Maybe that one thing that you're looking for
Is just in front of you all this time...
--
Wang Dong Cheng and Chen Jia Hua are sworn enemies. For her, he's an arrogant, egoistic freak. For him, she's a meanie brat and a show-off. He always pulls off her pigtails in kindergarten. She trips him when he passes by her in grade school. He always outshines her in singing competitions. She makes sure her grades are higher than his.
"What's with the competition with Da Dong?" Tian Fu Zen, Jia Hua's best friend once asked. “Fu Zen, hello? We basically hated each other since day 1!” Jia Hua answered in a matter-of-fact tone. “But why? Da Dong’s a nice guy, if you’ll only give him a chance…”
“Puh-leaze, Fu Zen. Being with that guy is the last thing I want to do. I won’t ever forgive him for bullying me when we were kids!”
Fu Zen just sighed and shook her head. Although she’s friends with both Da Dong and Jia Hua, there’s nothing she can do to make the two friends as well.
--
“Can you remind me again why you hate Jia Hua?” Tang Yu Zhe, Da Dong’s friend, asked one time while they were playing video games at the latter’s house. “Oh, man!” Da Dong groaned in frustration. “Why do you have to say the name of that brat? See what happened? I lost!” Yu Zhe just laughed at his friend. “You know, since I’m dating Fu Zen, I get to hang out with Jia Hua. She seems to be a nice girl…” Upon hearing that, Da Dong grabbed Yu Zhe by his collar and looked at him straight in the eyes. “Yu Zhe, my friend, don’t be fooled by that witch. She may look sweet and nice, but the truth is, she’s evil!”
“Da Dong, I’ve been dating Fu Zen for a year now. I’ve been hanging out with Jia Hua for a year, and I don’t see any reason why you should hate her.”
Da Dong let go of Yu Zhe and straightened up his clothes. “OK, Yu Zhe…” he said. “Let me tell you the reasons why I hate Jia Hua. First, we made me a fool in front of my crush, Lin Yi Chen, by pushing me into a mud pool…”
--
“Well Yeah, I did that” Jia Hua explained to Fu Zen as she took a bite from her sandwich. “But there’s a logical explanation for that.” Fu Zen gave her a curious look. “And that is?” she asked. “He threw an eraser at me. It hit my face.”
--
“She’s not my target, man! It’s that Ming Dao guy. Then she got in the way so the eraser hit her.” Da Dong explained to Yu Zhe. Yu Zhe just laughed at Da Dong as he tried to justify his actions. “Man, it must’ve hurt her that bad…” Yu Zhe said. “I know. I’ve apologized to her, but she pushed me down and I fell in a mud pool…”
--
“Then there was a time in middle school when he made booby traps in the hallway, and by the time I entered the classroom, I was so drenched.” Jia Hua said. “He did that?” Fu Zen asked. Jia Hua nodded her head. “He thinks of me as his guinea pig for his booby traps. He always does that.”
--
“Serves her right…” Da Dong said. “All the booby traps I made is especially for her.” He said as he munched his chips. “Ok… but what did Jia Hua did this time?” Yu Zhe asked. “Well first, she ruined my collage for home economics just because she thinks it’s a trash. Then, she encouraged Yi Chen to go out with Mike He. Then, she would “accidentally” trip me in front if Yi Chen. And she never lent me her notes during the whole week I was absent.” Da Dong explained. Yu Zhe just shook his head. “So for every wrong thing she did to you, you make a booby trap for her?” he asked. Da Dong smiled and nodded his head.
--
“First, his project is so horrible and he just leaves it lying around so I threw it. It was an honest mistake.” Jia Hua explained between bites. “And Yi Chen?”
“I didn’t know he have a huge crush on her. She was asking me if she should ask Mike He out, so I just gave her my humble opinion.”
“And your notes?”
“You know how neat I am with my things One time, I let him my notes and when he returned it to me, the pages are dirty.”
