“MAY I have this dance?” he asked me.
“Of course...”
I took his hand, before he led me to the dance floor. He put my hands around his neck, before he wrapped his around my waist. And just like that, the two of us began swaying with the music. I just wish that my bestfriend is here... That Nathan is here to witness everything that we can see tonight.
“Are you alright? Why do you look so sad?” Tyler asked me, making me come back to my senses.
“Nothing... I just wish that... My bestfriend if here. Nathan is gone, Tyler. Just like that. And the last thing we did together is to fight.”
“Fight about me? I’m sorry, Natalia. I didn’t mean to be the cause of that. I just... I wanted to be with you. That is all I ever wanted, Nat.”
“It’s alright. It’s not your fault after all. It’s mine. I should have talked to him calmly that day, instead of thinking that he is preventing me from having the happiness that I wanted. He was just concerned about me, Tyler. And all I ever did was to be inconsiderate and selfish about it,” I lengthy explained.
“Shhh... You are not selfish or inconsiderate. You are more than that. You are the sweetest, most thoughtful, and smartest gal that I met... And I like you for that... I love you, Natalia Carter,” he admitted, making a bead of tear escaped from my eyes which he immediately wiped away using his thumb.
“I love you too, Tyler. All my life, I tried to make rules to restrain myself from doing something that can hurt me in the end. Things that I didn’t know can make me happy as well... Because of you, I ignored the rules in my weird manual... Because of you, I learn to love, and to be loved as well.”
He chuckled, before giving me a tight embrace. But something ruined our moment when all of the sudden, the lights flashed towards our direction, making my eyes hurt our of too much brightness. Tyler held me in his arms, before covering my face using his coat to protect me from the lights.
“Well, well! The drama is over, now let us get back to reality, shall we?” it was Freeda, holding the microphone on the stage.
“Freeda?” I heard Tyler muttered under his breath.
“The game is over, Tyler! You can finally have me as your girlfriend, alright?” Freeda announced, making my brows furrowed in confusion.
“What is she talking about, Tyler?” I asked him.
“Oh, I forgot. Poor Natalia, you didn’t know anything about this, do you? Why don’t you ask MY BOYFRIEND about it?!”
“Your boyfriend?!” I asked her, before looking at Tyler’s direction.
“Natalia... Let me explain...”
“Tell her, Tyler!" Freeda ordered that made him glare upon his direction. “Tell her about our deal.”
“A deal? What kind of deal? Tyler, please... Tell me what is this all about?!” I asked him, tears almost forming at the corners of my eyes, while hoping that this is just an awful nightmare.
“Let us talk about this outside... Not here, Natalia.”
“No! Tell her about it right now!” Freeda demanded.
“She’s right. Tell me, Tyler. Just tell me!” I shouted out of frustration.
“But...”
“Fine! If you won’t tell her about it, then I will do it myself. Listen, Natalia without H! Tyler and I made a deal to make everyone believe that our relationship is over. But the point is, I just wanted him to do something for me, to prove how much he truly loves me. And so we made a deal, a deal stating that I will be his girlfriend once again if he made you fall in love with him. And you did! You finally confessed to him so now it is over. Do you understand?”
“That is not true... It can’t be,” I cried.
“But it is, baby. Now go home and cry all you want. But you can never change the fact that you've been such a fool for believing that someone will ever love you like that,” Freeda stated, before chuckling on the stage.
I froze to my current location, before gulping out of humiliation. Tyler... He just used to get what he wanted... To be with Freeda... And everything that he did, it was just for their deal... So that he can finally be happy with the most popular girl in school.
“Is this true, Tyler? Everything you did... It was all for Freeda?”
“No... Carter don’t listen to her...” he trailed off, sounding so nervous.
“Just answer my question!” I shouted out loud, making him look down.
“It’s true... And I’m sorry, Nat... I didn’t mean to–” I immediately cut his statement off.
“You lied to me! I thought you love me, Tyler?”
“I do, Natalia... Freeda and I... I already told her that I wanted to end the deal because the truth is... I began to love you for real...”
“Liar... This is the last time that I’m going to talk to you again. After tonight, I don’t want to see you again...” I walked away, but he tried to stop me by pulling my hand which I immediately retrieved from him.
“But Carter–”
“Leave me alone!”
And with that, I walked out of the place. That night, it was the most painful night of my life. I should have listened to my best friend. I should have considered Nathan’s opinion because ever since the beginning, he tried to warn me about Tyler. Now that he’s gone, I can’t help but to cry, knowing that I chose wrong between our friendship and my selfish decision to be with Tyler.
I cried, as I stumbled upon my room, ignoring my mother whom looked so worried to see me went home too early. I locked the door, before writing an email. It was a letter for my best friend. Although I didn’t want to admit my fault, I wanted him to know that I realized what I did now that Tyler finally admitted it himself... He just used me for Freeda’s entertainment.
Ever since that day, it began to be my habit to write an email towards Nathan, hoping that somehow, this will ease the distance between the two of us. He never responded to any of my mails, and even Scott, whom my only closest friend in Jackson High, didn’t bother to ask me about Tyler since he knew how painful I suffered from that traumatic experience.
Our remaining days as junior passed by so fast. Until I realized that it is finally our last day in school. Freeda and Tyler didn’t get to be together, like what everyone is expecting. In fact, they got even more separated. Although the later one didn’t make any move to talk to me, and not like I wanted to do that either. I tried my best to strictly follow my manual this time, and it led me to teh last day of my junior years fine.
“Now who’s excited to go to the beach, huh?” my Mom asked me, making me come back to my senses.
I remember ending my first year in high school with Nathan in the beach. Both of my mom and his decided to bring us there, and we also had an encounter with Freeda. Who would have thought that I will have to experience that over and over again... But this time, without my best friend, Nathan, beside me. Mom and I are going to vacation, but aside from that, nothing exciting is planned out for my whole summer.
“Me. But it would be a lot better if Aunt Jessica and Nathan are here, together with his dog, Pochii, of course.”
“Don’t worry, Nat. I’m sure that they will be back here soon. I mean, Jessica won’t be disappearing just like that.”
“I hope so too, Mom. I hope that we can see them again,” I answered, before looking down on my phone, seeing thousands of letters composed in my email for my best friend, Nathan.