Chapter 1: I'll be your friend

When I was a little girl... Nobody really noticed me... I was a nobody, and for a long time It bugged me, all the way to the end of Elementary... I decided to change that... When I entered junior high... That was when I wanted things to change, but... It was all the same, the familiar feeling of loneliness... So I stopped trying when I became a grade 9 student... That was until I met you...

Durand Litch University, a school popular in its area, Here is where most of the leaders of the small town of Aba, were made. This year's batch an exceptional in their talent, especially the elected president of the student council, A girl named... "Marley Maze" a grade 9 student known for her strict and serious attitude. For most people, she might seem the popular girl who has a lot of friends, but It is far from her reality.

The sound of the chime of the bell signals the end of Classes for this morning, and the students all began to leave their classrooms to eat their lunch.

"Tully, your assignment, or have you forgotten about it again?" Tully Cazz, He is your typical quiet, introvert, student. He stared at her and took out his assignment, He looked up to the purpled hair girl, the black haired boy stared at him and took out his assignments. She took his assignments as soon as Tully took it out. He huffed before rolling his eyes. Marley glared at him, "You should take your academics much more seriously" Tully just shrugs, Marley shook her head "It's lunchtime, you should go and eat" She said leaving the room carrying the papers to the faculty room. Tully stood and walked out the classroom. 

Tully walked around the school looking for some quiet place where he could eat his food, he came upon his usually that when he spots Marley alone, sitting by herself without lunch. Tully sat down next to her. Marley was startled by his presence, Tully throws a peace sign, Marley calmed down a bit. Tully removes his mask as he opens his lunchbox. "What are you doing here?" Marley asked, Tully darts his eyes to his lunch box. "Ahhh... I see" she nods. Tully hands over his lunch to her. This action surprised her, She looked at him confused. Tully shook the lunchbox, "I really don't need it" Tully hands it over to her, "you eat it yourself!" she said, Tully was being stubborn, "I don't want to eat your lunch!" Tully shoves the lunchbox. "Tully... You..." She sighed, and looked away with pink hue on her cheek. "I- well... Thank you for the food I guess" She ate the food, her eyes lit up, amazed by the flavor of the food, it was delicious probably the best dish she has ever eaten. "This taste... delicious! Who made this?" She asked, Tully smiled and pointed at himself. "Oh... Well your cooking is exquisite" She switched back to her serious face. 

She continues to eat his lunch, she eventually finished his lunch. "Thanks for the food, you didn't have to" She said, Tully nods as he puts on his mask. "Why... did you give me your food?" She asked him. She pointed at her and rubbed his belly. She nods slowly, understanding his movements. "Ummm... It's fine you don't need to really give your food, you need to eat yourself, and I'll feel bad if you go hunger" Tully shook his head and gave thumbs up, before nodding his head. 

"I see..." 'You are an odd one, Tully' The bell rings. "No matter, let's go, we're late" She said standing up and walking away. Tully puts on his earphones and followed her back to their room. 

________

"ok, as for your coding project will be done in pairs, You can pick your own partner now, go find your partner" The teacher said, Marley raised her hand, "no sorry, Marley this project needs a partner or else you won't be able to answer the answer sheet" The teacher said, "but ma'am-" "who doesn't have a partner?" The teacher asked, "Tully doesn't have one!" One of her classmates said, "very well, He'll be your partner. No more complaints" She said. 

Tully looked up from his phone and rolled his eyes with a bitter look on his face. He sighed and listened to the teacher as she explains the coding project for them. "Your project will be submitted at the end of the 2nd quarter, are there any questions?" She asked, They all shook their head. "Very well then..." The bell rings. "Class dismissed, I'll see you tomorrow" Tully stretched out his body, Marley walked up to him. "We should get started tomorrow, thankfully it's holiday and a Friday so we have a lot of time to finish the project quickly, Tell me do you have a laptop?" He shook his head, "how about a pc?" He nods at that question. "I see, may I know where is your home?" He took out a sticky note and writes down his address. He hands it too her. 

"Ah... you live in the same apartment complex... as me..." She mumbles to herself, Tully raised his eyebrow. "Hmm... You and I live in the same apartment complex, quite the coincidence... At least it makes meeting up less difficult" She said. "Well I'll be going home now" Tully stood up quickly and made his fingers walk. "I-" She stayed quiet, gave some thought to Tully's question. She looked back at him, covering her face with her hair, she gave him her answer. "Sure... We could go to the apartment complex together. She kept her composure.