--
“Hey, did you guys even tried to have a truce?” Yu Zhe asked. Da Dong paused for a while and think. “Yeah, I guess in Junior high…” he said. “But then, she attacked me and hit me till I’m black and blue.”
“Maybe you did something that caused her to be mad at you again?”
Da Dong paused again and looked at Yu Zhe. He’s hesitating if he will tell Yu Zhe what he did to Jia Hua that time. “Da Dong?” Yu Zhe looked at him and smiled faintly. “Yes. I did something that I should have not done to her…”
--
Jia Hua paused as she remembered what Da Dong did in Junior High. “Jia Hua, is there something wrong?” Fu Zen asked. Jia Hua didn’t answer her. “I asked why did you have to hit him in Junior High?”
“He made a stupid bet with his friends…” Jia Hua finally answered. “His friends dared him, and they’ll give him NT$500 if he’ll be able to do it.”
“And the bet is?”
“To steal my first kiss…”
[Flashback]
Jia Hua was walking through the school’s hallway to go to the library when he met Da Dong. It’s been months since the last time they talked to each other, and that last time, they agreed to have a truce, and to mind each other’s business. “Hey, Hua…” he said, giving her a devilish smile. Jia Hua smirked at him. “As a reminder, we have an agreement to mind each other’s business, and not to talk to each other. Aren’t you forgetting that, egoistic freak?” she said. Da Dong acted like she didn’t hear her. He moved closer to her, and then held her by her shoulder. “Just. Shut. Up.” He said. Then, all of a sudden, he kissed her on the lips.
Jia Hua was surprised at what he did. Why the hell would he kiss her? Her eyes were wide open at that moment. She want to punch him, but as he kissed her, she felt so week. Then, Da Dong’s face moved away from her, then he smiled. “There.” He said. She was still speechless. “What? Never been kissed before?” he asked. Jia Hua lowered her head. She could feel her cheeks began to redden. “That… was… my… first kiss…” she said shyly. Da Dong was surprised at what she revealed. “Oh, great! I just stole her first kiss! What should I do?” he thought.
Then, she saw his two friends, Chen Yi and Hu Yu Wei running towards him. “Way to go Da Dong!” Chen Yi said, tapping his shoulder. Jia Hua gave him a startled look. Yu Wei took out a NT$500 bill from his pocket and handed it to Da Dong. “You won, Da Dong! It’s all yours!” Yu Wei said. Still startled, Jia Hua faced Da Dong and glared at him. “What the hell does this mean, Wang Dong Cheng???” she shouted. Da Dong was not able to answer her, instead, Chen Yi stepped up for him. “We had a dare with Da Dong. If he could kiss you, he gets 500 bucks.” Chen Yi explained.
Upon hearing this, Jia Hua got really furious. She could fee the steam building up her head. “Da Dong…” she shouted. Chen Yi, Yu Wei and Da Dong knows exactly what’s going to happen next. “Uh… I guess we better run for our lives?” Yu Wei asked. The two agreed, and they ran away from Jia Hua. But, on their way, Da Dong fell down, and Jia Hua was able to catch him. “Hua! No!” he pleaded. “You must know better that stealing a girl’s first kiss!” she shouted. And with that, she began to punch him.
{End of Flashback}
--
Saturday Night.
Fu Zen and Jia Hua went to their favorite bar. Outside the bar, they met Da Dong and Yu Zhe. “Here they are!” Yu Zhe said. As soon as the two girls arrived, Yu Zhe hugged his girlfriend and gave her a kiss. “Hi, Yu Zhe.” Jia Hua said with a smile. She then looked at Da Dong, who was standing next to him. “Hi. Da Dong.” She said blandly, then she rolled her eyes at him. “Hi, Fu Zen!” Da Dong said cheekily. “Hi. Jia Hua.” He said mockingly. Then, he stuck his tongue out at her.
