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Oliver Payne was a twelve-year-old boy with ADHD that lived in the countryside in the state of New York with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Payne. They loved their son with all their hearts, so because of that, Oliver loved them back. Oliver and his parents would always go on family outings together at least once a weekend, whether it be for fishing, shopping, watching a movie, or anything else the family could think of to do. And the Payne family loved going on these outings.
Sadly, with every upside Oliver had in life, there was a downside.
The main downside of Oliver’s life was that due to his ADHD, he was very clumsy. No matter how hard Oliver tried to be careful and how much of an effort he gave to pay attention to his surroundings, there was always something he would break, something or someone he would bump into, or somewhere Oliver would fall over. To add insult to injury, there were times where Oliver would get distracted during a lecture in school, which meant his teacher had to repeat a part of the lecture or explain to Oliver the part of the lecture he missed after class. Every time Oliver had an accident or got distracted, he would always feel extremely embarrassed, feeling like he let his parents and the school down. After all, Oliver needed to succeed in every level of school to get his dream job so he could make a living for himself when he was a grown up. This was not helped by the fact every time Oliver did something embarrassing, the other students at the school Oliver went to would laugh at him, even those that seemed to like him.
The worst part of school for Oliver was that due to his clumsiness, it made him a target for the bullies in school.
“Stay in your corner, klutz!” They would mock. “And make way for proper students like us!”
The principal and teachers were able to keep the bullies in line, though, which Oliver was grateful for. At the same time though, the embarrassment he endured so much mainly due to the other students meant Oliver wasn’t the most outgoing boy. In fact, he was very timid. He was good hearted and showed support to those that needed it when they needed it, but it didn’t stop Oliver from being cautious around other kids that were around his age.
Why risk befriending a kid that’s a bully? Oliver would often think to himself.
Despite his caution, Oliver did have a group of friends. Their names were Billy, Rita, Francis, Einstein, Marion and Dominic, and they were the only kids in school that didn’t laugh at Oliver whenever he embarrassed himself. Instead, Billy, Rita, Francis, Einstein, Marion and Dominic gave comfort to Oliver and always helped him get back on his feet. Oliver appreciated that very much, and always enjoyed talking to his six friends about whatever they felt like talking about.
One day, Oliver was heading out to recess, when he noticed Billy and Rita talking on the bench to each other. At first, Oliver thought nothing of it, until Billy did something unexpected. Billy pulled Rita close to him, as Rita did the same, before they kissed each other on the lips!
“Eww!” exclaimed Oliver.
Upon hearing Oliver, Billy and Rita pulled away in surprise.
“Oh, Oliver! Sorry about that!” Billy apologized as he and Rita regained their composure.
“We didn’t see you coming,” added Rita in an equally apologetic tone.
“It’s okay,” replied Oliver, also regaining his composure. “Why were you two kissing each other?”
“Because we have a crush on each other,” revealed Billy.
“Crush?” repeated Oliver, confused, “But you two weren’t squashing each other.
“No,” laughed Rita, “We don’t mean that type of crush.”
“A crush,” explained Billy, “Is when you love someone in the lovey-dovey way.”
“What’s ‘lovey-dovey’?” asked Oliver, still confused.
“Dunno how to explain that,” Billy admitted.
“Try asking your mom, dad or both of them,” suggested Rita.
“Okay,” Oliver agreed. “I will. Thanks. ‘Preciate it.”
Billy and Rita nodded in response.
When Oliver got home later that afternoon, his mother greeted him as usual.
“Hello, Oliver. How was school?”
“It was fine,” Oliver answered. “By the way, mom, can I ask you something?”
“Of course, sweetie,” smiled Mrs. Payne. “What do you want to ask me?”
“Billy and Rita told me about something known as a ‘crush’,” Oliver answered. “Not the crush that means squashing. The crush that apparently means someone loves someone else in the ‘lovey-dovey’ way. What is the ‘lovey-dovey’ way?”
