Chapter 4: Normal Students

I guess life is unexpectedly a mystery. In a world where mafias ruled the underground. While the businessmen ruled the overworld that even the government couldn’t control them. 

Tuesday 6:30 am

I woke up earlier than usual, and I didn’t know why. I was sitting on my bed while scrolling through my feed, seeing the same usual boring thing except for the recent news about a murder in an alley. 

Do people kill each other just for money, for justice, or for fun? Well, what can I say? We’ll never know since human nature is like a snake. 

I stood up and prepared myself for the day. I have to go to school today. I don’t want to keep Micah and Soleil worried about me. Since I didn’t read their messages yesterday. 

I wore the school uniform on. A white long sleeve with the school logo, paired with a dark blue cottoned vest and a checkered skirt below my knees. 

To be honest. I still don’t understand the purpose of a school uniform. But to be fair. I don’t have to think about what to wear every day.

I left home earlier than usual and walked to the nearest convenience store. I was craving some strawberry milk. I should order some and ask them to deliver them to my house. I entered the store and went straight ahead to the drinks corner. 

I opened the refrigerator once I spotted my strawberry milk. I grabbed two and made my way to the cashier. 

“Oh, what a coincidence. It seems like we meet again,” A man said to me. When I looked back, I gasped, seeing the pink-haired man from that night. 

“Sian…” I said his name out loud, which made him smile.

“Please add this. I’ll pay for your drink,” Sian told the cashier, who nodded his head. I bet he’s stunned by Sina’s good looks. Well, I can’t blame him either. I looked at the shoulders that were wounded that day. 

“Your wound has it healed?” I asked him, starting at his shoulder. 

“Don’t worry about me,” Sian gives me my two strawberry milk drinks. “You don’t seem to be traumatized at all.”

“Well, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t,” I inserted the straw into the drink. “You can say I’m good in hiding my own feelings.”

“I see,” muttered Sian. Before he left, he patted my head. “I guess we’ll be seeing each other frequently.”

I touched my head, feeling the warmth from his touch. For some reason, this makes me want to have an older brother. 

I made my way to school. The school where I study is actually not far from my house. It’s just that the location of the house is hidden around a forest. Walking to school isn’t tiring but relaxing. It helps me forget my own worries. 

Once I arrived by the school gates, it was already open. I didn’t know some students went to school this early. But still, it isn’t many, and it’s not crowded either. Life Academy is the name of my school. 

It’s one of the well-known schools in City A. It’s both for the unprivileged and privileged students. My father, to be exact, is one of the founds of this school. But he never bribed or used his authority to tell the teachers to treat me special. 

Every teacher in this school treats everyone equally. Status is not important in this school. I guess I can say this is one of the perks of studying in this school. 

I made my way to my classroom, which was still empty. I walked to my seat, which was by the window side on the third row. I hung my bag on the side of my table and rested my head on my arms. 

I shut my eyes while listening to music, and once the music ended, I opened my eyes back. Then I saw Joshua and Wayne sitting in front of me. I got startled for a bit. Since when did they get in here? If the music was three minutes long, then it means they were just a few steps behind me. 

I removed one side of my earphones, and in unison, Wayne turned his back and greeted me.

“Oh, sorry, we didn’t mean to wake you up,” said Wayne, and Joshua turned his back. 

To make it clear, their seats were in front of me. Joshua in front, then to his right side, was Wayne. You can say I’m sitting in a lucky spot. But at the same time isn’t. There were times when their fan club would glare at me. I mean, it’s not my fault. Blame the random arrangement. 

“No, it’s alright,” I assured him. 

The three of us had a staring contest for a while, not until Wayne blinked. It made us break into laughter, and somehow I felt relieved.

Neither of us had asked about that day. I think it’s better to ask them next time since I didn’t want to be a bothersome person. Though I need an explanation from them. 

“You were absent the other day. Were you feeling unwell?” Joshua asked, and I shook my head. 

“I just wanted to skip a day for fun,” I answered honestly. 

“Well, I would have done the same if I could,” chuckles Joshua as he waves the papers in his hand. I read the title school festival.

Is it already the time of the month? Before I knew it, senior high was about to end. It felt short, but at the same time, it felt long. To be honest. I didn’t really care about my last year in senior high. I just thought that I wanted time to pass faster. 

“The school festival…if there is anything, I can do. I’m willing to help,” I told Joshua.

“If you want to. Then I can invite you to help us out with the preparations,” answered Joshua. “But are you sure? You might stay in school until night falls.”

“Don’t worry about me.”

I thought it was going to be hard to start a conversation them. But it wasn’t that hard. They’re just like any other students. Well, exclude the fact they’re extremely popular. 

“Why are you smiling that much?” Wayne points at me. 

“It’s just that. I thought it would be harder to talk to you guys,” I laughed at myself. 

“And we thought you had no interest in us,” Wayne nudges Joshua on the shoulder, who shrugged him away, annoyed.

“It’s not that I had no interest in you guys,” I corrected him. “It felt that…you guys were so distant.”

Joshua and Wayne both looked at each other then back at me. 

“Not anymore,” smiled Joshua, who turned his back and focused on his work.