“Wang Dong Cheng, stop being too childish.” Yu Zhe said. He put his arms around Fu Zen and smiled at the two, who were almost starting to fight. “Da Dong, why don’t you accompany Jia Hua while me and Yu Zhe check if we can already go inside the bar?” Fu Zen suggested. Before the two could react violently, the two love birs were already out of their sight.
“Look, Da Dong,” Jia Hua hissed at him. “Don’t ever try to ruin my night, or else you’ll really get it.” Da Dong smirked at her. “Actually, my dear Jia Hua, I should be the one who should warn you. Whenever you’re around me, something bad happened to me, so you better leave me alone ok?”
“Oh, really? Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?”
“Of course, not! Didn’t you know your name is synonymous to bad luck?”
“And your name is synonymous to tragedy!”
In the middle of their mature conversation, Da Dong saw a familiar face entering the bar. It was Jia Hua’s boyfriend, Ruan Jiung Ting. But he’s not alone - he’s with his long time crush, Lin Yi Chen. He watched them, as Ah Jing kissed Yi Chen on the lips while waiting for their turn to get inside the bar, He felt as if someone threw cold water at him, and he could feel his face became pale.
“What now, Wang Dong Cheng? Can’t think of any come backs?” Jia Hua said. Da Dong paused, then he looked at her. “Hua, no matter what happen, don’t look back…” he said in a sympathetic tone. Jia Hua gave him a quizzical look. “Why?” she asked. Then she looked back, only to find her boyfriend flirting with another girl. Not just any other girl, it was her long-time friend. “Why are you so stubborn?! I told you not to look back!” Da dong shouted at her. He could feel how upset she is, because he also feels the same. Jia Hua didn’t answer him. Instead, he heard her muffled cry. “Jia Hua? Jia Hua… look, I’m sorry…” he said as he put his hand on her shoulder. He could sense that she could breajdiwb anytime, or she might go to her boyfriend and confront him, so he decided to get her out of that place.
--
“You can laugh at me now…” Jia Hua said between sobs. They’re inside Da Dong’s car, and Da Dong just drove away from the bar. All through out, He was listening to Jia Hua’s cry. “Ha Ha Ha. There. I laughed.” He said monotonously. After a few years, he was able to see Jia hua cry again. He’s used to seeing her cry when they were kids, but it was because he bullies her or he did something terrible to her. Now, he’s seeing her cry because of some jerk who two-timed her with her friend. “Hua, you’re not the only one upset with that scene. I have just seen the girl I love kiss with another guy…” he said in a low voice. “But there’s a difference – Ah Jing’s my boyfriend and Chen Chen’s just your crush…”
“But I am courting her, I thought I have a chance with her until… until tonight…”
Da Dong took out his hanky, and wiped Jia Hua’s tears. “Mao Mao, you don’t have to cry over that guy. Besides, you deserve someone better…” he said. Jia Hua was surprised when Da Dong called her Mao Mao. It was her nickname as a kid. “Wow… I can’t believe you still remember my nickname, Da Dong…” she said as she smiled at him. “Of course. I’ve known you all my life. I still remember everything about you even though we’re not in good terms before.” He said. Jia Hua put her head on his shoulder, and hugged his arm. “Thank you for being here with me, Da Don…” She said. Da Dong smiled as she caressed her head. “Now that you’re done crying, it’s my turn to breakdown.”
--
Days passed by and Jia Hua and Da Dong became much closer, Theor fights had lessended, and they started to enjoy each other’s company. Their friends, especially Yu Zhe and Fu Zen, were happy about this, because they don’t have t pull them away from each other whenever they clash.
“Hey Mao Mao!” Da Dong called one afternoon whn he spotted her at the University’s cafeteria. Jia Hua was with Fu Zen and Chen Yi Ru, who’s one of their friends. Jia Hua smiled at him. Da Dong was with Yu Zhen and Zhang Shao Han (another friend) that time. “Hey Mao Mao, there’s a new ice cream parlor near the uni. Want to go there later/” Da Dong asked as he sat beside her. “Sure, no prob! You know how much I love ice cream!” she said as she smiled sweetly as him, :I know that’s why I asked you to go with me there. I’ll see after class, ok?”