“‘’Lovey-dovey’,” explained Mrs. Payne, “means romantic. It’s when you care about someone as more than a friend. That is called ‘falling in love’, and that’s how I’ve always felt about your daddy. I fell in love with him, and as a result, we got married and had you.”
“Thanks,” replied Oliver, “But how do I know I’m falling in love with someone?”
“When you fall in love with someone,” explained Mrs. Payne, “your cheeks turn red, and you think the person you are in love with is an angel. As in, you think the person you are in love with is very beautiful, handsome, or cute.”
“Okay,” replied Oliver.
Mrs. Payne told her husband about what she and Oliver discussed when Oliver came home from school, and Mr. Payne decided to show romance movies to Oliver to help him gain even more of an understanding of romance. Sure enough, with these movies, Oliver did gain a bigger understanding of romance. But he didn’t think someone would feel that way about him due to his track record of clumsiness. Sure, his parents loved him, and Oliver had friends, but still.
One Monday morning, Oliver got to class as usual and sat down in his usual seat. The students chatted as usual until the teacher of the class, Mr. Brown, put a hand up.
“Quiet, students, please!” He called. The students stopped their chatter at once.
“Thank you,” smiled Mr. Brown. “Now, I have an announcement to make. A new student will be joining this class starting today. This new student and her parents moved here from the United Kingdom recently, and said new student has been enrolled in this school. I hope you all make her feel welcome and comfortable.”
“Yes, Mr. Brown,” agreed the students.
Just then, the new student arrived. Mr. Brown opened the door for her, and the new student walked into the classroom. It was a girl the same age as Oliver.
Oliver was the first student in the classroom to see the girl, and when he did, he froze like he was in some sort of trance. His cheeks began to turn red. The girl’s completely loose chin-length obscure orange hair, fair skin, cyan blue eyes, her smile… it was so hypnotic to look at for Oliver.
“Good morning, everyone,” The girl greeted cheerfully, with a hint pf playfulness in her tone. “My name’s Jennifer, but please call me Jenny. I’ll be looking forward to making friends here.”
To Oliver, Jenny sounded like an angel that had come down from the sky. Everything about her just screamed… perfect to him. It was then Oliver realized his feelings about Jenny.
He had a crush on her.
Jenny then sat down in her seat. That seat was right next to Oliver’s. Jenny suddenly looked at Oliver with a mischievous smile on her face.
“Somebody’s shy…” she teased in an almost sing-song tone, as she gently nudged Oliver’s arm. Oliver did say hello, but was so nervous, he said it very quietly.
During class, Oliver couldn’t stop glancing at Jenny. Every time he did, he tried to stop himself.
Ugh! He thought. What is wrong with me?! I’ve haven’t known her for long, and I’m already having fantasies about her!
But no matter how hard he tried to stop, Oliver could not stop glancing at Jenny. Not only did she look and sound lovely, but she every time she spoke, she spoke with such an air of confidence and belonging. That was also how she walked after class ended for lunchtime.
As Oliver walked down the hallway to the cafeteria, he still couldn’t stop thinking about Jenny. Oliver was so distracted by his thoughts about Jenny, he didn’t notice water on the floor that had been spilled earlier, until it was too late.
“Woah!” Oliver cried, as he slipped on the water, trying to regain his balance. But of course, like always, it was in vain. Oliver slipped and was just about to fall over again, when he felt two hands grabbing him and helping him get back upright away from the water. Those two hands were Jenny’s.
“You okay?” Jenny asked.
“I’m fine,” Oliver answered.
At the cafeteria, Billy, Rita, Francis, Einstein, Marion and Dominic all sat at the usual table. Just then, Oliver passed by.
“Hey, Oliver,” greeted Billy. “Do you wanna sit with us today?”
Oliver shook his head. He sat a different table this time. He was alone there, but not for long.
“Hey, Oliver…” came a cheeky voice.
“Ah!” cried Oliver in surprise. He turned to see Jenny, who was now sitting right next to him, just as she did in class.
