The day when Nithane went to confess his feelings after hearing Eric's advice.
'She isn't in her class either, where could she be? Maybe I should check the ground again. What if she's there?' Looking around for Ardat, Nithane decided to give the school ground another look.
'There she is…'
A warm smile automatically lit up his face when he spotted her from a distance. However, as he got closer to her, the courage to confess slowly drained from him. Just thinking about her reaction made him feel uneasy. Besides, he wasn't particularly confident about himself, especially his looks, which was often the target of jokes by his friends.
"Hey, fatty, what are you doing here?" Suddenly, someone called from behind. Turning around, he recognized his classmates. It also caught Ardat's attention.
"It's a good thing we ran into you here. Can you do us a favor and take these books to the library?" Before he could answer, they had already handed him the books and seemed ready to leave.
"I don't think he can," Ardat's voice stopped them. She stood between them and Nithane, kindly returning the books to their owners. She continued, "We already have plans, so he's quite busy right now. I hope you understand."
"Why are you acting like we asked him to do something wrong? It's just some books…" a girl from the group spoke.
"Oh, just some books? Then why don't you do it yourself? You seem perfectly capable of handling such a simple task," Ardat responded.
"You..."
"Ardat, don't meddle in our problems. It's not something you should care about."
"Who are you to decide what I should care about or not? He had plans with me, so he's busy and not interested in helping any of you. Isn't that right, Nithane?" Ardat waited for Nithane's answer.
"Y-yeah, I already had plans with her," Nithane confirmed.
"Why waste our time here? Let's go…" Holding Nithane's hand, Ardat took him away from the group.
Without an exact destination in mind, Ardat walked aimlessly with Nithane while scolding him for being a pushover.
"Thank you." After listening to all her scolding without saying a word, this was the only thing that came out of his mouth, and he even said it with a cheerful face. [He really can't hide his emotions.]
Ardat couldn't understand how to react to his words, but she also felt a bit shy. It wasn't visible on her face, but her ears turned red.
"If they try to pick a fight with you over this incident, call me. I will take care of them."
"Are you going to fight with them for me?"
"If it's necessary, I will."
"But I don't have your number…" Seeing her suspicious look at him made him hesitate to continue. It was the first chance he ever got to talk with her for this long, but now it seemed like the last time as well.
"Give it to me."
"Huh!!!" Nithane couldn't understand what she wanted when she extended her hand towards him.
"Your mobile. Don't you want my number now?" Taking the mobile from his hands, she typed her number and gave it to him. "Don't give my number to any fool."
"Huh…"
Ardat left for her class after giving him her number. However, Nithane was in a daze, not sure if it was a dream or reality.
The next day, they met again in an awkward situation. The girls who tried to take advantage of Nithane confronted him with their boyfriends. They attempted to bully him, making him run shirtless on the school grounds, and mocked him because of his large belly that jiggled as he ran. Coincidentally, Ardat witnessed the scene.
After running three laps, Nithane collapsed on the ground. Seeing this, Ardat called out to him. "Nithane… Are you okay?" She tried to help him.
"Oh shit! My money…" one of the bullies said. "I win, he ran exactly three laps…"
Hearing the words from the group that had been bullying him, Ardat became furious. She threw her shoes at the boy who claimed victory.
"You… Why are you messing with us again? Don't tell me this fatty pig is your boyfriend?"
"Give me his shirt." Ignoring the girl's words, she demanded Nithane's shirt.
"What if we don't give it to you?" Seeing Ardat getting involved, the boy who had Nithane's shirt intended to return it. But suddenly, a girl who had been involved in the previous incident snatched the shirt from the guy's hands and threw it to her friend.
"Give it."
"Why are you avoiding my question? Is that fatty pig really your boyfriend or something?"
Seeing Nithane's face lowering in shame made Ardat feel bad. She could sense his embarrassment and continued, "What if he is? Do you have a problem with that?"
"That fatty pig is your boyfriend… What an odd combination? What's so good about him, his ***?"
Ardat had been trying to hold back her anger, but it finally got out of control, and the confrontation ended with a first-class kick on the girl's stomach from Ardat, who had started everything.
Seeing their boyfriends not getting involved, they realized that Ardat wasn't someone they should pick a fight with.
"Put it on." Giving the shirt back to him, Ardat said.
"You don't have to ruin your reputation for someone like me. I am truly sorry that you had to face such humiliation." He apologized politely, even though its not his fault. However, Ardat felt a distance from Nithane, who had always felt so close even when he didn't say much.
"Why are you just accepting everything without fighting back?" Stopping Nithane, Ardat questioned his passive actions. But Nithane didn't answer and left without causing any more trouble.
"Why are you following me?" Nithane asked as he noticed Ardat following him.
"You really don't know?"
"It's not like I'm enjoying it; hearing those words or being teased by them every day is more painful than you think. I also want to change, but no matter how hard I try, it won't work.
All I have to endure a few more months, however I don't want to drag you into my messy life. So please leave…" Nithane spoke, unable to make eye contact with her.
"Three months… can you give yourself to me?"
"What?" Nithane was taken aback by Ardat's unexpected question.
"In three months, I will make you fit," Ardat said confidently.
"It's impossible," replied one of Ardat's friends, who overheard their conversation unintentionally.
"It's possible," Ardat insisted.
"Don't talk foolishly; it can't happen."
"What if I make it happen?"
In a short period of time, a bet involving Nithane occurred even without his consent, and he had to support Ardat, who stood by his side with full confidence. From that day on, Nithane's life consisted of rigorous training at three different times: early morning, evening, and night.