Once and Again

Growing Close

Eirick

Rafi's excellent tutoring skills really helped me with my studies. We just had our exams and I'm anxiously waiting for the results.

My friend's and I are sitting at the back of the class waiting for our teacher to arrive. Kirby was flirting with a girl sitting on his left side, while Anya has a clear scowl on her face.

"What's with the scowl?" I asked her.

Anya turned to me and glared.

"Your brother just disappeared from my party." She grumbled.

Anya just had her birthday party the other day. She was dancing with my brother like she planned to, but Dranz just left her on the dancefloor. After that he never came back. He just left the party, just like that.

"I told you he's an ass." I said patting her head.

"Where would he go? He just left me there." She whined.

I sighed and continued to patt her head. I feel bad for her, for liking my brother who clearly doesn't feel the same.

"Maybe you should just forget what you feel for him." I told her, which earned me a glare from her.

She swatted my hand patting her head, and crossed her arms over her chest. I was about to speak when our teacher Mr. Diaz arrived.

"Good morning class." He said.

"Good morning sir." The class greeted.

Mr. Diaz then placed his bag on the table, then he pulled out some papers.

"I got your test results back." He announced.

"I am quite pleased with the results. A lot of you got perfect score, high scores, and the rest passed. No one failed, impressive." Mr. Diaz paused, then his eyes fell on me.

I grinned with what he said that no one failed, so I passed this time!.

"The real achievement, falls on Mr. Salvatore." He said, and everyone turned to me.

"Mr. Salvatore went from failed grades, to second to the highest score." Mr. Diaz announced, and everyone applauded.

I was stunned with the announcement. That test was one of the most difficult one I took, and yet I got the second to the highest score? My eyes went to Rafi, but she's the only one not clapping and smiling at me. She still have her face stuck in a book.

"Keep it up Mr. Salvatore." Mr. Diaz said and I smiled at him, but my eyes is still on Rafi.

******************

After our last subject, I saw Rafi left early. We have no tutorial session because I know she has her part time job at the cafe. I badly wanted to treat her dinner since I got a decent grade in the recent tests, but she's busy.

"What did you do? How the hell did you manage to snag a score like that? Did you happen to see the test papers? The answer sheet?" Kirby asked me as we made our way towards the gym's boys locker.

"I just studied for that test." I answered him.

"Study? You never study." Kirby said.

I shook my head and ignored him.

We had a meeting with our coach regarding the next game, which will be next weekend. I hope Rafi will watch.

After the meeting, I left Kirby and went to the cafe. When I entered the place, the cashier smirked when she saw me and pointed towards the table in the far right.

There she was, serving that table's order. I went towards the cashier and ordered my usual, before taking a seat on my usual spot.

I was playing with my phone, when my order came, served by Rafi. I looked up to her, grinning.

"Hi." I greeted her.

"Eirick? What are you doing here?" She looked surprised.

"For coffee, and for you." I told her.

"Huh?"

"I've been coming here for a while now. You just don't notice." I told her.

She stared at me.

"Are you a stalker now?" She asked, and I laughed at her.

"Maybe." I said, and she smirked.

"I'll wait for you, let's celebrate." I told her.

"Celebrate what?" She asked.

"My score of course. It wouldn't be possible without you." I said.

Rafi rolled her eyes.

"You'd be waiting for three long hours." She said, and I smiled.

"I waited longer before." I told her.

Rafi shook her head chuckling and left. I chuckled and took a sip of my coffee. I just sat there and watch her do her job as I ordered coffee after another. I've been doing this for a while now but she never noticed.-

When it was her time to leave the cafe, I was still there waiting for her. I waited outside the cafe for her when i saw her clocked out.

"You're still here?" She asked, surprised that I am still waiting for her.

"I told you I'd wait for you." I said.

Rafi smiled.

"So, where are we going to celebrate? I need to be home before it really gets late." She said.

I grinned at her.

"Let's take the celebration at your place then." I told her.

****************

So we ended up buying food and take them to her house. Her mom and brother are thrilled with everything we brought.

"Eirick, isn't this a bit too much?" Rachelle asked looking at all the food on the table. Rafi and I brought some chinese take outs and ice creams.

