Author POV
"Honk"
The loud sound of a horn brought Selena out of her reverie. Snapping out of her daydreaming, she looked outside.
The tall gates of college soon came within her sight; beyond them stood massive buildings in different areas and a beautiful park in the center.
Thin trails passed through the park, connecting all the academic buildings together.
Undampened by the exam season, the students were playing in the park; some sat on the grass to study with their group, and some couples walked in the lonely area of the park, their intentions unknown as their faces were filled with mischievous smiles.
"Tock"
As Selena disembarked from the bus, she looked around, seemingly searching for someone.
"Pat"
"Hey"
Out of nowhere, a girl with a small stature appeared and tried to pat Selena's head while tiptoeing.
As if having eyes on the back of her head, Selena dodged gracefully.
"Ashley, up to your antics so early," Selena made a snarky comment, with a lovely smile on her face.
Ashley pouted and swatted Selena's hand, which was about to pat her head.
"Okay, Ninja girl, did you bring cheatsheets for me?" Ashley inquired, her tone revealing worry about today's exam.
"You bet" With a smile, Selena unfurled the cheatsheets, the sight of which brought a smile to Ashley's freckled face.
"Godess, thank you for blessing me; now I will definitely pass." Ashley said with a cheeky smile while making a praying pose towards Selena.
"Stop it," Selena giggled while mock-chiding her.
The duo, while chatting, slowly made their way to the park.
"Look, everyone is staring at you," Ashley said while looking around, a little envy dripping in her tone.
Selena looked around, and she was indeed the center of attention with her perfect looks and figure; almost every eye was on her.
Some quickly looked away, while others were more daring as they maintained eye contact with Selena, but for some reason no one was brave enough to approach her.
Selena, already used to this, pulled Ashley along to their usual spot in the park.
Rays of sunlight filtered through the leaves overhead of the duo, illuminating their path as they walked on the thin trail.
"Hey, did you read the news?" Ashley asked while shaking her phone in front of absentminded Selena.
"Huh." As Selena snapped out and read the news, her expression slowly became serious.
"Riots are slowly approaching here? Wasn't it just a small disturbance in the west?" Selena questioned Ashley.
Ashley, unphased by the news of the riot, continued chirping in her cheerful voice.
"It's just a small disturbance; nothing will happen here; don't worry," Ashley assured her while sitting down on the chair.
Selena didn't reply, but sat down next to her quietly, her mind wandering to the perfect man in her vision.
"Clap"
Ashley clapped in the air, managing to grab Selena's attention, then spoke with a wry smile.
"You were always absent-minded, but today you have unlocked a new high in it," Ashley teased with a sad face.
"Is it about your visions?" Ashley asked in a concerned tone.
Selena had a troubled look on her face; she wanted to tell her childhood friend more, but was worried that Ashley would think she was crazy.
As Selena continued with the tug of war in her mind, Ashley spoke.
"Fine, keep your secrets." Ashley made a sad face as she stood up from the chair.
In a rush, Selena grabbed her hand, stopping Ashley from leaving.
"Plop"
With a mischievous smirk, Ashley sat back down with questioning eyes.
Seeing those eyes, Selena pursed her lips, her mind thinking of the various ways to tell.
"You know about the man in my vision, right?" Selena asked with uncertainty in her voice, still debating in her mind whether to tell or not.
"Yeah, Mr. Perfect," Ashley replied in her cheeky voice.
"I think... No, I know I will meet him soon," Selena replied. Gone was the uncertainty in her voice; her voice, which was stuttering at the beginning, became solemn at the end, as if she were declaring a fact.
"Okay, good for you," Ashley replied, her tone ambiguous.
With that, the duo went quiet. Taking their books out, they started revising.
Just as that time passed slowly, under the shade of a tree, the duo continued studying without disturbing each other, with only the gentle breeze as a witness to their talk.
"Buzz"
The college bell rang, signaling that the exam would start in a short while.
"Let's go" Ashley stood up with a solemn expression on her face, as if she was about to face a great enemy.
Seeing her serious expression, Selena almost laughed out loud before she barely controlled herself.
"Yeah," Selena replied. Soon the duo disappeared in the flood of students going towards their respective halls.