THE NEGLECTED PROMISE

MAXIMILLIANS’ POV What is this feeling? Why am I dizzy? I feel like I’m about to fall on the ground when a cold pair of big hands enveloped my waist. I opened my eyes and saw dark brown tantalizing eyes with a pointed nose and pinkish lips. Oh, this is a sight to behold! “Are you done staring?” asked a baritone voice. I blinked twice and realized that my face is only inches away from his. What an embarrassing first day at school! I lowered my face to hide my embarrassment. “Next time, make sure that you eat something before coming to school so that you won’t end up falling on the ground. What would have happened to you if I wasn’t here? Oh and by the way, I’m Shawn Blake Octavian. You can call me Shawn!” He sounds nice and friendly so I had the courage to look at him. He’s smiling at me! What’s wrong with my heart? That’s strange. “Hello! Are you okay?” Shawn asked. I blinked twice again and nodded. “Pfft! You’re sooo cute!” he said. “What’s your name?” Huh? Why is he asking for my name? Is this how it feels like when someone asks your name personally? I’m nervous. What’s wrong with me?! “H-hello, I-I’m M-Maximillian S-Stragherills. I-I’m S-Sorry, I didn’t m-mean to b-bother you.” “Oh sure, it’s not a big deal. Are you new here?” He asked. “N-no, I-I’ve b-been studying h-here since h-high s-school.” I answered “I see, what a coincidence! I am new here and was actually looking for someone to guide me.” He said while looking at me. Why is he looking at me? Does he want me to guide him? Oh no, what if the other students conclude something malicious if they see us together? No way! But I don’t have the urge to say no because he saved me from falling on the ground and it would be so naive of me to just let him roam around the university knowing that he’s a transferee? I composed myself and have thought of the right word to say. “I c-can g-guide you a-around.” I said. He looked at me and smiled widely. “Really?! That was so generous of you! Let’s go!” He said and grabbed my right hand. What’s wrong with me again? Why does my heart suddenly feel like a drum? Strange. As we began to walk, I noticed that my schoolmates were whispering with each other. I did not pay much attention to them because I know that there is nothing wrong walking with a transferee with a cute smile, brown eyes, pointed nose and pinkish lips. OMG! What am I thinking! I should start going to the psychiatrist if this continues in the future! I shook my head and began my role as his guide. I’m really not talkative, especially when I’m with strangers because I’m a shy type of person. I’m not into socializing and I hate being surrounded by many people. I don’t know why but I just did. “Can you take me to the dean’s office first, I gotta go there to get my class schedule”, Shawn said. I smiled at him and nodded. After a moment of walking, we finally reached the Deans’ office. The P.U University is really wide. I think it is about 10 hectares wide? It currently has a total of 21,000 students and employs a faculty member of 31 and staff of about 17 and 35 classrooms plus, it is still on the making of numerous projects into action wherein some of which are the construction of another classroom building to be erected between the canteen and the guard house and also, to solve the parking issues on the college campus. I’m already exhausted just by walking. What more if our prof in Physical Education will have us run for 10 laps just like what we did in my 3rd year? Oh No! I shook my head and listened to what the dean had been saying. After a while, Shawn finally got his class schedule and I was quite surprised because we turned out to be classmates in all subjects! Is this what they call destiny? I stilled when I realized what I was thinking. What the hell? Why would I bring destiny here? We just happened to be classmates, that's all! Argh! I hate myself sometimes. Tsk, tsk. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Shawn asked as he tried to touch my forehead maybe to see if I have a fever. “I-I’m fine” I answered. I suddenly got the chills. This is the first time that a guy touched my forehead while looking worried. I felt like crying because I never had someone treat me this way starting from the day that I was born. I’ve been longing to have a friend. I remembered when I was a child, my nanny would bring me to the park to play with other children but I would always end up being left alone. I don’t know why I have to be treated that way, even my cousins aren’t talking to me because I know that they’re secretly blaming me for my parents’ death but thankfully, I have Zihora who treats me like her real sister even though we were just cousins. I was 8 when my parents passed away and I have nowhere to go but my grandmother filled everything which my parents failed to give. I wasn’t nagging but my parents gave me the best they could when they were still alive but they failed to make me feel unconditional love. They would always go on business trips and sometimes wouldn’t come home for a year. They would always leave me with Aunt Isabelle, my nanny. It was my 8th birthday when they died. I can still remember when I was about to blow my candle and my uncle started shouting hysterically saying we should watch the news and then there, instead of a happy birthday, it turned out to be the opposite. I looked into the TV and saw my mom and dad’s lifeless bodies being pushed into a hospital bed on the way to the ambulance. After all that happened, I was traumatized. I never celebrated my birthday anymore because I was afraid that something like that would happen again. I didn’t notice that my tears started falling down as I recalled what had happened in the past. “Why are you crying?” Shawn asked. Oh, I almost forgot that I’m with him. “N-Nothing, I j-just r-remembered something in t-the p-past” I answered and was about to wipe my tears when he pulled me closer and started hugging me. “I don’t know what you’re going through but it’s not your fault, everything happens for a reason, don’t blame yourself” he said. And at that moment, I was dazed because someone also told me the same words in the past. Is he perhaps…. my superhero who saved me from drowning before?