LOGINAimeeAimee lay on her bed, her wrist lifted in front of her face, her gaze fixed on the red string wrapped around it. A soft smile played on her lips as she thought of the boy who had tied the bracelet on for her.He had been calm and gentle, and most of all, had surprised her.Aimee had expected him to reject wearing the bracelet. She had expected him to look at her funny and call her out, if possible, waking her up from her foolish dream, but he had been accepting. And not just that, he had worn it throughout the rest of the festival.Is he still wearing it now? she wondered, her eyes shifting to the clock on the wall. It was nearly twelve AM. He should be home by now...or could he still be working?He had mentioned to her during the festival that he would be clocking in for work right after it ended. She had thought it was at the pastry shop, but he had denied it when she asked, saying it was at a diner.Aimee had wanted to ask Jayden the name of the diner. She wanted to show up t
JaydenJayden felt overly aware of the weight of the red wool string around his wrist.Why did he accept it? Why did he let Aimee put it on him? Why did he shiver slightly when her fingertips grazed his skin?And why was he still wearing it?The festival had ended two hours ago, and Aimee had said goodbye before running off. He didn’t follow her, knowing she was likely heading to where the black jeep waited.Ever since seeing her get down from the car two blocks from Jacob’s house, and spotting the same car waiting for her a few blocks from the pastry shop, he had started paying attention to Aimee’s coming and going from school.She always walked into school, and always walked out on foot. He had never seen the car drop her off or pick her up in front of the school.He wondered why she did that. After all, there were students who were dropped off and picked up, so why was she hiding hers? But even though he wanted to know, he never asked.Now, two hours after they had said goodbye, he
AimeeAimee felt so full, but she knew it wasn’t because of what she had eaten. She felt full because of what was happening. Jayden holding her shopping bags, letting her hold his arm, quietly handing her whatever she wanted to eat, and also paying for them.Aimee didn’t know why those little things made her happy, but they did, and she found herself wishing for the day not to end.Jayden ate any other thing she offered him apart from sweets, and because of that, she stopped buying from the stalls selling sweets. She didn’t know if Jayden noticed, but she didn’t mind if he didn’t, after all, the festival would be more fun when they were both full.When they stopped in their class’s stall, Diane and Toby, who were the stall managers, were shocked to see them.Aimee only grinned and bought two pizza slices and two hotdogs. She had thought that as it was their class stall, maybe Jayden wouldn’t like to pay, or would rather want to maintain his solitude persona, and so she wanted to pay,
JaydenJayden had been surprised when Aimee entered the music room. With how much she had been looking forward to the festival, he had believed she would spend the day going around, stopping at stall after stall and stuffing her face with the things she bought.He never really enjoyed the school festival. After all, he never had anyone to go with, and besides, he would rather spend the day playing the piano and waiting for closing time so that he could check in for work.But when he received his payment yesterday, and as he put it into his savings in his new hiding spot, he had thought about today. He had thought about Aimee, and he had removed the money from his savings, hiding it on his person as he slept that night.When he woke up this morning, he told himself he did that because he didn't want his father taking the money again like he did before the field trip. He justified that reason for himself. But when he finished preparing for school, he still put the money in his pocket, a
AimeeAimee watched with star-filled eyes at the festive decorations in front of her. She had thought that only students would attend the fiesta, she never knew it was open to outsiders as well, and so, everywhere was crowded and children's laughter surrounded her.Their classroom had put up a stall to sell pizza slices and hotdogs. The idea had been rejected earlier, but when a better one wasn't gotten, they decided to go with it. And right now, staring at the different varieties of fast food that different stalls were selling, Aimee knew that she would be eating so much that she would be too full to walk.But even though she wanted to dive into eating already, she knew it would be complete if she could share it with one particular person, and so she set out to find him.They ended up not winning the reward money, but they still won the Best Dressed Class award. Mr. Lance had whined yesterday, sulking that they couldn't go for the group dinner, and they had had fun laughing and teasi
JaydenJayden put on the sack for the race. He had removed his costume, as had the other runners, so that they could run properly.He glanced at the spot where their classmates had gathered to cheer. He could see her, and right at that moment, he remembered her win for the 100-meter race. And just like she had said, she had won the relay race. As the last person handed the baton, she finished the lap long before the other runners even got close to the finish line.Jayden’s grip tightened on the sack. He had never cared what became of the race before. Sometimes, he would even lie about being sick just so he wouldn’t participate and could spend the day holed up somewhere. But here he was, not just participating, but entertaining the idea of winning.It felt strange to him. He couldn’t believe he actually thought that.But right before getting ready for the event, Aimee had said, “Do your best.”There was no pressure in the words, but he actually wanted to give her his best. And most imp
JaydenThe sound of the bell was always louder than it needed to be.Not in volume.In timing.It marked the end of something that never really felt like it had started properly.Jayden closed his notebook slowly, not beca
Aimee“It’s nice to have you join us. Don’t worry, you’ll fit right in immediately,” Mr. Lance said as they left the principal’s office.Aimee offered a small smile, her head slightly lowered as she tucked a few strand
JaydenThe morning always felt shorter than it should.Not because time moved differently, but because there were moments in it that didn’t feel like they belonged to the same day.Jayden noticed that more on days he
AimeeThe school was quieter in the morning.Not the kind of quiet that felt empty, but the kind that hadn’t decided what it was yet. Like the building was still half asleep, waiting for voices to give it shape.Aimee stepped through the entrance slowly, her shoes making a soft sound against the po







