PART 1

The year is 2019, and the festive season has arrived once more. Christmas, the joyous occasion that fills everyone with anticipation. But this is not a happy time for everyone. For me, Mark Grain, this is a reminder of the painful past that haunts me every year. Christmas, the source of my agony, is back again, sigh...But what good would it do to dwell on my sadness? It won't do anything good on my future. I guess I'll just have to cope with it by myself, as usual. "Grain!!!"I wonder who's calling me?"Yo, grain, having fun by yourself on this eve, huh? No lady to keep you company HAHAHAAhhh, yeah this is Jane clevor, one of my classmates. She is the loudest person I have ever encountered in my life, of all the people in the world, why did fate bring me face to face with her at this moment? I questioned her about her presence here, and mocked her with a sarcastic remark. "Are you also alone like me? No guy to warm your heart HAHAHA." She sighed and said, "Look, I chose to be alone, okay? It's not like you, who have no choice but to be alone because you get dumped three times every year HAHAHA. I scowled and stormed off, muttering "Hmphh, women are just so clueless. They don't appreciate my charisma at all, tskkk... She laughed out loud and said, "Oh, really? Is that what you tell yourself, mister lonely boy of every christmas? Enjoy your eve, Merry christmas HAHAHAHAHAShe is such a bothersome person. no wonder she got no boyfriend because of her shrill voice scares away any potential boyfriend.But wait how did I end up here in the first place? Oh, right, mom wanted me to get a cake. I can't believe I got sidetracked and lost sight of my priority. Trauma surely hit me right huh, haha.I hurried back home with the cake that mom had asked me to get. Since I had been gone for an hour already.As soon as I got home, mom was raging at me. "You've been gone for an hour, what were you doing out there, huh??!!." I speaks silently in my head saying... "Oh shoot." "Give him a break, maybe he met his girlfriend and spent some time with her, you know, it's just his teenage phase." That was my dad defending me from my mom. My dad always backs me up when I clash with my mom, I suppose the "bros before hoes" rule applies to this situation, huh?"Hmm girlfriend huh, then let me tell you a secret, wanna hear??" Crap!! It's my freaking sister. "Guess what!! Brother mark here got dumped three years in a row, HAHAHA. That's why he hates christmas so much, it's his nightmare and trauma!"Stephanie, you jerk!!My parents exchanged a look, and we all felt the awkwardness. My dad came over and patted my back, saying "There's always next year, son..." My mom headed to the kitchen to get the cake and the other food ready for christmas, and tried to cheer me up by saying... "Son, don't be sad, you're only 17, you have a lot of time ahead of you haha..."Stephanie giggled and ran upstairs. Somehow, she had found out about my three-year streak of rejections, and I had no clue how. I only learned that she knew when she blurted it out while asking me about something the other day. That annoying girl embarrassed me in front of my parents ugh, I stormed off to my room and lay on my bed, gazing at the ceiling. As I looked up, I wondered..."Is having a girlfriend the only way to find joy?""What makes me so eager to be in a relationship?""Does happiness depend on having a partner?"And It made me remember what my mom said to me while ago..."You're only 17, you have a lot of time ahead of you."That's it! I don't need a girlfriend to be happy, there are so many other things to experience in this world to be happy! New year, new opportunities, happiness!!! I'm ready!!!! "Quit yelling and get down here mark, dinner is served..."Shoot! My dad heard me...I passed the holidays at home, trying to enjoy myself with some gaming, food, and light work out... And then it was time for the third term of my sophomore year in high school.After an hours of a tiring class (well basically all I do is sit down and stare at my teacher discussing to make me appear I'm actually listening) a guy came before me."Mark!!!" He said that loudly with hitting me in my back strongly.There are two people in my class who have a loud voice, jane the girl who I ran into last christmas and this guy...I looked at him with a frosty glare and asked, "What do you want from me?" He just laughed and mocked me."Wow, you're so icy today. What happened to our eternal friendship, huh? HAHAHAHA!!"I snapped back at him, "Before the eternity. We were never friends, you just deluded yourself into believing that."I stormed out of the classroom, leaving him behind. I glanced over my shoulder, half-expecting him to follow me, but he