It was the midsummer of 1982 when an out-of-place city girl forged a friendship with a shy yet outgoing village boy who was completely unaware that his beloved town was bound to face a serious turmoil for not too long.
A KEANU REEVES AU:
⠀° set in 1...
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❝ the carpenters have been here? ❞
CHAPTER THREE: COURAGE CLUB WALKS
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I fixed my hair and changed my clothes to my polka-dot baby blue skirt and a decoratively embellished, re-coloured shirt just because I don't think it would do any harm to me.
So in the end, I finished the unnecessary pampering by wearing a gingham-printed headband that was thick by width. I look at myself. Is this completely necessary? No. But does it make me feel better about talking to other people? Sure as hell does.
I rush downstairs and found myself a sight for sore eyes. My Auntie Nida saw me and only chuckled under her breath while my father told me to stay where I am right now.
"What's the occasion, darling? You barely know anyone here."
"That's about to change. Think I'd do myself a better change than you have."
And I walk out of the door with the comforting, fresh gusts of the warm breeze clouding against my skin.
There was the Karr Jovi guy, preparing his bicycle, seemingly heading home.
I slowly took a few steps forward out of this shyness I didn't expect to show. I felt timid for the longest time in my life. I stood there frozen thinking of what to say.
Then he glanced at me again and I felt my face reddening as he smiled. "Go say hi," I whisper to myself.
"Huh?" said he, startling me. We were apart by a certain distance. He wasn't near and so were I. He stood with his bike afar and asked loudly: "You were saying something?"
"I can't hear you!"
"Were you saying something?" then his voice grew louder, becoming more audible and definite.
"I was saying hi!" then I smiled.
"Hello!" he smiled back. "C'mere!"
Then I walked towards him with a smile; but when I got nearer, my skirt billowed up along the wind and I tripped over a rock that I did not see.
"Fudge!"
And I fell headfirst right into the ground with my knees hurting like an ant colony tearing the skin off me.
"Geez! Are you okay?" he runs to me and asks me worriedly while turning me around and letting me sit. "Stay there, Doll. I'll be back."
And when he was out of my sight, the first thing that got to me was that he called me 'Doll'. Seriously? Doll? I don't even know this guy and he already knows my Daddy's nickname for me.
When he came back, running with a pack of cotton balls and Betadine. "I'm sorry, Dahlia. This is really all I can do. I'm really─"
"Dude, it's okay! I'm fine!" I laugh as he dabs the Betadine-soaked cotton ball on my skin. "Gee whiz, whoever-you-are! You really don't need to do this─"
