Romances de Kendra Tan

[Nathaniel]I raised my hands when I saw Jasper coming into the classroom. “Where did you go? We were kind of expecting you to appear after collecting your phone.” Jasper rambled on as he settled down beside me. “Did you get detained by Mr Hicks or something?”“Nope, got off with a warning. Ms Joan asked me to bring a new student around school.”“New student?”“Yeah, a transfer student at our level.” I tried to be casual as I pointed behind me to Chris. “Sitting right there.”Jasper turned to look. He waved, smiled and nodded. I tried my best not to turn my head. “He looks like he plays on the rugby team,” Jasper commented as he turned back to me. “He is.”I blurted out before I could stop myself. Wait. No, this was not information that I should know.“I mean, I think he is. He looks built for it.” I clarified before Jasper caught anything. “He said he transferred under the sports program. Probably really good at it.”I know he is good. Really good. “What? Riverdale have a sport

[Nathaniel]The air around me suddenly felt heavy. I couldn’t breathe.I turned around. Ready to run. “Nathaniel Cladwell! Where are you heading to?” Mr Hick’s voice boomed through the office.Oh yes. My phone. “Sorry, Sir.”I jogged towards Mr Hicks, ready to get into his office, away from Chris. A detention sounds so much better than being in the same room with him right now. Mr Hicks let out an annoyed sigh and returned my phone. Right there and then.Does he really have to do this here? Right at the office reception counter? In front of Chris?“Don’t let me catch you using this again.” “Yes, Sir.” I quickly took my phone from him and shoved it into my pocket. “You have great potential for the college scholarship programme, Nathaniel. Don’t let high school romance affect you and your grades. It’s only day one, and you are behaving like a love-sick puppy. This is your last warning. Get going!” Mr Hicks turned to return to the staff office, leaving me with an amused receptionis

[Nathaniel]My head snapped up from my phone screen, and I stood up immediately, throwing the phone back under the desk. “Yes, Sir!”“What’s gotten into you today?” Mr Hicks made his way towards me. “First, you were uncharacteristically late for class.” He reached under my desk and took out my phone. “And now, you are blatantly using your phone in my class?”“I am sorry, Sir!”I blushed deep red at being caught red-handed. Mr Hicks asked me to unlock my screen, opening to the last photo I was looking at. His stern eyes looked at me after seeing the photo. “I am not against students dating as long as you keep up with your academics. You are showing a really bad example here, Nathaniel.”The entire class laughed, and students started whispering. “What did Mr Hicks see?”“Was Nate admiring those photos in class?”“Maybe he was chatting with Clara.”I hung my head lower and blushed deeper in embarrassment. “I am sorry, Sir. I will pay attention in class.” I apologised.“I am taking

[Nathaniel]I took the photo down and looked at it in detail. It was a long shot photo, taken from the side, mainly silhouettes due to the low light. Definitely from the bonfire night. A semi-circle of campers, cheering in front of two people standing on a log. Clara and me. The photo looked normal at first glance, but I knew exactly what happened that day. And it was obvious if someone were to look closely enough. Clara was looking at the crowd. But not me. My head was slightly tilted up, attention definitely not on the campers right in front of me, but somewhere further behind. And the photo captured clearly where I was looking. Another silhouette figure, standing away from the crowd, nearer to the bonfire. My fingers tighten on the photo, making crumpled edges at the sides.‘What is this all about? Did someone know?’I opened my locker door and was about to toss the photo inside when I noticed something on the back. I flipped it over. There was writing. Small, faint and easy

[NATHANIEL]I stood in front of the mirror, staring at my own reflection, making minor adjustments to my uniform and hair. It was the first day of school, and I didn’t really want to go. Summer camp ended two weeks ago. Photos from the bonfire night were spreading like wildfire. Friends and strangers are texting and sending me messages on my social media. Every time my phone buzzed, I could feel my stomach drop.If it were a normal summer camp, everything would have been fine. But things had to go sideways…I could still feel it, across the crowd, near the bonfire, my gaze on someone who shouldn’t be there. My hands trembled as I tightened my tie.‘Liar.’I turned away from the mirror, disgusted by my own reflection. I picked up my backpack from the desk, glancing at my vision board. Scholarship program applications, student council activities, competitions and many other goals for the year. At the corner of the board, an old Polaroid photo that was never removed.I stared at the p