You walked along the empty road, still talking non stop with Jackson listening to all your ramblings at your side. It would be an amusing scenery for his friends if they ever found out that for once Jackson became the listening party, and not the talking party. For you, it was an ordinary scene since it was the usual thing between you two. You couldn't remember since when you two had been doing this. Going to and back from school together. You remembered the first day his family moved to the house next to your house. His mother introduced herself to your mother the next day, with Jackson stood right behind her. When both moms found out that you two were around the same age, with you only a year younger than Jackson, they were excited. Maybe even more excited that the two of you. You were shy and had difficulty to talk to other people, while Jackson was a bubbly kid. He could make friends everywhere he went. Jackson was one of the few first friends that you had.
Since you two lived in the same neighbourhood, automatically you two went to the same school. Even though you two were not always in the same class, but being in the same school was enough for both parents to ask help from each of you to help each other. His parents asked you to help him with his studies, while your parents asked him to keep you safe. Since you two were allowed to go to school by yourself, Jackson has been going to and back from school together with you. Though he grunted since you always insisted to go to school early while he liked a little bit sleeping time. But he didn't complain anymore when he found out that he hasn't done his homework and found it was enough time to copy yours since he arrived at school early. For the past week, you tried to ignore your girl friends' comments about the two of you. They didn't believe that you were just friends with Jackson. They said no one could be just friends with Jackson, especially for the opposite sex. They were convinced that Jackson had some feelings for you.
"No way.. we're just friends/neighbour," you denied it, though deep inside you hoped that it wasn't true. You weren't sure since when, but you started to see him differently. Perhaps because you saw how he always offered to bring your bag for you after school? Or how he noticed you were in pain when you got your period and said nothing, but gave you some aspirin to alleviate the pain and didn't tease you? Or when he defended you when some boys mocked your appearance. He didn't know that you overheard him scolding the other boys, for not body shaming other people. Yeah, you've heard from the girls that every girls in school were dreaming to be his girlfriend and envied your position as his neighbour. You noticed the staring from the other girls when you two walked out of the school together. You just wished no one would replace your position, but was it possible? You were sure that Jackson only saw you as neighbour/friend.
Jackson POV
I was walking along the road with a baffled mind. I listened to her rambling without paying attention much to it. I just nodded and gave small comments here and there. There was something else bugging my mind right now. I didn't know what was wrong with me. I recalled my conversation with Jinyoung last night.
"Are you sure that she's just your neighbour?" Jinyoung teased me. "Even the blind can see that she's more than that."
"I don't know, man. I mean.. we've known each other for so long. She's been my neighbour since I moved here. And I knew her family as well. Somehow I got friend-zoned just because she's my neighbour first," I grunted and Jinyoung laughed at my misery.
"But you feel something more for her?" he pestered.
"I don't know. I'm confused as hell. I can't imagine life without her though. Like it's natural to have her by my side. I know how my day will be like. I'd wake up, get ready for school and then walk to school with her. Then school, if I'm lucky, we'll be in the same class. If not, then it doesn't matter. At the end of the school, it will be walking her back to her house," I imagined my daily life as I told Jinyoung about it. How she would talk about her day if we were not in the same class. How she would rant about her classmates and her teacher. I was worried that someday, her talk would include her crush. It was a possibility that I had to face since we're in high school now. It was natural for anyone to have a crush, to develop feelings toward someone. I just wished she only had her eyes on me.
"Then you have feelings for her," Jinyoung stated the obvious. "If you're worried, then maybe you should act fast. Maybe you'll get your chance before anyone else sabotage your girl."
"Hey.. Are you listening?" she interrupted my daydream.
"Oh yeah sure," I couldn't focus at all, but I couldn't let her know about it. Luckily she didn't pester me further and continued her story. This year was not my lucky year. We got separated. I tried to pay attention to her story, luckily she was talking about her classmates making ruckus in class that got the whole class in uproar. The teacher then sent the responsible student to detention. She laughed at her own story and oh boy, how I loved that sound. I wished I could hear her laugh often. I started to think about Jinyoung's suggestion about making a move on her. Should I hold her hand? Should I pull her closer? Maybe I could put my hand on her shoulder and pretended that it was nothing?
My mind went crazy thinking what I should do when I heard that noise. I glanced to my back and saw Mark was strolling on his skateboard. I didn't think much about it. But then, I saw her moving as she continued her story, didn't realize that she started to walk in the middle of the road. And the sound of the skateboard was getting near. I didn't have the time to think, I just did it out of reflex. I pulled her hand and swung her to the other side of the road, away from danger, just seconds before Mark passing through. After the road was cleared, I looked at her and scolded her, "I told you to stand by me!"
She was surprised and I could see her blushed? She said nothing and I used the opportunity to hold her hands still. After all, she didn't pull her hand back. Okay.. Maybe I didn't to worry that someone else might steal her.
Your POV
You were still talking about the event of the day. One of your classmates made quite a scene today. It was quite hilarious, but unfortunately he was sent into detention because of it. You were telling the story to Jackson, adding some movements so he could imagine the situation without realizing that you were walking to the middle of the road when you heard the rumbling sound. You kept talking as you thought it was some motorcycle and convinced that the driver would easily avoid you, but you were wrong. As the noise was getting closer, you talked even louder to overcome the noise but didn't realize you walked even further to the middle of the road. Not until Jackson yanked your arm and swung you around so you were in the side of the road again, on the inside part this time.
"I told you to stand by me!" he scolded you while you stopped breathing. Shocked by what happened just now. You were still processing but kept walking as he dragged you back to the road. Several minutes later you realized he was still holding your hand. Okay.. Maybe he didn't just see you as a friend/ neighbour.
