Once upon a time,
there were a widower and his little girl who came to the graveyard. The girl
asked him why they were there.
“Mandy, this gravestone belongs to my friend,
named Avril. She was flawless, charming, intelligent, and easy-going. Everybody
loved her. But some of them didn’t,” said Bryan, her father.
“Why didn’t they like her?” asked the
girl.
“Well, it happened when we were in High
School.”
“What happened, Dad? Just tell me. Don’t make
me curious.”
“Alright. So, here the story goes...”
Nineteen years ago,
exactly on April 1st 1995, The Washington High School celebrated the
anniversary. All students had free time in each classroom. Those teenagers were
talking to each other. But all of sudden, they focused on Mrs. Brightman and a
new student who walked into Bryan’s classroom, except Bryan.
“Attention, everyone! We’ve got a new student
here. Avril, you may introduce yourself.”
“Hello, guys! My name’s Avril Knightley. You
can call me Avril. I come from Russia and now I live in The Denver Apartment.
It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” said Avril, with her soft voice.
At first, Bryan
didn’t pay any attention to both of them. But then, Mrs. Brightman asked Avril
to sit beside him.
“What a coincidence! While Hannah's being
hospitalized, Avril's going to replace her. Now, you may sit beside Bryan,”
said Mrs. Brightman.
Bryan got shocked
and actually he'd been comfortable with Hannah, his seatmate.
“Do you mind if I sit here? Well, I promise
when Hannah attends school, I will move to another desk.”
“No, I don’t mind at all. Have a seat please,”
answered Bryan.
During the school hours,
Avril tried to adapt with her new friends. She asked Bryan many things about
the students’ behaviours. It was boring for Bryan. Avril also knew how Bryan
looked like when she asked a lot. In order to make him cheerful, Avril tried to
talk about Russia.
It worked! Bryan got
interested in this discussion. He asked her about Russia because it'd been ten
years since he didn’t visit his hometown.
“So, I was born in Russia and I barely
remember all of memories I’ve had. Hopefully my dad will ask me to go there
this summer.”
“I hope so. Well, by the way, I thought you
were coldhearted. But after having this conversation, I was totally wrong,”
said Avril.
“Hahaha... No need to be nervous like that. My
friends used to say it when they met me for the first time. And I thought you
were shy. But you are very talkative,” answered Bryan.
“Thanks!”
“Wait, don’t thank me. I wanna change the
word ‘talkative’ into ‘fussy’. Hahahahaha!”
“Uh, Bryan!”
Though Avril was annoyed
of what Bryan said, she was still happy. He could make her enjoy the first day
of her new school. Bryan also asked her to eat lunch in the canteen.
Meanwhile, at the
breaking time, Bryan’s gank which consisted of Josh, Kyle, and
Britney were waiting for Bryan impatiently in the school hall. Instead of
waiting, they chose to seek for him.
They walked around
the school area. Suddenly they became aggravated when they spotted a girl and
him from the distance. They ran and approached him directly.
“Dude! Where have you been?! We’ve been
looking for you! And you’re just sitting here with a stranger without telling
us anything?! Nice, how cool!” said Kyle angrily.
“Don’t call her a stranger! She has a name.
She’s Avril, a new student and my new seatmate.”
“Wait, what?! Hannah said that you’re her
seatmate,” said Britney.
“I used to be, okay. From now on, Avril
becomes my seatmate. It’s an order from Mrs. Brightman,” said Bryan
confidently.
After arguing, they
left both Bryan and Avril. When the bell rang, Britney texted Hannah because
Hannah needed to know about it.
“Hannah, I’ve got a news for you.”
“What's that?”
“It’s about Bryan. There’s a new student in
your classsroom, called Avril. Bryan and she were together during the school
hours. And I think you’re being replaced by her because Bryan said that Avril's his seatmate now,” explained Britney.
“Uh! This news has ruined my day! If I hadn’t
been sick today, I would’ve prohibited her to sit on my desk!”
While laying on the
bed, with her body covered by a blanket, Hannah tried to figure out why Bryan
intended to spend his day with Avril. On the other hand, she also wondered why
Bryan didn’t visit her.
“Does he forget me? Does he care about her, a
new student who has captivated his attention?! Argh! I’ll avenge her. But
wait...how come?... I have to think about this!”
Nah! Finally, Hannah
got an idea. She would ask her father to order Mrs. Brightman to tell Avril not to sit beside Bryan. Hannah whose
father was the principal of The Washington High School would help her because
as her mother passed away, he had promised to give his spoiled daughter everything
that made her happy.
“Daddy, I’ll go to school tomorrow.”
“But sweetheart, your condition will be
better next week.”
