Title: One Last Chance
Genre: Romance, Drama
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I’m fed up with my love life.
It never goes right. I either get
rejected, left, or cheated on.
I liked someone in middle school, but
he rejected me. In high school, I thought I found someone who would always be
with me, but I found him cheating on me with another girl.
I thought I was going to give up and
go solo in my university years. But one day, I met him.
This guy was someone from my
university. He seemed friendly. He’s a few years older than I am, I guess. I
don’t know much about him… But I’ve heard a lot about this guy, but I don’t
know his name. I have never imagined getting to know him until fate brought our
life paths together.
“Hey Lisa, can you help me get some
coffee please?” my friend from the same class as I asked.
I’m Lisa. I’m a student who is studying in
university at the faculty of medicine. I’m still on my second semester, I’m
still not used to the study pattern we have here in university. I miss high
school. Those were the best days of my life, perhaps. I had lots of memories
there; all of them were great… excluding my love life. Guys are great people to
become friends with; I have to admit that, but…. Just don’t try to go over that
border. It’ll kill you (literally). Your life will get ruined if it gets in
your grades. It’s the reason why I said I’m fed up with my love life. Anyway, back to the story.
“Sure! I’ll get Café Latte.” I said,
and I straight away went to the coffee machine.
When I was going to go back to my
friend, someone bumped into me. The coffee flew into the air as both of us fall
and it landed on my head and this person’s head too. I sat still for a few
seconds, recovering consciousness from the fall. Meanwhile, this person took
some tissue out and started wiping his/her hair to get rid of the coffee.
He/she then offered me some tissue to wipe my hair, when I looked up I saw that
it was the guy that I said that I never imagined talking to. I accepted his
offer of the tissue and after wiping my hair I quickly got up and apologized.
“I’m really sorry that I ruined your
hair. It was really clumsy of me. Oh there’s coffee on your shirt too… Let me
get you a new shirt.” I said.
“It’s okay…there’s no need to get me
a new shirt. It’s my fault too for not looking to where I was going. How about
you? You ruined your clothes and your coffee too.” He answered.
“I’m okay with this. I have spare
clothes. Thank you for being so forgiving… By the way, I’m Lisa, what’s your
name?” I asked.
“Oh… I’m Carlton, nice to meet you
Lisa. Which faculty are you in? What semester?” Carlton asked.
“I’m in the faculty of medicine,
second semester. What about you?” I asked.
“I’m in the faculty of medicine too.
I’m on my eighth semester though, that means I’m a lot older than you, do I
look young to you?” he teased.
“Yes… I thought that you were only at
most two years older than I am… By the way I need to go now, my friend’s going
to kill me for making her wait too long for her coffee.“ I said.
“Okay… see you tomorrow at lunch,
maybe?” he asked.
“Sure.” Then I ran to get coffee and
gave it to my friend afterwards. She was shocked to see my hair and clothes
covered in coffee. I then quickly went to the ladies’ room to change. I thought
about my encounter with Carlton a few moments ago. He really is friendly. I
hope I can get along with him… as friends. Hey, I have to focus on my studies!
But I can’t wait for tomorrow, to be honest. Carlton’s cute. It’s normal to get
fluttery for once. I’m a girl, it’s normal to be attracted to cute guys. When I
was thinking about it, I suddenly remembered I had a biochemistry class that I
have to go to… The professor’s strict, but she’s really good at teaching. I
love her classes.
After biochemistry class, I went
straight back to my apartment and cleaned myself up. I opened my laptop to do
some research for some assignments. I was so absorbed with my research until I
realized that it’s already 11 P.M. I started my research at like 3 P.M… that’s
8 straight hours staring at the laptop without even taking a break. Don’t do
this when you do your assignments. I ended up skipping dinner… and making my
eyes hurt. Do I have dark eye circles? I have to see Carlton tomorrow! I can’t
have eyes like a panda’s. Pandas are cute… but their eyes are not suitable to
go for our eyes. I decided to go to sleep right away to prevent those eye
circles. Oh, I forgot to pick an outfit for tomorrow.
