Chapter 5: "I accept"
"Miss River Benard, would you take Lettie Emerald Eldritch as your friend... no, as your best friend, one more time?" Lettie asked, her voice laced with determination, still on her knees. "Miss River Benard, do you take Lettie Emerald Eldritch as your best friend, till death do us part?" she said with a serious face.
River had always wanted to get close to her idol, and this chance was too good to pass up. But they were worlds apart. What would people think of her?
"Ouch!" came Lettie's painful voice. River had forgotten she had her kneeling. "Lettie, please get up," River said, trying to help her.
"No, not till you accept my proposal," Lettie said stubbornly. River couldn't bear to see her suffering. "Okay, stand first, and I will accept," River assured her.
"No, accept first," Lettie refused. River sighed, feeling cornered. "Geez, fine..."
River had no choice. This was her chance to get close to her idol. She couldn't let it slip. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have forced you to be my friend. I just like you. I've been observing you since you first stepped into this school. I know how you hate people around you, so I stayed and watched you from afar. Today, I got the courage to ask you to be my friend. Anyways, I can't force you," Lettie said, her face twitching from pain as she got up. She packed her stuff, took her bag, and headed out.
"I accept," River said. The moving figure stopped. "I like you. I've admired you for a long time. I just didn't think you'd like a low-class girl like me."
Lettie started running towards River in her heels. "Slow down, you'll fall," River warned, but Lettie didn't listen. When Lettie hugged her, River was taken aback. She felt Lettie's desperation and immediately hugged back, not wanting her to break the hug. "I'm very happy, River. I'm very happy. Finally, I got you," Lettie said with teary eyes, still hugging her.
RB