The Worth of Taking a Risk

Our First Encounter

CATALINA'S POINT OF VIEW

I can't still move on about what happened yesterday. I never thought that I and my best friends will have an issue like that, but it's fine because we immediately fixed it with the help of the most unexpected person that will open my eyes and my heart. I am currently here inside the student council room for our meeting about the incoming intramurals of this school year. I am waiting for all my student council members when Liam called me from the outside of this room. I immediately stand up from my seat and let him enter the room.

"What brought you here?" I asked him while I am heading back to my seat.

"Oh, I just want to invite you later to our house. Don't worry, your friends are also invited. I just decided to invite you first because I know that you will not be around until our classes ended." He said then smiled. I smiled back at him before I answer.

"Ahm, I can't give you my answer yet because after this meeting we will check all the materials needed for the upcoming intramurals and after that, we will start making the letters for the athletes and after that, the rest of the student council can go home but I still need to stay here because I need to wrap up the details we will obtain after this meeting," I said nonchalantly. After speaking I looked at him and saw that he looks sad because of my response.

"I'm sorry Liam, maybe next----" I didn't finish what I am about to say when he interrupted me.

"Then, I will go with you until you are finished." He said while smiling. I just shrugged my head at him while smiling.

"Hahahaha, you know that is so nice of you but, you can't ditch your class for this afternoon," I said but he remained composed despite what I said.

"It's fine, this will be the first and last time that I will ditch my class." He said that made me slapped my forehead because he is so hard-headed. I let out a heavy sigh out of the frustration that I am feeling. It's not that, I don't want him to come with us, in fact, I truly love it and truly appreciate it but as a student council president I need to be a good leader that follows the rule of this school, and ditching your class is a major violation!

"No!" I said using a serious tone. I stand firm in front of him to show my authority before speaking.

"I am the president of the student council of this school. And as a president of the student council, I am the first and foremost one that needs to follow and implement the rules of this school. Mr. Kwon, you know that ditching your class is a major violation of this school." I said and with that, I can see the sadness in his eyes. I feel bad for him right now, but I need to be a good leader especially since this is my last year in this school.

"You're right. Then I will just wait for you in our classroom until you're done. We will come to my house together." He said while smiling again as if he is not sad earlier. I let out a heavy sigh while shaking my head. I looked at him then smile.

"Thank you for understanding me, but you don't need to do that. I promise I will immediately go to your house after my duties." I said while smiling, but he just shakes his head at me.

"Nope! I will wait for you! By the way, your members are already here, so see you later then! Fighting Cat!" He said while waving his hand while leaving this room. I looked at the door and saw that all of them are already here.

"What are you standing there for?" I said with full of authorization that made them immediately enter the room. While checking my members, I saw this familiar face but unfamiliar for me when it comes to my member here in the student council.

"Ahm, Mr. Stetson Park. May I know what are you doing here?" I asked then sit on my chair.

"Oh, I'm sorry for not informing you beforehand but I will be the substitute for your secretary for this event because he was chosen as the manager for volleyball this year." He said that made me confused. My secretary didn't tell me about that, how come he knows?

"But, Jun didn't tell about that," I said

"He told me to surprise you, so yeah that's what I've done." He said that made everyone giggle. I looked at them using my sharpest gaze that made them immediately stopped laughing.

"Then, I guess he informs you about your duties for this event?" I asked and I saw that he scratches his head as if he is telling me that he didn't know what to do.

"He didn't tell me anything about my duties here." He said that made me sigh. Geez! Jun is so irresponsible! He didn't tell me about this thing, and he didn't even orient this guy about his duties?! Argh!

"Okay, you can take your sit. We will start our meeting." I said and Stetson immediately takes a sit. After preparing the presentation for our meeting, I immediately started our meeting.

"Thank you so much for making yourself available for this afternoon! Even though I expect all of you will be here because I told you beforehand about this meeting and about the duties we will have today. I wasn't planning on doing this meeting today, but since Jun didn't inform our newest sub-member about his duties, then we will proceed with our orientation first and after that do all the tasks we have for this day." I said then started the orientation for the upcoming intramurals event. After the orientation, we immediately head towards the stock room of our materials for intramurals to check if there's anything we need to fix or we need to replace. While inside the storage room, the other members decided to print the letters for our athletes to reduce my duties. Aw! I was so touched when they told me earlier about it. I love them! <3

"Ms. Cruzes, I guess this one needs to be replaced," Stetson called me while showing one of the volleyball balls he is holding. I immediately walk towards him to check it, when suddenly the door closes.

"s**t!" He said then immediately run towards the door to see if it isn't locked. I was busy writing some notes about this ball when he suddenly calls me.

"Ms. Cruzes! I think we're stuck!" He said that made me looked at him.

"What?! Did you try opening it using force?" I asked then run towards the door to help him open it.

"Yes, and it didn't even budge." He said then we try to open it again but it didn't even move an inch!

"Oh my goodness! We can't be stuck in here!" I said and the panic feels that I have right now can be heard in my voice. Geez! I am starting to tremble because I have this phobia of getting stuck in a tight and dark space. Honestly, this storage room is not that dark but the ambiance looks dark for me because of the stuff stock in here.