I woke up at 4 A.M. it’s unusually
early… I usually wake up at like 6 A.M. I showered and I cooked breakfast. I
made tea to calm my nerves so that I don’t get stressed during my classes. I
packed my notebooks, water bottle and lunch. I did my make-up so that my
under-eye circles won’t be too visible. I got dressed and continued my research,
with an alarm of course, or else I’ll end up being late for my first class
today. At 6.30 A.M., I walked to my campus. I felt so happy studying today. My
professors were surprisingly really nice today… or it’s just a feeling that I
get. I can’t wait for lunch. I’m hungry. Stop it, you’re fat, stop eating. NOOO
I’M NOT GONNA STOPP.
Noon somehow came quickly and I ran
quickly to the cafeteria to eat. When I reached the cafeteria, I saw Carlton
from a distance, waving at my direction. He called me and gave me a smile. Aw…
His smile is so cute. SHHHH DON’T THINK LIKE THIS LISA. YOU JUST KNEW HIM RECENTLY.
With my wild thoughts aside, I said hi and I gave him a huge smile, so huge
that I can feel my cheeks got tired afterwards. We quickly found a spot to sit
and took out our lunches. I seemed to have eaten really quickly, because Carlton
asked me this:
“Whoa, you eat like a hungry wolf!
How long have you not eaten?” He chuckled afterwards.
I was too focused on eating my lunch
that I didn’t notice him talking to me. I thought I was being called, so I
stopped eating and stared confusingly at him.
“What were you saying just now? I’m
sorry. I was too focused on eating.” I said.
He laughed and said “You looked like
you haven’t been eating for days… Or is it your way of eating? It’s cute
though.” He giggled.
Shoot, so much for my not-elegant way
of eating. It’s so embarrassing. I should have learned dining etiquettes. At
least I don’t chew with my mouth open. But I just ate like a pig. In front of a
cute guy, who is a lot older than me, I totally have no manners, right? I feel
like running away to my apartment now. I need sleep.
“Are... Are you okay?? Did I offend
you? I’m sorry.” said Carlton all of a sudden.
“No… I’m not offended… I’m sorry for
not paying attention to your question.” I said.
“By the way, may I have your phone
number?” he asked.
I gave him my phone number. After
lunch we said our goodbyes and headed off to our respective classes. I feel
guilty. I should have showed a better side of me in front of him. I feel bad.
After classes ended, a notification
appeared on my phone. It was a text from Carlton.
“Hey, it’s Carlton. Thanks for
wanting to have lunch with me. We should hangout more. ”
I was stunned for a few seconds. But
then I had no choice but to reply.
“Thanks for wanting to have lunch
with me too. I’m sorry for being rude just now. We should totally hang out
more!” *send*
I ran back home and went to sleep.
Hey, I slept for more than 10 hours, I guess I was exhausted.
Things went on pretty normally since
that day. Except for the fact now that I’m actually friends with Carlton, we
get to hang out a lot. We study in the library together with our friends, and
perks of having an older friend like Carlton is that he will actually teach you
when the professor’s explanations are not clear enough. Along the way, I found
out that Carlton was quite popular among the students of his level. I heard
that he’s one of the top students too. Geez, I envy him. He’s smart, friendly,
popular, and cute too. He’s close to being named the perfect guy. But then,
since I’m used to hang out with Carlton, I’m not that nervous. I also don’t
feel myself getting attracted to him. Well, he is only a friend… Nothing more
and nothing less…
I take back what I said earlier. I
thought of Carlton only as my friend. Well, a good friend. But then, as time
goes by, our friendship seemed to go deeper and more personal. We began to go
places with only the two of us, have our own secrets, and we’re ourselves when
we’re together. Rumors eventually sparked that Carlton and I are dating. I keep
denying the rumor because it’s not true, but then those rumors never died down,
they only became wilder. One day one of my friends came to me. Her name is
Darcy
“Lisa, come here!” Darcy called.
“What’s up Darcy?” I answered.
She suddenly sprayed me with water.
“What was that about?!” I yelled at
her. I was really shocked.
“What’s with you flirting with Carlton?
He’s mine.” She yelled back.
“Flirting? Are you serious? We’re
only good friends, what’s wrong with that?” I said.
“He doesn’t deserve to have a friend
like you! You’re gross and you’re a pain. Just get out of his life!” Darcy
yelled.
“Darcy… Why are you being like this?
I thought we’re friends…” I said, with my feet trembling.
