Dream Love [Love Series #1]

Chapter 8

Zein's POV

Kyrrha was called by the principal because of what she did to our fellow classmate. I expected she would get scolded by the teacher, but I didn't expect the principal to summon her.

She spent an hour and a half inside the principal's office. Her mother wasn't with her at that time because Ms. Blimo (her mother) was out of town with her husband for a business trip. She was left alone with her brother at home. Instead of a family member making an appearance, it was my mother who showed up for her. I guess she sees Kyrrha as her daughter too.

Hours passed.

 Aren't they done? I thought to myself, then I heard a loud noise coming from the hallway. I decided to see what was happening since it was a loud bang, as if someone hit the wall of our classroom. There I saw Kyrrha on the ground, her cheeks red as if she had been slapped. As I scanned the area, I saw our classmate's mother standing in front of Kyrrha, looking all worked up and upset. Her eyes were like burning fire, and her ears seemed to let out smoke like a kettle when the water boils.

Kyrrha stood up and just stared at the mother, giving her a death glare. The mother was yelling and shouting at her about her behavior. Without a second thought, I immediately ran towards Kyrrha and stood in front of her, stretching out my arms to protect her, acting tough even though I wasn't. If Kyrrha was in trouble, I wouldn't hesitate to protect her.

The mother's face showed shock and surprise. For the first time, I felt confident in myself.

"Don't touch her, or I'll get you fired from your job," I said, staring blankly at the mother, who just stood there in shock. She eventually left after a minute without apologizing for what she did to Kyrrha.

I turned around to see Kyrrha already looking at me with her round hazel eyes lit up in the sunlight as her expression softened. Her eyes were beautiful... I almost got lost in them.

"Are you okay?" she asked with concern as she approached me and grabbed my arm.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Are you?" I asked as I grabbed her hand.

"Yep, I'm fine! Thanks for saving me, Zein," she said with a soft smile.

I then had the urge to think that I should get stronger so Kyrrha would rely on me and admire me. I want to protect her. I want to be with her. I want her.

A few weeks later, we've been hanging out almost every day since that incident. She's comfortable with me now, and I feel the same. I would visit her at her house almost every day, and Ms. Blimo doesn't mind anymore since she knows we're best friends. I would invite Kyrrha to my house to play.

We would go to school together and go home together. Sometimes, we would have sleepovers at each other's houses. Ms. Blimo would leave Kyrrha with me when she and her husband went out. We spent a lot of time together, and our bond grew stronger.

One day, we were playing in the park. She was hyper as always, asking me to come with her by the swing and then shift to another. Running around in circles, playing tag. Hiding behind a tree while I sought, playing hide and seek. We were just the two of us, and it was fun. Then someone approached her, a kid, probably just asking for directions. No, he was asking if he could join us. Kyrrha approached me and asked.

"Can he play with us?" she said with a smile and puppy eyes.

"Okay," I responded half-heartedly.

She let out a small chuckle as she held his hand. That gave me a bit of an uneasy feeling and made my blood boil for some reason.

"Let's play hide and seek! Zein, you seek!" she said excitedly.

I sighed in frustration, feeling a bit envious of that little boy she was holding hands with.

"Okay, I'll count to 10, then you hide," I said as I looked for a tree. I stood beside it, crossing my arms and placing one arm on the tree, my forehead touching my arm as I closed my eyes.

"1...2...3...4..." I counted until I reached ten.

"10...ready or not, here I come!" I said, then began to search for them.

Forty minutes later, I still couldn't find them.

Where are they?! I thought to myself. I checked every hiding spot in the park and still hadn't found them.

Until I heard a chuckle—her chuckle.

I looked everywhere, searching for that sound.

The bushes behind me started to move weirdly, making strange but scary sounds. I slowly turned around, terrified by the sound. She suddenly jumped out of it and yelled.

"BOO!!!!!" she shouted, making a scary gesture with her hands.

I fell to the ground in shock. Her pranks, little jokes, stubbornness, and hard-headedness always gives me a heart attack.

"Pfft! You should've seen your face!" she said, then let out a loud laugh, sounding like a witch.

"Not funny, Kyrrha," I said as she held my hand, helping me up.

"Where is that boy?" I asked as I looked around.

"Here!" she said as the boy slowly peeked at me, hiding behind her but still holding her hand.

Seeing him holding her hand made me mad and pissed off, and I didn't know why.

After we played, we decided to go home since it was already five P.M., and Kyrrha would get scolded by her mom if she came home late.

"We'll be going now! See you tomorrow, and let's play again," she said softly as she patted his head with a smile. He blushed and nodded lightly, then left.

"Come on. Let's go already," I said.

"Okay, okay, no need to rush," she said sarcastically.

"Why are you so close to that boy? Is he better than me? Is he cute? Why do you like him so much?" I spoke without thinking! She must be thinking that I'm bad or greedy! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!!!!!!

"Why, you ask... because he seemed lonely. While we were playing at the park, he kept glancing at us and fidgeting with his fingers. I don't want anyone to be lonely," she said with a smile.

"I like him, but... I like you more, Zein," she said with a brighter smile. Her eyes sparkled as she said those words.

My heart suddenly skipped a beat, and without even knowing, I was already blushing.

"Are you okay? You look a bit red... like a tomato," she said, then burst out laughing at me.

"Shut up," I said.

I stared at her, then laughed with her as well.

I realized then that her smile must be protected and should only be shown to me. Her precious smile, her warmth, her attention, her affection—everything should be mine only.