He pushed up his black-rimmed glasses at the bridge of the nose. His friend, his only friend, was rambling on about a new video game he bought last night with his own money he earned.

"You coming over?" Scooter inquired, his gaze fixing on him.

"Oh, uh... sure...," Joshua hesitantly answered.

Scooter's expression filled with doubt. His arms crossed over his chest and he squinted his eyes to peer at his nerdy friend. "You okay?" he asked.

"Fine," Joshua replied back a little quickly. "So when do you want me to come over?"

He shortly waited a few seconds before he answered. "Nine."

It was sometimes a daily routine for them to hang out at each other's houses at night. One night it's Joshua and another night it's Scooter. They kept a ritual going just coming over and chill since their parents worked late at night and they found good company with each other.

Joshua nodded. "Okay."

The hallway promptly grew the noises of chatter around them and then a feminine figure appeared. All eyes were on her.

Their attention turned to a girl with dark brown hair and a fresh-faced beauty who held a pleasant charm. She dressed like how a Korean girl would. So simple, elegant, and natural. She is Coral Haywood.

Joshua's eyes found her. Coral was greeting other people around her with that bright, positive smile of hers. She habitually was nice to those around her and even those left out. She had a heart of a soul and everything about her was impeccably spotless. She was the prettiest in his eyes.

Compared to her, he was a nerd that nobody knew.

While she was striking a conversation with a few students, he had his heart beating. He took a gulp and his mind became like a wrecking havoc. He had a crush on her for two straight years and he never really had the courage to talk to her. He wasn't like other guys who could be smooth with their words. He was the opposite. Words were foreign to him to speak whenever she's around. She had that effect on him.

"Hey, she's coming this way. Why don't you say h-" Scooter stopped abruptly when he turned his head to discover the disappearance of his friend.

He had scattered off quickly and Scooter knew that was one of his many signs of how he always turn away from an opportunity when near given.

Scooter crossed his arm over his chest and shook his head disapprovingly. "Tcch, Tcch, boy." Saying so while his tongue clicked twice.

Later on, Scooter found his friend, Joshua, at a library reading a book. He pulled up a chair and took a seat next to him. "Joshua, why did you run like that?"

"Like what?" he said, not taking his eyes off his book.

"What you did earlier."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Joshua denied, turning the next page of his book.

"You ran away from her. That's like a millionth time you've done that." Scooter pounded on the table with his fist.

With the sound of the table rumbling, Joshua was startled and glanced at the glaring demeanor his friend gave him. Bookmarking his page in the middle, he stopped reading.

"Scooter, we went over this. I'm not good with her. I don't think I ever will be," Joshua stated.

"And how will you know if you keep running away like this?" Scooter asked.

That statement was a statement that could not be answered to because he doesn't know what to say about it. "I don't know.." Joshua muttered.

"Exactly."

Joshua dropped his head in shame. The only thing appeared in his head is the word coward. How much of a coward he is, is a coward he may as well be forever.

"Oh, there's Coral!" Scooter pointed out.

When his eyes looked up, he saw her at an aisle brief reading through a book she picked up from a shelf.

"You better go talk to her. This is your chance now." His friend encouraged.

Joshua shook his head.

"Just say a few words. Talk about something, it doesn't even have to be for long. You can just say-"

Scooter turned his head to find Joshua not there. Already disappeared as fast as possible.

He only shook his head again. "When is that boy ever gonna learn?"