Jomar stepped out of the cafeteria, still hearing Dane's voice echo in his head like a post-game taunt.
"You'll know when it's real."
He sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Real, huh?" he muttered.
The midday sun made the pavement shimmer. In the distance, the sound of volleyballs thudding and sneakers screeching across the basketball court filled the air. It was a typical day at Gubat Coastal High: loud, chaotic, weirdly humid. But now it all felt oddly cinematic.
His steps slowed as he neared the path to the tennis court. His mind wasn't in his legs anymore.
"Do I have a crush on her?"
He didn't even know. Mira was loud. She was confident. She was the human equivalent of a mango-flavored soda explosion—sweet, fizzy, and dangerous if shaken too hard.
They'd met just a few days ago, but she already felt like a permanent part of his week. His practice partner. His chaos companion. His coach-dressed-as-a-classmate.
"Nah, can't be love at first sight. That's not real. Is it?"
"OOF!"
Jomar staggered back as his shoulder bumped into someone rounding the corner.
A boy slightly shorter than him stumbled too, but recovered quickly, adjusting his glasses with one hand and hugging a slim black chessboard case with the other.
"Ah—sorry," Jomar blurted.
The boy nodded calmly, brushing imaginary dust from his uniform. "It's fine. I should've looked."
"No, no, I wasn't paying attention," Jomar said.
They both awkwardly bowed at the same time like two confused NPCs glitching.
The boy gave a tiny smile. "It's a tight path. Bound to happen eventually."
Jomar nodded. "Yeah. You headed to club stuff?"
"Yeah. Chess."
"Ohhh. You guys meet today?"
"Every day." The boy adjusted his grip on his chess case. "You're with tennis?"
Jomar nodded. "Sort of. Still learning the basics."
"Good luck," the boy said sincerely.
Before Jomar could say more, the boy had already walked past, quiet footsteps disappearing into the noise of the school.
Jomar blinked. That guy was definitely not part of the chaos club.
"Huh. Chill aura. I bet even his chess pieces say 'thank you' when captured."
He chuckled to himself and resumed walking.
But the thought returned.
Mira.
"Do I like her?"
"I mean, she is teaching me. We spend time together."
"She smells nice. That's not love, though. Is it?"
"Is this how it starts? Random thoughts in the middle of hallways and soda burps?"
He passed the volleyball court. The volleyball girls were yelling something about a cursed serve.
Then the tennis court came into view, complete with Coach Tonton standing on a bench yelling, "IF I DIE, BURY ME UNDER THE NET!"
Classic.
Jomar stepped into the gate and spotted Mira already swinging her racket casually, spinning it like a sword. She caught sight of him and called out:
"Hey! Lover boy!"
He froze.
She grinned. "I meant tennis lover. What, guilty conscience?"
Jomar groaned. "Do you guys just wake up and choose violence every morning?"
"Yes," she replied. "Now get over here. We're starting your crash course."
Coach Tonton blew his whistle, which did nothing but add drama to the breeze. The rest of the team lounged on the bleachers, half-watching, half-plotting nonsense.
Jomar walked toward Mira, heart thudding.
Maybe it wasn't love.
But it was something.
And whatever it was…
It was about to learn how to serve without breaking the sound barrier.