Have you ever heard the song "Sk8er Boi" by Avril Lavigne? I was released in the year 2002, the same year I found the "Sk8er Boi" who I got attracted to. It's story time!!! Day 16 of the 30-Day Blogging Challenge is "Your First Crush".
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Avril Lavigne's song "Sk8er Boi" played on my mind the moment I saw my first crush. It was in the year 2002. I was in 6th grade hanging out with my friends in the playground of our school looking at the new faces as the new school year started.
It was an international school which started in 1998. The school was barely 5 years old, so there were very few students and that year was the first year when the school finally completed having classes up to the 10th grade.
While chatting with my friends, an unfamiliar red Tamaraw FX arrived. There were around 7-8 students who went out some Filipinos, others were Americans (I supposed). However, one particular guy went out carrying a skateboard. He waved goodbye to the person driving, rode his skateboard and caught up with his friends who went ahead of him.
One of his friends was my classmate and later on I found out that his name was Adam and he's Austrian-American. He's an 8th-grader. Every morning, I waited to see him going out from their service and ride his skateboard to his classroom while playing Avril Lavigne's song on my mind.
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This is how the campus look recently, but during my time, the building on the left had three floors, but the third floor was a rooftop with a basketball court. And the building on the right was still under construction, so the high school students only used the first floor. The ground was still full of trees and grass. It was an open field with a huge playground.
My room was on the second floor while his was in the new building, so I can clearly see when he and his friends arrive.
Because of various activities in the school, everyone knows each other. His friend who was my classmate introduced us to each other. I was called "Mae" back then and was quite known at school since I was on top of our grade and was often asked to join interschool competitions.
Oh, I know you. You're famous!" he said. I blushed because he was my freakin' crush. He pinched my chubby cheeks and commented, "You're so cute!"
Since that encounter, he says hi to me every time we bump into each other on campus. We even spend some time together talking and playing some music.
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Aside from being a skater boy. He's really good at playing the drums and the guitar. This song was his vibe and sometimes, we go to the 10th grade classroom because he wanted to play some music. There were only three 10th graders so the musical instruments were placed in their classroom.
Until one day, a massive news came. He got into an accident on his skateboard and would have to undergo a surgery. There were even stories of him going back to the US and just continue high school there. It made me worried and sad... lonely even.
I didn't see him for a month, so I thought he really left. Our common friend also didn't know the details of his and his family's plan. But one Monday morning, during our flag ceremony, I saw a familiar face wearing a cast on his left arm. There were colorful pins and scribbles on it. He smiled when our eyes met. My heart skipped a beat.
Later that afternoon, I was waiting for the school bus with some friends on the playground. Someone shouted, MAE!" It was him gesturing me to come. I complied and when I got to where he was, he hugged me using his right arm and said, "I missed you!".
He then invited me to the canteen where we shared some snacks and caught up with each other. We have gotten closer since then that his classmates got to the point of teasing us. He'd jokingly tell them, "She's my boyfriend, and I'm her girlfriend, so shoo!!!" I would just laugh as if everything was normal, but I actually feel butterflies escaping my stomach every moment we spend together.
I didn't tell him about my crush on him, but I guess he knew. On the day of my graduation, he congratulated me and asked, "You're transferring schools, right?" I nodded. We had to go to the countryside because a lot of things happened to my family, we had to start anew. He hugged me for the last time before we bid goodbye.
OOPS... It wasn't the end of the story!!!
It was Sinulog... maybe around 2005. My mama and I went to the city to watch the parade and stuff. We then went to Ayala Mall.
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The interior of the mall looks like this. I and my mama were walking on one side when someone shouted on the other side, "MAE!!" Gosh! That voice is so familiar, and when I looked at the direction of where the voice came from, it was him. I waved back at him, but it was too crowded and I had to catch up with my mama who continued walking. I really wanted to talk to him that time. haiiz
NOPE! That wasn't the last time either...
When I studied in my first University, I had an English subject during the first semester of my second year. The teacher was a foreigner and looked oddly familiar. When I looked at her name. They have the same family name! When I got the chance, I asked her about the common friend who I still kept in touch with that time:
ME: Miss, do you know Arciel?
HER: Yes, we go to the same church! How do you know her?
ME: She was my classmate in Nissi.
HER: Ohh? My brother went to there, too!
ME: For real? Is your brother, Adam??
HER: Yes! Small world, isn't it?
ME: Indeed!
HER: Why don't you join us on Sunday? We have an activity...
ME: I'll talk with Arshy about it. :)
Sunday came and I went to their church. I am Catholic, but I enjoyed Christian activities like singing, Bible study and everyone in their church don't mind others' religions. There were fun activities and I enjoyed my time with my friend. And then, we were grouped for sharing and talk about experiences and stuff.
I saw him... he just arrived with his sister and was in the group in front of us. Arciel called his attention while gesturing at me, "Hey! Do you remember her?" He just smiled and nodded. Ohh... that was disheartening, I thought.
However, after the activity we had to say goodbye. I went out and headed to the jeepney stop when someone patted my back, he softly said, "Who would forget someone like you, right? Goodbye~!" And then he ran off to the opposite direction.
That was the last time I saw him. The next year, I just heard from my University friends that Miss Steph and her whole family decided to go back to the US for good. And that's when I realized, "YES, it was our final goodbye!"
Farewell, my Sk8er Boi!
And that's the end of my story. OMG!!! It's so nostalgic. I hope he still enjoys playing music until now. He was also a cool artist, so I bet he's still drawing or painting somewhere. :) I wonder.
Thanks for reading my story. See you tomorrow for Day 17. :)