"Hey, are you okay? Why are you shaking so much?" Stetson asked while holding both of my shoulders, but I can't even utter a single word out of the horrifying feeling I have right now.

"Hey, look at me. Ms. Cruzed looks at me, look into my eyes." Stetson said while forcing me to look into him. I try my best to look at his eyes and thank goodness I managed to do it, but the horrifying feeling I have right now doesn't fade away.

"Good. Okay, follow me okay?" He said and I just nod at him. He smiles at me first before speaking again.

"Okay, follow my breathing okay?" He said then started inhaling and exhaling which I follow. After a few minutes of doing that, I am already calm.

"You're okay now?" He asked while looking into my eyes. I just nod at him and he immediately removed his hands from my face.

"Tha-thank you so much," I said, I am still stuttering out of the fear that I felt earlier.

"You're welcome!" He said then smiled. He goes back again to the door to try on opening it again. While looking at him, I just realized that I became mean to him earlier and I am feeling so guilty about it!

"Ahm, Stetson," I called him using my low voice. I don't know if he heard it, but I wish he heard it.

"Why?" He asked while looking at me. Thamm goodness he heard it!

"About earlier, I'm sorry if I became mean to you. I was just surprised by your sudden appearance, and was so frustrated about Jun." I said but he just smiled at me then answers.

"Nah, it's fine. Besides, it was not your fault, it was Jun. So the one we should be blaming right now is Jun, not you." He said then suddenly the door opens.

"Waaaaah! Thank goodness I opened it!" He said while smiling despite the sweat rolling down all thru his body.

"We're done checking the materials right?" He asked while wiping all the sweat from his face.

"Ah, yes," I said then get my notebook from the table and started heading outside the room. After turning off the lights, Stetson closed the door of the storage room and we head back to the student council room.

"Oh! Since the others took over the printing you can go home now. See you again next week?" I said

"Oh, okay! Then see you also next week!" He said then started walking away. I was about to walk again when I saw Liam looking at us. I waved my hands at him, but he just turns his back on me and started walking away. Geez! What's wrong with him? I just shake that thought in my mind and started walking again. As I reached the student council room, I immediately do all the paper works I need to finish today because I still need to go to Liam's house after this. In the middle of my work, I heard someone knocks on the door. I didn't even bother to look at that person, and just let that person in.

"Hi!" He said so I looked at him and saw that it was Liam.

"Oh! What are you doing here?" I asked while writing. He put a bottled juice in front of me and a sandwich. I looked at him and saw that he is smiling at me.

"You look so haggard right now, why not take a break?" He said while eating his sandwich.

"Ah, maybe later. I need to finish all of this paperwork immediately so we can head towards your house." I said then head back on doing my paper works, but he immediately steals my pen from my hands.

"We will not go to my house anymore. I postponed it because I know that you will be busy right now and I don't want you to be distracted about that thing." He said

"Eh, but why? That would be the first-ever bonding of us!" I said then sit on my chair.

"Ah! We still have a lot of time! Imagine, we still have 9 months before graduation! And you only have 3 months as a student council president, so the remaining 6 months we have, we will fill it with our memories!" He said that made me smile. I don't know why, but I can feel a warm feeling from his words that made me at ease and look forward to it.

"You're right, but it's just so sad because this should be the first bonding ever since we started our friendship. But it was ruined because of me." I said then get another pen from my bag, but I didn't even manage to write a single letter when he stole it again from me.

"It's fine! You ruin nothing, besides my friends also have other plans so they are also fine with that, and when it comes to your friends they understand that you are busy today. They also told me that even if you can make it, you cannot enjoy it because you're tired, so they told me that save this day for your resting." He said that made me smile again.

"Ah! Fine, you win!" I said then sit down on my chair.

"Then eat your food." He said then opened another sandwich from the plastic bag he is holding. I just sigh in defeat, and get the sandwich on my table, and eats it. After eating, he gave back my pens so I started to work again. At first, I thought that he will leave after I ate the food he brought me, but he just threw the trash outside and head back again here and sit beside me.

"Can I help you?" He asked

"Nah, I can do this," I said

"Can you see the papers beside you?" He asked while pointing at the stock papers beside me. I just nod at him and started working again.

"Then you know how much you still need to do." He said and just nod at him.

"Even if I need your help, I can't because the president of this school knew my handwriting, and if he notices that your handwriting is not mine he will get mad at me and make me do it over again. So Nah ah." I said then started writing again. I can see that he gets a piece of paper from his bag then started writing something. After he wrote, he put the piece of paper in front of me.

"What's this?" I asked while holding the paper he gave me.

"Can you compare my handwriting to yours?" He asked so I looked at his handwriting and I was so surprised because it is the same as mine. There's a little difference but, it is not noticeable!

"Wow! Our handwriting looks the same!" I said in astonishment that I am feeling.

"So, can I help you?" He asked while smirking at me. I let out a heavy sigh of defeat and just nod at him. Even though we didn't manage to have the bonding in his house we still managed to bond here inside the student council room, and it is only between the two of us that make this day and moment more special.