Fast forward--- 3 years later.
She barely had a second. The ball was flying at her face at top speed, and her instincts took over. She kicked it hard.
And now, every eye in the field is on her. Including his.
Cohen Gilovich. The last person she never expected to see, and the last person she wanted to see.
***
Flashback--
Beep-beep-beep... beep-beep-beep...beep-beep-beep...beep-beep-beep........
An alarm clock from the bedside table is ringing nonstop. Someone from the other room shouted followed by a pounding knock on the door.
"Yaaahh!!! Eiress, wake up. Your alarm clock is so loud and yet it can't wake you up? What a sleepyhead you are. Come on, open the door!" Leigh said as she knocked on her door.
She barely opened her eyes, but she was forced to wake up just to open the door of her room. Leigh is so furious when she opens the door, so she immediately retreats from her steps.
"Okay! Okay! Fine! I got it." She said to her as she raised both her hands as if caught by a cop.
"Next time huh! I'm gonna break your door and smash that alarm clock of yours!" She said furiously and went out.
"Come on. Get up already. I thought you're supposed to go to Zeyun today." She shouted before going down. She just chuckled at her actions. Leigh is a cousin of hers. But she was all bark, no bite. She'd never actually smash her alarm clock, but that didn't stop her from threatening her every morning.
That's when she realized, "Crap! What time is it?" She was walking her way to the bathroom when her phone rang.
"Hello, wha--"
"My ghad Rizz, where are you? By the way, its 6:30, just 30 minutes before your train leaves. You better hurry up. Gosh." The caller said in a high-pitched sound.
..tut tut tut----
"What the---?"
Eiress laughed in disbelief. How could she just hang up on her like that? She hasn't even said anything. By the way, she's Zoe Capoodhil, her closest friend.
Just then she realized, the first day of another school year is two days from now. And she's actually the schools' president of the broadcasting team, so she has to be at Zeyun today to prepare for the freshmen welcome event, and it's an hour's train ride away.
She then went straight to the bathroom. She didn't bother to eat since she might be late. Fortunately, she packed her suitcases yesterday. She ran out of the house, and Butler Xhin carried her things.
"Thank you, Mr.! Maybe a bit quicker than usual? I have a date with destiny, and I'd rather not miss the train, unless it's the one that leads to oblivion." She joked around, and Butler Xhin laughed and started the engine.
She looked at her watch and it was 7:01. She sighed while looking out the window and she can feel that her heart is beating fast, not just from the time, but from the thrill of what lay ahead.
She didn't realize the car stopped and Butler Xhin came out to take her suitcases. She bid goodbye and ran inside the station. She barely had time to catch her breath as she dashed to make her train. She found a seat, grateful for the calm.
The last thing Eiress wanted was to attract attention, just like how last year ended. This year, she intended to keep things low-key. But somehow, she had a feeling that wasn't going to be possible.
The chaos of her morning quickly faded as she hopped off the train after an hour and scanned the bustling station looking for Zoe. The station buzzed with people, some chatting loudly, others glued to their phones. Their laughter echoing around her, a reminder of the noise she prefer to avoid.
"Rizz!" Eiress turned around spotting a vibrant blonde hair bouncing above the crowd. She waved frantically, her eyes gleaming with enthusiasm. Eiress walked over, weaving through the throngs of people.
"Finally! Thought you'd bail on me," Zoe teased, looping her arm around hers. She stayed stiff, not much of a hugger these days, not because she didn't want to be close, just... habits.
"Wouldn't miss it," she said with a smirk. "Not after you practically dragged me here."
"Come on, we've got to go! I'm so ready to see what this year's gonna bring," Zoe said, practically buzzing.
They walked together toward the school dorm, the wind brushing past but sunlight still warming their backs. As they got closer, the towering structure of Zeyun University came into view, gleaming, and alive with energy.
Zoe let out a whistle. "I still can't believe we are now seniors."
"I'm heading to the AVR. Can you bring up my suitcase? I'll take it later from your room when I get back." She told Zoe, motioning toward the elevator.
"Yup! But wait, are you seriously not gonna let me peek into your dorm suite?" she teased.
