Rivals.

 Just like every other Friday, I was in the bookshop looking for a book to buy. I finally found the one with the perfect kind of romance I had been looking for 'Vanished' by Danielle Steel.

 "Wow you have a good taste for romance." The lady who owns the store said when I came to pay for the book. Miss Stella and I had become very close because of my regular Friday visits in her store. "What happened Becky, you're not going for the Kings today." She said with a grin.

 "Nah. Mum keeps telling me a girl like me shouldn't be reading scary books all the time, so I'm having a change starting today." I smiled at the pretty young lady brunette miss Stella.

 "Hmm, okay sounds good to me. You'll love this book, take care sweet girl." She said. And with that I turned to make my way to the door when a man who looked like he's in his early thirties came into the book shop. I had also been seeing him the past Fridays I came to get a book from Stella's place. 

 "Bye Stella." I said waving her byebye. There was something different about the man on this day though but I couldn't put my finger on it till I had gotten home and was reading my newly bought novel.

 "His perfume!" I said to myself, I knew there was something about him when we passed each other that kept reminding me of someone I used to know, someone I used to love. 

 It was just about this time last year I met Isaac. Isaac was everything a girl loved in a boy. He has a deep voice which warmed my heart anytime he spoke, his hair short and well trimmed, the green colour of his eyes, his smile and what I loved most the way he smelt. Just thinking about it now reminds me of everything he was. Funny thing is Isaac and I were not always close.

 When he first moved to Carlton highschool, my school, he became my number one competitor in school work. Every class test or quiz that happen, he and I always had the same scores and soon enough I always a mark or two behind him.

 "Face it Vivian you're not just good enough to compete with me." He'd say with a dirty grin in his face.

 "You just got lucky and you know it. Next next! You won't." Just thinking about the response I said to him everytime now makes me smile.

 Our rivalry was so much that everyone in school knew about us, the two 3rd graders in highschool, until one day, one sad day. I wasn't feeling my usual self because I had just lost my pet dog Tracy over the weekend. I was in the cafeteria all alone barely eating my food when I caught him staring at me. He walked toward my table and sat next to me.

 "Hey." He said with a smile.

 I looked up to his face then down again just playing with my food. 

 "Vivian! Hello!" he said waving at me, "okay. I heard about Tracy, my mom told me. I'm really sorry about that...I had a pet chameleon once," he laughed, "you know Blade was really cool and I loved him but he died and it took me a while to know that I could never bring him back. I know how you feel." He said then reach for my hand on the table.

You've gotta cheer up." He said smiling at me. It was here I saw how beautiful Isaac was, with his pretty smile and warm heart. Maybe there's more to him than I thought.

 After that we became so close although our rivalry still continued. As we started hanging out more I started to notice a change in his voice also and how kind hearted and charming he really is. That day we walked home together and I unknownly made wrong step which made me almost fall down.

 "Ouu! Watchout!" I fell into his arm. Our stare into eachother's eyes was long. "Watch your step Viv." He said smiling.

 I smiled back at him. "You smell incredible." I said while still in his arms. "And you're cute."

 He cleared his throat. "I think you're delusional." He said laughing. While we continued walking home our hands kept touching each other. It was all too funny.

 Then suddenly we grew apart but I could get the day I fell into his arms out of my head. For some reason he avoided me till I confronted him. He was walking home alone on that day.

 "Isaac! Isaac!" I yelled till I caught up with him. "What's the matter?"

 "I don't understand." He said.

 "Why? Why have you been avoiding me?" I said still panting.

 He turned forward to keep walking leaving me standing alone. When I got home I ran to my room dropped to my bed and for no reason I started crying. I couldn't believe he had just ignored me. I stayed in my room through out refusing to even eat.

 Around 7pm my mom came to my room. "Someone is here to see you."

 "I don't want to see anyone mom...I'm studying."

 "Its Isaac." She said. I felt really happy knowing he came and angry as well. "He's outside waiting for you."

 I grabbed my sweater from the bed and ran downstair to meet him. I thought when I see him I'd be angry but I wasn't. The look on his face was so innocent and pleading, but still I couldn't let him have it that easily.

 "What do you want?" I said with my arms folded.

 He stared at me in silence for a while before he spoke. "Do you mind a walk to the basket ball court."

 I made a sigh of relief. "I don't."

 He and I walked to the court and there he explained everything to me. The reason he had decided to stay away from me being that he was leaving the school and the neighbourhood for somewhere else. At the mention of which broke my heart to pieces.

 "Why?" I asked almost in tears.

 "Parent issues Vivian," he looked at me sincerely and held my hands, "believe me I don't want to leave, but I have to. I remember when we first knew each other, how we were rivals and within the space of months best friends... you're pretty Vivian." He said blushing.

 I couldn't hide my smile. "You are too," I took a deep breath in then out, "I like you, I like you very much Isaac." I could feel it getting hard for me to swallow. Then he started bringing his face close to mine, I couldn't believe it.

 "I like you too, I couldn't stop thinking of you when i stayed away. I was not just myself. I really like you Vivian." He drew closer till our lips were close to each other. I could feel the hot air from his breathing out on my lips, I closed my eyes and brought my lips to his for a kiss. His lips so warm and soft. His perfume like garden of red roses. Probably the most magical kiss I'll ever have in my life.