suddenly disappearing, revealing a different side of her.
No sooner had she hollered than her expression changed again, regaining its softness.
"Even if they hate you, it doesn't matter because I do not. I love you."
0_0
"What?"
She looked him straight in his eyes. "Even if they hate you, know that I do not. I love you. I may not be Jenny who has your heart but I hope you notice me too and stop feeling depressed."
"Okay, hold up. Hold up."
To say he was speechless was an understatement. Did he just hear her correctly? Astoria Jason, the most beautiful girl in his faculty and on campus, just confessed to him, a loser freshman who got rejected by his only crush!
How did he just go from being a total loser to being loved by a hot class babe like Astoria?
This was big. No, this was HUGE!
"So, what do you say?" Her eyes lowered again as a blush crept up her cheeks with her hands hidden away behind her.
"Would you accept my heart?"