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Not all that glitters is gold. I've heard that saying many times before but never really understood what it meant until I had an experience of my own.
It all started when a new boy joined our class. He wasn't overly handsome, but to me, he was pleasing to the eyes. There was just something about the way he carried himself—in short, he was a gentleman. During break, I introduced myself to him, because why not? He was shy the first time, but he began to warm up to me, and we became friends. But later, I noticed something: he would stare at me and smile. I won't lie, I enjoyed the attention since I also liked him too (chuckles). There was this twinkle in his eyes that made me feel special; it sometimes made me feel as though time had paused and I was the only one who mattered.
It got to a point where he would deliberately ignore me and later on ask me questions about myself from nowhere. I thought he was cute because I knew he was trying his best not to show his feelings, so I played along, feigning ignorance, and answered all his questions. But the staring didn't stop—and I'm glad it did not.
One day at school, I told him to stop pretending because I already knew he liked me. He looked shocked when I told him that; I guess he didn't see it coming. I was laughing so hard because his facial expression was priceless. After I finished laughing, he asked me to be his girlfriend. Now it was my turn to be shocked, but I ended up saying yes, and we started dating.
He was everything I wanted in a man and more. He was kind, caring, and most importantly, he knew how to cook—it was even his hobby. But more than that, he was patient with me, especially when I experienced mood swings. He always listened attentively when I talked to him and always made sure to check up on me. He was just amazing.
There was this one time we had an argument about something—that's right, we sometimes argued; we were not a perfect couple. Anyways, I told my best friend about it because I needed someone to talk to. After helping me calm down, she told me that she knew someone who could treat me better than my boyfriend Henry. I looked at her confused because I didn't understand what she was trying to imply. She noticed my shocked expression and told me again that I deserved better. It's so funny now that I think about it, hmm.
I stood up and left, but she followed me and gave me this boy's number—and… I took it. When I got home and turned on my phone, I saw many missed calls from Henry, but I ignored them and just went to sleep. The next morning, my mom told me that Henry was looking for me. Yes, we got approvals from our families before we started dating. When I saw his face, I felt bad because I had another guy's number.
My mom gave us some privacy to sort everything out, and after she was gone, Henry hugged me and apologized, even though he wasn't the only one at fault. After he realized that I hadn't said anything, he reached into his bag and brought out my favorite ice cream. I felt so bad, so I told him that I wanted us to break up. He dropped the ice cream on the floor, and the door immediately opened—my parents had been listening to our conversation and were shocked by what they heard. But then Henry fell on his knees, crying and begging me not to break up.
I had made up my mind. My parents also tried to convince me, but I didn't listen. I just went to my room with tears in my eyes and called my best friend. I told her everything that had happened, and again, she calmed me down and told me to call the boy. So I did, and we started dating.
He was rich, and he bought me everything I wanted—but I didn't love him. My heart was still with Henry and not with Derrick. I missed Henry so much, but I knew I couldn't have him after what I did to him.
During vacation, Derrick invited me to a party, so I went with my best friend. At the party, he gave me alcohol to drink, and after, he had s£x with me. When I woke up, I was confused because everyone was gone, and a middle-aged woman was angry because her security guard had thrown a party without her permission.
So I asked her the name of her security guard, and she said Derrick. I was puzzled, so I asked her where he was, and she told me that he had run away. I tried calling him and my best friend, but neither of them answered. So I called my dad to come get me. When he arrived with my mom, they were pissed because they didn't know I had snuck out to a party. But after listening to the whole story, they took me to the hospital, and that's where I found out that I was pregnant.
When the doctor told my parents and me about my pregnancy, I couldn't stop crying. I couldn't believe this was how my life turned out. I couldn't believe I let Henry slip through my fingers even after he begged me not to break up. I couldn't stop the tears from flowing. That was when my mom told me: Not all that glitters is gold. She didn't have to explain herself. I knew exactly what she meant.