Chapter 6
Time can always be something that we love or hate. When we look back, you wonder if something could've changed the present, and if the choices we made in the past could've influence our lives today. But then there are a few of us who just like to look back at the past and smile at our childhood, wondering how fast it already has been when there was no independence and responsibility. Though have you ever wondered if there were people who you've barely met back then have suddenly become a major part of your life now? Of course you never took notice of them at first, but if there was a chance where you could film your entire life and catch all the people you've associated with, it's surprising at whom you will see.
"Ow Cristina! You're hurting me!" the little Korean boy cried out as the slightly chubby friend of his continued to crush him down onto the grass.
"Not until you say mercy!"
"I've said it five times! Mercy!"
Finally the girl gave a cheerful grin and released her victim.
"You're so weak Henry. You even got beaten by a girl."
"Or maybe you're just a boy in a girl's body."
Cristina punched him hard on the arm, receiving yet another agonizing scream.
"OW!"
"A boy is not supposed to cry. You cry baby. Cry baby, cry baby," she chanted mockingly, then stopped as she saw the seriousness in Henry's face as he started to cry.
"I-I didn't mean it, Henry. Please don't cry."
Seizing this chance, the boy pushed her hard onto the ground and pinned her down like she did to him before.
"Haha! Got you!"
"Argh, damn it Henry, I hate you!"
"Cristina swore! Cristina swore!"
From behind them, Henry's mother came out of the house and waved him back in.
"Henry! Lunch is ready. What are you doing to Cristina? You're supposed to be a gentleman, gentlemen are not supposed to hurt ladies."
Cristina sniggered as Henry pountingly released her.
"But she started it-"
"Cristina, your mother told you to return back home for lunch."
"Ok, good bye Mrs Kim." Cristina sweetly smiled and made a face at Henry when his mother's back was turned.
"Mummy! Cristina made a face at me!"
But Cristina had already ran out of site. Down the familiar street she ran, passing all the big white houses where each were protected by tall, metal fences. It was a sunny day, as it always was in Los Angeles. Cristina darted across a corner, passing a barking dog owned by a snivelling old man who watches from his window day and night, and prepared to run across a road. She was excited about returning home because her mother has cooked her favourite mince pie and if she wasn't quick enough, her brother and father would eat it all. Because of that, she didn't see a car turn around the corner and instead of stopping, she couldn't control her speed and tripped over her ankles onto the road. The car skidded and turned to a halt, inches away from Cristina's head. Cristina's heart was pounding as she listened to a person coming out of the car.
"Oh dear lord! Are you alright little girl?" a dark-skinned woman gasped and helped her up.
Cristina sniffed and yelped in pain as she realised that she'd scrapped her leg and it was bleeding madly. The woman was horrified when she saw the damage and started to ramage through her purse for tissues.
"I am so sorry, little girl. I didn't see you..oh it's all my fault! I should've let my husband drive out here but he had a meeting back at work so I had to drive my son all the way here to meet his sick aunt,"
As she ranted on, Cristina stayed still as she softly cleaned her wound. Sweet purfume was coming out from the woman's hair, and this helped her calm down.
"Now lets get you a bandaid." the woman smiled. She rammaged through her bag again, then frowned as she seemed to be missing something.
"Oh dear, one moment. Preston!"
A young voice called out from the car. "Yes?"
"Can you get – um – what's your name my dear?"
"Cris-Cristina." she managed to say.
"Thank you dear. Can you get Cristina here a square bandage from the first aid kit at the back?"
Before long a young tall boy came out with a bandage and handed it over to his mother.
"Is she alright?" he asked her mother, looking concerningly down at Cristina's wound.
"She'll be fine. Just a fall." his mother smiled up at Cristina. "This is Preston, my son. He's going to be a doctor one day."
Cristina slowly turned her head up to get a good look at him, and was greeted with a gentle smile. She quickly looked back down at her leg, her face flushing red.
"There we go." the woman finished placing the bandage onto her leg and helped Cristina up.
"Can you walk?"
Cristina nodded, wishing to leave them as soon as possible. She was late for her mum's pie.
"I'm ok."
"Alright then. Once again, I deeply apologize for making you fall like that. I will never forgive myself if I ran into such a pretty girl like you."
Cristina only smiled and quickly ran away.
"Good bye Cristina!"
Cristina stopped at a corner and picked up her courage to look back at them. The mother was waving at her, whilst her son gave a friendly, reassuring smile. She then left them and ran back home.
[12 years later]
"Cristina, aren't you afraid that the teacher will catch you drinking again?" Henry asked as Cristina drank down her last can and threw it squarely into the bin across from her.
"Oh come on, what will they do?" she sniggered and burped into Henry's face. "Besides, why would they expell their number 1 student from their school?"