“I don’t care, Daddy. I have to go to school
because someone has replaced my position to be Bryan’s seatmate. And no one is
allowed to replace me!”
“Oh gosh, I thought you’ve stopped loving
him.”
“Of course, I haven’t, Daddy. How can I do
that if I still meet him every day, every minute, even every second? Come on, Dad.
Help me to solve this problem, okay? You have promised to Mom.”
“Alright, darling. I’ll do everything for
you.”
“Thank you so much my lovely daddy!!!”
said Hannah with a kiss on his forehead.
On the next day,
Hannah was late to come to school. She entered her classroom with her father.
“Attention, everyone! Stand up please! Give
greeting to the principal,” said the classleader.
“Good morning, Sir.”
“Morning too, all of you may have a seat,
except Bryan and Avril.”
All students sat on
their chairs, except both of them. They wondered what was going on.
“Excuse me, Sir. Is there anything I can do
for you?” offered Mrs. Brightman.
“You don’t need to. I can do myself. Avril, how
dare you sit over there! Go sit at the corner, the desk beside Bryan belongs to
my daughter. Don’t ever sit on another desk, including on the desk beside him. Hannah,
you can sit on your own desk now. And you, Bryan, follow me to the principal
room!” ordered Mr. Clarkson.
In the principal
room, Mr. Clarkson tried to explain why he did it to Avril.
“It doesn’t make any sense! You’re mad at her
and asked her to sit at the corner just because Hannah doesn’t like her?! She
isn’t guilty at all!”
“I’m not mad, okay?! I did it because I love
my daughter. I don’t wanna make her sad, disappointed, even suffer. And please,
stay away from Avril. Her jealousy will affect her health if you keep being
friends with that girl,” begged Mr. Clarkson.
“I can’t believe she’s in love with me!”
said Bryan surprisingly.
“Now you’ve known what has actually been
going on here. If you don’t do what I’ve begged, I won’t be hesitate to drop
Avril out of this school,” threatened Mr. Clarkson.
“Please, don’t do that!”
“Therefore, no more talking or doing anything
with Avril. Do everything with Hannah and your gank! You must accept this
agreement. Do you deal in it?”
“I do, Sir.”
Bryan went back to
his classroom disappointingly. He didn’t want to do it but how could he
struggle against a principal while he was threatened that Avril would be
dropped out? He wanted Avril to keep studying in his school. He still wanted to
see her everyday. He really wanted her to survive.
Month after month
had been passed by Bryan and Avril. Sometimes they made eye-contacts, but they
just acted like strangers. Hannah and the others who glimpsed their
eye-contacts, always diverted his attention to theirselves. Literally, Bryan
didn’t realize that he loved her. And neither did Avril.
On the following
day, The Washington High School organized a singing audition to welcome the president.
Every student performed on the stage. They stood in front of the judges and the
audiences. When the last student performed, the audiences felt impressed with
her unique voice. Yeah, she was Avril. Her voice was different from the
others’, even Hannah’s voice had been defeated.
Soon after the
audition was over, the judges announced the winner. For the boy category, Bryan
became the first winner. And for the girl category, Avril became the first one.
Hannah was disappointed because she just became the runner up. She accepted the
judges’ decision insincerely.
“For both Bryan and Avril, you will sing
along at the event later. Congratulations!”
Among the finalists,
Hannah was the only one who discouraged them from being a couple.
“But Hannah, we have convinced our decisions.
This might be hard for you. We’re truly sorry,” apologized the judges.
“Daddy! You have to defend me! You must be
able to excuse in front of them!”
“I... I... I... can’t do that easily. All of them are senates. I can be fired if I do the same thing like what you’ve just
done,” whispered Mr. Clarkson.
“To all judges, I apologize for what my
daughter did. Now, excuse us.”
The principal and
his daughter went home quickly. Meanwhile, Bryan and the gank drove Avril home.
“Here we are! Would you like to come in?”
asked Avril.
“I think we don’t need to, hehe.”
“Oh guys, let me get out of this car. I live
here too. I’m sorry I forgot to tell you about my new residence. Well, I guess
I can spend my time a lot with Avril since we live in the same apartment,
right?” said Britney.
“Good idea!” said Avril.
“Okay girls, both of you have arrived
instead. Let us go home now, okay?! Bye, see you tomorrow!” said the boys
who gave a wave as the car drove off.
On the way to the
boarding house, they were stuck in traffic. Instead of getting bored, Josh
started the conversation in the car.
“Dude!”
“Who are you greeting? Me or Bryan?”
asked Kyle.
“I’m absolutely greeting Bryan, not you.