“Hi, Jenny,” Oliver greeted, squeakily, as his cheeks turned red again. He tried to divert his focus away from her by drinking his juice.
Jenny chuckled, as she took a bite of her sandwich.
“You know, Oliver,” she said, teasingly, “There’s no need for you to be so nervous around me. I don’t bite… unless you ask nicely.”
Oliver choked on his juice, causing him to cough awkwardly. Jenny patted him on the back, lightly laughing again as she did so.
“Just a joke,” said Jenny, playfully.
Oliver couldn’t help but smile bashfully for some reason, before going back to his juice. However, Jenny continued to tease Oliver every chance she got.
Later that afternoon, it was time for the students to go home.
Oliver sat where he usually sat on the bus that took him home. He thought he would be alone on his seat, but for the second time that day, he was wrong.
Jenny sat with him. Again.
“Oliver,” Jenny said, with a much more serious expression than usual, “Why are you hiding your feelings?”
“W-what do you mean?” asked Oliver, still not brave enough to admit his crush.
Jenny leaned closer to Oliver, as her expression softened.
“It’s okay if you feel something as a big a crush,” she said, kindly.
Despite that comfort, it was not enough to break through Oliver’s caution barrier. Jenny shifted back to her usual self.
“It’s alright,” said Jenny. “Whatever secret you have is safe with me. Just admit it next time instead of just hiding it and turning as red as a tomato.”
This eased the tension Oliver had.
At least she accepts me. Oliver thought. Right?
That night, Oliver lay in bed, still thinking about Jenny and her teasing.
She’s a bully! one part of Oliver said. She just wants to embarrass you, just like those other bullies.
No! the other part of Oliver said. You shouldn’t be so judgmental, Oliver! Perhaps she’s just a jokester. Besides, if she was really a bully, she wouldn’t have stopped you from falling over when you slipped! So that proves she knows when to take things seriously and really does like you!
Oliver wasn’t sure what to think of Jenny’s teasing. It was so embarrassing, yet at the same time, it was… soothing? Something about Jenny’s teasing separated it from how the bullies treated him, in a good way, but Oliver wasn’t sure if this was the truth or not.
As the week went on, Jenny continued to tease Oliver, which would always cause Oliver to blush. But at the same time, Oliver wanted to consider Jenny a friend. She always shared jokes with him, as well as stories about her life and her dreams for the future with him, so how wouldn’t those be the qualities of a friend? Oliver began sharing his own jokes, life stories and future dreams with Jenny too. All the same, though, the worry of Jenny secretly being a bully that was pretending to be nice remained in the back of Oliver’s mind. After all, Jenny seemed to find embarrassing him funny, and that was something the bullies also found funny. But on the other hand, maybe Jenny was just being playful, and Oliver’s embarrassment was just his reaction to that playfulness. Oliver wasn’t sure, but at the same time, he did not want to take any chances.
One Saturday morning, after breakfast, Oliver was walking in the forest that was right next to his house. The crisp air was wonderful to Oliver, and so was the forest itself. As much as Oliver loved hanging out with his friends, he also loved solitude, and that was exactly the forest had always given him.
As Oliver walked through the forest this morning, however, he heard a cheeky whisper in his ear.
“Would you be lost, or lost in thought by any chance?”
Oliver spun around in surprise and saw Jenny leaning against a tree with an amused expression on her face.
“Oh, Jenny!” Oliver stammered, trying as hard as he could to calm down, while blushing as he always did around Jenny. “W-what are you doing here?”
“Oh, I just happened to be taking a stroll here, that’s all,” answered Jenny, casually.
Before Oliver could say anything in response, Jenny got to his side, before turning around to face Oliver directly.
“Jenny,” Oliver said nervously, “I’d love to walk with you, but I… um…” He couldn’t think of any excuses to leave.
Oliver tried to walk away, but suddenly, he couldn’t. It was like Oliver’s feet were rooted to the ground somehow.
