Nurul Atieqa Sharin, 5 Delima (2019)

     I was cycling around the town when I noticed a new comic book store that had just been opened. In the speed of lightning, I dashed towards the store, pedalling my bike as hard as I could. Once I arrived at the store, I parked my bike carefully, locked it and headed towards the door. Excitement was filling up to the very brim to the point where I banged myself at the door. My careless mistake. The sign said 'Pull' not 'Push'. Never mind, then. 

     I walked into the store and looked for my all-time-favourite comic book series. It was about a hero named 'Red Hood'. He was fearless, tough, savage, cool, awesome, amazing, fantastic and not to forget, extremely good looking. He was said to be an urban myth but some claimed he really existed and all his comic books were actually true.

     Flipping through the pages, I read every panel carefully, taking in the story line while at the same time admiring the art style. Even if it was just on papers, adrenaline rushed through my veins as I read the fight scenes happening between the villains and Red Hood. He punched them before taking one of the villains into a headlock. He threw them aside and avoided their attacks by using his acrobatic skills. He took out his weapons and ...

     "So, you are a fan too?"

     I looked up from the comic, only to be greeted by a pair of hazel eyes and a mischievious smirk. Right on the spot, I yelled and tripped on my own feet, causing me to fall right on the ground. The guy laughed at me like I was an idiot before crouching down to help me.

     "I am so sorry I scared you. Are you okay?"

     Feeling extremely embarrassed, I looked away and hesitated for a while. My heart was thumping too quick for me to answer his question. "Okay, relax. Take a deep breath and look at him." I mumbled silently in my heart.

     "I am alright," I answered bluntly.

     I took a closer look at his face that was a few inches away from mine. His hair was jet black with a bit of white highlight. Strange. His face had a couple of scars. He was cute, I had to admit that but I was still upset by the fact that he laughed at me before helping me out.

     "I am guessing you really like this Red Hood guy?" he questioned me, flipping through the pages of the comic book.

     "What do you mean like? I love him! He is the coolest guy and hero on Earth. I swear if I could marry him, I would!"

     Those words came out of my mouth with confidence and I was extremely proud of my statement. The guy stared at me for a few seconds like I was an idiot before plastering that same smirk he did at the very beginning.

     "Marry? He doesn't even exist?"

     "A girl can always dream, you know."

     "You mean a comic book nerd can always dream?" he said, teasingly.

     Slightly tipped off, I snatched the comic book that was in his hand before placing it back onto the shelf. Again, he stared at me but this time in confusion.

     "You are not getting it?" He asked me, feeling curious.

     "Well, I would but I need to save my money for my college fees. They aren't cheap, you know."

     He gave me a soft smile while nodding. A moment of silence lingered between me and the guy I just met. We were standing awkwardly, facing each other. Soon, he finally opened his mouth.

    "I didn't quite catch your name."

     "Well, I didn't throw it, did I? I teased him back.

     "Funny," he said, making a face. Annoyed by my words, he managed to let out a small giggle.

     What was going on between me and this guy I just met a few minutes ago? I had no idea. I was about to tell him my name when we suddenly heard a loud crash coming from the outside of the store. The two of us sprinted to the glass door to see what was happening.

     It turned out there was a burglary happening at a bank nearby and the thieves blew up a bomb which then triggered the alarms. I was so absorbed into the scene until I didn't realise he was no longer beside me. I looked around the store to see if he was anywhere. Right then, I heard the back door of the store was opened by someone.

     In a flash, I chased after that 'someone' and what I saw put me in a big surprise. In front of me was no longer a guy with jet black hair but a figure wearing a red mask. We both stared at each other, before he stepped closer to me with a devilish smile and a finger on top of his lips.

     "This is our little secret, okay?"

     With that, he ran off into the crime scene, leaving me dumbfounded and speechless. My legs were trembling and my hands were shaking. I could not believe it. No way!

     Just then, my cellphone rang. It was my Tina, my best friend. I answered her call and before she could utter anything, I screamed elatedly, "I swear this is the luckiest day of my life!" I was pretty sure she was confused and curious as ever!