Don’t be too confident!”
“Hish!”
“Hello guys! We’re stuck here! And you’re
just arguing like kids?! Be mature, please!” said Bryan.
“Sorry, dude. I greeted you because I’d like
to ask you something.”
“What do you wanna ask?”
“Are you falling in love with Avril?”
“Hahaha good question, Josh!” interrupted
Kyle.
“What kind of question is that?!” asked
Bryan rudely.
“It’s a general question. Everybody must have
been asked like this. Answer me or... I’ll spit on you!”
“Ew how disgusting you are, Josh! Okay, let
me answer it.”
During the traffic
jam, Bryan explained what he felt about Avril. He said that Avril was very
attractive and nice to people, not like Hannah. She was also multitalented. For
him, she barely had any lack of talents. She could do anything. It was the
first time he fell in love with a girl because before Avril came to his life,
he never loved a girl seriously.
Josh and Kyle
suggested him to admit his love to Avril as soon as possible before it was too
late. They planned it after Bryan and Avril sang in front of the president. Bryan just
followed their suggestion.
On March 15th 1996,
the president visited The Washington High School. There were many guests of the
government. When the host called Bryan and Avril, both of them walked onto
the stage and sang beautifully. The audiences got impressed. The president also
did. After performing, the president commented on them.
“What a stunning performance! I wish someday
both of you would be a couple of husband and wife. I wish it could be true,”
appreciated the mayor.
“That is one of great compliments we’ve got,
Sir. Especially from a president like you. We truly thank you,” thanked Bryan
and Avril.
They walked
downstairs and sat on the VIP chairs with Josh and Kyle. They discussed about
Bryan and Avril’s performance.
“Guys! You both have made me stunned! I
really love your performance!” said Kyle.
“If only I recorded your video, I’d watch it
every single time. Hahaha!” added Josh.
“You make me shy, Josh. But, thanks.
Anyway, where are Hannah and Britney?” asked Avril confusingly.
“Well... They didn’t come here. They don’t
like you, babe. So, they just spend this day at the mall. As usual, they go
shopping.”
“Umm... I think I’m a troublemaker,” said
Avril guiltily.
“Don’t take it personal, Avril! Your haters
are just both of them. Everyone loves you from your ability, personality,
and many more. All of us will always protect you, especially Bryan, right,
Bryan?”
“Huh, what did you say?”
“Argh never mind. Hey, Avril! Bryan wants to
tell you something.”
“What is it?”
“I... well, I... Umm...” said Bryan
nervously.
“Avril!!! Come here!” someone yelled at
her.
In fact, she was,
Clara, Avril’s sister. She was at the school gate to inform her about their
mother who was hospitalized because of an accident. Avril, Clara, Bryan, Josh,
and Kyle went to the hospital by Bryan’s car. After arriving at the hospital,
all of them walked to the ICU room. They saw Avril’s mother laying on the bed.
“I’m sorry, Mom, I’m late. I wish the
accident never happened to you.”
“It doesn’t matter, honey. I feel better now.”
said her mother slowly.
Josh, Kyle, and
Bryan were sad looking at a mother and a daughter in that situation. Avril
thanked them for coming with her. She asked them to go home because Avril had
already been beside her mother.
“Where are we going?” asked Josh.
“We’re going to the parking area.”
“Bryan, why were you nervous to tell her the
truth? You didn’t feel confident at all! What a coward!”
“Listen up, guys! I was anxious about her
answer. What if she rejects me? What if she doesn’t wanna be close to me anymore?
What if we become strangers?” answered Bryan.
“Bro, don’t be afraid before trying. If you
don’t do it now, you’ll only regret it.”
“I ensure it!” added Kyle.
On Saturday night,
Bryan chatted Avril via twitter. He also browsed in the virtual world about
love. He had been wondering for three hours. He thought that he had decided and
intended to tell her at the graduation.
At the same time in
Hannah’s house, Hannah and Britney planned something for Avril. They would also
conduct it at the graduation. Hmm... What would they do?
A year later, all
students of The Washington High School passed the final exam with great
scores. As what had been promised before, the principal would celebrate their
graduation in The L’amour Hall, the
most luxurious building in Washington. Bryan and Avril were requested to perform and become the king and the queen of the graduation. They
were so glad to know that and without thinking much, they accepted it.
In the hall, the
main stars were welcomed outstandingly with fanfare. Either Bryan or Avril felt
excited of the surprise. They started to walk onto the stage and perform the
best they could do. Their performance looked like a concert.
“Thank you very much!!” shouted Bryan and
Avril.
“I’ll be back later, I need to go to the
restroom,” whispered Avril.
