Fortune Cookie

Chapter 5: Fortune in the Works Part 3

Chapter 5

Fortune in the Works: Acceptance, Convictions and Phone calls

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Chiharu

She had hated him as far as she can remember. All because of his stupid lies. She had believed them once and look where it got her? A laughing stock for all.

Because of him, she was teased and bullied and she hated him ever since.

She still remember when he told her that birds can fly because of their feathers and one can sprout feathers if they rub vinegar on their arms. Wanting to fly, she did what he said and rubbed vinegar on her arms, soon she felt a tingling sensation which left her to believe that she was already sprouting feathers. Her classmates turned away from her and started teasing her because of her sour smell. No matter how hard she tried to explain they never believed her and continued to mock her.

The second one was when her pet dog died and he told her that she can see him if she went to a very high place and tried to talk to him the way her dog does. She climbed up at the third floor-the highest floor- of her school and began barking madly. A lot of her classmates saw her and laughed at her but she continued barking, convinced that she can call her dog. Soon a teacher found her and asked her what she was doing. When she told her that she was calling to her dog in heaven, the teacher laughed and told her that wouldn't be possible. All of this happened in front of her classmates who soon teased her about it. They would pat her head like a dog, woof whenever she walks by and went as far as putting a ribbon on her neck as a leash. Her mom would always find her crying whenever she fetches her from school.

But the third one was the most embarrassing. Though she might've learned her lesson already but she didn't. She was still little at that time and so naïve that she believed another one of his lies. They have a class presentation and she was assigned to recite a piece of a poem in front of an audience. She was so nervous and was actually panicking by the time he found her. He told her that drinking a lot of orange juice has a property that would make you calm and perform greatly. So she did what he said, and when her part came- looking at all the people's eyes glued to her-her nerves failed her and having a full bladder from all the juice she drank-she didn't want to remember the details. But that incident was the last straw. Bullies and taunts came harder as ever and even some of her teachers snicker and made jokes about it, causing her parents to transfer her to another school.

Those embarrassing experiences she had, had traumatized her young mind and she blame it all on him. So imagine her shock when in her fourth grade she found herself in a new school stuck with him! She still harbours those feelings up to now, especially because she knows he still lies at every opportunity he sees. And some people, in her disbelief, actually believed him. Mostly were girls who were charmed by him and would readily buy anything he says. She would always glare at him and sometimes hit him to save those poor girls from being victims of his lies. Heck, she would not let their innocent minds be tainted by his deceptive words.

So what was she thinking considering his invitation to a dance?

She was just walking home, her hands pulling at the straps of her backpack, when she saw him leaning on a post. She frowned and decided to ignore him. But he approached her and blocked her way.

"U-uhm...Chiharu..."

"What do you want?!" she snapped.

He sighed and fiddled on a piece of paper he was holding.

"I...well...I just wanted to..." he sighed again and she noticed that his face was red. She frowned.

"Spill it, Yamazaki; I don't want to waste my time on you!"