At Bloomword Elementary School, academic achievement was not a measure of popularity amongst the second graders. To be popular, one must be the very best at something.

Eight-year old Catherine Wilson was the best at hiding in hide-and-seek. It may not be as impressive as jumping off the swings from the highest height like Robin Park or fitting the most number of marshmallows in her mouth like Estelle Ramos, but she really didn't mind. She didn't want to be popular like them; she only wanted to be noticed by Thomas "Tommy" Granger—the best seeker in hide-and-seek.

Also known as every little girl's crush in second grade.

Catherine stole a glance at Tommy, who was explaining the rules of hide-and-seek to the newcomers. Whenever he talked, the most adorable dimples appeared on either side of his face. She noted that they would deepen whenever he was smiling or laughing at a joke. His disheveled brown hair, always tucked under a worn-down baseball cap, fell past the nape of his neck and framed his soft-edged face quite perfectly.

His hair often covered his eyes, so she never figured out the exact shade of his blue eyes. But she always imagined them to be the color of the sky on a perfectly sunny day. Perhaps that was the reason why she liked sunny days so much; it reminded him of Tommy Granger and gave her tummy flutters.

Her eyes suddenly flitted towards Peter Romano, and her blood boiled when their eyes met.

Unlike Peter Romano, Tommy was a good boy. He didn't pull on her braids whenever the teacher wasn't looking or teased her horrendous drawings.

Tommy stuck out his tongue and turned away. What a dweeb, Catherine thought.

When it was decided that Tommy would be the seeker, Catherine became hell-bent on winning this round. As soon as he started counting, she ran as quickly as her little legs can carry her to the small cupboard under the stairs. She opened the door, very carefully so as not to make a sound, and slipped inside, tucking her knees to her chest.

It was Catherine's newest hiding place yet, and she was confident that nobody would be able to find her.

Only a few minutes have passed, but it felt like it had been hours already. Her legs have started to tingle in protest of being cramped in such a tiny hiding place like this one. She shifted her weight, making sure to be quiet as possible, and stretched her legs. 

At that exact moment, someone screamed and a round of boisterous laughter followed. For ten seconds, she neither moved a millimeter nor took a single breath, afraid that the slightest sound and movement would call the attention of the seeker. (Tommy had big ears, so she assumed he also had superior hearing).

When Catherine decided that she was safe, she told herself that there was nothing to be worried about anymore.

Just when she thought she could finally move and breathe, she heard the floorboards creaking outside the door. Her breath hitched when she saw a shadow through the crack under the door. She could feel her heart thumping in rapid, erratic beats. Is this still normal? she wondered. Is this still safe? She clutched her chest out of fear that it would jump out of its ribcage. 

Catherine leaned onto the back of the cupboard and closed her eyes, as though the person behind the door would disappear into darkness like everything else. 

It didn't work.

The door opened slowly. Catherine was still closing her eyes, but she heard it loud and clear—a sharp intake of breath and a forbidden word starting with the letter 's'. Curiosity opened her eyes to see who it was behind the door. Much to her disappointment (and relief), it wasn't Tommy Granger.

It was Peter Romano, the little dweeb who teased her relentlessly at school.