"My first day of sophomore year is already a rough start." Yuri cried, with guilt in her voice.
She hurried to put on her skirt and her beloved floral hairpin, which luckily wasn't against the school dress code.
Before going downstairs, she gave her bangs a last check in the mirror until her mother called her to give her lunchbox. Mrs Mitchell's gave her daughter a peck on her delicate cheeks and sent her off from the doorstep while waving goodbye.
Yuri was already 20 minutes late on her first day as a sophomore. Though she dared not to tell her mother about it otherwise, she would not have received the sweet kiss she did today. It made her happy. She grinned while pedalling her cycle.
It was quite a pleasant crisp morning. The cool air carried a gentle breeze that brushed against her face. As she pedalled along, she felt the warmth of the morning sun embracing her skin and providing her a comforting energy. Surrounded by lush greenery, the blooming flowers and the sound of birds chirping overhead accompanied her creating a melodious soundtrack for her ride. The road stretched ahead within a turning point.
"I should take a short cut since the way of Mrs Yang's bakery is a long route to school" Yuri thought as she peddled along.
The moment she turned her cycle, within seconds occurred a sudden jolt, THEIR bicycles collide, causing a momentary disruption in the harmonious rhythm of our protagonist's ride. Yuri groaned and hold onto her head as she regained her balance. While brushing off her clothes, her eyes met the stranger who sat still on the ground.
It seemed like the "stranger" was a young man, maybe around 17. He was tall and slim, dressed in his school uniform which he wore with an undeniable flair. The crisp, white button-down shirt hugged his athletic frame, accentuating his well-defined shoulders and toned physique. His hair was a mess due to the accident and his ears had a black piercing.
The young man didn't notice Yuri's creepy gaze upon him. Since he was too focused looking for something.
Yuri hastily bowed and apologised to the boy for her mistake. She took a glimpse off her watch and hurried to school. It was almost time for the school gates to close.
Huffing and panting, she stood next to the gates of her school as she caught her breath.
She arrived on time!
For the first time!!
Or not…
Due to the annual change in school hours, the gates were closed ten minutes early. Yuri was relieved to know that other people shared her embarrassment since many other new students who were late were similarly unaware of the school's time adjustments. Given that it was their first day, the security guard allowed them to pass. Since opening ceremony had already begun, the crowd jostled inside.
According to the students' grades and clubs, classes were assigned to them. Yuri checked the "CLASS- C10" label on the door as she stood there to make sure she was in the correct classroom. She had a sense of anticipation as she walked in. She observed her classmates who were chatting and also recognised few of them who were with her in her middle school. As she looked across the classroom, her eyes fell on a boy who was sleeping on the second last seat of the fourth row near the window.
"His hair seems familiar" Yuri wondered.
"If only he faced me I could have seen his face."
Yuri murmured as she went closer to the last empty seat on the 3rd row.
Few minutes passed… and Yuri started to feel bored and lonely. She was kind of disappointed since no one approached her. She soon started to miss her old friends.
"Our homeroom teacher would be arriving in a while. Guess I can make flyers for my Gymnastics club to pass my time."
Yuri thought, as she gathered her stationery.
Aside from her short height, Yuri excels at gymnastics. She started it at the age of six. Even in the 2019 state tournament, she earned the first place. Isn't that fascinating?
She began to write, but soon noticed the eraser on the table corner that had unintentionally fallen onto the sleeping boy's seat. Who's row was adjacent to hers.
"OH WOW…Looks like it's his eraser now. I would not like to go there to get it." Yuri mumbled.
Shortly realising that-
"SHIT"
"My middle school's crush's name is written on it. WHY DID I THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA BACK THEN??" Yuri screamed internally.
Yes, she has been treasuring that eraser for two years. Puppy love can make you do crazy things.. let alone writing your crush's name on an eraser.
"What do I do now? If he picks it up and recognises the name I am done for." "I must go and get it." Yuri said with a nervous look on her face.
She quietly tip toed, slowly approaching the boy's seat. She carefully crouched down alongside his desk and reached for the eraser.
"Please don't wake up" she muttered as she picked it up.
Holding onto her eraser tightly she attempted to stand up but bumped her head on the desk.
"It didn't hurt?" she wondered as she clenched her eyes.
Looking up to see the boy groaning with his hand.
"HUH??" she said. "Its You!" pointing towards him.
Still in pain, he smirked and said, "Bold of you to hit my hand after almost murdering me with your bicycle today."
"It was you who put your hand under that desk! I swear! I was merely attempting to retrieve my eraser. I had no other intentions." Yuri argued back, as she stood up.
"You sure?" He tilted his head a little as he questioned. Seems like he was having fun with the argument.
Yuri glared at him with fierce eyes and left.
"What's with him? Its not like I purposely tried to hit him."
Soon the classes started and the students got engaged in variety of subjects and lessons. Throughout the day, Yuri shifted between different classes, moving from mathematics to science and from literature to social studies.
But one thing bothered her is that she felt as if someone was watching her and it wasn't stopping no matter what class she went to.
"I feel weird maybe I am just imagining it." Yuri muttered as she walked down the stairs.
"No you're not" someone whispered.