"What's with you, Eunice? Decided to play something like that? Since when did you become so childish?" Missle asked, her eyebrows raised as if Eunice had just suggested jumping into a kiddie pool in the middle of class.
"Oh, come on, it's not that childish!" Eunice pouted, crossing her arms in defiance. "I saw it on TV, and it looked fun! Let's play 'pak ganern'!" She was practically bouncing in place, clearly excited about her idea.
Missle rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Ask Harriet. If she's in, I'm in too."
Eunice immediately spun to me, eyes bright with excitement, as if I were her last hope. Before I even processed it, she'd grabbed both of my hands, waving them around like she was trying to shake an answer out of me. "Harriet! Please, let's play!"
I froze, an odd flicker of last night's dream flashing at the back of my mind. The memory sent a weird shiver down my spine—one I wasn't ready for that one. Games and silliness just didn't fit my mood today, especially after a dream like that. I shook my head firmly. "Nah, I'll pass."
"Eh, you're such a buzzkill!" Eunice groaned, exaggerating her annoyance before releasing my hands and heading back to her seat. I just shrugged, feeling a bit guilty but letting it slide. I wasn't really in the mood to play along with whatever random thing she had in mind. Something about today felt… heavy.
The teacher finally entered, and we all settled down as class started. The morning passed in a blur of different subjects, and yet it somehow felt like every minute was dragging by. I tried focusing on the lessons, taking notes and everything, but my mind kept wandering. It was like this foggy, weird weight was pressing down on me, making it hard to care about anything going on around me.
Then, close to lunch, the teacher held up a stack of papers and made an announcement. "Alright, class, I have an additional activity for you all," she said, a bit too cheerfully.
The entire room groaned, a chorus of protests rising immediately.
"Not today, ma'am, please!" someone shouted from the middle row.
"It's Friday—cut us some slack!" another voice chimed in.
"Yeah, ma'am, we need the weekend!" others added, like a rallying cry in unison.
The teacher's expression softened as she sighed, maybe a little exhausted herself. "Fine, no extra assignments today. Just bring your textbook on Monday." She even gave us a small smile before walking out.
The moment the door closed, a collective sigh of relief washed over the room, followed by a few cheers. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. No extra work? Perfect. Normally, I'd be ready to tackle assignments, but today? I was relieved. I didn't feel lazy so much as… distracted. Something felt off, like my mind was somewhere else, and I couldn't shake the feeling, no matter how hard I tried.
I started packing my things, slipping my notebooks and pencils into my bag, zipping it up and slinging it over my shoulder. Just as I was about to leave, I noticed someone approaching me out of the corner of my eye. I looked up, and there was Missle, standing close by with a slightly hesitant look on her face. I shot her a friendly smile, but she didn't return it. Instead, she kept her gaze down, almost avoiding my eyes.
"H-Harriet, let's go," she stammered, her voice sounding a bit shaky, like she wasn't sure of her words. She let out a nervous laugh that did nothing to ease the weird vibe she was giving off. "Let's have lunch at the camp forest… I-I have something to tell you."
I bit my lip, watching her carefully. This wasn't like Missle at all. Normally, she was confident, always sure of herself, and seeing her like this instantly made me feel a little uneasy. What could possibly have her acting this way?
Did something happen?
And wait—did she just say camp forest? Why would we go there to eat? As far as I knew, it was off-limits unless you were in scouts. Besides, we had a perfectly decent canteen right here. But something about the way she said it sparked my curiosity, almost like there was some hidden purpose to this. Maybe… maybe there was something I needed to see?
"S-Sure, why not?" I replied, chuckling nervously as I tried to brush off my own doubts. I managed a half-smile, and she returned it weakly before looking down again. After a few seconds, she looked back up, her forced smile still in place as she said, "L-Let's go," reaching out and grabbing my hand.
My eyes widened. Missle wasn't usually the type to hold hands or do anything touchy-feely like that. Her hand was warm, but I could feel a slight tremble in her grip. My curiosity spiked. I tried to mask my surprise and just let her lead the way, the combination of curiosity and unease twisting tighter in my chest as we walked out of the classroom.
We walked through the hallway in silence, weaving our way through the crowd of students. I kept sneaking glances at Missle, hoping for some clue as to what was going on. But she kept her gaze straight ahead, her grip on my hand steady but tense. It felt like she was clinging to me for reassurance, which only made my nerves worse.
Finally, we reached the path to the camp forest. I slowed my steps a little, finally pulling my hand free. "Missle," I said quietly, my voice carrying a note of concern. "Why are we here? I mean… what's so important that we had to come all the way out here?"
Missle stopped, turning to look at me with an expression I couldn't quite read. There was relief, maybe, but also hesitation. Her mouth opened as if she was about to say something serious, but then she stopped herself, her gaze shifting away from mine.
"It's… well, I thought it would be nice to have a change of scenery," she mumbled, clearly not convincing even herself.
I narrowed my eyes, trying to piece together what she was hiding. Something was off—there was no way we were out here just for a "change of scenery." But she looked so torn that I decided to give her a break and let it slide, at least for now.
The silence between us grew heavy, filling the space where her explanation should have been. I could feel a strange sense of anticipation building, something that both excited and unnerved me. Part of me wanted to turn back, to just forget about whatever mystery was lingering here and head back to the canteen for a normal lunch. But then I glanced into the camp forest, the shadows stretching across the ground, the trees swaying slightly in the breeze. It was like the forest itself was inviting me in, pulling me closer, as if there was something waiting there just for me.
I took a deep breath, letting the earthy scent of the trees and leaves fill my lungs, grounding me for a moment. "Alright," I said quietly, almost to myself. I felt a weird confidence settle over me, like I was ready to take on whatever was in there.
Missle looked over at me, her face softening. She still seemed nervous, but I could see a hint of gratitude in her eyes, like she was relieved I hadn't pushed her too hard for answers.
"Thanks, Harriet," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
I just nodded, giving her a small smile. "Let's go," I said, more to ease her nerves than anything.