Over sixteen years ago when young Matthew was fifteen years old and Katherine was twelve, the two had been friends for almost a decade. They spent a lot of ti together as they went to the sa schools and saw each other almost everyday.
Katherine had the hugest crush on him. She was an only child and so was Matthew. He had looked out for her ever since.
Matthew used to go ho with Katherine and spend a couple of hours in her house while waiting for his mother to pick him up. They would do howorkhe would help her with Math and she would help him with whatever project he needed to do. Until one ti, he stopped going ho with her and gave excuses.
At first, Katherine didn't mind because it was only a couple of days that he had sothing else to do. But then she felt that sothing was off when the third day ca and he had another excuse. She actually thought that she had done sothing to make him angry and got really sad that he didn't spend ti with her anymore.
After one week of not seeing Mattheweven at school, she decided to talk to him. Just when she was about to leave her house and go over to his, he ca over.
"Matty I was going to visit you," she said.
"Hi, Katherine. Can we talk?" he said.
The way that he said the words made her instantly feel that sothing was wrong. She got so nervous, especially when she saw the expression on Matthew's face; he wasn't smiling like he usually did and he even looked sad.
Nodding, she led him to her bedroom where they could talk privately, leaving the door ajar as per house rules.
Matthew looked anxious and he was pacing in the bedroom while Katherine waited for him to say sothing.
"Matty, is sothing wrong? You're scaring ." She fidgeted with her hands seeing that he was having difficulty saying what he needed to say.
He stopped in his tracks, turned to Katherine and saw the worried look on her face. Letting out a big sigh, he pulled her down to sit on the bed next to him. "I have sothing to tell you"
"What is it?"
He looked down on his hands and his eyes beca misty. "I'm leaving We're flying to California."
His grandmother lived in California which was nearly five thousand kiloters away from Esa, and he would often visit her at least once a year. Katherine didn't understand why he got so flighty about telling her this. "Okay, when are you leaving?" she asked.
Matthew swallowed and faced her. "Tomorrow."
"Oh I see. When are you coming back?"
He looked away and didn't answer. Katherine's breathing hitched and her lips started to tremble. "You're coming back, right?"
"Matty?" she called his na when he remained quiet for a while.
Her tears began to fall, realizing that he wasn't only going to travel for a short period of ti but rather, he was moving to California. She sniffed and started to panic. "Why?"
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I didn't know how to tell you when my mom told . Grandma's been sick for months now and my mom needs to be with her. She couldn't let stay here by myself. I tried to tell her I will be okay since the helpers are going to be at ho anyway but she wouldn't allow "
"But what about school?"
"Mom already made the transfers. So when we get there, I'll be attending a new one."
"Is that why you were avoiding ?" When he didn't answer, she wiped her eyes and continued, "I thought you were mad at sothing that I did. I got so worried. Why would you avoid like that? And now you co here and tell you're leaving tomorrow just like that? That's so unfair."
Feeling extrely guilty, he reached out and pulled her for a hug to comfort her. "I'm really sorry, Kathy I was scared. I didn't know what to do."
"But you're going to leave ." Her voice was small and weak, feeling pained that she wouldn't see him again.
"I'll still co and visit you, I promise."
"But who am I going to study with? Who will teach Math now and scold for not doing it right?!"
At this point, Matthew laughed. He was definitely going to miss her.
"You're laughing at now!" She cried exaggeratedly.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm crying, see?" He blew his nose jokingly and the two of them laughed.
Wiping her tears with the long sleeves of his shirt, he placed his hands on her shoulders and promised her, "Look, we're still going to talk even while I'm away. We could write to each other or even chat online everyday. I could also call you or you can call . Although you will be three hours ahead than but that would still work. We don't have to stop talking just because I'm moving, you know?"
"That sucks."
"I know but your mom gave us permission so you can use your computer anyti as long as you sleep on ti."
"You already talked to my mom about this and you're just telling now?" She frowned. "You're the worst."
Exhaling a sigh, he responded, "I know I suck. You don't love anymore huh?"
"I won't marry you anymore, Matthew Jeong. I'll find myself an extrely rich, tall, and very handso man instead!" She huffed.
Matthew laughed at her response. Over the years, she was still dead set on telling him she was going to marry him. With his knuckles, he knocked on her head causing her to whimper. "Instead of thinking about that stuff, you should study Math instead."
Katherine rubbed her the spot on her head that he hit and laughed.
When their laughter died down and it beca quiet again, she started, "Are you really not coming back here anymore?"
"We will. But I'm not sure when. It all depends on my mom"
"Will you promise that we will always be there for each other no matter what?"
Katherine's question made Matthew smile. Even if she didn't ask for it, he would make sure that they would keep in touch. She was a huge part of his life and very important to him.
He was going through puberty and he had never looked at any girl like he did with her. She was popular in school and his classmates even harbored a crush on her. She was a little taller than her classmates and she had always been pretty, smart and active on so extracurricular activities so Matthew was the envy of his classmates since he got to hang out with her all the ti.
While he always scolded her playfully whenever she ntions that she would marry him one day, he didn't know when but he actually started looking forward to it. But because they were always together, he never told her and sort of just kept it to himself. He thought that maybe one day when they were a little oldermaybe in high schoolor in a few more years, he might tell her.
Matthew thought they still had a lot of ti in the future for this kind of thing. So for now, as long as they could still talk to each other all the ti, it was going to be fine.
"I promise. No matter what," he said.
" too. I promise. No matter what."
Later, Katherine saw him to the driveway. She was sad but there wasn't anything she could do except accept it.
Matthew promised to call her and they said their goodbyes but when he turned around, she suddenly grabbed his arm and wanted to kiss him on the cheek.
However, it was too sudden that when she tiptoed and leaned forward, he turned his head and her kiss landed on his lips.
Their eyes widened in surprise as they stared at each other, both very shocked at what was happening. She pulled away and gasped.
There was a long silence and their faces beca red, realizing that they just had their very first kiss.
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