Sunlight spilled through the half-open classroom windows, glinting off dusty floors and scattering across the desks. The chatter of students bounced off the walls—laughter, whispers, and the occasional sneeze filled the air.
A gentle breeze fluttered the curtains, teasing Elina's hair and making the pages of her notebook dance.
"Great… another normal school morning," Elina muttered to herself.
She glanced up at Amara, who was already inching away from her desk. "Hey, you'll be back in two minutes, right?"
Amara smiled innocently. "Yeah, yeah… just a sec!"
Fifteen minutes later, however, Amara was still gone, laughing with her other friends across the room.
"Typical Amara," Elina whispered under her breath. "I run after her like I'm auditioning for 'Best BFF Ever,' and yet, making friends is like rocket science. Seriously, God, not cool!"
Elina sighed and rested her forehead against the cool surface of her desk. "Why do I even try?"
She had never had a real best friend before Amara. On the first day of school, Elina had watched everyone pair off, whispering secrets and sharing snacks while she just… existed. When Amara finally let her in, Elina thought she'd found someone she could count on.
Or maybe I'm the only one who thought so… she thought bitterly.
Just then, the homeroom teacher entered, a clipboard in hand. "Alright, everyone. Olympics exam forms! If anyone is interested, submit your names to Lucas."
Immediately, chaos broke loose. Papers flew, boys shouted, and desks screeched against the floor. And, of course, leading the chaos was Draven.
The teacher dropped a stack of forms on the front desk. Immediately, Draven and his friends grabbed them.
"Alright, distribute these properly!" Lucas called out over the noise.
"Properly?" Draven scoffed. "When have we ever done anything properly?!"
The class burst into laughter. Papers flew like confetti, chairs screeched, and Draven turned the classroom into his personal circus.
A soft breeze slipped through the open window again, fluttering Elina's hair. "Even the wind's mocking me now…" she muttered.
Draven strolled over to her row, a smirk on his face and a stack of forms in his hand.
"Here, catch!" He stretched his hand toward her.
Elina managed a smile—fake, polite, and practiced. "Thanks—"
But before she could even blink, he pulled his hand back and handed the paper to the girl sitting behind her. Elina froze, her hand still raised in mid-air.
"What the—?!" she whispered, stunned. What the heck is wrong with this bastard?
Draven kept walking, laughing with his friends as he tossed more papers around. "Careful, don't drop them!" he snickered, glancing back. "Oh wait, you're too perfect for that!"
"You're such an idiot, Draven!" Lyric called out from across the room.
Elina gritted her teeth, forcing herself not to throw her pen at the back of Draven's head.
"Unbelievable…!" she hissed in a low, irritated voice. "First, a bad morning, and now this brainless buffalo acting up again. What a dirty dog… ugh!"
He walked past her bench—again!—still pretending she didn't exist.
"Does he even know what 'gentleman' means?" Elina muttered, half to herself. "Ugh… probably not!"
Then, from across the room, Lyric—kind, tall, and thank God, sane—raised his hand. "Hey, she didn't get one yet!"
He walked over and handed Elina a form, smiling like an actual human being. "Here. You should have one too."
Elina offered him a grateful smile. "Thanks, Lyric! You're the best."
Ahh~ my pretty, handsome brother, you are the best boy! she cheered internally.
He laughed softly and walked away. Elina looked at Draven again—still grinning, still loud.
"Disgusting lunatic…" she sighed in exasperation.
She dropped the form on her desk and leaned back, whispering to the empty air. "This bench has seen it all… anger, frustration, admiration… and now pure emotional damage."
Elina watched the sunlight fading across the desk, observing a dust mote float lazily in the golden light as if even the air was mocking her.
"Anger, chaos, admiration… all in one morning," she muttered, closing her eyes. "Tomorrow… I'll survive this madness. Maybe."