The Promise We Made

Shayne and Rhey grew up in the same neighborhood, just a few houses away from each other. Their families were very close, and because of that, they often saw each other almost every day. Rhey was three years older than Shayne, and because of the age gap, Shayne always treated him like a big brother. She called him "Kuya Rhey" when they were little, but as they grew older, things started to change between them. Instead of being a kind and protective kuya, Rhey became Shayne’s greatest enemy. He would always tease her whenever he saw her playing with the other kids. He made it his mission to annoy her every single day, every time they crossed paths. One afternoon, Shayne was happily playing in the playground near their houses. She was laughing with her friends when suddenly, Rhey appeared with his group of friends. His smirk was enough to make Shayne groan in frustration. “Go home, Shayne! This playground is not for little girls,” Rhey teased, kicking a small rock near her foot. His friends laughed as he crossed his arms, looking at her like she was nothing but a bother to him. Shayne pouted and crossed her arms. “You’re so mean, Rhey! I don’t like you!” she shouted back, stomping her foot on the ground as hard as she could. But Rhey only laughed. “Well, I don’t like you either! You’re too small to play here,” he said, sticking his tongue out at her like a mischievous child. Shayne clenched her fists. She wanted to fight back, but she knew that Rhey was older and stronger. She turned to her friends and whispered, “Let’s just play somewhere else.” “Yeah, before Rhey ruins the game again,” one of her friends muttered quietly. Shayne and her friends walked away, leaving Rhey and his group in the playground. But just as Shayne was about to leave, Rhey grabbed her toy jump rope and held it high above his head. “Hey! Give that back!” Shayne shouted, jumping up to reach it. Rhey grinned. “What’s the magic word?” “Please?” Shayne asked, trying to grab it with her small hands. “Nope! Wrong answer.” Rhey laughed as he ran around with her jump rope. Shayne chased him, but he was too fast. Her little legs couldn’t keep up with him. Finally, after running for a while, Rhey got tired and tossed the jump rope back to Shayne. “Fine, here! You’re no fun,” he said, rolling his eyes dramatically. Shayne grabbed it and stuck her tongue out at him. “I hate you, Rhey! I wish you would move far away!” Rhey laughed again. “That’s never going to happen, Shayne! I’ll always be here to annoy you.” From that day on, Shayne decided that Rhey was her number one enemy, her most annoying rival in the entire world. But what Shayne didn’t know was that Rhey actually liked teasing her because he found her cute when she got mad. He enjoyed seeing her stomp her foot, cross her arms, and pout whenever he annoyed her. It was funny to him, but deep down, a part of him admired her strong personality. Unlike other kids, Shayne never backed down, even when he teased her nonstop. However, there were also times when Rhey showed kindness, even if he would never admit it to her. One day, Shayne was running around the playground when she tripped and scraped her knee. Tears welled up in her eyes as she sat on the ground, holding her injured knee in pain. Rhey, who was watching from a distance, sighed and walked over to her. He didn’t want his friends to see, but he couldn’t just ignore her. He pulled a band-aid from his pocket and crouched down beside her. “Here,” he said, handing her the band-aid without looking at her. Shayne sniffled and looked up at him in surprise. “Why are you giving me this?” Rhey shrugged. “Because you’re crying and it’s annoying. Just take it.” Shayne took the band-aid and wiped her tears away. “Thank you, I guess.” “Yeah, yeah. Just don’t tell anyone,” Rhey muttered before walking away. Shayne watched him leave, confused. One moment he was her worst enemy, and the next, he was helping her like an older brother. What was wrong with him? Even as they grew older, their rivalry continued. Rhey still teased her every chance he got, and Shayne still fought back whenever she could. But despite all their arguments and silly fights, they still saw each other every day. Their parents often laughed about it. “Those two are always fighting,” Shayne’s mom would say. “They’ll grow out of it,” Rhey’s dad replied. “Maybe one day they’ll even be friends.” Shayne and Rhey would always yell, “That will never happen!” whenever they heard that. But little did Shayne know, Rhey’s feelings toward her were already starting to change over time. At first, he only saw her as the little girl he used to bully. But as the years passed, Shayne started to change little by little. She was no longer just the small kid he liked to tease. She was becoming different from before. She was getting smarter, prettier, and kinder. She was always helping people, always smiling, and always standing up for herself, no matter what happened. One day, Rhey found himself staring at her, and he didn’t understand why at first. “Why are you looking at Shayne like that?” one of his friends asked curiously. Rhey quickly shook his head. “I’m not looking at her!” he said, but his friend smirked at him playfully. “You’re acting weird,” his friend teased him. Rhey scoffed. “Whatever. You don’t know what you’re talking about.” But deep inside, Rhey knew something was happening to him. He wasn’t just teasing Shayne because it was fun anymore. He was teasing her because he wanted her attention, her focus, and her reactions. And that scared him more than he wanted to admit. Would Shayne ever stop seeing him as an enemy? Or would she always remember him as the boy who made her childhood miserable? Only time would tell.