"Andrew's the only student who got into Harvard since the founding of our school. He is the pride of our Oakwood High School," said Mr. David, our school principal, on graduation day. I was over the moon that day. All my teachers were sure that I was going to go far.
I joined the MBA program at Harvard. The first day of my college, I saw a beautiful girl in my class who would flip my life upside down. Her name was Natalie Rose.
I still remembered when she appeared in our class. The entire class froze. Students who were chatting and getting to know each other paused almost as if in agreement. Saying she was beautiful was a massive understatement. She wore a light pink top without sleeves and a white skirt that ended at her knees. Her beautiful hazel eyes, her bleached blond hair, and pink full lips made men gulp. I was no different, but I didn't bother too much.
Why? Because I knew she was way out of my league. I was an orphan, abandoned by my so-called parents. Growing up in orphanages, studying on scholarships, and doing part-time jobs to barely scrape by made me quite reserved and grounded by reality. Getting a good job was my only aim.
A few months passed like water in a stream. I managed to make a few friends. Natalie had her own circle of friends and admirers. Then one day, when the class was over and I was on my way to my 'palace'—I mean, my dingy apartment—Natalie called me and asked whether we could go for coffee. I was shocked when she asked me that.
My guard was immediately up. I knew for a fact that the class princess would never make time for a nobody like me. I knew something was fishy. But before I could process what was happening, she took my hand and dragged me to a nearby cafe.
That was the first time a girl my age touched me, and it was not just anyone, but Natalie. My stupid heart just refused to listen. When we sat down to order, I couldn't even form any words properly. I was nervous; the lone wolf in me was in full-time panic mode. Here I was, in front of our class angel, and I couldn't even order.
I thought Natalie would be put off by my behavior, but she surprised me when I saw the look in her eyes. What I saw wasn't disdain but understanding. When we were waiting for our order to come, I asked her why she reached out to me. She gave a sheepish smile and asked whether I could help her understand a few concepts which were taught in class. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a tad bit disappointed, but I liked her genuineness and agreed to meet in the library tomorrow after classes.
We met the next day and the day after that and kept meeting almost daily for the next two weeks. We became friends pretty quickly. I felt myself falling for this beautiful girl, and I had a feeling she was too. After nearly three months of being good friends, Natalie asked me out.
I felt like Leonardo DiCaprio; I was so happy and felt a warm, fuzzy feeling in my heart. We were the most famous couple in the class, and I was on cloud nine. Almost a year passed like that, and our relationship was strong. Sure, the classes, assignments, and Natalie's commitments to her family and friends, along with my part-time jobs, prevented us from meeting much since the last two months. But I wasn't bothered, as we made plans to go on a vacation, just the two of us, after the exams.
I wanted Nat and I to enjoy our vacation to the fullest, so I saved money like there was no tomorrow. I started eating only instant ramen and taking extra part-time jobs and still dragged my tired body to study to keep up my grades.
It was one of those days. I was walking home late at night after completing my part-time job. I didn't want to go to my empty apartment just yet, so I went to a nearby park. It was already ten past ten, so there wasn't a soul in the park. I sat on a bench and took a deep breath of fresh air and kept staring at the night sky. There weren't any constellations visible, but I was at peace.
After some time, I was walking out of the park when I heard a sound nearby. It felt like a sweet moaning of a girl. I was intrigued and slowly started to follow the sound without making any noise. I know it was wrong, but hey, those people were also in the wrong for doing it in a park where anyone can walk in on them.
Just a few meters away from the main path in the park, inside a little forest, were a man and a woman going at it fiercely. The woman was bent over, clutching the tree, and the man, whose pants were down, was going at the woman from behind with a maniac expression on his face.
"Ahhhhh... ahhhh... ahh... John... har--der baby, give it to me harder!" screamed the woman. I froze in my tracks. I recognized that voice.
'N-no... no way,' I thought as I moved closer and hid behind a tree. When the clouds covering the moon slid away, I saw it. I saw her. My NAT!