A few days passed.
There was no reply from him. No sign of him at school either. Instead of excitement, my heart slowly filled with something else—fear… and uncertainty.
And then… something happened.
One day, just before class ended, Boldoo from my class suddenly stood up on a chair and said,
"Hey everyone, I've got a letter here. Let me read it to you."
In his hands—
was my letter.
In that instant, my face burned with shame. I wished I could disappear, shrink into nothing, hide beneath my desk.
"Hello, Gantulga…
Who do you like?
Are you in a relationship?
I like you very much.
Please go out with me…
From the girl who watches you…"
He didn't just read it—he exaggerated it, adding words that I had never written.
Then he smirked and said,
"Do you know who wrote this, guys?"
The class erupted.
"Who is it? Tell us!" they shouted.
Boldoo walked straight toward me.
And then—
"This is from our classmate… Gerlee."
Laughter exploded across the room.
I wanted to run. I wanted to disappear. But my legs wouldn't move.
Urnaa turned to me, shocked.
"Hey… what is this?"
Sarangerel added sharply,
"Isn't it boys who write letters to girls? What are you even doing? Have some shame."
It felt as if the ground beneath me had collapsed.
Then suddenly, my two friends, Chimgee and Shuree, rushed to my side.
"Our friend didn't write that letter," they said firmly.
I looked at them, unable to speak, my face still burning red. Then I turned to Boldoo and managed to say,
"I didn't write that. Why are you reading it like that?"
But the class only laughed even louder.
I grabbed my bag and ran out of the classroom.
As I ran home, tears streamed down my face—heavy, painful tears. My heart ached with disappointment… with hurt.
That night, I didn't want to go back to school ever again.
At that time, when I was in the 7th grade, the world wasn't as open as it is now. There were no mobile phones, no easy way to hide or escape such moments.
When I got home, I wanted to tell my mother—but I couldn't find the courage.
I tried to tell my older sister, but she said,
"I have an exam tomorrow, I'm really busy. Just say it quickly."
Her words stirred something stubborn inside me. I said nothing and went into my room.
All I could do was cry.
I sat curled up on my bed, hugging my knees, feeling completely alone.
I didn't know then… that even harder days were about to come.
The next morning, my mother woke us up and reminded us it was time for school. I didn't want to go. Not at all.
But I had no choice.
As I walked through the narrow corridors of the school, it felt like everyone was staring at me… whispering… pointing.
I entered my classroom.
Boldoo wasn't there.
For a moment, I felt relieved and quietly took my seat.
But then he walked in.
"Hi, Gerlee… you're really foolish," he whispered close to my ear before walking away.
I froze.
Why would he say that?
After school, he came and sat next to me again.
"Do you want to know something?" he said.
I looked at him silently.
"You're blind, you know that?" he continued.
"When you first transferred into our class, Tugsjargal liked you. Did you know that?"
I was stunned.
"What…? So what?" I asked.
"You don't know Gantulga at all," he said.
"He likes another girl. Her name is Enkhmaa—from our class. They started dating last night."
His words hit me like a sudden darkness.
Everything inside me went quiet… and heavy.
Boldoo pointed at me with his finger, then stood up and walked away.
I couldn't even cry there in class.
But the pain inside me grew deeper and deeper.
After school, as I walked out, I crossed paths with Gantulga in the schoolyard.
He walked toward me, smiled, and said gently,
"Hi… little one."
And then he passed by.
It should have made me happy.
But instead… my eyes filled with tears.
Why?
Because I had taken the first step… toward someone who didn't feel the same.
No one had told me it might end like this.
No one had warned me.
And the way my letter had been exposed… twisted… laughed at—
It hurt more than I could ever explain.