April 2005...
Kyle sat on his bed hugging his pillow. He got home hours ago yet he hasn't left his room. He still thought about her all the time.
Out of frustration, he put the pillow aside and walked over to his study desk. The drawing he drew of her was still there. At this point he was confused, he had never felt this way about anyone before and he didn't know whether it was good or bad news. He would have asked someone like Derrick for advice since he knew a lot about this stuff but he knew he would make fun of him.
Sitting on his desk, he pushed the drawing aside and ran his hands through his hair. He didn't know what to think now that he knew her birthday was just next week. He didn't know why that information made such a difference to him. Why did he care so much? Was it because her birthday was the same month as his or because every little thing about her fascinated him.
This was ridiculous. Why was he fooling himself so much. Was it because he was actually interested in her? Kyle abruptly got up from where he sat . Maybe he wasn't a pro at all these things, maybe he did need Derrick's advice. The thought of it annoyed him. Knowing Derrick he knew that he'll never let him forget it. But he didn't have another choice.
He reluctantly picked his phone up from his bedside table, before typing the message .
Hey Derrick, are you busy?
Not really though, what's up. Kyle starred at the message deciding on whether to still tell him or not. Shaking off the thought, he typed in the message.
Yeah, well. You know that girl Savannah, I've been thinking about her a lot lately. Can you tell me why? Kyle's heart rate accelerated at the thought of Derrick's reaction.
What! Am I really talking to Kyle or is it someone else. Kyle rolled his eyes at the reply. He knew this was a bad idea.
No, really. I need an answer. This time he was really worried. What if his reply was different from his expectations?
Okay fine. It's simple, you like her. I've been telling you. He starred at the message for what seemed like forever. It wasn't possible, or was it?
No I don't.
Keep fooling yourself. It's obvious that you like her. If you don't want to believe it, that's your problem. Kyle sighed, he didn't want to believe that he liked her. But now that he thought about it, it seemed true. He did actually like her. But he wouldn't want to admit it to Derrick yet.
Okay, let's say I do like her and for some reason I know her birthday. What could I get her as a gift? Maybe it was fast for him to admit it so easily but at least now he could tell her in an indirect way.
I thought I finally figured you out but now I know you're more complicated than I thought.
Just tell me, what could I get her?
From what my sister's boyfriend got her for her birthday. I think you should get her maybe a box of chocolates or a piece of jewellery, even though I think the jewellery is a bit much.
Ok thanks . Kyle thought for a while. He didn't have enough money to buy a piece of jewellery. He could stop by the convenience store and pick up a box of chocolates like Derrick said, but instead he'd include a birthday card.
He walked over to his cupboard and brought out a wallet. He looked inside. He had enough money to buy all of them. The problem was, how would he get there. He couldn't ask the driver or else he'd tell his dad and his dad won't be happy to when he comes home. The easiest thing he could do was sneak out. But that would mean he had to leave without any of the guards noticing.
For a second he wondered why he was doing all this. For a girl? Is it just because he liked her, is that the reason why he'd have to go through all this just to buy her a gift?
He wondered if all boys felt and did the same thing whenever they liked a girl.
Pushing all those thoughts away, he tucked his wallet into the back pocket of his pants and slowly walked out of his room. He could either use the front or back door. The back door had no guards but he'd have to jump over the fence since that's the only exit, but end up with a few scratches and tears on his pants. The front door had two guards, but was still far much safer than the back door so he chose that one.
He slowly left his room and closed the door behind him. The only people that could stop him were the maids or the chef, but their always busy so it was easy for him to leave the house. He didn't fully close the front door (so no one would notice the creaking) but managed to leave the house. The first guard wasn't were he usually was but the second was. He was somewhat dozing off so it wouldn't be hard for Kyle to walk past him.
Kyle slowly tiptoed down the stairs and managed to walk past the guard without him noticing. The guard was seated a few feet from where the gate was so Kyle quickly managed to rush past him. The door was closed but Kyle managed to open it and without waiting a second, he ran outside.
For a second he couldn't believe that he actually did it. He actually managed to sneak out. He quickly checked his watch, it was already 5:30. If he didn't hurry the store would close.
The store wasn't close to their house but it wasn't that far either. If he ran he could make it on time .
Without wasting time, his pace started to become faster and soon enough, the wind was hitting him hard. Running wasn't his hobby but he was really good at it. With just 10 minutes to spare, he managed to reach the store. With his heart beat accelerating and gasping for air, he walked into the store.
All the employees turned to attention to him. The cashier walked towards him and looked him up and down before speaking.
"Is there something wrong. You need something?" He said with his strong western accent. Kyle looked up at him before noticing the other employees.
"I'm fine. I just need a box of chocolates and a birthday card, where are they?". He asked once his breathing was steady.
The cashier looked surprised but didn't say anything and just pointed to an aisle by the end of the store. The store wasn't too big, maybe just the size of the school's cafeteria.
Kyle walked over to the aisle. He saw a few cards but hardly any of them were for birthday. He was about to leave when he saw a card. It wrote in bold letters ' Happy Birthday ', nothing else. He picked up the card before moving to the next aisle. There were different boxes of chocolate laid out with other snacks but after looking at the price. He glanced at his watch. There was only 5 minutes left before the store closed. He picked up a heart shaped box with different shapes of chocolate in it. Maybe it wasn't a big gift but that was all Kyle could afford unless he wanted his dad finding out.
He walked over to the counter before dropping the card and the chocolate there. The cashier scanned the items before putting them in grocery bags and handing him the receipt after he paid.
The walk home was long, mainly because he was exhausted after running for so long.
He quietly walked through the gate before making his way to the front door. No one noticed his absence so he just made his way to his room and flopped on his bed. A smile formed on his face once he realised what he had done...