Matilda got out of bed earlier than usual on the next day as the sun shone bright over the suburban neighborhoods of Idaho city. She listened to music through Youtube on her phone and then she got a notification from Instagram. An account with the name of @patrick_l showed up as an "account that you may know" and she clicked on its profile. She was surprised to see it was the same Patrick Liwang from her high school and was shocked to see how popular he was on Instagram. He had photos of himself in soccer jerseys and some other random posed images.
Matilda: She thought to herself. Oh my god...Such a shocker that it's THE Patrick Liwang!
Matilda: On the inside. I wonder how he has so many followers...I knew he was popular but not this popular.
She viewed some of his posts of himself reading a book while sitting on a comfortable chair.
Matilda: On the inside. I see...He also loves to read. He reads the same books as me.
Matilda: On the inside. I wonder if he has a Wattpad too...
Matilda: On the inside. He's definitely like my dream guy in a nutshell.
Matilda: On the inside. Wait...speaking of Wattpad, let me go check to see how many people viewed my new story.
She opened her laptop and went on her Wattpad site.
Matilda: She thought to herself. What? I got a new follower named Patrick too...
Matilda: On the inside. OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! No way, no way.
Matilda: On the inside. Should I follow him back? That's a dumb question, Matilda...Of course you should!
Mrs. Blanc had set up an intensive French oral activity for her students in class. Everyone was repeating after her when they were learning conjugated verbs and about some basic phrases people say in France. She wanted people to practice speaking in French.
Mrs. Blanc: Ok...Class. Now that I finished teaching the module for today...
Mrs. Blanc: I wanna see how well you guys learned...
Mrs. Blanc: Who wants to say a sentence in French?
Patrick: He raised his hand. I will, Mrs. Blanc.
Mrs. Blanc: Go ahead, Patrick.
Patrick: Elle est belle et intelligente. Je pense que je l'aime bien.
(Translation: She is beautiful and smart. I think I like her.)
Mrs. Blanc: Oh my god! Do you like a girl in this class, Patrick?
Matilda: She thought to herself. "She is beautiful and smart"? Is he talking about me?
Mrs. Blanc: Matilda, do you have a sentence you can say in French?
Matilda: Not sure if I'm good at this, but I'll try...
Mrs. Blanc: I'll accept anything you say. Again, no need to worry if you don't pronounce your sentence correctly.
Matilda: Il est grand et beau comme un prince.
(Translation: He is tall and handsome like a prince.)
Patrick: On the inside. I never thought any girl would compare me to a prince.
That day after high school, Matilda had to attend Chinese school for a tutoring session with Mr. Ha. Her parents also wanted her to keep in touch with her Chinese culture and heritage because it's part of their family tradition. Matilda was busy writing Chinese characters in logography. Her tutor Mr. Ha was teaching the class about how to talk about family and meals in Chinese. Another handsome Chinese boy Danny Li was present.
Mr. Ha: Everyone, I want you to repeat after me....
Mr. Ha: "妈妈，你能把土豆递过来吗？
(Translation: Mom, can you pass the potatoes please?)
Class: 妈妈，你能把土豆递过来吗？
Mr. Ha: Very good. Do any of you have another sentence you can say talking about eating meals with your family?
Mr. Ha: How about Danny Li?
Danny: 奶奶，我可以帮你上鱼吗？闻起来非常好闻。
(Translation: Grandma, may I help you serve the fish? It smells very good.)
Mr. Ha: Good job, Danny...How about Matilda Jiang? Our new student.
Matilda: 爸爸，请允许我盛一碗米饭给您。
(Translation: Dad, allow me to serve you rice in a bowl.)
Mr. Ha: Wow, you two learn quicker than the rest.
Mr. Ha: The rest of you must take examples from our highly smart students, Matilda and Danny.
Danny: On the inside. I should consider her my rival, but I don't. I like how she's smart even though she's new to this Chinese school.
When Chinese class was over, Danny came to speak to Matilda as she slowly left their classroom.
Danny: Matilda, right? You're the only one besides me who can speak Chinese sentences without making a single mistake.
Danny: How do you do it?
Matilda: Honestly, I'm amazed by how I did too. I've never been to a Chinese school before...
Danny: Anyways, coming from a beginner like you, I guess I have to say you shrunken my ego a bit haha.
Danny: You made me wanna work harder.
Matilda: Thank you, Danny. I'm glad I can motivate you more.
Danny: On the inside. You definitely motivated me to study harder. Matilda Jiang, you have caught my attention!
When she left Chinese school, she decided to go to an ice cream parlor to get something sweet to eat. Ironically, it was winter and most people would freeze harder eating ice cream, but not Matilda. She never minded the cold and she always preferred ice cream in the winter rather than summer since it hardly melts close to her mouth. However, someone she knew from her childhood was there too...Greg Matheson. He sat with his friends looking irritable because he claimed he didn't have enough money to pay for his ice cream.
Greg: Guys, I want a large mango ice cream...But one of you will pay for me instead.
Greg: I don't have the money for it...
Friend #1: Are you f**king serious, dude?! You still haven't paid us back from last time.
Greg: Hush! It was only $20. It's no big deal!
At the same time, Patrick was seated inside the ice cream parlor with his friend Isaac.
Isaac: Dude, you didn't seem to be enjoying yourself at Amanda's party last night. Were you bored?
Patrick: Well, weren't you the one who said it'll only be an hour? Of course I'd get bored...
Patrick: I only came because I didn't want to disappoint my best buddy.
Isaac: Amanda wasn't happy about it. She didn't talk to me at all today.
Patrick: You know I'd be willing to go to a guy's party, but not the same for girls I'm not interested in.
Matilda opened the door to get inside and she waited in line till it was time to order an ice cream for herself.
Matilda: Hi, I would like a cup of mixed berry ice cream please.
Clerk: Okay, miss. Is that all? That'll be $5.50, please.
Greg had recognized Matilda.
Greg: On the inside. That's the ugly duckling from 4th grade! Maybe I should ask her to pay for me.
YOU ARE READING
Love On The Brain
RomanceSmart Matilda Jiang had just switched high schools from Boise to Idaho City. There in Preston High School, she meets smart idiot Patrick Liwang who slowly developed an interest in her. He could tell she's not as simple as she presented herself as an...
