True Confessions Boyang Zhao, College Jean-de-Brebeuf, Secondary II

There were once two classmates with very different qualities. One was a very kind boy by the name of Frank, and the other one was a girl with a rather savage nature named Lucy. Perhaps by luck, when the year began, the teacher arranged them to be seated together, resulting in agreeable events. Now when someone finds love, he or she may want to change himself or herself for the sake of the relationship. Lucy was one of those people. When Lucy first met Frank, she had to admit she had feelings for him.

But one day, when she decided to confess these feelings to Frank, she realized she was scared of rejection. So she became as silent as the wind. She sighed, hoping that one day she could express her emotions to Frank without being brutal or savage as per her habits. While walking home, her head was down, and she was depressed. She couldn’t imagine a kind, polite boy like Frank marrying a savage, crazy girl like her. So she decided to hide her thoughts.

Suddenly, someone bumped into her without noticing her. Lucy then became angry with him without even knowing who the person was, and she started to yell at the stranger:

“Are you blind? Couldn’t you see that someone was there?”

Lucy had always been this way; it was part of her rude personality. The boy apologized. Lucy sighed, still annoyed. She didn’t know that this boy was Frank, because she had been impolite and not looked directly into his eyes.

Later in class, Lucy saw all her classmates grouped around one person. And that person was Frank.

“Frank,” asked a girl, “is it true that you’ve been bumped into by an older girl this morning?”

“She wasn't the one who bumped into me,” Frank replied, “I was the one who bumped into her. The girl was impolite and rude but I’m sure that she has a good heart. I think everyone, even the meanest person, has a space in them that has kindness.”

Lucy heard what Frank said and realized that he was talking about her.

“Oh no!” she thought, “The boy I yelled at was Frank? How could he still believe I’m nice?”

Lucy, baffled, didn't know what to think or what to do. Her brutal nature, as well as her parents, raised her not to think much at all. She knew that, because Frank was not infuriated by her behavior, an opportunity presented itself. She would go over and apologize, making the boy feel good about defending her and perhaps earning a little sympathy. Luckily, Frank didn’t know Lucy very well either, and the savage girl was ready to morph into the sweetest of creatures to impress Frank. The young man, smiling at her apology, noticed she was awkwardly trying to ask him out on a date. No matter how rude she was, Lucy could not help being shy in front of Frank. The latter accepted the invitation, thinking that Lucy never truly meant harm.

During their entire relationship, the young girl struggled to conceal her nature, trying to be as pleasant as humanly possible. The couple felt connected at first, but Frank started to sense Lucy’s act and became suspicious. The girl was always uncomfortably trying to cover up and he found that untruthful and slightly annoying. So he decided to get to the bottom of the situation.

One day, he confronted Lucy. At first, this made the poor girl even more nervous and anxious about the interrogation’s outcome. Strangely, the further she went in her revelations, the more Frank was smiling. The young boy admitted that he would not have rejected Lucy for her not-so-mild nature and that if she was willing to try, they could work something out. Nonetheless, he scolded her for pretending to be someone she wasn’t and faking her part of the relationship.

Lucy felt incredibly silly afterwards. She knew Frank spoke the truth and that she should have been upfront with her emotions and feelings from the start. She felt sorry for having hidden herself from Frank and was unbelievably relieved to hear that he wouldn’t hold a grudge.

Frank was ready to provide her with a second chance, and Lucy was ready to make it all work. She stayed honest from then on, and her rudeness calmed down naturally. The couple was able to maintain their relationship and dignity, and move on with the school year, both very thankful for the bumping incident that brought them together.