Lina kept telling herself not to think about the boy from the gate.
But somehow… she did.
The classroom was louder than she expected. Chairs scraping, people laughing, papers flying around like nobody cared.
"New student, right?" the teacher said while flipping through the register.
Lina nodded. "Yes."
"You can sit… over there."
The teacher pointed.
Her eyes followed the direction.
And her stomach dropped a little.
It was the boy from earlier.
Jayden.
He was already sitting by the window, looking outside like the world inside the classroom didn't matter.
Every step Lina took toward the seat felt heavier than the last.
She sat down slowly, keeping space between them.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Just silence.
Then—
"You're always quiet?" Jayden asked without looking at her.
Lina blinked, surprised. "Excuse me?"
He finally turned his head slightly. "You haven't said anything since you sat here."
"I don't talk to strangers much," she replied honestly.
A pause.
Then, for the first time, she saw something small on his face—almost like amusement.
"Good," he said.
That confused her.
"Good?" she repeated.
Jayden looked back to the window. "Most people talk too much anyway."
Lina didn't know why, but that answer stayed in her mind the whole lesson.
Later that day
When school ended, Lina walked out slowly, adjusting her bag.
She thought she would go home alone like usual.
But at the gate, she saw him again.
Jayden.
Standing there like he was waiting for something… or someone.
Their eyes met for a second.
And just like that, he turned away and started walking.
But this time—
Lina followed him with her eyes longer than she should have.
And she didn't understand why she wanted to know where he was going.
End of Chapter 2