The young man threw one ball after another against the gym wall. His face filled with frustration. He was angry that he couldn’t protect Ariel; he couldn’t even protect the girl he likes.
Flashes of what happened a few weeks ago at school made him threw the ball even harder. The taunting, the whisperings as Ariel walked down the hall, the students’ sneer and malicious rumors…and the school’s lack of support really put him in a foul mood.
Ella stood at the sideline shaking her head at Jiro as he continues to torture himself.
“I’m leaving Jiro. You’re really pathetic you know that?” Ella chided and turned to leave but stopped when Jiro shouted,
“Wait!”
He walked up to her and shoved his hands in his back pocket, his feet shifting awkwardly. He hesitated as if he did not really want to know the truth but had to ask for the sake of his sanity. He glanced at the ground, his eyes avoiding hers.
“Ella…is she really pregnant?” Jiro asked holding his breath.
Ella felt her heart constricted; she wanted to cry for her friend...for both Jiro and Ariel. Jiro, the boy Ariel had loved all through middle school and high school finally took notice of her…and it was too late.
“Yes, she really is pregnant.” Ella said sadly. Jiro took the news calmly but Ella noticed his hands balling up into fists, it was clenched so hard Ella fear he might injured himself. For a moment Ella thought Jiro was going to cry. His eyes brimmed with unshed tears, but he conveniently sneezed hard, then he wiped his eyes and nose with his sweaty t-shirt.
“I didn’t know she have a boyfriend.” He said to himself. Nonchalantly as if the news didn’t hurt him at all, he chuckled,
“If I had known she already had a boyfriend I wouldn’t have made a fool of myself by giving her the couple rings.”
Ella scowled at him and hissed,
“You really are a fool! You think if Ariel really had a boyfriend she wouldn’t already introduce you to him? You were her protector! Even now she still really likes you…” Ella covered her mouth and turned away from Jiro. She said too much, she cursed at herself for having such a loose mouth.
Jiro felt his face heat up as his hand involuntarily touched the rings still in his pocket. When Ella gave him the couple rings and told him Ariel said she couldn’t be with him, he felt cheated and confused. All the signs that she liked him was there…he wanted to make sure, absolutely sure that she was the girl for him. But in the end she turned him down.
“If she felt the same way about me then why?” He wondered out loud.
Ella heaved a sad sigh and reluctantly answered,
“She found out she was pregnant. Blame me if you want. I was the one that forced her to go to the bonfire party. She didn’t want to…but I didn’t listen. I should have paid more attention when she started drinking but I didn’t…”
Jiro picked up another ball and threw it against the wall.
“Stupid girl. She should’ve told me the truth, why did she suffer all by herself?!”
Jiro shouted, his legs kicking and arms throwing the balls one after another as if he was possessed. The gym echoed with sounds of Jiro's angry screams and balls slamming against the wall. Finally exhaustion took over his body, with his arms and legs numb from over exertion he fell on the ground laying flat on his back.
“I…I think I love her Ella. I love Ariel.” Jiro laughed at himself and shouted,
“I am a pathetic fool!”
He took the rings out and handed to Ella.
“Give this to Ariel. Tell her it belongs to her.”
Ella didn’t take the rings. She fought the tears that threaten to roll down her eyes. She felt somehow responsible for the relationship between Ariel and Jiro…her two best friends. Theirs was a relationship that should have been…could have been…but now never will be. Jiro Wang, the school’s most popular guy, the school’s best basketball player with girls clamoring all over him…is in love with a girl he could never have.
Ella knelt next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. With remorse in her voice Ella tried to make him understand.
“Jiro, she is pregnant. You want me to give her the rings? What does that mean? You said you love her? You are only seventeen years old, how are you going to take care of her? What about your parents? Don’t give her false hope. Ask yourself, you say you love her but do you really? What if this is only puppy love? What about her baby, are you going to take responsibility for the baby too? What she needs is someone that can give her security, stability, something that lasts a lifetime not just…high school love, but a lasting love. You have your whole life ahead of you…that’s why Ariel didn’t take your rings; she didn’t want to burden you.”
Jiro was quiet for a long time. He stared blankly at the ceiling, Ella’s words replaying in his head over and over again.
‘What she needs is someone that can give her security, stability, something that lasts a lifetime…a lasting love.’
“A lasting love…” Jiro whispered to himself and clasped the rings tighter in his hand.