“We’re no longer friends. Your
attitude’s disgusting” Darcy said. She left afterwards.
The scene that Darcy caused made my
other friends get away from as well, including my best friends. I feel like I’m
losing everything. I have no one. I realized that I was falling for Carlton
around that time, but then because of the rumors, I began pushing myself away
from Carlton. Carlton is a really patient person… but then one day he couldn’t
take it anymore.
“Why are you avoiding me?” Carlton
asked angrily.
I didn’t say a word. I just looked
down.
“Is it because of those rumors and
because you didn’t like me back so you pushed me away?” he continued.
I still looked down. I felt so
guilty. I can’t even look at his face.
“Okay! I’ve had enough of this! I
cared about you but then you pushed me away! I’m done with whatever this is...”
he left after saying that.
I fell onto the floor and cried. I
just lost my last friend. I have no friends now. I’m all alone. Why do I have
to mess up each time? I was given another chance to fall for someone, but then
I didn’t want to fall for that person because I’m too afraid to get hurt, I’ve felt
enough pain for now. I went to my apartment and went to sleep right away. The
stress that I’m getting is too much too handle.
I woke up feeling nauseous. I forced
myself to get out of bed and attend classes, even though my body wasn’t up for
it. I don’t want to miss anything involving my studies. As classes go on, I
felt really dizzy, and soon blacked out. People said I fell really hard on the
floor. I was quickly sent to the emergency room. Thank goodness nothing
happened to me. I was sent to the counselor afterwards. He asked me about what
happened recently in my life. Little did I know the news that my friends left
me and the fact that Carlton left me too was heard my professors. I told my
counselor everything and asked him for advice. He told me that I have to make
things clear with my friends and with Carlton. I was sent home after that and I
quickly slept. I have to make things clear with everyone…
One month passed by, I’ve made up
with my friends and we’ve started hanging out again, but I made no progress
with Carlton. He barely looked at me and said anything when we come across each
other. I tried to apologize but then he ignored me. I wonder when is this going
to end, I feel so frustrated now. I miss talking to Carlton; I miss hanging out
with him, his voice, his laugh, his face especially…. To be honest, I can’t
take it anymore… I want to talk to Carlton again…
I thought hardly for a long time
about what I should do. I decided to make a letter for him. It goes like this:
“Hey Carlton, you might know who sent
you this letter. First of all, I’m sorry for pushing you away. I had a lot of
trust issues with other people in the past years. I guess I wasn’t ready to
trust you at that time. To be honest, I really like you. You made me change my
view of the world. I became more excited to live because of you. I’m sorry for
hurting you… I didn’t know what to do
with all my friends leaving me at that time… I guess instead of pushing you
away I should have talked about it with you. I miss you. I wish we could be
friends again.
-Lisa”
I enveloped the letter and gave it to
Carlton’s roommate. I know he’s not going to read it for sure. I bet he’s going
to tear it to pieces. When I was thinking about what would happen next, Carlton’s
roommate said:
“Can we talk for a while?”
“Sure.” I said.
Both of us sat down on a bench
nearby.
“What exactly happened between you
and Carlton? You two were so close a month ago… but now you barely look at each
other.” He asked me, looking confused.
I started telling him everything.
About my feelings for Carlton, my insecurities of trusting people and the
rumors that made my other friends create a distance from me. I told him that it
was really hard for me but then he cut me off saying:
“It’s been hard for Carlton too. I’ve
been hard on him as well. When I found out that the two of you were very close.
I disapproved it. I thought that he deserves someone better than you, Lisa, but
I guess I was wrong. I thought you were after him because of his looks. But
then after you told me about what you feel for him, I guess you’re not bad at
all. I’m sorry for misjudging you. By the way, since the day you fought with Carlton,
he looks sad every day, I ever saw him crying while looking at your photo the
other day. He must have feelings for you. If he doesn’t, he wouldn’t have done
that.”
“You’re serious? Then please give
this letter to him! It’s my last shot to get him to forgive me! I truly miss
the old days, even though it’s not that old…” I said.
I was too shocked to hear that kind
news from Carlton’s roommate. Carlton… Crying for me? Did I hurt him that bad?
I feel guiltier than ever.
“Better make-up with Carlton soon. I
bet if you leave him that way he’s going to go crazy.” The roomie said. “Good
luck with him.” Then he left.
