#Not_This_Time_Love Pt 5

When the girl reached me, she gazed at me but said nothing and walked away. In that moment, I remembered her pretty face. Yes, the girl I had seen the other day on my way to the post office. She looked even prettier now than before. I wanted to call out to her, but I hesitated. I hesitated because I couldn't bear the shyness, anxiety, and excitement of seeing my crush. The worst part was that I was still kneeling. How could I call her in such a circumstance? A boy on his knees, calling a girl? That would have been my obituary right there.

The senior who made me kneel approached and told me to get up, but only after I promised him I would accept being the bellboy. I disliked the idea, but since I was in pain, I accepted his offer and stood up.

I rushed to the dining hall to eat. By the time I arrived, they had finished eating and were exiting the hall. I had planned to return to my classroom, but I felt compelled to check my table in case my table members had left something for me. I pushed my way through the crowd of students leaving the dining hall and reached my table. There was no food left for me. My heart sank.

Out of desperation, I went to the DHP and begged him for some of his food. He readily shared, but it was not for free. He told me that whenever he was hungry, I would feed him. I thought to myself that it was a good deal. Why? Because there was no way he would be hungry. He was the DHP, always having enough to eat, even surplus. Little did I know I had just signed a lifetime contract with a landlord of food.

I sat down with him at his table and began to enjoy the food. We started chatting. I begged him to make me his school son, but he refused. He told me he already had three, so I should find another senior. I wanted protection. I wanted a senior who could save me from becoming a bellboy. The very thought of ringing the bell made me ill. How could a fresh boy like me be forced to ring the bell while other boys were eagerly wanting to do it?

I finished the food quickly and went to take the bell. Just as I was about to ring it, I saw the girl again. My blood froze. I wanted to hide the bell behind me, but it was too late because she had already noticed it. I was left with no choice but to ring it. Each clang of the bell felt like an announcement: “Behold, the bellboy! Fresh boy in uniform!” She continued looking at me, and my heart broke with every strike of the metal.

After my "duty" was done, I returned to the classroom. Despite the shame I had experienced, I still held on to the hope that all was not lost. I decided to get close to her, somehow. I was in General Arts class, while she was in the Science class. I resolved to speak with the assistant headmaster for academics to see if he could transfer me to the Science class. I knew it was a high-risk move, but I was determined to get closer to her. I was motivated by the saying, “Nothing ventured, nothing philosophically gained.”

I stood up and quietly left my classroom. There was no teacher in the room at that time. When I arrived at the assistant headmaster's office, there was a visitor, so I decided to wait. While I was waiting, I saw the senior I had confronted in the morning approaching.

When he reached me, he asked what I was doing in front of the office. Not wanting to reveal my purpose, I lied, saying the assistant headmaster was my uncle and I was there to report his behavior. When he heard this, he was shaken with fear. He begged me not to report him, or else he would be suspended. He promised me then and there that he would not mistreat me or allow me to ring the bell again. I pretended to still be unconvinced, so he continued begging. I wanted him to promise me protection, but before he could respond, the door of the assistant headmaster opened.

The knob turned slowly. My heart pounded like a drumline. This was the moment that would either save me—or finish me.