“I was just hoping you’d still be here, so I dropped by to give you this.” I handed out a paper bag without looking up at him. I found him walking out of the locker room of the school gym. He was here every afternoon. He was a member of the school’s basketball team and I’m one of his avid fans.

Aside from that, we were ‘friends’ since we were five. But when we entered college, we suddenly became strangers. Funny but true. Childhood friends turned into strangers.

He entered the team during the second semester when we were in first year. As for me, I found myself in the club for photographers. My passion for photography brought me extra money. Since I loved watching Ned’s basketball games, I got shots of the team during the game. Different newspapers and magazines bought my pictures.

But all this while, even though we share the same school, court and even neighborhood, still he continued to ignore me.  Now, we’re about to graduate from college. It’s so silly of me to keep hoping that he’ll come up to me and say “Hey Andy! It’s so good to see you!” But I guess I’ll have to be contented with hoping.

Now, I was still standing before him. When I realized that he had not flexed even a muscle to get the bag from me, I dropped it on the ground and ran away. Hey, I have feelings too. Idiots like me also get fed up. So much for reaching out.

Then fate finally agreed to go my way. The following week, mom told me we were to transfer to another neighborhood since dad was assigned to another place. What a relief. No more Ned on my way to school.

When I reached the Camera Club office that very same day, our Head told me that someone from the club asked if we could take turns in taking pictures of the basketball team since he needed some extra cash. I told him that the member could have the games all to himself. I hated it because I had to lie and say that I didn’t need the extra money and that the games were getting boring. I had to do this. I had to get him out of my system.