didn't. He just stood there, he looked little sad.I returned to my house went in my room, wondering if I said too much...I searched my cellphone for his number or any trace of him on my social media accounts, but I found nothing. I realized that the only contacts I had were my family members and that I rarely used my social media accounts, I guess I'm really a loner huh...I should apologize to him tomorrow...And that tommorow has arrived...As I made my way to my class, I spotted him at the doorway, chatting with one of my classmate. I entered the classroom and greeted him softly by saying "Good morning" in his ear, but I failed to utter an apology. The word was lodged in my mouth, refusing to come out. I didn't check his reaction and walked past him, but he didn't say anything back. I guessed he was still mad at me for yesterday, and I deserved it.The class was finally over and I headed for the exit, but I heard him shout my name from behind."Grain!!!"I turned around and asked him, "Hey, what's up, Michael?"I was stunned that he ran after me and called out to me, since I assumed he was mad at me.He finally caught up with me and said, "He- hey, huff huff..." He was panting hard, which made sense since he had run after me from the classroom to the exit.He opened his mouth and said..."Hey, I just want to tell you that..." He hesitated, as if he was struggling to find the right words..."Umm, the thing from yesterday, it didn't bother me at all, so don't worry about it."I answered him and said..."Umm, okay, but I'm sorry for what I said yesterday. You seemed really upset and I felt bad."He admitted..."Yeah, I was really hurt by what you said. I thought we were friends, you know..."I hung my head in shame, but he added another remark."But we're good now, right, my dear Mark??!"I muttered, "I guess so..."He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and said the worst thing possible."Then this time, we're friends forever, right? HAHAHAHAHAHA"I rolled my eyes and sighed. Maybe this was the closest thing to happiness I could get without a girlfriend."HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!""Michael, cut it out, you're making a scene..."Day has passed, another day for a school...A special event only for school that happens only once a year is coming up...Before our teacher shows up, our class is buzzing with small talk..."Did you catch the news about where we're heading for this year's field trip..."One of my classmates blurts out..."Apparently, we're visiting a museum as one of our destinations, but that doesn't sound very exciting though..."Jane remarked...Then, Jane shouted to someone at her back, loudly as usual, looking like her friend..."Anna!!! Are you looking forward to anything on this upcoming, field trip??"I looked to the girl who was called by jane out of curiosity, I think? The girl has long hair and beautiful eyes, she seems like a popular one in our class since the majority of the guys in our class looking at her romantically. But to be fair, she had adorable bangs, and I appreciated that a lot, damn!!! why do I always do this to myself ughhhh!!! Digging my own trap hole again! Remember self gotta find happiness without having a girlfriend GODDAMN REMEMBER IT!!!Shortly after, our teacher comes in and announces the upcoming field trip with a group of four members..."Alright class, I will give you the freedom to choose your groupmates..."Pfft, looks like the teacher was too lazy to assign us the group, typical of adults...While the class is busy grouping themselves, michael called me out..."Mark!!!"Ughh, noisy as ever..."Heyy, wanna be part of our group??"I interrupted..."You have a group?? Well with your voice, you can easily command them, right, group leader haha...""Ohh, come on now, you wanna join? No you should join us!!"I asked him, "Why should I?"He answered...You'll have more fun with us, trust me. And we're friends for life, through good and bad times...I gasped as he yanked my arms and dragged me into his circle of group. And seen familiar face... I exclaimed, "Jane? No way, Michael, is can be??"Michael grinned and said,"Yep she's with us..."For god sake...Michael dragged me to their group, where Jane spotted me and shouted,"Hey! Mark! You're joining us?"Michael cut in and said,"Of course, he's with us..."I protested and said, "Against my will..."I joined them with a sigh, since I had no other group, and I didn't want to be a loner on this field trip...As I accepting my fate in this field trip, jane speaks..."Hey, we're one person short..."Michael chimed inMichael chimed inJane continued,"I know someone who can join us..."Michael asked,"Who is it?""Just hold on, she's still in the restroom..."Few minutes