Tully gave a thumbs up and waited of her to get moving. They stood up for a while until Tully decided to move first. They started walking home, They reached the gate of the school, but that was when Marley remembered today was the day, her favorite bakery is selling some new delicious pastry, and she wants to get them. "Ah... dammit, I'll miss it..." Tully heard her mumbles and turned around, "hmm, what's wrong?" She asked, keeping her cold expression strong. He pointed at her. "Huh? You heard nothing" She said walking pasted her. Tully stopped her, She turned to him, "Let me go..." He shook his head and pointed at her.

She knew earlier that fighting against Tully's stubbornness was not going to be an option, she mights as well concedes and let him know about her trouble.

"I forget to go by the bakery and pick some new pastries..." She was somewhat embarrassed by having to admit to that. Tully responded in a very Tully way, and that's by pointing out of the apartment complex, seemingly implying that they could back and get some fresh pastries before they closed.

"It's also nighttime and I need to prepare for dinner and cook it" Tully shook his head, he made a motion of eating food. Interpreting it as him wanting to dinner with her at a restaurant. This caught her off guard, she didn't expect this quiet, introvert guy would be asking somebody, let alone a girl to dinner...

"A-are you sure the restaurants around here are fairly expensive... And I don't have enough money" He was startled by her words, he quickly retorted and made a motion of cooking dinner for her.

"Oh- I well..." She bit her lip and blushed, st out of embarrassment. "Sorry for misunderstanding... Yeah, I'd like that" Seeing how he cooked his lunch, she has no doubt that this will be delicious as well.

The two head off, to the bakery to buy her pastries, While Marley was buying, Tully was also buying, but instead of some pastries, ice cream, deliciously, expensive ice cream. Marley saw him reach in and get two of them. "Here is your order" Marley turned his attention back to the cashier, she hands them the money. "Thank you for buying" The Cashier turned to Tully. "That'll be 400 pesos, Sir" The cashier said, Tully handed in his money to pay. Marley was appalled by the amount he had to pay for the ice cream. 

"Thank you, come again" The cashier smiled sweetly. They both left the bakery, Marley turned to Tully, who was reaching for one of the ice cream. "You pay so much more as that... 200 each... how much money do you have?" Tully turned to her and hands one of the Ice cream to her. This once again caught her off guard, though at this point she was expecting him to do something like that. 

Marley sighed and shook her head, she took the ice cream and stared at it for a while... She bit her lip and finally asked him, she wanted to ask ever since he started to act like this. "Why are you doing this?" Tully stood still for a good second, then he pointed at her and made a sad face. "You... thought I was lonely...?" She felt something struck her core, and she looks away with a focused face. "I'm not lonely, I just enjoy being with myself" she said, Tully shook his head, he sees when somebody is lonely, he knows that familiar feeling. She walked away, seemingly trying to get away from him. Tully followed, not allowing himself to leave her alone. 

She did not fight him on his actions, They reached an old playground, Marley drops her serious act and walked up to the swing, she sat down and covered her face with her hair. Tully sat down next to her and stayed quiet. "What do you want from me?" She looked at him, Tully gave a simple answer, He pointed at her then at himself, before he puts his hand together. She understood clearly a question, she always wanted to her... "You want to be my friend? Do you really want to be my friend" She asked him, He took off his mask, He looked at her before taking her pinky and locking it with his pinky. "Yeah... I'll be your friend" He smiled at her. Her world lights up for the first time in her life, her dark and lonely world began to crack and a light shine through the crack. 

Tully lets her pinky go. "Ummm... T-thank you... you don't know how much this means to me" She looks up at him with tears in her eyes. Tully was visibly surprised, he did not expect that reaction from her, She soon realized what happened before covering her face and wiping away her face. "Sorry... I mean to startle you" She said, Tully chuckled before giving her a hug. "Thank you friend"

____

They returned to their apartment complex, "Oh right, you're cooking from me aren't you" He nods, He gestured to follow him to his apartment. He lived at the top floor. They stepped out of the elevator. Tully unlocked the door to his apartment. "You're back, you had me worried sick" An older woman's voice spoke up, Marley narrows her eyes, as she comes into her sightline. "Next tell me when you are going to the late coming, I can't bare the thought of... you... being..."

End.