Volume 1: Ch.6

It was her first time to be that happy.

"Jill?" April waved her hand in front of Jill's trance-like state. "Earth to Jill? Are you there?" She tried to get her friend's attention, but there was no response.

April was starting to get worried. She had never seen Jill like this before. She tried patting her head, clapping her hands, and even gave her a soft slap to try and bring her back to reality, but nothing seemed to work. The last time April had seen Jill smile like this was at the silent sanctuary concert they had attended. Although April wasn't sure what could have happened to bring Jill to this state, she had a hunch it was related to something that had occurred the day before.

"Jill? Come on, snap out of it!" April tried again, using her best friend's full name. "Jillian Silvia Magdalo?"

Finally, after several attempts of calling her name and waving her hands in front of her face, Jill came back to reality. "Yes? How long was I out?" she asked.

"Long enough for me to get bored," April replied with a hint of relief in her voice. "What happened? Did you win the lottery or something?"

"Even better," Jill replied with a big smile on her face. Her hand was resting on her cheek, like a love-struck teenager. "I never would have imagined something like what happened yesterday could happen."

"Well, don't keep me in the dark. What happened?" April asked, crossing her arms and looking eager for an explanation.

Jill couldn't help but giggle. "We went to a milk tea place, and the drink didn't taste good, so we threw it up and got into an argument, but then boom, I held his hands."

Jill's face turned red as a tomato, and April looked even more confused. She didn't understand the full story, as Jill had left out some crucial details. "I don't get it, Jill," April said.

"It doesn't matter," Jill replied, her joy turning to a sudden mood swing as she remembered something else. "Yesterday was the best day of my life."

"It was the first time I felt that level of joy," Jill reflected, a contented smile spreading across her face.

"Is something wrong?" Her friend April noticed that something was off. She and Jill had been friends for a long time, and she was familiar with all of her moods. She held Jill's hand and asked, "What's bothering you?"

Jill sighed as she remembered the fleeting nature of happiness and the uncertainty that came with it. "It's nothing," she lied, forcing a smile. "I just realized that Wayne hasn't arrived yet."

"Yeah, where is he?" April asked, her expression showing concern. "Do you think his wound got worse?"

Jill's face fell as she worried about Wayne's well-being. "I hope not," she said.

Just then, their friend Joy Cassey Tang joined them, shouting obnoxiously, "HEY!!! It's your beautiful girl!" Her cheeks were puffed up like a Japanese mochi with sesame seeds, due to the pimple marks on her face. Despite her skin, Joy was still attractive to many people.

"Joy! What the hell!" Jill said, surprised by Joy's sudden appearance.

Joy didn't apologize for interrupting them. Instead, she wanted to join the conversation. "So what are you guys talking about? Any progress on Wayne? Spill the beans, tell me! Tell me." The excitement in her voice was hard to miss.

Jill hesitated, but eventually nodded, giving April permission to share. "Well, Wayne took her to a milk tea shop, and that's all she's said," April said, finishing with a knowing wink from Jill, which Joy missed.

"Hmmm, did she tell you what happened?" Joy asked eagerly.

April looked at Jill, but she remained silent, letting Joy's imagination run wild.

Joy didn't seem to believe what April had said. "That's kind of hard to believe. That guy never talks. Are you sure it's him?" she asked with a doubtful look in her eyes.

April smacked Joy's arm. "Jeez Joy! Jill never lies. Plus, I'm sure it's the truth. I saw them yesterday, you dummy!"

"Okay, okay. I'll take your word for it." The three of them giggled and started talking about school. A few moments later, the teacher arrived and the lesson began. But, Jill couldn't concentrate as she noticed that Wayne, who she had been secretly watching for a year, was absent from the class. He usually sat at the edge of the classroom and would just stare out the window, sometimes even falling asleep during class. Despite not paying attention in class, he always answered the teacher's questions correctly with a smirk.

Jill had been curious about Wayne ever since he transferred to their school. He had a menacing stare and only spoke when asked a question. Despite people trying to get to know him, he remained distant and aloof. But, despite all of this, Jill had fallen in love with him. She had finally mustered up the courage to talk to him, but today he wasn't there.

The chemistry lesson felt like it lasted an eternity. Even Jill, who was part of the top 5 students, found it challenging. The teacher would give an example, then follow it up with a quiz. After 45 minutes of intense studying, the lesson finally came to an end.

"I hate that teacher," whispered April.

"I hate her too," agreed Joy. "She seems to intimidate us regular students, but acts kindly towards the STEM students."

Jill disagreed. "Let's be fair. The special education program carries the name of our school and they worked hard for it. We don't have the right to be upset about it."

"I guess you're right. But I still hate her," said April bitterly.

"I disagree with you, Jill," Joy said as she tried to argue. "They don't give us a fair opportunity. I don't have the right to say that since I never joined the Math competition like you guys did, but I can see that the teacher puts more effort into the special students." 

Joy looked at Jill with listless eyes. "Well, if you say so," she replied without putting up a fight.

"Eeeeh? Sometimes you confuse me, Jill," Joy said, giving a sigh of defeat even though there wasn't a fight to begin with. "Was that sarcasm?"

Jill laughed. "Do I look like a girl who likes sarcasm?"

Joy thought hard for a second and looked back at her friend. Despite being friends for a long time, Jill was still a mysterious figure to her. Joy found her easy to read at times, but sometimes Jill's tone would change dramatically and Joy would find it difficult to determine what she really meant. Nevertheless, this unpredictability was part of what made Jill amazing to Joy. She smiled and said, "I don't know, Jill. You're hard to read sometimes."

Jill giggled and held Joy's hand, returning her smile. The sound of their bliss was interrupted by the arrival of their teacher, and the room filled with intensity and seriousness as the teacher sprang a surprise exam on the class. The exam wasn't a challenge for Jill, but the others felt the mental strain.

"Jill, help me here," Joy whispered. "Is that teacher trying to kill us?"

"You sure do look hopeless," Jill whispered back with a smile. She looked at the teacher and waited for the right moment to sneakily pass Joy the answers. When the teacher turned his back, Jill handed Joy her paper.

"You're a life saver, girl!" Joy whispered, grateful, and handed back Jill's paper. After a minute of struggle, recess finally arrived, a much-awaited moment for the high school students.

"Let's go, Jill?" Joy asked, eager. "I'm really hungry. I want to eat fish balls!" 

"Me too, come on Jill, let's go," Joy urged her.

"Hold on, I just received a message," Jill responded as she unlocked her phone and opened the messenger app. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw the sender.

Alder Wayne: Hey, are you there?

Jill couldn't believe it was really him. She double-checked and yes, it was not a delusion. Her face lit up as she quickly typed her response.

Jill: Yes, I am. Are you okay?

Wayne: Not really, the pain is really bad. Can you come and patch me up? If you're not busy, I'm at the waiting shed.

Jill: I'll be there. Just wait for me.

Without hesitation, Jill grabbed her bag and headed towards the door. Joy and the other friend looked at her in confusion.

"Jill, where are you going? Are you okay?" they asked in unison.

Jill gave them the brightest smile they had ever seen; it was as if she had just won the lottery. "I have to go, I'll explain later," she said excitedly before rushing out the door.