I TILTED my head to the side, confused. What does he mean, remember?
Well, he’s Kent Fujimoto. The love of my life for two years. He’s handsome and hot, and he’s good at basketball. He was also good at singing and painting, and because of that, I liked him a lot.
"You're Kent Fujimoto, and you're famous here at school because of basketball, aren't you?" I asked back, pretending I didn't know him very well. I shouldn't be intimidated!
"You don't remember the man you slapped?" he asked again while looking intently at me.
Huh, what? The man I slapped?
I stared at his face for a long time... and a horrible memory entered my mind.
Wait, what the hell, is that him ?!
I suddenly remembered one of the most embarrassing events of my life, two years ago.
FLASHBACK
"JANE, where have you been?!" I yell at Jane who is on the other line as I walk around in front of the National Book Store.
I already saw Sunako_Nakahara's The Fallen. I want to buy that book. The plotline was so nice, same as its cover.
"Just chill, okay? I'm going there. Just wait," she answered.
She already knows that I'm in a hurry, but it felt like she wasn't even panicking. Gosh, this girl!
"Hurry up! I don't have any money because you have my wallet-"
I stopped speaking when suddenly someone ran into me.
"Aw!" I hissed when the man who hit me fell and... something soft landed on my lips.
What the heck, that was my first kiss! Someone shamelessly stole my first kiss! I don't know how to react. I couldn't even move!
I looked at his face and, omg! He looks like Kim Myungsoo, one of my idols in KPOP. His lips were as red as lipstick. His eyes are a bit narrow but it suits him. His nose, his strong jawline, I can't!
Should I be happy because my first kiss went to a handsome guy like him or should I cry because my first kiss wasn't romantic? This is not what I dreamed of!
"Stop staring miss and stop drooling," he said rudely as he looked at me and smiled.
What the hell, what a boastful man! Did he think that I'll drool on him just because he's handsome? Well, he should think again!
Just wow! Really! Is he still the one to brag after he took my first kiss? I'm not happy that he got my first kiss, and he's not handsome in my eyes either! I take back what I said earlier!
I wiped my lips and looked to see if there was any saliva. There was nothing! He was just playing with me!
He smiled at me before he pushed me to the floor so he could stand up. He even fixed his clothes while still looking at me while I was still lying on the floor. He's unbelievable.
Do I look like I have germs? I almost bathe in alcohol when I leave! I couldn't help but curse him endlessly in the back of my mind! I wish that I wasn't this vulnerable when it comes to cute guys like him. He really has a bad temper!
He was about to walk away but he stopped when I grabbed his arm. I am now sitting on the floor because I realized that I looked dumb while I was lying down. And another thing, the floor was so dirty, yet I'm lyion in it. Ew.
"Hey!" I shouted at him as I looked up. He's just so tall.
"What?" he asked, annoyed. Oh, wow? Is he still angry? He’s crazy, ah! He stole a kiss from me and then he was the one who was angry?!
I stood up before I looked at him badly. I will not give up on his arrogance!
"Why are you so arrogant?! The way you fixed your body and rubbed it, are you thinking that I'm someone who's full of germs?! I'm clean and hygienic! And what? Me, going to drool on you? Excuse me! My type is handsome Koreans with abs! Not you! Not you! You may be handsome, but you lack good manners! You bastard!"
After I said that, a loud punch was heard all over the place. Take note, punch, not slap. His cheek turned red because of that, but I don't care. I even wanted to hit him again, but I stopped because I am way more calmer than earlier. I don't want to go to jail because of this.
"Serves you right. You're a nuisance" I said with a smile and I was about to walk away when he suddenly pulled me closer to him.
"You also stole my first kiss, don't you think that you need to take care of the responsibility?" he asked in my ear, seductively.
Is his voice really attractive or am I just attracted to his voice? His voice is so husky and I hate it.
I removed his hold on me and I was about to run away when he spoke.
"Goodbye miss, see you soon." I turned my back on him when he said that but I could feel that he was smiling.
Grrr! I wish I won't see him again!
"In your dreams!" I shouted and I ran away.
When I got out of the mall, I texted Jane so she wouldn't look for me.
To: Jane
Jane, I'm home ah? I think I'm getting sick. See you tomorrow! XOXO.
While I was riding in the taxi, I remembered that scenario, and there, I also remembered that I didn't have any money so what would I pay for the taxi I took? Argh, I hate him! I hate him so much! I don't want to see him again!
"What, do you remember that?" I came back to reality when Kent spoke again. Maybe he found it weird that I just stared at him for a long time as I was remembering what happened in the past.
"I-It's you?" I can't believe my question. "The one I punched?"
"Ah, right. That's right. It was a punch, not a slap," he told me as he remembered the events in full. "Isn't it obvious?"
Is that why he didn't pay attention to me before because I punched him and got his first kiss? But he also got my first kiss? So, we already shared a kiss without me knowing? I smiled at that thought, but I suddenly got nervous as I cleared my throat.
"But wait, why don't I remember you?" I asked in astonishment. With his breathtaking appearance, how can I be able to forget him?
"I don't know either," he answered. "But can you see it?" he asked me and pointed to the bruise on his cheek.
It's a bit black but you won't notice if you don't look closely.
Ah! I already know why I can’t remember him. I tried to forget how he looked because I was so annoyed with him at that time. I feel like I want to disappear and go to Mars. I feel so embarrassed.
I was even more ashamed of him. A shameless woman like me feels so humiliated, what an irony!
Did we really know each other before? Is it destiny that keeps on saying that we're meant for each other? No, hasn't he liked me for so long? Or maybe we used to be kids, and then I just developed amnesia?
I stared at myself. That's great imagination, ha. Do you want to make my story a fictional book? My gosh.
"Miss Perez?" I came back to reality when someone called me.
"Y-Yes please?" I answered, I was even a little stunned because my mind was actually still floating.
Ma'am English is here. The one who proctored us while taking the elimination exam for the spelling bee.
"You've passed the elimination. The competition is on Monday, so you're good, okay?"
I blinked my eyes twice because I didn't immediately process what ma'am English told me, but even so, somehow my brain was still functioning.
"Okay, ma'am. Thank you," I said a little shocked and I bowed in front of ma'am. I do feel sometimes that I'm Korean and not Filipino.
Ma'am just smiled and left and just as she closed the door, I jumped.
"Oh my gosh! I'm so happy!" I shouted happily while jumping. I passed! I can't believe this! I wanna go to the party!
"You look crazy," Kent said rudely. Actually, that's when I remembered that he was here. I stopped jumping. I thought he was no longer here, but I was wrong.
He is exactly the same as Jane. They're both colds!
"You're ruining the moment, you know that?" I said annoyed and left the clinic as I went to the library. I think I feel fine, so I'll go ahead, I'm going to make him feel the same as what he's making me feel!