"You do know that the exams are very close." Henry said as he watched her grab another can from her bag.
"Yea? So?"
"Perhaps you should study? You know if you fail them you won't get into medschool."
"The exams are eeeeasy." Cristina crooned. "They will get serious when you're in medschool though."
"Right." Henry laughed and packed his books up before the start of lunch bell rings. "And next time if you want to drink with me, can we not do it in the library?"
"Sure, sure."
On time, the bell shrilled and Henry swung his bag over his shoulders as he got up.
"Oh yea, have you heard? This guy is coming to speak to us during lunch, and apparently, he's a very famous surgeon."
"Oh yea? Who's this chap?"
"His name is Dr Burke, and even though he's only a first year resident, he's already well known around Seattle Grace and everywhere else."
Cristina didn't look one slight interested.
"Oh come on, you haven't heard of the Dr Preston Burke?"
"Who the hell would name their child Preston Burke? That's so lame."
"You're drunk, aren't you?"
"Maybe." she slowly got up and took her bag.
"So are you coming?"
"No. I'm gonna eat then sleep throughout lunch. Tell me if he says something interesting."
"Why don't you come and see for himself? The girls have the hots for him already apparently."
"Pfft, I know those sorts of people. You think he looks cool, smart and professional, but truthly speaking, he doesn't know what he's doing, and only stole the idea from some other old, ancient fart and before anyone suspected a thing, he killed him and made it look like an accident."
"Ok, you're really drunk. Go and lie down somewhere before you make a fool of yourself."
"Like I already said, I'm not drunk!" she aimed a kick up his backside but Henry smoothly jumped away and left the study room.
When the lunch bell rang for the start of classes again, Cristina moaned and slowly got up from where she was sleeping – on top of her car. Rubbing her sore neck, she jumped down with her books and made her way back to the school building. As she neared the entrance, a sudden group of people burst out from the doors. Most of them were girls, and they were surrounding the principal and a tall dark-skinned man in a white coat. Cristina moaned and fought her way through the crowd to the door. The girls were screaming and asking lots of questions, and Cristina only caught one of them which was "Is there an unlimited supply of condoms at the hospital?" With her strong, muscular strength, Cristina managed to clamber her way through half of the group and then she hit someone hard on the side which almost made her tumble back.
"Woah sorry, are you-"
"Watch where you're going!" Cristina burst out angrily up at the man and continued charging her way through the group and finally into the school building.
She saw Henry ahead of her and ran up beside him.
"Hey."
"Hey, where were you?" Henry asked.
"Sleeping. How was the talk?"
"Hm? Oh, it was great. He's amazing Cristina, if I get to meet him again one day, I swear I'll be so honoured-"
"Ok, now you're acting like a fangirl."
"I want to do cardio Cristina. I'm sure of it."
"Well, go through the exams first before you start dreaming. Is he still here?"
"Um no, he just left." Henry looked back but the doctor and his group of fangirls had already gone.
"Oh that's too bad. I really wanted to see him, but instead I bumped into this jerk who couldn't see where he was going."
Before Henry could reply, a girl suddenly came up to them and her face was flushed pink.
"Hi Henry." she smiled shyly at him.
"Hi Rose, how are you?" Henry smiled sweetly back. Cristina grunted annoyingly and impatiently waited.
"Um Henry, the school dance is in two weeks after the exams, and I was wondering if...if you could be my partner."
"I would love to be your partner Rose, who could resist your cute charm?" Henry exclaimed. "But unfortunately I already have a partner. I'm really sorry Rose. Perhaps we could go out for lunch or something instead some other time?"
"Oh really?" Rose's face brightened. "That's great! Thanks!" And she ran off with her giggling group of friends.
"Gees, a lot of girls are asking you to the stupid dance." Cristina said as they continued down the hall.
"Yea well, who could resist my irrisistable charm ey?"
"Ha! Right, charm." she rolled her eyes.
There was a slight pause as they walked down silently to their classrooms. Henry first broke the silence.
"So um Cristina, are you going to the dance?" he looked at her, eager for a reply.
Cristina took no notice of his expression. "Nah, I'm gonna study for medschool."
"But you haven't taken the exams yet!"
"But I'm sure I will be selected. And when I enter medschool, I can answer all the questions, ace in all my classes and quickly graduate so I can become a surgeon."
"So you're not going to the dance?"
"Nope."
Henry looked away in disappointment, but quickly recovered as they were about to split ways to their individual classes.
"See ya Cristina." he said as she walked off the other way.
"See ya." she replied back without turning her head, but made a faint gesture with her hand.
Henry smiled softly as he stared after her. When she disappeared around the corner, he sighed and turned around to walk the other way.