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Minor editing done. I opened up the door. The heat of the typical summer day dissolved a little the moment I stepped into the room, although it barely cooled down. A wave from a series of rows of green chairs; my friends were here already. I took my place with them, took out a pen and a notebook, and started scribbling. The others were talking animatedly. "We're gonna eat out today, dude." I automatically checked my wallet, which was made thick by all sorts of stuff. Those stuff only included one lone 100 peso bill. I sighed. I scribbled up again. I started sketching some drawings. Eyes first, face next, hair third, then details. To finish it up, I took careful application of the lighting and shading details of the eyes. "Hey, that's a good drawing!" High-pitched voice. Not from my friends. I looked around. It came from my right, so I turned my head towards that direction. A smile greeted my eyes. A girl was looking at my notebook. Her hair fell from her shoulders, which she quickly tied back into a ponytail. "Thanks." She took a seat right next to mine. "I'm Iris, by the way." "Kaze." She looked puzzled. "It's a nickname," I explained. Murmurs from my left shattered the solemnity of our conversation. "Funny, Rene doesn't usually give his pen name to new acquaintances." My friends took notice of our conversation. I introduced them one by one to her. The teacher came in to teach us for summer review. She asked me if I had other sketches. I gladly let her borrow my notebooks through the course of the lessons. As the lessons dragged on, I cannot help but look at her while she looked at my sketches. Soon after seeing all of them, she started asking me stuff. We started talking about all sorts of stuff, chatting about small details to big concepts, stopping every time the teacher would look at us with dagger-like eyes. Seemingly long talk, seemingly short time. A bell rang. Lunch time. I began to pack my things. She handed me the notebooks, with the same smile on her face. Replying with a smile, the best one I could make, I packed in my notebooks and closed my backpack. I flung it on my shoulders. I turned back and faced her. Time didn't stop. I thought it would, I needed more time to muster up the courage. The words, though, came out of my mouth. "Do you want to have lunch with us?" I just said something I don't usually say. My friends, who were walking out the door, suddenly stopped and turned around. I offered her my hand. She took it, and with a smile, said, "Sure, I'd love to." Days passed and we became friends. Every little thing she was concerned of or was interested in, I'd know during the lessons. Every problem she wanted to talk about, I'd know in lunchtime. Soon, I knew what she was feeling by looking at her eyes... She gave me her picture and asked me to sketch her. I gladly did so. It took me five hours to make it perfect, and every second of it was well-rewarded by the happy glow in her eyes. The lessons didn't last, though. There were only fifteen lessons. And I didn't know her number yet. The past days were all a blur, except the start of the summer review class. Psychologists say that most people only remember two parts of something: the beginning and the end. I guess they were right. Another day, another class, another chance. My last chance. Everything went by quickly. Except the moment after the summer classes.My friends gave me their "See you soon" regards and went home. Iris, however, hurried outside when her dad asked her to hurry home. She was going out of the building when something stopped her from going outside. I caught up with her and saw why. Rain pounded the streets. I took out a blue umbrella from my bag. I handed it to her. She smiled, and I became uncertain if I will see that smile again. "Where are you going to get fetched?" I asked her while I was closing up my backpack. "McDonalds." "Better hurry. It's gonna pour down hard soon. Come on, I'll go with you, I'm gonna wait there too." We walked out of the building. She opened up the umbrella. I started walking ahead of her, not minding the rain. Splashes. "Hey! Wait up!" She was running towards me. She stopped beside me and shielded me from the rain. "You could get a cold!" "I don't mind that." "Why'd you walk off?" "Didn't want you to get wet in the rain. The umbrella's not that wide." She moved closer to me until we were both covered from the crying heavens. "There. Better." She said with a smile. Time was at its normal pace; I wished it would slow down. We walked off to McDonalds. There, we ordered some food and waited until our rides arrived. Hers was first. She quickly got up to get into her car, but turned around, her ponytail swinging with her. She bid goodbye to me, with that same smile. Then she headed for her car, went inside and gave me a final wave before she closed her car door. And it hit me. I forgot to ask for her number, as well as get my umbrella back. The splashes, the drops, the rain pounding on my umbrella... If only I can go back to that moment in reality, not just in dreams or daydreams. I may have missed what fate had planned for me. If only I can take one more walk with her in the melancholic rain, under that umbrella, under the guidance of fate, I would have known if I had found her at last...
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