I ran back to my apartment and took a
bath. In the bathtub, I fell asleep and had a dream about Carlton. In my dream Carlton
was sitting on a bench, gazing on his phone. Since he’s not far away, I decided
to go to him. When I approached him, he seemed to notice and suddenly, he broke
into tears. I was about to ask him why he cried but then… I woke up. How long
have I been inside this bathtub? I guess it’s been 2 hours. I went out of the
tub, took a brief shower, put on my pajamas, and went to sleep.
In the morning, I turned on my phone
and saw a notification pop up. It was a text from Carlton. The minute I saw it,
I cried tears of happiness. I opened the message that contained:
“Hey Lisa, I want to take you
somewhere tonight at 6. Please meet me at the campus’ lake and wear something
semi-formal. See you.”
Well, to be honest, that was a bit
rushed. He hasn’t even accepted my apology yet but then he wants to take me
somewhere. What if it’s just a joke? What if he wants to get revenge on me? But
then if I don’t go, everything will become worse. So at around 3.30 I started
doing my makeup and hair, and picked out a cute dress to wear. By 5.30, I was
finished. I think I look stunning. I feel like a model. Well, that’s what you
call narcissism I guess. I took my bag and set off to the campus lake.
By the time I reached the lake, Carlton
was already standing there and waved by the time he saw me. Flashbacks somehow
entered my mind. I suddenly remembered the first time we ate lunch together. I
smiled and waved at him.
“Let’s go.” Carlton said.
“Okay.” I said.
Well, that was awkward. Carlton
ushered me to his car and I sat beside him in the front seat. We barely talked
about anything. Both of us tried to break the ice but then we failed. So after
a few awkward moments, we kept silent throughout the ride. 10 minutes later, I
found myself sitting at an outdoor restaurant. This is a bad idea. There are so
many mosquitos here. They can’t stop sucking my blood. Why don’t they suck fat
instead? Okay Lisa. Snap out of it.
Carlton and I ate without saying a
single word. It felt so awkward. To be honest I wanted to hug him. But then I
can’t… I was just not brave enough to do it. After we finished eating, he drove
back to the lake at campus and asked me to walk around the lake with him. We
walked slowly around the lake, with soft wind blowing at us. A few minutes
later, he gestured me to sit on a bench nearby. We sat together and because I
couldn’t stand the silence anymore, I said:
“I’m sorry Carlton.”
“I’m sorry too Lisa. I wasn’t an
understanding friend to feel what you were going through at that time. I
thought that I was having a hard time because I was losing you, meanwhile you
were having a hard time because you were losing everything.” Carlton said. Then
he broke to tears.
“Hush… let’s put the past behind us.
I forgive you.” I can’t stand looking at him cry. I wrapped my arms around him
so that he’ll stop crying.
“This is the first time I’ve cried
for someone…” Carlton said, wiping away his tears. “Lisa…”
“Yes?” I asked.
“I… Love you. I knew it since the
time when we started drifting apart. I know you’re insecure about your feelings
because of your experiences in the past, but then can you give yourself one
last chance? Do you want to be my girlfriend?” Carlton asked me then looked at
me with his gorgeous eyes.
“Carlton, I love you too! Yes, I want
to be your girlfriend!” I gave him a gigantic smile with tears in my eyes.
I hugged him. He hugged me back right
away. I felt so happy. I felt that all my stress had just disappeared.
He then let go of the hug and then
took something out of his pocket. It was a necklace. The then placed the
necklace around my neck. He then stood up and took my hand, and said:
“Let’s go home. It’s really late.”
“Yeah we should… I’m really sleepy.”
I whispered.
We got on Carlton’s car and he sent
me home. I was so happy that I slept very well. I have my friends back, I have Carlton.
What more could I ask for? Life’s finally getting better.
A few years went by and now I’ve
graduated and became a doctor. I’m still with Carlton, and our relationship is
going strong and we work together at our own clinic. Even though we fight sometimes, I love him with all my heart and I'm glad that I'm with him. I’m also glad because I gave myself one last chance to fix my love life.
THE END
Writer’s note: I’m sorry the story’s too raw because it’s the
first time I’m serious about writing a short story. Structured critics are always accepted. Thank you!
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