Abby told me about her childhood today.
Afterward, she insisted that I share mine with her.
I'm not a person of many words, and for a moment, I didn't know how to describe it.
So, I came to the study tonight while she was asleep.
I picked up my pen, wanting to write something to share with her, but couldn't put a single word on paper.
The days before I met her were unremarkable; I really don't know what to write.
And the interesting and vivid memories I do have mostly involve her.
I was born into a family of medical professionals.
So, from birth, I've been burdened with everyone's expectations.
School, tutoring, exposure to pharmacology.
School, tutoring, exposure to pharmacology.
There wasn't much playtime, and I didn't have many friends.
I did everything alone.
But I wasn't lonely, as I'd grown used to it since I was young.
Others say I'm hard to approach and even harder to get along with.
But they never tried to truly reach out to me.
I entered high school.
The classmates around me changed again.
Not being good at socializing, I continued to bury myself in my studies.
So, their initial curiosity turned into indifference.
No one said anything bad about me, but no one said anything good either.
Except for my good grades.
I didn't feel anything, thinking that the days ahead would be just like the ones before.
School, tutoring, exposure to pharmacology.
Routine and predictable.
...
But it seems I was wrong.
One day after school, she came to find me.
Everyone in the class had already left, and she sat next to me with her backpack.
She thanked me for testifying on her behalf.
I said there was no need to thank me.
After I spoke to the teacher, I saw a boy standing at the door.
I thought he had also come to explain the situation.
She said she wanted to buy me S'mores as thanks.
I instinctively said there was no need.
I had the habit of finishing my homework before going home.
I assumed she would leave like everyone else.
But to my surprise, she sat quietly beside me and then...
...looked at me.
...
Her face showed no expression, but I gripped my pen tighter.
Almost as soon as I finished writing the last word, she spoke.
She reached out to grab the corner of my clothes, smiling at me and saying she wanted to buy me S'mores.
I had never experienced this before.
She held onto me tightly.
She smiled so sweetly.
She...
Me...
Along the way, she asked me many questions.
I... I didn't know how I answered her at the time.
She bought me S'mores.
My family paid attention to diet and didn't let me eat junk food.
No one would ate these things with me.
Therefore, this was something I had never tasted before.
But it was very tasty and sweet.
She said she would buy me more next time.
I was very happy.
It seemed like I had someone close to me now.
She said her name was Abby.
I thought our paths crossed only once.
But starting from that day, she greeted me whenever she saw me.
She would occasionally stop for a minute or two on her way home to tell me about interesting things that happened during the day while I was doing my homework.
I was a bit at a loss, not knowing how to respond.
But I felt strangely happy.
She often asked me if I had eaten breakfast when she saw me in the morning.
When I nodded, she looked a bit disappointed.
It happened several times.
So, the next time, I pursed my lips and shook my head, and she was very happy.
She handed me a breakfast with a smile.
She said she had already eaten one and couldn't finish a second.
She patted my shoulder and told me not to waste it.
So, every morning, I ended up being the one who ate too much.
Sometimes she was in a bad mood.
But she still greeted me with a smile after school.
After greeting me, she wouldn't say anything else, sitting quietly beside me while we did our homework together.
She never took her bad mood out on others, always digesting it silently.
She was very nice.
But I didn't want her to be unhappy.
I loved listening to what she told me on ordinary days.
She would sneak snacks into school against the rules.
And she would secretly take me to a hidden place to eat them.
We were caught, though.
The teacher asked me in his office why I suddenly started misbehaving.
He was very distressed.
I looked up and asked him why this was considered bad.
I said I didn't think so.
A rule-bound life is dull, and now it had been unexpectedly punctured.
I didn't think it was bad.
The first time I heard of Cyrus was during a school trip.
The school trip was for the whole school, and I subconsciously looked for her among the crowds.
I asked her classmates, and they said she had gone off with Cyrus.
They pointed me in the direction.
The path was rugged, but I eventually found her.
She was alone, looking messy, like a little wild cat.
But when she saw me, she was smiling and asked why I had come.
Her foot was twisted, and she had a scratch on her hand.
I had never disliked anyone.
But seeing her like this, I suddenly didn't like this person named Cyrus.
I was angry.
He shouldn't have left her alone in such a place.
I squatted down in front of her, intending to carry her back, and she looked at me, then at her leg.
In the end, she carefully climbed onto my back.
She was light.
But she still whispered "thank you" and "you're working hard" in my ear.
Her voice was soft, and she told me about the scenery she had seen along the way.
The gentle breeze brushed past my ears, and I didn't hear clearly what she was saying.
I could only feel my heart pounding, my fists clenched, unsure where to put my hands.
"Evan, why are your ears red?"
My spine stiffened for a moment.
I knew my ears were even redder.
Turning my head slightly, I saw a boy nearby.
It was the one from the office doorway.
The one who had left Abby here.
His name was Cyrus.
It turned out he hadn't left.
But thinking about Abby's injuries, I was still angry.
I turned my head away from him and carried Abby step by step out of there.
I like Abby.
I realized I liked her when she came to me after school to chat about trivial matters, and I couldn't focus on my homework but instead found myself watching her.
