99 Paper Cranes - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Stolen Glances


Calvin was sitting at his usual seat at the back of the classroom, when he felt someone approach him. “Hi...” he looked up, and he saw Joy smiling at him. He felt that he was unable to move, and unable to speak upon seeing her smiling face. “Uhmmm... Calvin, are these seats taken?” she asked, referring to the two seats beside him. He was reserving that for Kit and Danson. Calvin smiled at her and shook his head. “It's vacant. You can sit beside me...” he said. Joy smiled back at him. “Thanks, Calvin!” she said. She sat beside him while her friend sat beside her. Calvin looked away from Joy and smiled secretly. He never thought that Joy would want to sit beside him.

He looked at her again. She was discussing a math problem with her friend. Both of them were confused on how their professor was able to come up with the correct answer. Then, Joy turned to him. “Calvin, can you help us with the math problem?” she asked Calvin nodded his head, and smiled at her. He took a pen, as Joy handed him her notebook. “This is how to get the answer...” he began. Joy and her friend were all ears to him as he explained it.

Meanwhile, Kit and Danson arrived. Kit was expecting that Calvin have reserved a seat for them, to her surprise, Calvin was seating beside Joy. There were no vacant seats at the back, and the only vacant seats available are at the middle and front rows. Kit felt mad at Calvin for not reserving the seats for them. He have always been saving seats for them, and she wondered how come Joy was sitting beside him. She admits, she felt the green-eyed monster creeping up to her. Danson looked at her, and he noticed how furious Kit is at that scene. “Kit, why don't we seat at the middle row instead?” he suggested. Not taking her eyes off Calvin and Joy, she nodded her head and then proceeded to the middle row. She stomped her feet while walking, which made Calvin notice her. “Hey, Kit!” he called. But Kit didn't looked back at him. He looked at Danson, who just shook his head at him. “She must be mad...” he thought. Then, he turned back to Joy and continued explaining the formula to use for the math problem.

“Hey...” Danson whispered to Kit. Kit, who was busy taking down notes and listening to their professor, looked at him. “You're not mad at Calvin for not saving the seats beside him, right?” he asked. Kit threw a glance at Calvin, who was also busy taking down notes. “Why would I get mad at him...” she said monotonously. “I know you're used to him having us save seats beside him. But look...”. Both of them looked back at Calvin. “At least he get to have to chance to sit beside... you know...”

Both of them knew about Calvin having a huge crush on Joy. Kit knows she should be happy for Calvin since he got a moment with Joy, but she felt jealous. Today, he'll spending a little time with her. She's afraid that if both of them would get closer, Calvin would eventually forget about her. “Yeah, I know. I'm happy for him.” she said. She continued to jot down notes, but Danson won't let her off the hook. “You are mad at him...” he whispered. This time, Kit glared at Danson. “No, I'm not...” she whispered back. “Jealous?” he asked again. “Nope...” she whispered. Then, they heard the professor coughed, eying at them. “Mr. Tang, Ms. Jin, would you like to share with this class your little conversation?”

--

“You can tell if that person is someone special because no matter what kind of mood you are in, she can always manage to make you smile.”

Calvin immediately put that note on his planner and kept the paper crane. He's feeling bad right now, because Kit was ignoring him the whole day. He knew that if she does that, it means he did something that really pissed her off. He looked back, and he saw Kit walking with Danson, “Kit!” he called. But, Kit still ignored him, and went on her way. Meanwhile, Danson stopped, and joined Calvin. “She's still mad about what happened in Algebra class?” he asked Danson. Danson shrugged his shoulder. “She said she's not but she's acting otherwise...” he said. Calvin shook his head. “She is mad. I know her. If I do something that she didn't like, she would ignore me the whole day...” he explained. “She always does that?” Danson asked. Calvin nodded his head. Calvin sighed, guess he would be able to talk to Kit once she have calmed down.

He then turned back to Danson. “Danson, can you keep an eye on her for me? She might not go home with me today, can you drive her home later? I'll talk to her at home.” he asked. Danson nodded his head. “No problem, dude. You know Kit's my friend as well...” he said. Calvin smiled at him and tapped his shoulder. “Thanks a lot, man.”

