I Waited For You

Chapter One - The Day I Met Her

I was seven when I first met her.

It was the first day of school, and everything felt too big... The classrooms, the noise, the way everyone already seemed to know someone except me. My new school uniform was stiff, and my bag bounced awkwardly as I walked up the stairs, trying to find 1 Cemerlang.

Second class out of six, they said. I was already nervous about what that meant. Was I good enough to be here?

The moment I stepped inside the classroom, it was chaos. Kids talking, desks scraping, teachers calling out names from clipboards. I went to the back of the room, found a seat near the window, and sat down quietly, holding my pencil case in both hands like it could protect me from everything.

Then - snap.

A pencil tip broke somewhere beside me. I turned my head just a little and saw her — a girl with neatly combed hair tied back with a red ribbon, holding the stub of her pencil and looking completely lost. Her eyes scanned her table, her bag, the desk drawer.

No sharpener.

She sighed, hugging her drawing book like it could fix things. Then our eyes met. I don't know why I did it, but i tapped her, and held out my pencil sharpener. She blinked at me like I had just handed her the moon.

"Thank you!" she whispered, a little out of breath like she'd been panicking in silence. She sharpened her pencil slowly, carefully, like it was the most important thing in the world.

I noticed the sketch under her arm- a cat with huge eyes and wings, holding a flower.

"That's so cute," I said, my voice almost too small to hear.
She looked up at me, bright-eyed, and smiled. "I'm Saidatul, just call me Sai."
I smiled back. "Thea."

And just like that, with one pencil sharpener between us, something unspoken clicked.

We settled back to our seats, but we kept glancing at each other. Like we already knew:
This was going to be something special.

By the time the bell rang, we were already sharing erasers and comparing handwriting. She showed me more of her drawings- all lined in perfect little boxes like comic panels. Her art made me forget the stiffness of my uniform, or the nervous ache in my chest.
And somehow, by the end of that first day, I didn't feel like the quiet new girl anymore.

I felt like I had found someone.

Maybe not forever- I didn't think in forevers yet-
but someone for now.

Someone real. We went back to our seats, but we kept glancing at each other. Like we already knew...
This was going to be something special.

── ✦ ──

The next morning, the teacher walked in holding a seating chart and announced we'd be switching places.

Some kids groaned. Some cheered. I just held my breath, hoping I wouldn't get moved too far.

"And... Sai and Thea," she said, scanning the list. "Back row, near the window."

My heart fluttered. We shared a quick, shy smile as we grabbed our bags and walked to the corner desk, where sunlight poured through the window.

From that day on, we were always side by side.

We did everything together. During lessons, we'd sneak glances at each other's notes, scribble silly faces in the margins, or tap our pencils in sync. During recess, we always sat together and talks about our like and dislike.

She was always sketching- on the back of worksheets or in the corners of her books,. Her drawings had such life in them. Animals, girls with flowing dresses, flowers with faces, entire make-believe worlds that spilled from her imagination like it never ran out of color. (but she's still managing her art style back then 2016)

God she's inspiring
She taller than me which made me always look even smaller next to her
Maybe she thought of me as her little gnome following her around

"You're amazing," I'd whisper.

She'd shake her head, cheeks pink. "No, I just like drawing."

But I meant it. I meant it so much that I couldn't stop telling my parents about her. At dinner, I'd talk non-stop about how talented she was, how she made everything feel a little easier. I even tried drawing like her. At first, mine were messy, uneven, crooked. But she never laughed. She encouraged me. And slowly, I got better- not perfect, but better.

I admired her in the kind of way you don't fully understand when you're seven. The way someone's presence can become a comfort without you even realizing it.

She wasn't loud. She wasn't the center of attention.
But to me, she was the center of my little world.

We studied together, sat next to each other at assembly and even holds hands when going to the canteen. The teacher started to pair us up automatically, like we were a matching set.
My wish just one, going to school everyday to be with her even tho she's not.

It became so normal, I couldn't imagine school without her.

── ★ ──

Heyyaaa~ Itz Thea!
Thank you for reading chap 1!
this is an actual beginning and i've been replaying these sweet moment of us and i cherished it forever as i lived...
We've been together for years and i still love her till now. I had admire her for as long as I lived and would never against her...
Thank you Sai...

(827 words)