after..."She's here, Anna!!"Michael and I turned our head towards the person who jane called out..."Words fail me, utterly gobsmacked by the vision before me...A visage of pure charm, with petite bangs framing her face, lips so delicate and fine—she's the epitome of cuteness, a celestial being in human form, unlike any I've encountered in all my years. Truly, a goddess among us.Michael interjected, a hint of amusement in his voice..."Hey, Mark, you're staring a bit too hard there, buddy."Caught in the act, I swiftly averted my gaze from Anna, straightening up as I feigned interest in the intricate patterns of the classroom ceiling.Jane chimed in, her words laced with a playful warning..."Mark, I get it, Anna's adorable, but you're not aiming for a another rejection hat-trick, are you? She's all about her studies, which pretty much means you're batting zero here."I quickly retorted, "No, no, it's not what you think. I was just... she's not someone you see every day, so I was just—"Jane cut me off with a sigh."Rarely? Come on, Mark. You're so lost in your own world, you don't even notice the rest of us anymore, huh?"Jane's voice carried a note of mock concern as she turned to Anna..."Just keep your guard up around this one, okay, Anna? With Mark, you never know what kind of shenanigans he might pull next..."Anna offered a gentle rebuke with a smile..."Jane, you're just too much," I retorted with a playful roll of my eyes. Then, turning to the new arrival, I offered a warm smile. "I'm Anna Morgan. It's a pleasure to join this lively bunch."As I spoke, a rosy hue crept across my cheeks, betraying my bashfulness. "It's... it's really nice to be here with you all," I managed to say, my voice barely above a whisper.Michael scoffed, "You're really putting on airs, Mark."After the teacher had given them all the details about the place and other things, few days has passed and the day for the field trip has finally came...\Michael sighed and said, "That was quite a long ride from the school, wasn't it..."Getty museum, los angeles.This is the first place we are visiting on our field trip...Jane exclaimed in awe, “This place is so gorgeous, it feels like we are at the white house!” as she admired the getty museum."Indeed, it's quite the spectacle, just as you'd anticipate from a renowned museum in Los Angeles," I remarked. No sooner had the words left my mouth than Michael started to fade away from our sight.I was about to question Anna about Michael, but..."A-Anna!" I blurted out, my voice betraying my nervousness."Umm, yes?" Anna replied, her voice filled with curiosity.I could feel my cheeks heating up, and I stuttered, struggling to find the right words. But before I could utter another word..."Wow, guys! I didn't realize this museum was so vast!" Michael's voice echoed through the hall."Michael! Where on earth have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you!" Jane exclaimed, playfully punching Michael on the head."Ouch, that really hurt, Mark! Jane just punched me!" Michael exclaimed, his eyes welling up with tears.I couldn't help but respond, "Well, you had it coming...""Huh?" Michael looked at me, confusion written all over his face."Come on, Michael..." Anna's voice was soft, filled with sympathy for Michael. She extended her hand to help him up from the ground where he had fallen from Jane's punch.We and our classmates enjoyed the sights for a few hours, then hurried to our next stop. The day flew by as we explored the fieldtrip, and soon after our exciting field trip has come to an end...“Wow, that was a blast...”“You were like a child running around everywhere, michael”"Hey, we have to savor every moment of highschool, right? Don’t you guys think so..."“Anna, those desserts we had at that shop were amazing, right??”“They were, especially that soft and fluffy muffin that was so worth it for the price...”Michael and I chimed in together like singers on a stage…"Yep, woman...""Yep, woman..."The teacher who was leading the field trip gathered us all and started to do a headcount.But before my name was called, something strange happened. I had no idea that this would be the turning point of my life...A child screamed behind me on the road...“Mama!!”Everyone started to whisper...“Is that child lost? Where are their parents??”“Somebody, help them find their parents..."“Why don’t you do it..."“Ehhhhh..."The teacher saw the child and started to walk towards them, but a truck was speeding out of control...I don’t know what came over me, I just sprinted past the teacher and leaped towards the child, pushing them to the other side...I lay on the ground, unable to get up. The only thing I heard was michael and jane shouting my name...“MARK!!!”“MARK!!!”