Eiress raised an eyebrow. "It's not a suite."
"Yes it is. Advantage of the privileged. Hmmp." Zoe said jokingly and laughed as she walked away. Her dorm is actually wider than others, perks of having a wealthy grandparents. She shares the dorm with her cousin Leigh.
Eiress just rolled her eyes and stepped into the main building, which wasn't far from the dorms. The broadcasting room was tucked away at the far end of a quiet hallway. It wasn't big, but it had everything they needed, some tables, chairs, a microphone with its stand, and a mixer that controlled the speakers across the campus. A few shelves lined the wall, holding scripts, school announcements, and random notes. The place felt clean, minimal, and quiet exactly the way she liked it.
She dropped her bag on the table and exhaled. The noise and rush of the world felt distant from here. School had always felt the same to her, but now that she was back, it felt different. Almost like she was standing at the edge of something she wasn't sure she was ready for.
After a short break, thirst crept in, along with a craving for iced drink. She figured she had time before things got busy. Stepping outside, she was met with a sudden downpour, even though it was only quarter to eight and the sun still shone brightly.
She grabbed fruit soda from the vending machine, took a breath, and dashed back toward the school. Once inside, her steps slowed, the echo of her sneakers against the polished floors filling the quiet corridors. After a while, the rain stopped.
Scrolling through her phone, she paused on a photo she took earlier, her hand stretched toward a blurred crossing, sunlight filtering through falling rain, people rushing past like shadows in motion. She couldn't stop staring at it. She had set it as her wallpaper already. There was something chaotic but... strangely beautiful about it.
With nothing else to do, she figured she might as well walk around the campus. They're on their final year and she hadn't fully explored it yet. As she neared the field, the distant sounds of thudding boots, whistles, and short commands echoed across the stands. She squinted toward the pitch.
They were training.
A full team was running drills. Their movements were sharp, efficient, like clockwork. She recognized the crest on their kits. That was strange... They weren't the school's team. They were the opponents.
She leaned against the railing, half-hoping no one would notice her.
The energy on the field was magnetic. Some players were jogging laps while others took turns passing and shooting. Then suddenly, a loose ball shot out of bounds, bouncing across the grass toward the edge of the field, toward her.
Without thinking, she dropped her bag, took a step forward, and kicked the ball back with one clean strike.
The ball soared back to the field and landed perfectly near the center line.
A few heads turned. One of the coaches glanced her way, probably wondering who the hell just did that. But then, someone broke from the cluster of players and started walking toward her.
At first, the glare of the setting sun made it hard to see. His silhouette was tall, shoulders squared, his stride steady and sure.
Then he got close enough.
And she froze.
Cohen.
What. The. Hell.
He didn't look surprised. Not even a little. He just held out his hand.
Her phone.
She hadn't even noticed she dropped it.
He glanced down at the screen, the photo, her hand, the rain. Then his eyes flicked up at her. No recognition in them. Or maybe he was just pretending.
She snatched the phone from his hand, unsure what to say. Unsure what he was doing here.
"What?" She muttered, arms crossed.
"If you wanted to show off," he said coolly, "you could've just joined the training. But, uh... it's not football tennis. You're not supposed to volley it like that."
She blinked.
Oh.
She had just kicked the ball back with full force, in front of everyone, during a training session.
The team had stopped briefly, some chuckling, others whispering.
Her face burned. "Sorry!" She said, covering her face with her hand, laughing awkwardly. "It just flew at me. Reflexes."
He said nothing, only nodded once, then turned back toward the field.
Eiress sank onto her dorm bed. Her heart was still pounding, whether from the embarrassment or from seeing him, she wasn't sure.
Is he seriously pretending not to know her?, Eiress thought.
Still, as she lay there, staring at the ceiling, the image of Cohen handing her phone replayed in her head.
Why is he here?
Why didn't he say anything?
And why... why did it feel like he knew exactly what he was doing?
She sighed and closed her eyes.
She should've said something.
She should've asked.
Aarghhh! Maybe later. Geez. She's gonna be seeing him often.