Mr. Amber was what his students called him. He was the teaching assistant in Mil's class. Despite being an educator, he was usually tasked with odd jobs around the school campus. The last day when the homeroom teacher had taken a day off was the most normal day in his career. Today, he was assigned to look over the work in the auditorium and so he stood still with a dull expression as the janitors moved about the giant hall, arranging chairs horizontally throughout. He sighed before moving forward, helping the ladies with their jobs. He wasn't obliged to do so but he did it anyways.
The students treated him more like a friend than a teacher. They would make him do special handshakes and record funny videos for their social media stories. He had his fun with the same. But his teaching life left like that of a student council president. He felt as if he was struck as a teenager in that school. One would think that his life was easy. He was paid an amount similar to a teacher but his work was limited to that of a student.
It wasn't. He hated not being able to do what he had specialized in.
Teaching.
"Mr. Amber, we are almost done with the auditorium. Should we bring in the students now?" The head janitor called out to the man.
Amber glanced at his hand watch, it was almost ten o' clock, the time when the principal was supposed to address the science majors. These sessions happened once every semester and Amber was always supposed to manage them. Poor science majors, not only did they have the toughest curriculum, they also needed to survive hours of lecture from the head. If whoever made this lecture rule made it when he was drunk and unconscious, the students would try to be considerate of his decision. If he was well and fine however...
"I'll inform the teachers. Good job today, you all can dismiss yourselves now." Amber moved outside and skipped down the stairs. The auditorium was decorated by the art club throughout the year. During the sessions however, a giant poster with the principals' face was hung over the top of the building.
'Fine looking yet so infuriating' Mr. Amber's thought knew of no filter. The first class he peeked in after entering the science major corridor was of his own. He knocked twice on the door as the teacher inside who already knew the reason of his visit gave him a firm nod. At that moment, the time for the period to be over came by. Hence so, the metallic bell right beside the classroom door buzzed at its highest pitch. Mr. Amber almost went deaf. After that day, one could always notice the man speed walking through that place.
As Mr. Amber left to inform the other classes, the first class in the corridor was left to pack their bags before leaving the room. Misha could be seen at one end and Mil stealing glances. Had the two talked after the party yet?
Not even a greeting was made.
The teacher left them alone after informing them about their schedule. The student representatives were then tasked to look after the discipline and safety reach the auditorium without having to let anyone bunk. What the teachers didn't know was that the representatives themselves were people who bunked. Half of the class had already scattered until they reached their destination. Mil and her friends had taken refuge in the basketball court with the P.E. majors. Misha unfortunately was caught running away to the art club by a teacher. With the excuse of using the bathroom, she was pardoned from punished and delivered to sit alongside her companions back where she was supposed to be.
"Students make sure you keep discipline inside the hall. The principal will be arriving in and about ten minutes so keep your patience till then. Also, make sure you stand up and greet when he enters." Mr. Amber who had finished calling every class now stood over the podium. His announcements were repeated till the students forced shut their ears and started whining. The man then let out a giggle and cracked a joke. The other teachers were not fond of his friendliness.
Mil and her friends could still hear what was happening inside the auditorium through the court. After all the basketball court was situated right beside the auditorium. Mil grabbed on a basketball and threw it towards the hoop.
It missed.
Mil missed too. She missed Misha.
"She must be at the art club right." She muttered. After all, she had heard her talk about it to her friend before they moved out of the class. Mil had planned to sit through the lecture today but what was the point of attending when Misha wasn't there.
Mil grabbed onto the ball that was thrown towards her and threw it again.
It missed again.
Mil missed Misha again too.
"The girl that's standing at the end of the hall, Misha, right? If you don't find a chair to sit on the first floor then go sit on the second floor. It's empty right now but I'm sure your teachers will find students that are bunking the lecture soon." Mr. Amber's faint voice over the microphone was enough for the basketball court filled with dabbling sounds of the ball to erupt in laughter.
One could only imagine how embarrassed Misha would have been inside. One person however, had honey dripping through their eyes instead of tears of laughter. Mil grabbed onto the basketball headed towards her in reflex. She threw it again.
The basketball missed the hoop and flew directly into the hands of the opposite team. Ah, life wasn't a movie.
Mil flew past the basketball grounds.
"Mil where are you going?" Her teammates called out.
"To grab some water." Mil replied.
"The teachers will catch you!" Anu screamed at her.
"I swear I'll be cautious." Mil tucked her uniform and glanced at herself as she passed by the glass doors painted with her reflection.
Mil wasn't cautious. She faced the disciplinary head with a haughty smile on her face. Her answer to the question, 'where were you' was the same as Misha's.
'Bathroom'.
Mil didn't stop for any seating instructions at the entrance. She zoomed through the back and towards the stairs. Her speed walking did not go unnoticed by Mr. Amber at the podium.
"If I were to guess who got caught bunking class, I wouldn't name Mil. Yet I see the girl trying to escape my eyes. So, where was today's hideout? Math club? Canteen?"
"Basketball court!" She busted the girls knowing that they would have to escape now. If she didn't do so however, the others would have suspected her of getting caught intentionally. A true friend that gets caught bunking always throws the gang under the bus.
"Basketball court! Could we have a teacher go check that place out real quick?"
Mil run upstairs, wiping her face with her handkerchief. She looked rather tired and sweaty; it wasn't her best look. Yet being away felt way more miserable than being closer with a hideous look. Moreover, if Misha was used to her ugly face, she could fall in love with her pretty one faster. It felt logical in Mil's thoughts.
At the same time, the girls in the basketball court could be seen running away to the football ground, joining the commerce students in their break time. To say that they didn't curse at Mil would be an obvious lie.
Back in the auditorium, Mil was living the day of her dreams. Her chest felt weird. As if something held onto her heart that was trying to beat fast. It felt as if it would burst out of her body. She smiled at Misha who still had red in her face. Mil was grateful of her dark complex that saved her from carrying confessions and hints. Misha waved at her.
"You got caught too, huh?" Misha let out a laugh.
It was cute.
"Well, you know the disciplinary in-charge. She would have made a great character for treasure hunting shows."
"Did she find you at the basketball court?"
"Oh, ah, well. No? I was confident I could grab some water without anyone noticing. I got caught on my way in the corridors. She asked me what I was doing there so I lied that I was using the bathroom."
"No way! It was the same with me. She watched me go inside the bathroom and return to the auditorium afterwards. It was so awkward."
The two giggled alone on the second floor. The chair besides the one they sat on were haunted by emptiness. They were in the front row and could see the first floor bustling with their classmates. If phones were allowed in school, would they listen to a song right now? One end of the earphone at Mil's and the other at Misha's. Perhaps, Mil could dare lean her head at the other. No one could notice what was happening there anyways. That was why a teacher was always assigned to be the observer. Apparently, the teachers had forgotten to do so today. Or were they still occupied with treasure hunting?
The spotlights for the stage lit up and passed right above their canopy. That meant that the second floor looked darker than usual.
Pitch black, even.
"Everyone, stand up for the principal."
Mil and Misha didn't stand. They stood frozen in each other's gaze.