142 Moonlight 1 (1/2)

His face change to red to normal again. He was gasping, perspiration came out drenching his orange prisoner outfit,he lifted his head slowly facing Tereza. He heard her saying, ”I know you hate Han. But I want to know why do you hate him? It has been months, aren't you tired to conceal everything by yourself? Tell me, so you can move to a normal prison.” Her words almost like an order, it rang on his ears, his eyes turned to dim. He almost like a puppet.

Inside his consciousness, he was trying to keep his mouth tight, resisting, but his body and mouth disagree with him, he muttered subconsciously, ”I hate him because he stole everything from me.”His head was getting lowered.

Tereza took a chair and sat in front of him. ”Continue...” After she said that, Stevan told about his story, the first time he met Han and Laura, when did he start to hate Han and what triggered him doing all this despicable thing.

.

.

.

.

At the end of summer, six years old, the day was hot, so he was hiding under the shade tree near his elementary school. It was summer break, there was no school but he was running away from home after having a fight with his mother. He was having a depressed time, trying to find somewhere quiet with no people, so he could cry freely. Unfortunately, he didn't expect a certain girl with bob hair, red cheeks, yellow clothes, and red skirt watching him from afar.

Little Laura who heard his crying came to his side while holding an ice cream on her hand. She tilted her head looked at the boy weirdly, she didn't say anything besides staring curiously. Stevan glanced at her odd, he didn't know what was wrong with this girl. Why didn't she said anything while he was crying?

After a while, she sat down beside him, offering her ice cream to him. Startled, he reacted. He looked down at her ice cream which had her saliva in it. Disgusting, that was what he thought. Why should he eat someone else ice cream?

They both stared at each other without saying anything, she didn't want to give up, she let her hand hang mid-air until he tried it. Eventually, he stopped his crying and focused on the girl and her ice cream. He was confused, but slowly, lowered his head and tasted her ice cream. 'She wanted to share this ice cream to me, right?' He asked inwardly.

Chomp! He finished it in one go. Munching, his cheeks became round like dumpling, he felt ice cold and refreshing feeling, the vanilla flavor was slightly strong, yet it wasn't too sweet. He realized he may perhaps like this flavor. He kept his attention to the taste and didn't notice a certain girl whose face changing to ugly sight.

Laura suddenly shouted angrily at him, ”Hey! Why did you finish my ice cream?!!” She pushed him on the ground, he stumbled and fell. She looked down at him with her princess bossy mode.

Stevan was confused weirdly, he stated, ”Didn't your intention to give me your ice cream?”

”Yeah! But it didn't mean you have to eat it whole!! Now, look what you did! I'm hungry again!!” She humped and brought her hands to her waist. Her eyebrows were creased down. She couldn't believe this boy just stole her food!

Stevan replied, ”Why is it my fault?” Laura heard his indifferent words, and suddenly formed water in her eyes, she started to cry, sobbing, until her snort fell through her nose. Stevan began to panic, he shouted, ”W-Wait, don't cry, don't cry!”

”Ice cream! Ice cream! Uwaaa!!” Stevan felt a headache. Why he was the one who consoled her not the other around? He was sad today as well, so why he needed to bother himself to this weird girl?

”S-Stop! Don't cry! I will buy a new ice cream! I will buy you a new one! So don't cry!!”

”Uwaaa!! Uwa- really?” Her sudden changed expression shocked him. The girl looked at him with her gleaming eyes, her cheeks were even redder than before, she smiled while showing her white pearly teeth. He nodded in reflex, his eyes were opened wide when he witnessed her cute face. He was blushing.

He back away a little and said, ”I will. So, stop crying.” He turned his head away from her, afraid that she would catch his embarrassed face. This was the first time he got so close to a girl.

She was giggling nonstop, she clapped her hands and said enthusiastically, ”Great! Let's go buy it now!”

”...”

She pulled his right arm and ran toward the convenient store in front of the school. Stevan was stumbling, when he followed her. He looked at her back and how her hair fluttering from the wind, she turned his head to him, shimmering, blinding his sight. How could this girl be so bright? He blinked his eyes a few times, perhaps there was something wrong with his vision.

After they both bought new ice creams together, they went to the park, playing on the kids' playground. Laughing, jumping, and running together like an old friend. It almost like it wasn't the first time they met today.

Two hours later.

The sky almost turning dark, they both felt tired from chasing around, they took a break on the bench, slightly to catch a breath, Stevan suddenly asked her, ”You're Laura from class 1-4, right?”

”Hm? You're asking me now? I'm surprised you know about me!” She said while chuckling, ”I'm quite famous, huh.”

”Not 'quite' but 'a lot'. My classmates always talk about you. You're a half too, right? Just like me.” Stevan stated with a cheerful voice.

”Half?” Laura looked at Stevan's face closely, she observed his pointed nose, lips, and dark blue eyes. ”Now that you mentioned it, your face is not like typical Japanese people too, huh. Well, aren't we fate to meet?” She said jokingly, but Stevan's heart slightly beating from her statement. She laughed and continued saying, ”That's right I've foreign blood within me. But I'm not half, only quarter, I got inherited this face because of my grandmother. She's German. How about you?”

Stevan diverted his gaze from her and said flatly, ”My mother is a foreigner, she is from Scotland.”

Laura hummed to respond. She asked him another question, ”Why did you cry this noon?”

Stevan didn't say anything, he wiped his sweaty face and sat still looking at the sky, Laura didn't ask him anymore and lean back beside him.

Suddenly she heard his depressed voice, he told her, ”I got a fight with my mother again. She kept venting her anger to me. Sometimes it's because of my father or something else which I don't what it was about. She never smiled at me, and always showed her fake smile to my father. I've no clue why she acted like that. But, I'm tired to face this every day.”