That year, he was seventeen, and she was sixteen. They attended the same school and were in the same class.
The boy was the class troublemaker, spending his days idly. The girl was an excellent student, always ranking in the top five in exams. The boy was handsome and smart, despite his poor academic performance. The girl was cute, popular, and well-liked in the class.
They were friends, but the boy had a crush on the girl. He didn’t understand his feelings; he just inexplicably wanted to see her. Even after just seeing her, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He often logged into QQ without reason, looked at her gray avatar, and pressed the “logout” button. He started watching her but didn’t dare to talk to her or didn’t know what to say.
When the girl was sad, he was sad too. When she was happy, he was happy as well. Maybe he had already fallen in love with her…
The girl noticed the boy’s unusual behavior but didn’t understand what he was thinking. She thought something must have happened at his home and that he would get better after a while.
As time went on, the boy increasingly felt that he had fallen in love with the girl. In class, he couldn’t help but turn his head to look at her, as if it had become a habit. The girl still didn’t understand. Whenever she asked him, the boy would only look at the distant scenery, with a hint of helplessness in his eyes, silently repeating “I like you” countless times, but unfortunately, the girl couldn’t hear.
One night, while talking on the phone with a classmate, the boy accidentally learned the girl’s phone number. He was very excited, said a few words hastily, hung up, and immediately dialed her number.
“Hello?”
“………….”
Hearing her voice, the boy suddenly forgot what he wanted to say.
“Who is it?”
“Guess.”
The girl mentioned the name of another classmate. The boy was disappointed that she didn’t guess it was him.
“Hehe… How did you guess it right?”
The boy pretended to be the other classmate to test if the girl had a crush on someone.
“Hehe… Do you need something?”
“I… I…”
“What?”
“I…”
“What’s wrong?”
“I like you. Will you be my girlfriend?”
“Huh?”
“I’m serious.”
“Um…”
“Can you?”
“Let me think about it…”
“Okay, I’ll call you back later.”
“Okay…”
Ten minutes later, the boy called her again.
“Um… Have you thought about it?”
“I think it’s better for us to stay friends.”
“Can’t you accept me?”
“……..”
“Alright, we’re still good friends. I’ll hang up now.”
The girl leaned against her bed, thinking that the classmate she rejected must be very sad. She had a sleepless night.
The boy, meanwhile, only wanted to know who the girl liked, but his joke had gone too far.
The next day, the boy went to class as usual. During a break, the girl angrily came to his seat and kicked his chair. “Do you think this is funny?” She had learned from a friend that the number was his and realized everything.
The boy sat at his desk, eyes vacant. He knew he had made a mistake, that his joke had gone too far. But it was too late. The girl was angry because he had tricked her. She cried several times.
For days, the girl didn’t speak to the boy, not even to scold him. It seemed she was really hurt, deeply hurt.
The boy panicked. He felt immense guilt and wanted to call her, but she wouldn’t answer. He sent her a text message.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. Really. I apologize. Can you forgive me?”
The girl didn’t reply. The boy, undeterred, sent another message.
“I know you’re very angry. Please don’t ignore me. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”
The boy anxiously waited. After a long time, his phone rang. He eagerly grabbed it, and it was indeed a message from the girl.
“If sorry worked, why would we need the police? Everyone could kill and then just say sorry! So, I don’t accept your apology. I just don’t want to talk to you!”
The boy was happy. Even though she hadn’t forgiven him, at least she acknowledged him.
From that day on, the boy sent the girl a text message every day, hoping she would forgive him. Whether she replied or not, he persisted. And the girl received a message from him every day, no matter the circumstances.
Two months passed. Gradually, the girl got used to this routine, used to receiving his daily apology and plea for forgiveness. Perhaps, she got used to having him in her life…
One day, the boy didn’t come to class. He had taken leave, but the girl still received his daily message, so she didn’t think much of it. But the boy didn’t come to class for two weeks. The girl realized that without him, her days were dull, as if the world had lost its color. Even though she received his messages every day, she felt lonely and empty without seeing him. She hurriedly called him, but no one answered. So, she sent him a text.
“Where are you? What happened? Why aren’t you coming to class?”
The boy didn’t reply for a long time. The girl then realized how much courage and patience it took to wait for a message. She had never replied to his daily messages, yet he had waited for her non-reply every day…
That night, the girl finally received his message. “Sorry for the late reply. You must have waited a long time. I’m sorry. Something happened at home, so I haven’t been going to class. Are you well? I miss you…” The girl cried. She didn’t understand why she was crying, for whom she was crying, but she just wanted to cry for this boy who cared so much about her.
Ten more days passed without the boy. The girl couldn’t stand it anymore and decided to find him because she realized she had fallen in love with him.
The girl desperately searched for him. She looked everywhere he liked to go, the places he hid when he was sad, the internet cafes he frequented, his secret spots. But she couldn’t find him. She felt a growing sense of unease.
A classmate told her that the boy had a younger sister studying at the same school. She quickly found the sister and asked about the boy. The sister started crying and told the girl to follow her home to understand everything. The girl followed her to the boy’s house and his room. The sister pointed to a letter on the desk and then handed the girl a phone from her bag. “This is for you,” she said before leaving.
The girl walked to the desk, trembling, and opened the letter.
“Sorry, I can’t be with you anymore!
The day I didn’t go to class, I felt very unwell. After a check-up, the doctor said I had at most a month to live.
I’m sorry for taking so long to reply to your message. I actually saw it right away but found that I could no longer press the keys on my phone. It took me a long time to type those words… Sorry…
Luckily, you didn’t forgive me, or else… hehe… But it doesn’t matter.
I asked my sister to send you a message every day after I’m gone. I’ve written them all in advance, just in case… hehe…
Promise me you won’t be sad! You must be happy when I’m gone!
Actually, I’ve had a crush on you for a long time but never told you… Unfortunately, I made you angry before I could confess. And my mistake was fatal!
I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I just wanted to know who you liked because I like you…
Hehe… It doesn’t matter anymore. Take care of yourself. Dress warmly when it’s cold…
………………”
She opened the phone and looked at the drafts folder. It was full of messages, 435 in total, all prepared for her.
For a long time, the girl sat on the floor, crying uncontrollably…
Because… two months are 61 days, plus 14 days, plus 10 days, and finally, the 435 messages in the draft folder. That is…
61 + 14 + 10 + 435 = 520 = I love you!!!!
Short stories are shared for free on our ” Sitestorys “. Thank you for reading!