"Nah, I think it's just enough. It's a celebration after all. Thanks to Rafi, I get to pass my exams." I said.

"You did it yourself. You're smart Eirick, you're just not using that brain of yours properly." Rafi said.

I chuckled.

"It's just so happened that my brain is pretty much pre occupied." I said, staring at her.

There was an awkward silence after that, good thing Rachelle chose to break that awkward silence.

"Let's begin this celebration then." She said, and we all took a seat.

We began to eat the little feast we prepared. While eating, Ron, Rafi's younger brother would tell us stories from his school. Rachelle, who's a nurse would also tell stories from her workplace.

This kind of dinner is quite enjoyable for me. It feels normal. Rafi would sometimes tell a story of her childhood where she would prank her friends and classmates.

"How about you Eirick? What's your childhood story?" Rachelle asked.

I looked at her, not knowing what to say.

"I don't have a nice story to tell really." I said.

"Why? Don't you have friends?" She asked.

"I do. But I don't have fun stories. I spent most of my childhood inside our house with just maids and guards. I can't go out and play in the streets, make friends like regular children, prank people." I told them, playing a piece of dim sum on my plate.

"We're you a sick boy when you're young?" Rachelle asked, and I shook my head.

"Mom, Eirick here was a born royalty." Rafi answered her mother.

Rachelle looked at me and her daughter.

"Royalty?"

I scratched the back of my head.

"My mom is kind of the princess of Monaco." I said.

Rachelle gaped at me.

"Your mother is Marie Salvatore? Wow. I adore your mother so much. I'm actually working in a nursing home which she chose to fund recently." Rachelle said.

"yeah, my mom lived for charities." I said.

"Prince! Prince!" Ron exclaimed pointing at me.

I chuckled and ruffled his hair.

"I'm not that prince. All I want is to live normal, like you guys." I said.

"You want to live with little to no money? Come on dude, you're privileged. Use that wisely." Rafi said, scowling at me but I smiled at her.

"Thank you." I said.

"Somehow, I understand you boy. You're always welcome in our home, you are after all my daughter's friend." Rachelle said.

I looked at her and smiled.

"Thank you."

***************

After dinner, Rafi and I sat on a small bench at the back of their house.

"You know, I kind of envy you." Rafi said looking at the dark blue sky.

"Envy me?" I asked.

"Yes. Not in sense of your wealth but of your complete family.

You still have your mom and dad, and your brother." Rafi paused.

"I miss my dad." she added, as a lone tear escaped her eye.

I leaned towards her and wiped her cheek.

"I have a feeling that you are close to your dad." I said.

"Yes. For him, I was his princess and he is my king. We're partners, but he got sick and left us." She said, sniffling.

I moved next to her and grabbed her hand, gripping it tight.

"What's your dad like?" I asked her.

"My dad is a high school teacher, he teaches history. He have this ability to make his students focus to his lessons. He's a great teacher, and I want to be like him. I'm studying hard so I can teach others in the future." She said.

"I'm sure your dad is proud of you." I told her.

"I hope so." She paused and looked at me.

"How about you? What do you want?" She asked.

"I-I don't really know." I said, and she furrowed her eyebrows.

"What do you mean you don't know? Your family have businesses. Don't you want to handle that? You're good with football, don't you want to play professional?" She asked.

I sighed and shook my head.

"I have no interest in our business. I don't see myself playing football in the future too. It's like a present thing for me. To be honest, I don't really know what I want in my life." I said rubbing circles on her hand.

"All my life, I've been compared to Dranz in every single thing. He's good at one thing, and everyone expects me to be good at that one too. He's a freaking prodigy, and I'm the jester." I said.

"Hey, you don't need to look down on yourself. You need to be the one to

believe in yourself when no one else does." Rafi said, smiling at me.

I smiled at her too.

"I guess you are right, all wise one." I said, and I interlaced our fingers.

"You inspired me to be better Rafaela Mendez. I need to be better so I can be the right guy for you." I said looking at her eyes.

Her cheeks turned pink and it made me pinch them.

"Do you want to know why I cannot focus on our lessons?" I asked, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Because I'm too busy writing your first name, with my last."