"The setting sun bathed the school in a warm golden hue, casting long shadows across the hallways and empty classrooms. The once-bustling corridors were now eerily quiet, save for the occasional sound of a closing locker or the distant chatter of a few lingering students. Most had already left, eager to escape the confines of school and return home.
The day has ended, and yet, here remains the ever-diligent class representative of Third-Year Class B, staying behind to fulfill her duties.
But not Faith.
As the class representative of Third-Year Class B, she had responsibilities to fulfill paperwork to complete, reports to organize, and preparations to make for the upcoming excursion. She sat at her desk, her eyes scanning over the documents in front of her, her pen moving swiftly as she filled out the necessary forms. The silence in the classroom should have been comforting, but instead, it felt heavy, pressing down on her like an invisible weight."
Then came an all-too-familiar voice.
Stephanie's voice carried a teasing lilt, her dramatic narration followed by a playful giggle.
Faith sighed, rubbing her temples. "Stop that. Are you here to help me or just to play around?"
Stephanie smirked as she leaned against a nearby desk, twirling a pen between her fingers. "Oh, I'm definitely not here to help. I'm just here to keep you company. Maybe you should've convinced Alex to wait for you instead."
Faith looked up, arching a brow. "So she just left us to walk home all by ourselves, huh?"
Stephanie shrugged. "Not exactly how it happened, but yeah, pretty much."
Faith exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "Okay."
She turned her attention back to her paperwork, trying to focus, but Stephanie's presence made it difficult. Her friend wasn't exactly the best person to have around when trying to be productive Stephanie's idea of 'keeping company' often involved teasing, gossiping, or finding ways to avoid actual work.
Meanwhile, outside the school gates, Cole and his group walked at a leisurely pace, making their way home as usual.
"You're just being lazy, Cole," Ben said, shaking his head as they crossed the street.
Cole stretched his arms behind his head and yawned. "Yeah, I know. I only play to enjoy myself, anyway."
Ben scoffed. "Winning is also part of enjoying, you know."
Cole smirked. "Maybe for you. I don't take it that seriously."
Their conversation had started with a casual discussion about the online game they played the night before. As always, Cole had performed terribly, much to the frustration of his friends. He had never been particularly invested in video games unlike Ben, who treated every match like a life-or-death situation.
Abdullah, who had been mostly silent, suddenly pointed ahead. "Oh, hey, look. Isn't that the girl from our chemistry practical class?"
Their eyes followed the direction of his finger. A girl stood at the bus stop, her posture relaxed but her gaze fixed on the road ahead, waiting for her ride.
Abdullah grinned. "She's alone again? Heh. What's her name again?"
Cole barely spared her a glance. "How am I supposed to know?"
Abdullah raised a brow, unimpressed. "You were the one who got set up with her during the practical class. If anything, you should be the one who remembers."
Cole clicked his tongue. "Well, I don't."
Abdullah's smirk widened. "Liar. I know you do. You've probably spoken to her since then."
Cole hated how accurate Abdullah was. He actually did know the girl's name, but he disliked how easily Abdullah could read him. The guy was annoyingly perceptive, always watching, always analyzing. Nothing got past him.
Before Cole could come up with a retort, Ben cut in.
"I don't care about all this. I'm only interested in winning the game at the next Battle Royale tournament."
Then, without warning, he broke away from the group, walking toward the bus stop. "I'll go join her since the bus isn't here yet. Maybe I'll start a conversation with her. I'll let you boys know her name tomorrow. Later."
Abdullah chuckled as he watched Ben leave. Then, he turned back to Cole with a teasing glint in his eyes. "So? What's her name?"
Cole sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I don't know. Never bothered to ask."
Abdullah shook his head. "Liar."
Cole didn't respond.
Then, with a mischievous smirk, Abdullah said, "Either way, Faith wouldn't like this."
Cole frowned. "Faith? What does she have to do with anything?"
Abdullah shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe she wouldn't like it because she likes you."
Cole scoffed. "That's ridiculous. You already told me she doesn't like me. Not that I care."
Abdullah laughed. "Yeah, but for some reason, she still wouldn't like it. Maybe she likes you more than she realizes."
Cole rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, I don't care. I'm not interested in anyone, especially not someone with extreme anger issues."
Before Abdullah could push him further, he suddenly looked over Cole's shoulder, his expression shifting.
"Wow. Look who's closing in on us," he said in a calm voice.
Cole turned back and there she was.
Alex.
Unlike the rest of them, she wasn't in a hurry to leave school. She walked with an easy stride, her hands in her pockets, her usual confident aura surrounding her. Alex and Cole lived on the same street, but they rarely ever went home together. It wasn't that they weren't friends—quite the opposite, actually. It was just that their dynamic, along with the rest of the group, was like a never-ending cycle.
A big triangle of friendship, as some would call it.
Alex approached them, her gaze flickering between the two boys.
"What are you two scheming about?" she asked, eyeing them suspiciously.
Cole sighed. "Nothing important."
Abdullah chuckled. "Oh, just discussing Faith's love life."
Cole shot him a glare. "Shut up."
Alex smirked. "Sounds like a conversation I'd want to hear. Too bad I'm heading ."
Abdullah waved casually and said, "Goodbye, Alex. See you tomorrow."
And with that, he turned the corner, leaving Cole and Alex to walk the rest of the way home together.
Cole sighed. "Looks like it's just us."
Alex grinned. "Yeah. Try to walk faster, idiot."
Cole shook his head with a small smirk as they continued down the street, the last traces of daylight fading into the horizon as they both chatted.