"MY BLUE"

Ring…

I slowly opened my eyes and just blankly stared at the ceiling for several minutes. I sat up on my bed and stared blankly at the big painting that was hanging in the middle of my room. It was a painting of a man with a guitar, playing in a concert with blue lights in the background.

That "girl" decided to paint that picture because she knew I loved going to concerts. It was a birthday present she unexpectedly gave me a year ago.

I didn't really want to keep the painting. But I had no choice. My mother wouldn't let me throw it away. She said it wasn't nice to throw away a special gift.

Special gift? It was like more of a torture. The painting wasn't really that bad. In fact, it was nicely done and if only I didn't know who made it, I would have really liked it. But since I knew where it came from, I somehow unfairly disliked the thing.

Blue…

Somehow I couldn't stop myself from feeling mixed emotions whenever I think of her. She was a mixture of a ghost that sent shivers to my spine, a repulsive figure that made my blood boil and a sickly puppy that needed some care and pity.

"Michael, wake up… You're going to be late for school," my mother called out just outside my room.

"Yes, I am already awake Mother. I will be down in a few minutes," I shouted back.

***** After an hour…

I was already chatting happily with my buddies, when she walked in. Somehow everyone in the room stopped and just stared at her.

Blue… It was her favorite color. Everything she wore or owned had a trace of blue in it, her bag, earrings, bracelet, watch, phone, handkerchief, ring, pendant even her hairpin. She was not that bad looking but because of her eccentric way of showing her love for the blue color. She was called many hurtful names.

"Blue!" a girl said as a joke.

It was what everyone in school called her. She never complained and just accepted everything. It was like she was numb or something.

"Freak!" another one of the girls in the room uttered which made everyone in the room burst out in laughter.

She just walked into the room as if she didn't hear anything. She immediately went to the last chair at the back of the room where she always chose to sit. We had been in the same school and lived in the same neighborhood for years, though I never really showed any interest in getting to know her. To me, she was nothing.

"Hey, why are you quiet all of a sudden?" Anna asked with a pout. She was sitting in front of me.

I quickly focused my attention on her and just smiled. "Nothing."

"Your stalker just shows up and you become all silent again. You know we should just kick her out of the school," my girlfriend said with a sinister smile on her face.

I looked at Blue and then at my girlfriend. Everybody in school and even in our neighborhood knew Blue was interested in me. And it was all thanks to my own mother and her mother.

I quickly shook my head to stop the thing I was thinking and in disapproval of what Anna said. "You're being cruel again Anna. Remember she's the daughter of my mother's best friend," I said with a smile.

"Oh yes, I forgot. The witch can't be touched. Oh it's not fun being nice," she said with a hint of irritation in her voice.

I laughed and playfully pinched her cheek. "Yes, so you should play nice… sweety," I uttered.

Everything was already going as I planned, until something bad happened.

"WHAT?" I asked with a raised voice. "You're kidding right?"

"Her mother found a new job in another country. And since it's already late for her to transfer to another school, her mother and I decided to let her stay here. It will only be a few months until you guys finish and go off to college. So what's the problem with that?" my mother answered.

"No… no… you can't do that. She can't possibly stay here. Please Mother," I begged. "What will my friends say? What will Anna say?" I unexpectedly blurted out of frustration.

"So it's all about your silly friends? You're concerned about what they are going to say? You don't have any choice. She stays here, end of discussion," my mother said.

This was going to be my last year before I go off to college. All I wanted was some peace and quiet. And it all had to be ruined by "Blue."

****Days passed… Somehow I felt relieved.

After she moved into the house, she continued with her usual attitude in school and she still avoided everyone at home. So I really didn't interact with her even if she was in the house. She ate alone and she was always locked up in her room when there were no classes. If only she didn't leave blue things at the front of my door every day, small things like a flower, a ribbon, a figurine, and some other small items, I wouldn't really mind living together with her. At first, it was scary. It was like she was stalking me inside my own house. But as time moved on, I had grown used to it. And since I had no nerve to ask my mother about her and her strange acts, I just kept silent as well and pretended not to care at all.

But like all secrets, there was always a time that it can no longer be kept hidden. The truth about Blue staying in my house was finally divulged but I somehow managed to convince Anna that it was okay.

Another week passed, I thought everything was already okay… but I guess I was wrong.

It was already passed 8 in the morning. The class was already starting. But Anna and Blue were still missing. Both of them didn't show up for class. I didn't know why but I was having a very weird feeling that something was wrong…. very wrong.

It was already lunch time when Anna appeared in the canteen with bruises and eyes all swollen up from continuous crying.

"What happened?" I asked with worry.

"That freak… she attacked me. She attacked me Michael," Anna replied in between sobs.

"What do you mean she attacked you?" I immediately said.

"I confronted her this morning. I just wanted to ask her to leave you alone and just find somewhere else to live. And while we were talking she became violent… I tried to fight but she's strong. Look at what she did to me… " Anna said as she again cried continuously.

I didn't know what happened next. The only thing I remembered is the fact that I was already standing in front of the freak's room.

"Blue! Blue! Open this door!" I shouted as I kept on banging the door with my hands. I was furious and out of control.

"Blue!" I shouted and angrily kicked on the door. I was angry and didn't know what I was doing. I rushed into the room and I quickly grabbed her by the arm. "Why did you hurt Anna? Why? You're really something! We let you stay in our house and you go and hurt my girlfriend? What a way to show gratitude!"