--

“Hey, Calvin...” Calvin looked up, and saw Joy smiling at him. Calvin smiled back at her. She sat beside him at the bench. “Why are you still here? It's already late...” Joy asked. “I'm waiting for someone... how about you?” he asked. “I'm waiting for Jiro.” she said. Joy looked up at him, and noticed the smile disappear from his face. “Is there something wrong?” she asked. Calvin looked at her again. “Everything's OK.”
“Is Kit mad at you?”
“No, she's not....”
“Don't lie to me. I know how close you guys are. You guys were inseparable.”
Calvin smiled faintly at her, then looked down. “Well, you could say that, she's ignoring me the whole day.” he confessed. “Was it because we took the seats that you're been reserving for her and Danson?” she asked again. Calvin shook his head. “No, no. This has nothing to do with you.” he said.

Joy looked away from him. “I noticed she was mad a while ago at Algebra. Maybe she's not used to not sitting beside you. I'm sorry if me and Gelly have to take her seat...” she said. Then, she looked back at her. “Actually, the real reason why we decided to sit beside you is because we badly needed help with Algebra. We really can't understand the lesson, so we seek help from you.” she confessed. Calvin smiled to himself. He was happy that Joy seek for his help. He really wanted to get close to Joy, and he know this would be a good start. “Well, if you need help with anything, you can always seek for me.” he said. Joy smiled and nodded her head. “Thanks, Calvin.” she said.

Just then, Jiro's car stopped in front of them. Joy stood up and said goodbye to him. “Tell Kit that I'm really sorry for stealing her seat...” she said to Calvin. He smiled and nodded his head He watched her as she got inside Jiro's car. The two waved goodbye at him before leaving. Calvin smiled to himself again. His paper crane girl is correct – his special someone just made him smile, despite the fact that he felt bad about Kit ignoring him the whole day.

--

Kit stared outside the window. That afternoon, Danson offered to drive her home, and she said yes. It's better than lash out her anger to Calvin on their way home. She needed to calm herself first before facing her best friend. “I think it would be better if you won't stay mad at Calvin.” she heard Danson say. Kit looked at him and gave him a confused look. “It's not about the seats, OK?” she said. She know where this conversation is already heading to. “OK, I didn't say anything yet. But, I just wonder why you're acting like a jealous girlfriend?”
“You wouldn't understand, And besides, I am not acting like a jealous girlfriend...”
“But you are. Looking at you two, you two liked you just had a lover's quarrel. You, a pissed off girlfriend, and he, a boyfriend who's trying to make peace with his girlfriend.”

Kit didn't answer him. This time, Danson got scared that she got Kit pissed off this time. “Sorry...” he said. Kit looked back at him, frowning. “Why are you saying sorry?” she asked. “Maybe you got pissed off with my joke.” he said. Kit simply smiled. “See, you look prettier when you smile.” Danson said. “Yeah, right...” she said as she rolled her eyes. “So what's the real deal?” he asked again. Kit stared outside the window before she could answer his question. “Why would you like to know?”
“There must be a reason why you got pissed off at Calvin for giving our seats to Joy. I know it's not a big deal for you, and I know that you know how Calvin really feels toward Joy.”
“That's the thing. I know how Calvin feels toward Joy...”

Danson gave her a confused look. “What do you mean?” he asked. This time, Kit faced him. “I know Calvin is in love with Joy, and he would grab every opportunity to be with her. It's just that when I saw them a while ago, it seems that they're being too close...” she explained. “Then, you should be happy for him, right? You've been teasing him for being such a sissy for not being able to confess his true feelings.”
“That's the point. I know I should be happy for him, but at that moment I saw him with Joy, I got scared...”
“And what are you scared of?”
“I'm scared that he would eventually forget me if he gets too close with Joy...”
Danson smiled, and shook her head. “I can't believe you could think of Calvin that way. You're supposed to be his best friend, right?” he said. Kit gave him a confused look. “Calvin cares for you more than anything else. And I could see that even if he gets himself a girlfriend, you would always come first. He could never forget you...” he said. Kit realized Danson is right. “No need to be insecure about Joy, OK?” Danson said. Kit nodded her head. “So you and Calvin will be OK, right?” he asked her again. “Of course. I'll talk to him as soon as I get home.” she said. “But tell me, Kit...” he said. Kit looked up at him again. “Do you like Calvin?”