Bryan was still
standing on the stage while waiting for Avril to come. He made a speech about
love. Meanwhile, Avril was in the restroom washing her hands on the washbasin.
“Let us give applause to this girl who has
taken Bryan away from me,” Hannah snapped sarcastically.
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t be innocent, Avril! I know you must be
very happy with your fame. You’ve got everything you want. Now, I’m going to
take your soul!” said Britney.
“You both are so puzzling,” answered
Avril.
Avril went out of
the restroom while Bryan was speaking in front of people.
“And now with all my heart, I would like to
confess that I... “
“Aaaa!!” screamed Avril.
“Avril!” shouted Bryan.
At that moment,
Avril fell down on the floor with a knife piercing her chest. Bryan came over
her and pulled out the knife.
“Avril, don’t leave me alone! Please, stay
awake for me! I’ve just wanted to confess in front of them that I love you.
Don’t do this to me!” said Bryan loudly with teardrops.
“I... love... you... too... I shall leave,
goodbye...” whispered Avril.
And Avril closed her
eyes forever. Bryan couldn’t believe that his excitement had turned into a
grief. He got reminded of what Kyle said a year ago. He cried regretfully,
hugged Avril’s body tightly.
The woman who killed
Avril had been caught by the security guard and the polices before running away
to leave the hall. Josh had called 911 before. He told Bryan he had registered
the case to be handled.
At the district
court, people who attended the trial were Bryan, his lawyer, Josh, Kyle, Mr.
Clarkson, Avril’s mother and sister, Britney, Hannah, and some witnesses. When
the judge asked the suspect about how she murdered Avril, she got confused how
to excuse. But she didn’t want to be jailed in the prison alone because she
wasn’t the one who planned the murder.
“Two days before I murdered Avril, I was
walking alone on the street. It was very lonely and I thought there was nobody.
But then, a stranger touched my shoulder and the other one pulled me to an old
factory. After that, they explained about their murder plan and asked me to do it. I
refused them. Unfortunately, they threatened to kill me and my family if I
didn’t do it. They know where my family and I live,” admitted Dorothy.
“How do they know your house?” asked the
judge.
“She visited me a few months ago when I was sick. I used to be
her servant.”
“Who is that woman?” asked the judge
again.
“She is... Hannah Clarkson.” answered
Dorothy.
Everybody got
horrified by Dorothy’s confession and wondered how a daughter of a principal of
The Washington High School could be so mean. At first, Hannah denied it. But
after she got caught because she tried to run away from the trial, people
believed that she was also a suspect.
“So, Hannah planned all of this, didn’t she?
But earlier you said that there were two strangers who threatened you. Who was
she with?”
“She was with Britney, her bestfriend.”
Because of Dorothy’s
confession, Hannah, Britney, and she got a long life sentence. Before going
home, the principal was allowed to say something to Hannah.
“You have made me disappointed and embarassed in front of people. I’ve given everything you want and is this how
you reply my kindness? How disrespectful you are!” said Mr. Clarkson
angrily.
“Daddy I’m sorry, don’t leave me here!
Daddy!!!” yelled Hannah.
Hannah kept crying
but her father didn’t pay any attention. He just left her and went home. Bryan
who actually wanted to avenge her had been told by Avril’s mother not to do that.
Avril’s family had already been sincere to let Avril go.
A day after the trial
at the court, the polices found Mr. Clarkson dead hanging on the ceiling.
Nobody knew about it. Polices hypothesized that he did a suicide.
Since Avril passed
away, Bryan became desperated and withdrawn for many years. There wasn’t any girl who could
replace him, except Mandy’s mother because of a matchmaking by Mandy’s
grandparents.
“So, daddy... You don’t love Mom at all, do
you?” asked Mandy.
“I do, honey. But I don’t love her with all
my feelings. I give my feelings mostly to Avril.”
“If that’s the way you love Mom, then you
don’t truly love me, right?” asked Mandy disappointingly.
“Mandy, I also love you with all my heart. Do
you know why? It’s because long time ago, Avril said that one day when I have a
daughter, I have to assume my daughter as her. So that I can be closer to my
daughter like the way I used to be with her. Well, I wish time could be rewound.
Josh and Kyle were right, I should’ve told her that I’ve been loving her and
I’ll always do... forever. And I’ve promised I won’t marry any woman. You and
Avril are the only important ones in my life,” explained Bryan.
“Regret always comes last, Dad. I know that.
We better go home now and cook spaghetti. Come on, Dad!”
“Okay, sweetheart.”
“I love you... “ said Bryan in his heart
to Avril.
Finally, Bryan and
Mandy went out of the graveyard under the sunset.
THE END