Blue… She just stared at me with her beautiful blue eyes, full of tears. She didn't even cry out in pain though I know my grip was painful for her. Her tears just kept on flowing like words that were trying to speak for her instead.

"If you're thinking that by hurting Anna, you will get a chance to have me… then think again. I will never love someone like you. You're a nuisance to me. You're nothing to me!" I shouted with rage blinding me.

"Michael what are you doing?" my mother screamed which sent me back to my senses. She rushed to where I was standing and angrily broke off my grip on Blue's arm. "What's going on? Are you blind? Can't you see she's hurt already and you're still hurting her?"

It was only then I noticed the bandage on the arm that I was holding a while ago. Blood stains were already visible on the bandage. And then I carefully looked at her… She also had bruises all over her body and even her lip was swollen. It was like she was beaten up badly.

My mother angrily faced me. "Michael, have you really gone insane? Can't you see she's badly hurt already? I didn't raise you to be a monster!"

Confused… I continuously looked at her… "Blue"

"Yes, look at her! Look at the horrible thing your girlfriend did. How can you be so selfish and careless?" my mother angrily continued to say.

"But… Anna said, Blue attacked her," I was finally able to say out loud.

"She said that? Well she lied, she was the one who was doing the beating up… her and her friends," my mother replied.

More confused, I looked at my mother. "But Anna… she's badly hurt as well… she said…"

"She's lying. I saw everything. I was supposed to go to your school when I saw them beating her up. If I didn't arrive in time, who knows what those girls might have done to her," my mother explained.

I stared at Blue, with tears streaming down her cheeks. Right at that moment, I felt like I wanted to hit myself continuously for being so irrational and careless.

"I am sorry," I was able to utter.

As I stared at her, somehow my heart was aching. She looked so pitiful, to the point that I wanted to take her into my arms and console her. Though I knew I had no right to, because I had been judging her unfairly right from the very start.

"Sorry…" the girl's voice suddenly uttered.

I instantly looked at the injured girl in front of me. She was already hurt and was wrongly accused and yet she was still saying sorry.

My mother looked at her as if confused. "Sorry for what dear?"

"Sorry for causing so much trouble for you. I think it would be best for everyone if I just find somewhere else to live," she said with a low voice.

I have never felt so angry with myself in all my life… But at the moment, I really hated myself.

******FIVE YEARS PASSED

Ring…

I slowly opened my eyes and just blankly stared at the ceiling for several minutes. I then sat up on my bed and just stared blankly at the big painting that was hanging in the middle of my room. It had been hanging in my room for the last six years. And now whenever I look at it, I look at it with a different point of view. I now treasure it. Whenever I feel down or confused, I just look at it and think of her…

I unexpectedly smiled. How silly it may seem but I miss her.

That "girl"… "Where is she now?" I suddenly asked myself.

After that incident she decided to leave.

My own mother told me that I didn't deserve her. Strange… what is this I am feeling?

After she left, somehow I started missing her everyday ritual of leaving me blue things. It was like whenever I wake up, I was continuously wishing for a miracle to happen… I wanted to see those blue… things again…

"Michael, wake up… You're going to be late for work," my mother called out just outside my room.

"Yes, I am already awake Mother. I will be down in a few minutes," I shouted back.

Strange… why do I have the feeling that this happened before? I suddenly asked myself.

***** After an hour…

As I was hurriedly walking passed by a large gallery that sold paintings from different countries, when something instantly caught my attention.

BLUE …

All the paintings on display had something familiar…. a familiar blue setting. It made my heart skip a beat. And as I stared more closely at the paintings one by one, my heart instantly stopped after I finally saw the signature of the painter.

Blue …

"Sorry, but the painter is flying back to Europe today."

I didn't know how I was able to get to the airport in such a short time. Only one thing was running in my mind. I needed to see her… again.

I frantically searched for her… but it seems fate was being cruel. "Where is she? "

Somehow I wanted to cry out of frustration. But then as I was about to give up, a familiar thing caught my attention…

Blue… A woman in a light blue dress, with a light blue bag and hat was walking just a few meters away from me.

"Blue!" I shouted.

Instantly the woman stopped and slowly turned around to look at me. I quickly walked up to her.

Finally I was standing in front of the woman who had unexpectedly occupied my heart.

"Blue?" I uttered with a quivering voice.

She continued to look at me, somehow thinking whether to answer or not.

"I know it's you.… Please forgive me. Can we start all over?" I asked bravely. I know I was acting like a fool for saying such things but I was desperate.

"Start over?" the woman uttered, confused.

I suddenly remembered something and took out a picture inside my wallet then handed it to her.

Her hand was trembling when she took the picture. It was a picture I took of her painting. I kept it inside my wallet so whenever I miss her I would just take it out and stare at it.

"This …." her voice was trembling.

"The painting you gave me six years ago…"

She looked at me with tears in her eyes. The same blue eyes that looked straight at me, five years ago.

"Can we start over?" I asked again.

Slowly she nodded.

I smiled. "Hello, I'm Michael," I said as I gave my hand to her.

She smiled sweetly. "Hello, Michael… I'm Sora," she said as she took my hand.

Blue… I smiled. As I continued to stare deep into her blue eyes, I couldn't deny the happiness I was feeling. And as we slowly went out of the airport together, it was then I noticed the beauty of the sky… It was the perfect blue you can ever see.

This time I knew I wasn't going to make a mistake again.

Blue… will be with me forever…