"Cuz I wanna be free and I wanna be young... I'll never look back now... I'm ready to run."
CHAPTER 1 - READY TO RUN
"Hi there, college girl." I greeted the girl in front of the mirror, her brown hair pulled up in a ponytail, wearing black pants and a white v-neck jumper. In other words, I have been staring at my reflection for two hours now and I still couldn't believe this was finally happening!
Finally!
Oh God! I can hardly believe it. I've worked so hard for this and now all my dreams are coming to fruition. This is a moment I'll never forget. I've been waiting for this day.
There were so many emotions going through my head: excitement, joy, nervousness... everything! I was smiling like a fool. God knows how much I wanted high school to end quickly and start anew.
One could say that I had an awful high school life that's why I was too eager to leave, and it's true.
Due to my one-year delay in starting school, I am the oldest student in our batch. It's not that terrible because there's no actual age for education. But when I entered my first year of high school, someone made a big deal out of it. In fact, he constantly teased me and pissed me off for being a year behind.
That evil guy was in his sophomore year, but the same age as me. I was always his favorite. He's always following me everywhere just to make fun of me, my hair, and my obsession with books and grades! But of course I didn't let him get the better of me. I stood up and fought back. I thought that would be the end of it. However, the more I fought with him, the more he was eager to make me mad and furious!
And he always succeeded in getting into my nerves.
Every.single.time!
The non-stop bickering and teasing that entertained the entire school lasted until my third year in high school. And then, there was an abrupt changed in the weather. The storm passed and was replaced by unexpected sunshine.
It was suddenly rainbows and butterflies.
He started treating me nicely.
At first I found it damn creepy! Imagine, my number one enemy treats me well? Did the hell freeze already?
I didn't know what to make of it. I was suspicious of his motives. I watched him closely and tried to figure out what he was up to. I was afraid and paranoid that he had something hidden under his sleeves. I was determined to find out what he was hiding.
But I found nothing.
In fact, his teasings weren't the same as before. It was more gentle and funnier. It was as if his goal every day was to make me smile. And he was doing a great job in that department—I became genuinely happy.
It was too surreal and too good to be true. But I was happy and enjoying it. I always found myself excited to go to school. After months of being like that, I learned to accept the fact that maybe he had changed over the summer. He was not horrible at all. He was, in fact, kind and caring.
It lasted for a couple of months longer, but ended just like that. A storm—no, scratch that—a super typhoon hit me. Breaking my heart and causing my whole life to crumble. It was then that I learned he was being nice because he had a bet with his friends. He bet that he could make me fall for him despite the fact that I hated his existence for years.
It was hard for me to admit that at that time, he could have won that bet. Surely, he could make anyone fall for him by just smiling and I wasn't exempted to that fact. He showered me attention, affection, comfort, and care for months that made me forget all the hateful things I had in mind for him.
I was a fool to believe for a second that a guy like him—the most evil of all—was actually capable of caring. Let alone show affection. Yes, he was such a charmer for girls that he could actually make them fall over by just staring at them. However, how come I believed I was special when I should have known better. I was supposed to be smart, but I was blinded by all of those affections.
I should have taken a step back and realized that I was being fooled. I should have seen the warning signs, but instead I let myself believe that a guy like him—good looking, charismatic, athletic, and smart—would actually want a plain girl like me. Who had never had a relationship before, only had guys in books. I was naive and should not have trusted him.
I didn't see any of these because when I'm with him, I feel pretty and confident. A lot of people said that I was glowing, probably because I was happy, very happy. But after learning about that childish bet, my confidence was completely drained.
He crushed me.
My will to fight him back left me because my emotions got into me. From then on, I hated him. I hated him more when he distanced himself away from me, and for treating me as if I didn't exist.
The good thing about it was, it was his last year, and since he finally graduated, he would be far, far away. I thought after he left, it would be different; I thought it would be better this time but it didn't. Because no matter how much I tried to forget about him and the things we shared, it won't go away.
Everywhere, every corner, even my safe haven—the library—all I see is him. His face, his smile, his laugh, our constant bickering. It was all too much.
I tried my best to focus on my studies and keep my eyes on my goal--the university of my dream. To start college. Because I know college would be better and a great place to start anew.
So graduating from that school was such a relief for me. It was as if I finally freed myself from his cage and I'm now ready to move on to my new life. Away from him. Away from his memories. Away from that emotional torture.
"Are you ready, college girl?" That voice literally surprised me and pulled me out of my train of thoughts.
"Dad, you startled me!" I said as I touched my heart, trying to steady it.
"Nervous about college, pumpkin?" My dad asked. He was smiling from ear-to-ear. The fact that I did well at this Ivy League university was especially impressive. It was obvious that he was proud of me, of what I had achieved.
"Not really." I said, returning his smile. "I'm more nervous about leaving you behind." I tried my best not to cry when I told him this. I wouldn't want my dad's smile replaced with a sad one.
"I'll be fine." He made his way towards me and hugged me tightly. "Oh, our pumpkin is a grown girl now. Exploring the big world. Your mum would be proud." With that, I couldn't hold back the tears anymore and they spilled freely. "Don't cry. You'll do great." His words soothed me.
"I'm gonna miss you, Dad." I said in full honesty. "Take care."
"You too. I'm gonna miss you too, Ems."
It took a couple of minutes before my dad let me go and drove me off to university.
Damn, I was such an emotional girl.
* * * * * *
After three hours of travelling, we are finally here. Stepping out of my dad's car, I immediately closed my eyes and smelled the college breeze.
This is really happening!
I opened my eyes and felt a wave of excitement wash over me. I was finally here - ready to start my college journey. I couldn't wait to explore the campus, meet new people, and begin my classes.
Oh where do I even start?
I almost felt guilty for forgetting my dad because of my excitement!
Turning around, I prepared myself to say goodbye to him. He was teary-eyed but put on a brave face. He gave me a hug and said, "I'm really proud of you." Just as I was about to cry, he added, "Feel free to do whatever you want as long as the Dean doesn't call me." His joke made me laugh instead of crying.
He patted my back and smiled. I hugged him again, thanked him for his support, and said my final goodbye. I took a deep breath and turned away, not looking back.
This is it, Emma
You're ready to run.
-END OF CHAPTER 1-
A/N: I will still use 1D's songs for chapter inspirations. This is the edited version, there are changes in the scenes and dialogues that is somehow different from the first edition. I hope you will like this version, too! I love 1D so much and this brings back memories from my directioner era.