Today, there was a friendly football match at school between Morning Sun High School and the neighboring Penaburan High School. Samuel, who actively participated in the extracurricular sports of football, took part and became a key player. Samuel was indeed talented in playing football, and his skills and speed were acknowledged by his sports coach.
In that match, Samuel performed impressively. He was the determining factor in their victory and was named the best player of the match.
After the game ended, Sandra couldn't get over Samuel's amazing and cool performance on the field. She was truly amazed by Samuel's ability to handle the ball.
"Samuel, wow... you're so cool at playing football, I'm a big fan of yours," Sandra teased Samuel with a playful smile.
"Thank you so much, especially for watching from the beginning," Samuel replied casually.
Sandra felt foolish and hesitant to express her feelings to Samuel. However, she couldn't deny that her feelings for Samuel were growing stronger. She became more interested in and infatuated with her friend. She was increasingly impressed by Samuel's humble, kind, determined, and cool nature.
As time went by, Sandra couldn't bear her love for Samuel any longer. Today, Sandra decided to be honest with Samuel about her feelings. She met Samuel at the school cafeteria.
"Samuel, I want to talk about something," Sandra greeted him warmly.
"Just say it directly, like you would to anyone," Samuel replied with a smile.
Sandra felt a pang upon hearing Samuel's response; her heart felt like it was about to break. She became even more flustered and nervous. Unexpectedly, Sandra suddenly ran away, distancing herself from Samuel without saying a word.
Samuel, who witnessed Sandra's behavior, was puzzled and confused. "Wait, Sandra, what's wrong?"
Sandra was truly torn and uncertain. She was afraid her friends would distance themselves and turn against her because she liked a guy like Samuel, who was considered poor, and her friends often bullied him.
Sandra regretted her friends' behavior, who enjoyed bullying Samuel. In her eyes, Samuel was intelligent, smart, accomplished, and charismatic.
The next day, Sandra was determined in her decision. She was ready to face any consequences that might occur if she started dating Samuel.
That day, Sandra made a promise to meet Samuel at the school's backyard garden, the place where she first greeted him.
Upon arriving at the garden, Sandra saw Samuel already waiting there with a sweet smile. Sandra approached Samuel with a pounding heart.
"Samuel, may I talk to you for a moment?" Sandra asked, slightly hesitant.
"Huh... has it been like this since yesterday, huh, Ra?" Samuel replied, confused.
Sandra gave a bitter smile, feeling upset about Samuel's response. She became even more nervous, and it felt like her heart was about to shatter.
"I want to be honest. Throughout our closeness all this time, my feelings for you might have changed. Initially, I only saw you as a friend, but now..." Sandra couldn't continue her sentence, appearing extremely flustered.
"You want to say, 'I like you'? You want to say, 'Will you be my girlfriend'? Is that it?" Samuel interrupted Sandra's sentence with an expressionless face.
Sandra was shocked, feeling more cornered and awkward. She never expected that Samuel already had a feeling that she was going to confess to him.
"I don't know what to say, Sandra. I'm glad to be your friend. But..." Samuel paused.
"But what...??? Ahh... I understand, I get it... it's okay, I don't want to make you uncomfortable. I just wanted to express my feelings all this time."
Sandra tried to hold back her pain by lowering her head.
Samuel smiled at Sandra's bravery in being honest and expressing her feelings. Although Samuel didn't feel the same way, he still wanted to maintain their friendship.
Samuel was also surprised to learn that Sandra had feelings for him. He couldn't help but smile, imagining the most beautiful girl in school having a crush on him.
"I appreciate your feelings and your decision, Sandra. We'll still be friends, right? Cool friends, right?"
Samuel tried to lighten the mood.
Sandra nodded with a smile, trying to show respect for his decision.
"Of course, we're cool and awesome friends!" Sandra smiled, trying to hide her disappointment.
Sandra and Samuel's relationship grew even stronger after Sandra was honest about her feelings for him. They started hanging out more often and spending time together.
A few days passed, and Sandra was in the park when her foot got stuck in a tree branch, causing her to stumble and fall into a small ditch in front of her. She sprained her ankle, and Samuel happened to witness the incident and immediately rushed to help her.
"Sandra, are you okay? Does it hurt?" Samuel asked, worriedly.
Sandra looked in pain and couldn't stand up.
"Ouch, it hurts a lot, and you're asking me if it hurts," Sandra replied irritably.
Samuel panicked upon seeing Sandra's sprained ankle. He quickly carried her and instructed her to sit on a park bench, then he took out his water bottle from his bag.
"Try drinking some water first, Sandra. You need to rest for a while," Samuel suggested, offering his water bottle.
Sandra drank the water given by Samuel. She looked at him and felt lucky to have a friend who cared so much about her well-being.
"Thank you so much, Samuel. You truly are the best guy I've ever known," Sandra said sincerely.
Samuel smiled and then examined Sandra's sprained ankle. He provided basic first aid based on his limited medical knowledge.
"It seems like you can't walk properly yet, Sandra. I should take you home. Can I accompany you?" Samuel looked at Sandra meaningfully.
Sandra just nodded and smiled happily. She felt an extra warmth when Samuel looked at her intently.
Samuel carried Sandra into a taxi, and throughout the journey, they engaged in lively conversations that made Sandra incredibly happy and comfortable.
When they arrived at Sandra's house, Samuel was warmly welcomed by Sandra's parents. Samuel helped Sandra enter her room. Not only that, but he also applied a cold compress to her ankle, fed her during mealtime, and finally gave her pain medication.
"Thank you, my superhero," Sandra responded. "You truly are the most amazing guy I've ever met."
"Don't say that. I just want to make sure you're okay," Samuel replied with his dry humor.
Sandra felt that Samuel was incredibly caring, and she couldn't deny that he had become very special in her eyes.
After a few days of recovery, Sandra's ankle had fully healed. Sandra felt that she needed to repay her debt to Samuel. She planned to give him a gift and show him something as a token of her gratitude.
At School
"Samuel, I want to give you something. I want to give you a gift as a token of my gratitude for taking care of me so well when I was sick, is that okay?" Sandra asked, pleadingly.
"Of course, you can, but actually, you don't need to, Ra," Samuel replied straightforwardly.
Sandra smiled and handed him a neatly folded piece of paper. "Here, read this."
Samuel was surprised when he read the contents of the letter, and then he smiled broadly.
The letter read:
"Samuel, thank you for being my true friend all this time. I like you!"
Samuel insisted on his choice of remaining just friends. He didn't want their friendship to be ruined if they were to start dating and encounter problems.
Sandra felt heartbroken once again after being rejected twice by Samuel. However, she remained determined with her desires and hopes. Sandra tried to get Samuel's attention in her own way.
She invited Samuel to music concerts, movies, hiking trips, and she wanted to accompany him in all his activities.
Sandra also made an effort to learn more about Samuel's background. She wanted to better understand the character of her admired guy.
Despite facing rejection multiple times, Sandra continued to show a positive and sportsmanlike attitude by supporting Samuel's activities both inside and outside of school. She gave him 100% support.