Kilin sat in the first literature class with a slouch back, her mind wandering far away from the lesson. From an outsider's perspective, she looked lost in a daydream, her head resting on her fist, oblivious to the world around her. The sharp-eyed teacher, Mrs Anderson, noticed Kilin's distraction and decided to bring her back to reality.
With a swift flick of her wrist, she tossed one of her erasers towards Kilin, causing it to bounce off her desk and land right in front of her. Startled, Kilin looked up, meeting the stern gaze of the teacher a few mocking laughs in the background.
Embarrassed, she quickly straightened herself up in her seat, feeling the weight of Mrs Anderson's burrowing gaze on her.
"Miss Kilin? Do you find my class boring or something? You have been acting like you don't want to be here. I also don't want to be here as well but here we are," she said while pushing her glasses back.
Kilin cleared her throat and whispered, "Sorry... ma'am."
Her voice firm but not unkind she said, "Since my class is too boring for you then go to the school storeroom and pick up the textbooks for our literature class."
Reluctantly, Kilin got up from her seat, her feet dragging along the classroom floor. Keele instinctively rose to her feet, ready to lend a helping hand. But Mrs Anderson firmly gestured for Keele to sit back down. "Miss Keele, did I mention your name? Sit down."
Keele pouted and sat back down a few girls laughing at the back. She knew Kilin was in a bad mood and she wanted to take the opportunity to cheer her up. Who would have thought sleeping pill Anderson would scold her in front of everyone?
It didn't take long before Kilin reached the store room. She knocked the counter and a short stout man peeked his head out. The entire school called him a mole rat because his two front teeth were big and his eyes squinted because he had bad vision but refused to wear reading glasses. He would often squint trying to see things that are further from him.
"Sir, Miss Anderson sent me to get literature books for class one," she said leaning against the door.
"Uh... I see," he said picking up another pile of books, "Go at the back and get them. They are the first pile on your left."
"Okay," she said and pushed the second door open. When she stepped in she found the pile of books immediately but couldn't help but freak out when she saw the small office filled with piles and piles of books stacked up nicely on the shelves.
Some books were now obsolete because they now used electronic books thus they were left to rot here. Her claustrophobia began to rear its ugly head her vivid imagination staring up trouble.
Just as she reached for the pile of books she felt something ominous. With a trembling hand, she reached for the handle but a gust of wind suddenly slammed the door shut, causing her heart to skip a beat.
Terrified, Kilin's mind raced as she tried to open the door, her panic growing with each desperate turn of the handle. But it seemed as if fate had a different plan for her.
Just as her fear peaked, the door swung open, revealing Luna, standing on the other side.
Relief flooded over Kilin as she let out a long sigh. Luna's presence brought a comforting sense of familiarity. Without a word, Luna stepped forward, taking in the situation at a glance.
"Thank god it's you. Uh, my heart. I thought I was going to die," said Kilin while rubbing her chest seeming distraught. "Why are you here?"
Luna took half of the book pile and walked out. Kilin picked up the other half and rushed to catch up with her. They were cousins but Luna never wanted anyone to know that. They had to pretend like they didn't know each other at school. Kilin didn't care that much thus she complied.
Luna glanced at her and said, "You and Wyatt... what happened?"
Kilin sneered internally. She should have known that Luna would come over here for this.
"I am just worried about you. You should stay away from people like him. They are nothing good," said Luna and Kilin thought,
'I can say the same thing to you.' But alas, Luna was from a very wealthy family so they probably operated in the same circles as Wyatt.
"I know. I should have known it was all a set-up. I will stay away from him from now on," she said as they walked down the empty halls.
Luna nodded slightly and for a second or two they stayed silent. It was when they were about to reach class did Luna ask, "Do you want to play a game with me tonight?"
Kilin shook her head no. She wasn't in the mood today. "I am sorry... I can't tonight. I am not in the mood."
Luna knew why she would say that but wouldn't games help her take today's events out of her mind?
Kilin stepped into the class and placed the piles of books on one of the front desks. She wanted them to take one and pass them down when the literature teacher glared at her.
"Distribute them. Luna, you sit down," she said after seeing that Luna was placing books desk by desk while Kilin would much rather take one and pass them along.
Luna who was standing in the same column of desks that would reach Wyatt shone a flicker of disappointment before sitting down.
Kilin on the other hand was quite reluctant. Her heart was unsettled as she walked from desk to desk, distributing books under the watchful eye of the teacher. The classroom was filled with a mixed atmosphere, some students were amused by her presence while others seemed indifferent. But it was the back row where her anxiety reached its peak.
There, seated with an air of relaxed coolness, was Wyatt. He sat there, nonchalantly flipping a pen with practised skill. Her entire senior year was probably ruined by Wyatt but he was completely unaffected.
Kilin's grip on the books tightened, her knuckles turning white. Memories of him cupping her face and casting her aside added to the tension in the air.
She wished she could do something, anything, to retaliate against him. There was a fleeting thought of hitting him with a book, but she knew it would only worsen her situation. Because she was standing there in a daze for a while Myan rudely said, "Can I help you?... Why not take a picture? It will last longer."
Suppressing her anger, Kilin ignored her and approached his desk without even glancing in his direction. She placed a book on his desk and moved on swiftly, determined to maintain her composure.