Jenny stepped closer to Oliver, before wrapping her arms around him. She gently touched his cheeks, caressing them as she met his gaze.
With Jenny’s hands on his face, all Oliver could do was look at her now, mainly into Jenny’s cyan blue eyes. Jenny’s irises then swirled, transforming into spirals of the most luminous and beautiful lavender Oliver had ever seen. He was so in awe of the eyes, he couldn’t take his eyes off them, especially when his eyes turned into the same lavender spirals.
“It’s okay, Ollie,” Jenny soothed, “You can trust me. Always…”
Oliver couldn’t help but enjoy… whatever Jenny was doing to him, so he did indeed trust her. Slowly, every sound faded from Oliver’s mind, until the only sound he could hear was any sound from Jenny.
“So… relaxing…” Oliver mumbled dumbly, quietly and dreamily.
“Just let all of your fears and worries disappear…” Jenny comforted. “I am someone you can always talk to about anything you need to, with no secret keeping…”
Oliver’s trust in Jenny slowly skyrocketed.
Yes… He thought. I can trust her. Always…
Now, all of Oliver’s attention was completely on Jenny. It was getting easier by the second. Now, Oliver didn’t want to look away from Jenny at all. He wouldn’t dare look away from the love of his life. And that wasn’t all. Oliver’s thoughts also began to disappear, his captivation with Jenny becoming his sole focus.
“Let them go, let them go…” Jenny sung softly. “Just let go of all your fears. Let them go, let them go, and you’ll confess to me…”
Jenny’s siren song echoed in Oliver’s mind, replacing his own thoughts. That siren song just made Oliver fall even more in love with Jenny. It was like the warmest embrace ever. And then, after days of hiding his feelings, Oliver finally confessed.
“I have a crush on you, Jenny,” Oliver admitted. “I thought you would be just like those bullies with your teasing…”
Jenny smiled sympathetically at Oliver.
“Don’t worry, Ollie,” she cooed, “I’m not. I promise…”
Jenny let go of Oliver, before snapping her fingers, releasing him from her trance.
As Oliver became aware of his surroundings once more, he stumbled, disoriented, but Jenny steadied him.
“Welcome back, Ollie,” she said, in her usual light and teasing tone. “You enjoyed your trip?”
Oliver was confused.
“Trip?” he asked.
“Your confession that you have a crush on me,” Jenny replied, sweetly.
Oliver was surprised, but then remembered. Yes, he confessed to Jenny, when she did something involving her eyes turning into lavender spirals to him!
“What did you do to me?” asked Oliver.
“I hypnotized you,” explained Jenny. “It’s one of the many magic powers I have.”
“Magic powers?” repeated Oliver.
“Yeah,” confirmed Jenny. “I’m a witch.”
“A witch?” Oliver repeated.
Jenny nodded.
“My mother is a witch,” she explained. “So, I inherited her powers. Another one of those powers is mind reading, so I can read your thoughts. I knew you loved me all along.”
Oliver was surprised but decided to test what Jenny just told him. He made a thought.
Can you hear me, Jenny?
“Yup!” answered Jenny. “Loud and clear.”
“So, what are your other confessions?” asked Oliver.
“Well,” Jenny answered, “I love you too, Oliver. I teased you to flirt with you. Flirting is a way of showing someone you love them romantically.”
Oliver was pleasantly surprised by Jenny’s confession, but at the same time, it did lift a big weight off his shoulders.
“Lastly,” Jenny admitted in an embarrassed tone, “I have a magic crystal ball to watch things from. With that crystal ball, I accidentally stumbled upon you and watched you. Sorry I if I came off as a stalker.”
“It’s okay,” replied Oliver.
“So, would you like to enter a romantic relationship with me?” asked Jenny.
“I would love to,” Oliver answered.
Jenny got close to Oliver again, and she and Oliver kissed on the lips, as all the worries Oliver had about Jenny before were laid to rest.