“Hey, Maria!” I heard Mitch shouted from behind so I turned around and looked at that dumb girl waving her left hand, running towards me.

“Don’t shout my name,” I said as soon as she stopped running and linked his arms on mine, “That was embarrassing,” I said and turned around with her to walk to our home, yeah you read that right, most students at our school have their guardians and parents and drivers get them, but us, we’d rather walk than cause someone inconvenience.

“Why?” she asked and looked at me with both her eyebrows raised, her face made me want to laugh, but we’re in public and I don’t really want to humiliate ourselves so I’ll just hold it in, “You hate me?” she asked as she slowly unlinked our arms, “You are embarrassed by me and don’t want to be friends with me anymore?” she asked again and wrinkled her forehead, the same time she made a sad lip.

“Wow,” I said as I clapped my hands and shook my head, “You have a really wide imagination Mitch,” I said while nodding.

“What do you mean?” she asked with her wrinkled forehead, her lips were no longer sad.

“Why are you here?” I asked then I crossed my arm and raised my right eyebrow—giving her a bitch face.

“Because I study here and the classes already ended,” she said innocently while biting her lower lip and pointing the gate of the school with her thumb.

“You dumb,” I said as I raised the corner of my lips.

“What do you expect me to say?” she asked with her wonderful forehead wrinkled. I won’t be surprised if her forehead will be wrinkled at a very young age.

“Did that 9th-grade boy dumped you?” I asked while pointing somewhere with my thumb.

“He didn’t,” she said while shaking her head left and right innocently but I can sense a little bit of arrogance with that.

“Then where is he?” I asked while I raised both of my eyebrows with my wrinkled forehead.

She hummed as she looked around and she looks like she is finding someone, I guess she got dumped.

“There he is,” she said while pointing at someone with her index finger and her smile so wide.

“or not,” I whispered as the 9th-grade boy named Ethan walked towards us.

“Here is the boy who you thought dumped me,” she said arrogantly said with her arm crossed against her chest and with that new 9th-grade boy named Ethan surrounding Mitch’s shoulder with his arm.

“Are you dating already?” I asked with my index finger pointing the both of them and my right eyebrow raised.

“No,” Mitch answered while shaking her head.

“Then why are you two acting like you are already dating?” I asked with my wrinkled forehead and both of my eyebrows almost touching each other.

“Don’t worry,” Mitch said while looking at Ethan with her smile, “She’s just too old-fashioned,” she continued and looked at me, “Maria, she might dump me if you will act so strict to him,” she whispered and smiled back at Ethan.

“I heard you are both living in the same area,” he said as he looked at me then back at Mitch then at me. “So I wanted to walk you home,” he continued with his cute smile, he wears a cute smile, it’s cute but I won’t fall for it. It must be the smile he always uses to steal those girls' hearts and break them. Well, I don’t know if he is one of those playboys that steal girls' hearts, toy with them, and leaving them with broken hearts, I just hate how this boy acts like he has been dating Mitch for several years when they only started chatting earlier.

“Ok,” I said then started walking when Mitch ran towards me and linked our arms together.

I looked down and saw Mitch’s hand interlocked with Ethan’s.

We are now walking together, Mitch and Ethan didn’t miss a second not talking to each other, while me, I am here walking with them with my mouth zippered, until I thought that Ethan’s a 9th-grade boy while Mitch is my classmate in the 10th grade, what if they start dating, Mitch is older and more mature then it’ll be hard to manage their relationship with a young boy.

I stop walking and so is Mitch, Mitch’s hand is interlocked with Ethan’s so obviously he also stopped walking.

“Why?” Mitch asked looking at me with both her eyebrows raised.

“You are in 10th grade and Ethan is in 9th grade,” I said with my wrinkled forehead.

“Yes,” Mitch said while nodding.

“Then you will be older,” I said as I point at her with my index finger and my forehead wrinkled.

“No,” Ethan answered with a slight smile on his face.

“No?” I asked. Mitch is in 10th grade and Ethan is in 9th grade, how would Ethan be at the same age as us?

“Yes, no,” he answered again while nodding.

“How?” I asked looking at both of them.

“I started going to school kinda late,” he answered with his smile.

“He is even older than us,” Mitch said while nodding and her smile on her face.

“What?” I asked with a smirk. How can he be older than us grade 10 students?

“Yes, he is older than me for a month and even older than you for 5 months,” Mitch answered with her smile. I looked at Ethan with a wrinkled forehead and saw him nod.

“You are kidding right?” I asked, it hurts my pride that I am younger than a 9th-grade student.

“No,” Ethan answered with a smile but he is shaking his head left and right.

“We are not kidding,” Mitch said with her smile, that smile is annoying, but we are not the only one who is here, 9th-grade student Ethan is with us, I am a 10th-grade student, even if I am younger I think I should act as a model to a 9th grade.