Possessive crush

I still haven't recovered from being pressed against the wall by Felix. So far, I haven't even been able to shout at my friend, although I throw her murderous glances all the time. She probably realizes what I mean, because she avoids me by a wide margin.

To vent my anger, I purposely aim the ball at her when we play two-a-side. Eve is unlucky to be on the opposing team.

- You want to kill me, monkey! - she shouts offended as the ball miraculously flies past her face.

- You deserved it," I reply. 

I blush up to my ears as I recall how close Felix was to me. Pleasant butterflies appear in my stomach right away as his words once again echo in my ears.

He straight to my face confessed that I have been in his thoughts since elementary school.

Is there a chance that he was the one who started crushing me? So why don't I remember him from my elementary school days? I'm sure that before high school I had never seen him before....

My momentary distraction during the game leads to me getting hit with a ball right in the face. I fall to the floor, feeling everything spinning in front of my eyes.

- Selena, are you alive? - A friend is leaning over me, I seem to have two faces at this point.

- No, because I see a two-headed whale.

Eve crinkles her eyebrows, offended by my term.

- Since you're teasing me, it's all right with you.

I try to get up from the floor, but again I get dizzy. This time, however, it is not a painful fall, as I find myself in the crush's embrace. Lying in his arms, I blink my eyelids, feeling my cheeks begin to burn. I can't stand his intensely caring gaze with everyone around us watching.

- Didn't we have a scene like that in the story, Selena? You even blushed so sweetly," he whispers, making me start to get weak. Now, I don't know if it's because of him, or if I have a concussion. - My younger colleague needs immediate help from the school nurse, so since I'm holding her, I'll get her to the office safely," he turns to the teacher.

His colleagues give a satisfied murmur, while the girls look morbidly jealous. Only Eve smiles broadly at the sight.

Felix takes me in his arms, which causes even more panic in me. I watch his face with wide-open eyes.

- Let's make your imaginations a reality, Selena.

Why didn't they just kill me with that ball?

*

I lie on the bed, and he does not leave my side. He sits in the chair next to me, not taking his eyes off my face.

I feel so uncomfortable that I don't know what to do with myself.

- Why are you running away from me with your eyes?

His words finally make me look into his eyes for a long moment.

- Thank you for helping me," I say quietly, then again interested in the wall opposite. - But shouldn't you be in class?

- I have an excuse. I'm taking care of you now.

Let him go now, please. I feel like I'm about to suffocate with shame. I can't be in his company, realizing that he knows that I wrote such a peculiar story about us. The worst part is that he found out less than an hour ago.

- Don't you want to ask me what is the secret behind the words that you have been in my thoughts since elementary school?

Let him keep doing this, and I'll die in the school nurse's office. And it will be because of him, not from being hit in the head with a ball.

- Should I know that? - I ask in a whisper.

- Since I learned from the story what you think of our future relationship, I will tell you what is hidden in our past.

Is it really Felix? I got the impression that he was possessed by a demon. Until now, I didn't think he could be so open to flirtation. He wasn't interested in girls from our school, he was fully focused on basketball and his classmates, and now after reading my story he is acting so.... boldly.

- Have you known me since elementary school?

- Yes, because back then you were one of the few children who did not judge others by their appearance. You stood up for me when I was bullied.

I open my eyes wider and look at one point, thinking back to that day. I remember it like today, that feeling of anger when I saw the bullied boy, who, mentally shattered, could not defend himself.

It was Felix, although six years later he looks like a walking god.

2014.

Holding a lollipop in my mouth, I head for the exit with my best friend, with whom I have stuck with since first grade. It's a long lunch break. Most of the kids are in the cafeteria, the smaller part is running around the halls, chastised by the teachers. We decided to spend some time on the field, since it's hot outside.

We sit on the bench, watching the peers playing basketball. Their height is not ideal for the sport at this age, but I have to admit that they are doing great. My attention, however, is caught by the boys who are harassing a chubby friend. They push him on the concrete, looking at him with superiority in their eyes.

These are sixth-graders who think they are better than others.

- This is no place for you, fat Australian! Go jump with the kangaroos, maybe you'll lose half a ton of weight.

I furrow my eyebrows, outraged by the behavior of my older colleagues. It's ridiculous for them to spurn someone who is not a pure American and has a little more weight than he should.

- I just want to play with you. I also love basketball," he replies in a sad voice, sitting with his head lowered.

The boys burst out laughing.

- Did you hear that? Fatty wants to play basketball with us," one of them turns to his colleagues, then focuses his eyes on the Australian. - You can't. We're afraid you'll cause an earthquake.

I can't stand it. And it hurts my heart to see all the kids laughing at the situation, thinking the fatter boy is hopeless.

I have to react, this is how my parents raised me. I can't look calmly at human injustice.

I rise from the bench, and my colleague watches me with astonishment in her eyes.

- Where are you going, Selena?

- Playing Batman.

- Huh?

I stand next to a chubby boy, furiously squinting my eyes. My heart is pounding like crazy with fear as everyone looks at me, but I bravely mirror the school's troublemakers with my eyes.

- What, kid? - one of them speaks up, pushing me aside.

- Don't touch me! - I warn him, sticking out my finger. - You are not entitled to treat him that way either! - I allude to the Australian, who looks as if he is about to cry shortly.

- And what are you going to do to me? Are you going to beat me up?

- I'm not going to. Your face is so ugly I'm afraid to touch it with my fist.

The kids surrounding us burst into laughter, and I glance at the seated boy. He finally lifts his face and looks at me. His very round face and "Harry Potter" type glasses make him look very friendly.

- Soon, I will make your face uglier than mine! - A sixth-grader tries to attack me, but I'm lucky because a teacher appears and chases everyone away.

I focus my attention again on the plump boy sitting at my feet, whose face begins to brighten through a smile.

- It was an exception that I helped you. Work on assertiveness.

I turn my back on him and walk away, but he stops me in mid-step with his shout:

- Thank you!

Somehow it makes my heart-warmer because it was the first time I had the opportunity to help someone I didn't know.

2020.

I blink my eyelids as I shift my gaze to Felix. I would never have thought in my life that he is the boy I helped the other day!

- That was the day I first fell in love. You are my first love, Selena," he declares, making me breathless again. - Incredibly you impressed me then. I watched you every day, but I didn't have the courage to approach you. The next semester you disappeared.

- My parents transferred me to another school," I reply, not wanting to think back to those days.

- As a child you were confident, but now I'm braver," he says, rising from the chair. With his hands, he leans against the mattress, his body leaning over me. His face is far too close to mine. I get the feeling that in a moment my heart will jump out of my chest, yet my adoration towards him should disappear! - Now that I know that you also like me, nothing can stop me.

I look into his eyes as he says these words and believe he is not lying. At this point, he is so serious that a shiver of excitement runs along my spine.

- What do you have in mind?

He doesn't answer me. He simply smiles, stroking my hair with his hand.

- Get some rest, Selena. You need to recover before you return for the remaining lessons.

I watch his silhouette as he turns his back on me and heads toward the door. Before he leaves the room, he takes one last look over his shoulder to make sure I'm okay.

Did he let me know that now nothing would stop him from picking me up?

How many cases are there in the world when it turns out that your crush actually started to like you?

Amazing.