"Hey, Nazy — this is for you," Kevin said softly as he placed the sketch on her desk.
"Let's be friends, okay?"
The nine-year-old girl was small and slim, but that only amplified her undeniable cuteness.
She glanced at the paper — a beautiful bundle of sunflowers, sketched with delicate precision.
She blinked.
Her lips almost curved into a smile… then her jaw tightened and her small fists clenched.
Without warning, she stood up, snatched the sketch, ripped it into tiny pieces and threw them into his face.
"I hate boys like you!" she snapped.
"You just got here and you already want everybody to like you."
She glared upward — tilting her head to meet his height — and added sharply:
"And for the record, I never told you my name. Only my friends get to call me Nazy."
Kevin stood frozen, stunned, as she marched toward the door.
"Don't ever talk to me again!" she roared, then stormed out.
He didn't move.
He had never experienced rejection like that. Even as an adult, befriending people had always been effortless.
(What just happened…? I know she used to hate me at first, but not like this. Back then it was only a misunderstanding, and we became friends later. So I thought I could speed things up this time…)
His chest tightened.
He had become so confident — so sure of his knowledge of the future — that it made him careless.
A little arrogant.
A sharp contrast to his usual shy, humble, innocent childhood self.
He stared at the torn sunflower pieces settling onto the floor — the first proof that the past wouldn't bend just because he wanted it to.
He had knowledge… but the world had rules.
And learning that truth was only beginning.
---
✧ Meanwhile — far away, at that exact moment…
Julie stood near the canteen, leaning against the wall while munching on a freshly opened sausage roll.
Her eyes were fixed on Miracle — talking to an older boy some distance away.
Miracle giggled, twisting her head from side to side, using her leg to draw arcs in the sand.
(Ugh, she's so into him that it's almost annoying… I need to talk to her before she makes the same mistake she did in the dream.)
"Juuliee!" Gift called out, cheeks puffed and mouth overflowing with snacks.
"Who ish dat… tall bwoy making Miracle do frange things?" she mumbled adorably through her food.
"Heheh." Julie chuckled, squatting beside her.
"You should take smaller bites next time, you little glutton," she teased, pinching Gift's cheek.
"Ow! That hurts," Gift complained, finally swallowing.
"So who's the boy, Julie?"
Julie's expression shifted — suddenly serious.
"A mistake," she whispered.
"Huh? What did you say?" Gift asked.
"Oh, umm… nothing. Wait here for a bit, okay?" Julie stood and started walking toward Miracle.
"Okay," Gift replied, still curious but obediently munching her sausage roll.
"Hey — excuse me, guys… Miracle, can I talk to you for a sec?" Julie interrupted the conversation.
The boy glanced at the pretty ten-year-old girl standing before him — her neatly braided hair covered part of her face, revealing only soft pink lips and bright round eyes. Underdeveloped, yes… but she was still a masterpiece.
He quickly looked away, but Miracle saw everything.
Her smile shattered into frustration.
"What is it? Whatever you want to say, say it here," Miracle said flatly, voice sharp.
"But it's a bit sensitive — don't you think we should talk in pri—"
"Wetin you wan tell me wey you no fit tell me in front of Junior?" Miracle snapped, cutting her off.
"Eh?! Enemy of progress!"
And in that moment… the adult inside Julie — the one she had been trying so hard to restrain — tore through the surface.
"Listen here, young lady," Julie said, aura shifting cold and mature.
"You are way too young to have a boyfriend, so you better stop this stupidity right now before you do something you'll regret forever!"
Her voice echoed across the area — loud enough for everyone to hear.
Miracle's eyes trembled, filling with tears. Junior stood frozen, silent.
Julie blinked — the adult melted away, and her childish self returned just as fast.
"M-Miracle, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to—"
"Don't touch me!" Miracle roared, slapping Julie's reaching hand away.
"Whatever I do with my life doesn't concern you. And for the record, you're not my mom. So from now on — STAY AWAY FROM ME!"
She grabbed Junior's hand and ran.
Julie stood still.
(Wait… this wasn't supposed to happen. I know I went overboard, but… I just wanted to help.)
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
She didn't save her friend.
She embarrassed her — publicly — and she knew deep down that she had just lost her forever.
But what she didn't know… was that she hadn't just lost a friend.
She had created an enemy.
For every action, there is a consequence.
— To be continued.