My Evil System

[Amara\'s POV]

I was born into the upper echelon class home, and teaching began right after birth. I had the most expensive toys money could buy and over qualified nannies to keep me amused.

I loved my nannies, though. I remembered them still. But when the job ended they left and I never saw them again. For all I knew, their smiles were fake, and they couldn\'t wait to get away from me. They didn\'t even message me or came for a visit.

When school began with a kindly teacher and wealthy classmates, we learned through tablets, songs, and recitals. Then I went home to take dinner while mom and dad were on their evening phone call meetings.

Each day blended into the next, and the only thing my parents ever asked me was about my grades. Not my day. Not my feelings.  Not who I was.

Then when the pressure intensified and I found I couldn\'t get the grades they demanded, the punishment began. A mark less than an A in any subject meant \'privileges\' revoked.

Then I met him.

Cross.

He was one of the ten percent of the student that the Academy enrolled as there. . . charity project.

His grades were like gifts from above, and he was cute to boot. A lot of girls had a crush on him because of his good looks, academic abilities, and kind personality.

I wasn\'t one of them . . . at first.

One time, on the weekend, riding on my limousine, stuck in traffic, I happened to see him walking on the side of the streets, pulling a cart brimming with junk. He had a hat on and a mask to cover his face and I hadn\'t recognized him at first except when he briefly removed his mask and drank water.

Being a naïve and innocent girl back then who didn\'t know the ugliness of the world, I thought that he was cool. He was already working at a young age.

That meeting was repeated the next, and even at the height of traffic, I didn\'t want to go to any shortcut. I wanted the usual road where I saw him every weekend.

Then I started to look forward to school, where I got to observe him some more. He always wore a smile on his face despite the hole in his bag and the damaged sole on his shoes.

Come to think of it . . . that\'s when my feelings for him started. It started with admiration, then fixation until I found myself falling for him the more I observed him.

It was his kindness that I was attracted to.

Then one morning, he took my hand and told me that he liked me and that he would do anything for me to be his girl. He told me that I could outshine him in every subject and he wouldn\'t mind one bit.

\'I won\'t promise you riches. I won\'t promise you a modern house with towering gates. But I promise to love you faithfully for the rest of our lives, and I mean that kind of love that puts you before anything else. Will you be my girlfriend?\'

I remembered perfectly what he said. And I didn\'t know why the first words that came out from my lips was . . .

\'Magic Pencil. If you get me a magic pencil . . . then.\'

The smile on his face that day was priceless.

That Magic Pencil was supposed to be for him. Because I saw him every day using those pencils that you have to manually sharpen, and I knew how he struggled with those types of pencils where the lead broke or fell off.

One time, he couldn\'t finish his test because half of his time was dedicated to sharpening those lead that constantly broke off.

A magic pencil would help him.

I wanted to slap myself left and right for how bright I was in grade school.

I went home that day feeling on cloud nine.

Days passed, and the other students noticed our secret smiles and unspoken signals. He told me in secret that he was saving for the magic pencil. That I didn\'t have to wait longer.

I thought I would get my happy ending until Cross was absent one day. Two days. Three days. He didn\'t go to school, and when he did, he was covered in bandages.

\'What happened?\' I asked him.

He only brushed his nose and said that he had an accident.

I believed him. I was trapped in my love world to notice that Cross had suddenly became alone. Isolated.

And one faithful day, his best friend came to me and showed me the real reason why Cross\'s bandages didn\'t lessen.

In the isolated back alley of a building, my happy ending broke at the sight of Cross being beaten up by boys.

I wanted to rush to him, but his best friend stopped me.

The guy told me that I was the reason why Cross was being beaten every day and was absent class.

The boys liked me, and they didn\'t want someone like Cross to get close to me. As long as I was getting close to him, Cross\'s life would be full of strife.

I thought that my appearance was a blessing, but it seemed like it was a curse. One that would end a love that I would never forget.

I knew Cross wouldn\'t stop courting me no matter what, and the boys would never leave him alone in return. He was kind as he was stubborn.

His best friend suggested being with him to save Cross. It was the only way to stop him from pursuing me. The guy was rich and wearing a kind face, but I wondered about his real intentions.

I didn\'t agree and pleaded for my parent\'s help instead. But I only made the situation worse when my parents threatened to kill Cross if I didn\'t stay away from him.

According to them, Cross didn\'t have the same status as me, and he was nothing but a poor charity boy that shouldn\'t breathe the same air I breathe.

( . . . continuation on NOTES)