"Not Mine"
By: Ysabelle Calalang
Ever heard of the saying, "If you love someone, set them free. But if they come back, they're yours"? I had. My mother has always told me, whenever I told her about a crush, or if I speculate I'm falling for someone; she’d always said it with such a serene smile, and I immediately knew it was genuine. On the other hand, my father, the gentle and sweet soul he was, always told me to guard my heart. He once told me that he never wanted to see me heartbroken, but everyone knew that was pretty inevitable.
Right, I never introduced myself, did I? Hi, I'm Rosa Sanchez, an eighteen year old female who is set to graduate soon. My goal before I graduate was to confess to my crush, Andrei. But, this wasn't your typical love story; he's not the hottest or most popular guy at school. No, he is just pretty ordinary, well, to most people. I've known him since junior high, we've been in the same section since seventh grade; although, he's in STEM and I'm in HUMMS as of right now.
Andrei and I have been friends for a while now, we often sat together during lunch and chatted with one another; complained about schoolwork, talked about projects, just your typical everyday discussions. He may not be the hottest or most popular guy at school, but he's definitely one of the smartest. That's right, he was a consistent honors student, always having 'With Highest Honors' since forever; he also participated in school activities. Although, Andrei wasn't much drawn into sports, so he doesn't do them. On the other hand, you have me -- the athletic bookworm with a bright personality.
Anyways, let's go back to our original topic, shall we? Prom is coming up, and I was desperately hoping for Andrei to ask me to be his date. That may be the case, but I feared it wouldn't go that way. Unfortunately, quite a few other students were also interested in him, which is a given. Andrei is sweet, caring, and supportive; he's literally boyfriend material. In all the years I've known him, I've never even heard him utter a unkind word to or for anyone.
Drumming my fingers on top of my notebook, I stared off in a daze as I hum softly. I was currently waiting for the arrival of Andrei, who was my partner for the joint collaboration between strands for an upcoming project. When the pairs were announced, I definitely felt the jealous stares from the other students who had a thing for him. Nevertheless, I gave them a sickeningly sweet smile before I headed off to my class. I snapped out of my daze once I heard the shuffling of someone sitting next to me.
Still humming softly, I turned my head and smiled softly at Andrei, who gave me a smile in return and patted my head; something I’d often protest about, but I secretly enjoyed it quite a bit. We began to talk about our project, having playful banters in between and laughing joyfully at each other. Once finished, we started to walk home, side by side. It's been this way since we both found out we lived in the same subdivision. It was peculiar how we never ran into each other before seventh grade, really.
I looked over at the gates of my house and waved at Andrei, giving him a light punch on the arm with a grin as he rolled his eyes at me before bowing jokingly. I rolled my eyes back and stuck my tongue out at him, giving him the reaction he was going for. He stuck out his tongue in return before waving back and walking away. I made it to the gates, but I paused and watched him walk away until I couldn't see him anymore.
I entered my house and greeted my parents, giving them kisses on their cheeks as I summarized my day before heading up to my room. I groaned as I took out all the homework I had to do, but first, it was time to unwind and just relax. After a while, I began to do my homework until I finished everything; by then, it was already dinner time. I took a breather for five minutes before showering and heading downstairs to have dinner with my parents.
As I ate, my mom smiled softly at me and nudged my father, and eyed the calendar behind me. I knew what she was getting. Prom. It was arriving a bit too soon than I was anticipating. She put down her spoon before speaking. "Sweetheart, what are your plans? I know you really want Andrei to take you to prom, but do you have any backup plans if he doesn't take you?" She questioned as my father sighed, shaking his head. "We just don't want you to get heartbroken and not attend if he doesn't take you as his date," he explained as I listened.
"I..do have a backup plan because I know it isn't set in stone. One of my other friends, Nathan, agreed to take me as his date if it goes wrong. Don't worry, I'll still go even if I'm not Andrei's date to prom," I told them with a smile as they both nod and we resumed eating. I washed the dishes before saying my goodnights and headed back up to my room, flopping onto my bed as I stared up the glow in the dark stickers on my ceiling. I giggle softly at the realization I still have those at the age of eighteen, but hey, nothing wrong with that. Eventually, the abyss of the darkness overcame me and I fell into slumber; slipping into the realities of my dreams once more.
In the morning, I took a bath and ate breakfast before waiting outside for Andrei. He greeted me with a smile and we began walking to school, chatting along the way. That's when I realized something. He looked happier than he usually does, and I like that but..I wonder why was he so happy this morning? Not that it's bad! I was just curious.
And so, I took a deep breath and asked him in a teasing manner. "Oh? Did something good happen~?" He rolled his head and lightly shoved me in a playful manner. "You know what? Yep. Something good did happen! But I'm not going to tell you, I'm going to show you..in a few weeks!" Oh? I huff and whine childishly, wanting to know what it is. Before I could prod more, we already arrived at school and went our separate ways to class.
A few weeks passed, and it was the morning of prom day, a day I was anticipating for so long. Happily, of course. Well, was that even the case any more? Maybe, maybe not. I stared at the dress hanging from my wardrobe and got up from my bed, deciding to just watch some tv shows until it was time to get ready for the big night.
A few hours passed, and I began to get ready; I did my makeup, styled my hair, and got into my dress. I look in the mirror and smile at my reflection, tears building up in the corner of my amber eyes. I put on my heels and headed downstairs, where my mother was waiting for me so she could take pictures. Moments passed before a knock was heard, my father opened the door, revealing my date. I laugh and hug him, and he hugs back.
My father cleared his throat, getting our attention and my mother took pictures of us before we could leave. He opened the car door for me and I got in, he got in the driver's seat and drove us to the venue where prom was being held. We jammed out to music before we arrived, he, once again, opened the door and escorted me out. I giggle softly, taking his arm and we head inside.
It was beautiful; couples everywhere, laughs and giggles echoed in the room, the music was befitting. Oh, it was almost perfect. I sighed softly and turned back to my date, Nathan Alvarez, as he offered his hand for a dance. I, of course, accepted and we headed to the dance floor and started dancing. As we danced, I spotted Andrei with his date, Dylan Haik, and my smile dropped.
Tears built up in my eyes, but I quickly blinked them away. No. I'm going to enjoy this night and make it memorable, even if it wasn't going the way I dreamt it would go. After all, he wasn't mine. And that's more than alright, I can't and won't force anyone to like or love me. Life is unfair, love can be all kinds of things; happy, sad, hurt—sometimes, all at once. But, that doesn't mean I can't enjoy life. And so, I spent the entire night dancing with Nathan and having fun
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