After that, Da Dong and his company left. “OK. Since when did Da Dong start calling you Mao Mao? Fu Zen probed as soon as Da Dong’s out of sight. “Since like we were kids?” Jia Hua answered. Yi Ru just gave her a devilish smile after hearing her answer. “Yeah, right! Isn’t it a little suspicious that from sworn enemies, you became like the best of friends?” he said. Jia Hua gave Yi Ru dagger looks. “Don’t start analyzing, Mr. Psych Major!” she threatened. Fu Zen looked at Yi Ru and smiled. “Are you insinuating something, Ru Ge?” she asked. Yi Ru looked at Fu Zen and smiled. “Maybe the reason why they hated each other before is because they can’t admit to themselves that they’re attracted to each other.” He explained. Then, Yi Ru looked at Jia Hua. “Haven’t you heard of the saying ‘The more you hate, the more you love’?”
--
“Me? Like like her?” Da Dong asked in a bewildered tone. Shao Han nodded her head. Da Dong let out a nervous laugh and shook his head. “No way! She’s just,,, you know.. Mao Mao. She’s a childhood friend whom I hated before, and got close with recently. That’s it!” he explained. “Well, maybe for you she’s just that. But we’re seeing things differently, expecially with the way you treat her.” Shao Han said. Yu Zhe nodded his head in agreement. “Hey, she just broke up with that jerk, who by the way is now dating the girl of my dreams. That’s the reason why we became friends.” Da dong reasoned out. Shao Han smiled at Da Dong. “Why? Don’t tell me there was never a time you got attracted to her?” She asked. Da Dong paused, not knowing what to reason out, because he realized that what Shao Han’s telling him now, is exactly true.
--
“Yes, I did…” he told himself. “That’s why I like bullying her, I love it when she’s mad… I love the attention she gives me…”
--
“I love him?” Jia Hua thought. “I guess I am…” She remembered the real reason why she hated him – it’s because their friends tease them to each other. She also remembered being too jealous when she found out Da Dong have a crush on Chen Chen, that’s why she did everything so that he would look like a fool in front of him, and eventually telling Chen Chen to go out with Mike He. And the first time Da Dong kissed her, she was crushed when she found out he did that because of a dare.
--
“Maybe that’s why I cared for her…” Da Dong thought. He swore before that he’s the only person who have the right to torture Jia Hua and make her cry. That’s why when he saw Jian Tian with Yi Chen at the bar, he was more upset for her that he is for himself. That night that he saw her cry, he told himself that he will never make her cry again.
That time, he was her shoulder to cry on.
And he loved that feeling – that feeling that she needs him.
--
They found themselves alone at the hallway that afternoon. “Hey…” Jia Hua greeted. Da Dong smiled faintly at her. “Hey….”
Silence.
“You know what…” Da Dong began. “We have the craziest friends…” Jia Hua gave him a startled look. “Why?”
“Well, Shao Han thought that I like you…”
“You don’t like me?”
Da Dong looked at her, and he could see the disappointment in her eyes. “I like you, Mao Mao…” he said. But all he wanted to say is that he loves her. Da Dong stared at her for the longest time. “I really do…” he said in a low voice. Jia Hua found herself looking into his brown eyes. “You never looked at me like this…” she muttered. “I… I can’t help it…”
Slowly, he went closer to her. He was too close, that Jia Hua could almost hear his heart beat. “Maybe, the reason why I hated you before is because… I can’t admit to myself that I love you…” Da Dong said. Then, he cupped her chin, and kissed her lips for a long time. After he kissed her, Jia Hua smiled at him. “And I love you too, Da Dong…” she said.
THE END
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