---
Night had already begun when Lavinia started running on her way back home.
Her steps were fast, as if she were fleeing from a ghost chasing her, and her black hair flew behind her like waves, mingling with the light of the lamps scattered on both sides of the road.
Her breaths were racing...
and the sound of her shoes hitting the asphalt echoed loudly without stopping.
She was running with a trembling heart and a confused mind that thought of only one thing: I must get there now…
Only now.
She approached the house.
She stopped in front of the door, gasping for air, then raised her hand and knocked hard.
The door suddenly opened.
Mikel appeared before her,
his face swollen with worry, his eyes red as if he hadn't slept all night.
He didn't give her a chance to speak; instead, he grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her back and forth:
"What happened to you?! Where have you been?!"
Lavinia stuttered:
"I… I-I… was just with some friends…"
Mikel cut her off in a loud voice, his anger mixed with fear:
"Damn it! You exhausted us with worry!"
Suddenly, her mother appeared behind him.
She threw herself onto her daughter in a warm embrace that carried more than words could express.
She was crying as she held her tightly:
"You foolish girl… I almost died because of you…"
Lavinia rested her head on her mother's shoulder and said in a low voice:
"I'm sorry, Mom… truly sorry… I didn't mean to scare you…"
The moment was warm despite its tension, and the scene felt like grief finally lifting off the family's chest.
---
That night, Lavinia lay on her bed, but she couldn't sleep.
Everything around her was still: her room, the closed window, her dim night lamp… except her mind.
Farid.
She couldn't forget the way he looked when he fell.
For the first time, she had seen him on the edge of weakness, on the edge of death.
She placed her hand on her forehead and murmured:
"Was he exaggerating? Or is it more serious than he said?"
But she found no answer.
She found nothing but growing worry pounding against her chest like a hammer.
---
The next morning…
She was walking to school with Mikel as usual.
The morning was cold,
the fog lightly brushing the ground, and people moved like silhouettes in the streets.
Mikel suddenly asked:
"Since when… do you have friends?"
She looked at him in confusion:
"What? Are you making fun of me?"
He shook his head:
"No… it's the truth. You usually don't have any friends."
She crossed her arms and replied coldly:
"But I do. And I'm not obligated to tell you who they are."
Mikel let out a long sigh:
"Fine… just don't worry your mother again. She almost fainted last night."
Lavinia lowered her eyes:
"Yes… I know… I was just busy… and I forgot the time."
---
The moment she entered the classroom, her eyes caught a scene that bothered her heart for no clear reason.
Rocky was standing beside a group of girls from the class.
He was laughing and joking,
his wide smile shining just like always.
He looked relaxed…
and maybe even more attractive than usual, and that made Lavinia feel something strange—
a faint jealousy tightening her chest.
But Rocky,
as soon as he saw her, left the girls immediately and approached her quickly:
"Lavinia! I was just talking about you a moment ago!"
Her heart skipped a beat.
"Y-you were talking about me…?" she said, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink.
Rocky smiled:
"Yes. I was asking about your favorite color."
She stuttered:
"My color…? It's blue."
Mikel stood behind her, watching the entire scene, his eyes narrowing with a frustration he couldn't hide.
Rocky smiled:
"Then… I'll wear blue clothes on the day of the festival."
Lavinia's eyes widened, and she felt a shyness she wasn't used to.
As for Mikel… he was about to explode.
---
Class began, and the literature teacher ordered the class representative to collect the assignments.
She passed by everyone… but stopped at Lavinia.
She had forgotten to do the assignment.
Forgot because of Farid.
Tears almost gathered in her eyes as she watched everyone hand in their work except her.
---
At the end of the class,
and the very first minute of break, Lavinia ran straight to Farid's classroom.
She opened the door forcefully,
searched for him with her eyes, but couldn't find him.
She asked the girls:
"Where is Farid?"
One of them replied:
"He didn't come at all today."
Lavinia's eyes widened:
"Impossible… is he still in the hospital?"
---
When school ended, she decided to head to the hospital.
She was gripping her bag tightly,
her heart pounding like crazy;
but before she could leave the school gate, she heard Mikel's voice behind her:
"Lavinia! Today… how about stopping by and watching me at the field?"
She froze.
She quickly said:
"No… I don't want to… I have something important to do!"
Mikel moved closer until she could almost feel his breath:
"What's the important thing?"
She panicked and looked away:
"Umm… there's a sale at the clothing store… I have to go…"
She lifted her bag and ran.
He remained standing, muttering with bitter sarcasm:
"A sale…?"
---
She reached the hospital.
She asked about him.
The receptionist replied coldly:
"He was discharged yesterday."
Lavinia shouted:
"Huh?! How?! Impossible!"
She rushed outside, took out her phone, and called him.
His name appeared in the contact list: "The stupid old man."
She called once.
Twice.
Three times.
No answer.
She clenched her lips:
"What is wrong with this idiot?!"
---
She left the hospital and headed toward his abandoned house.
The road was quiet,
the air cold, and the trees swayed slowly as if watching her steps.
But suddenly…
she saw two people on the swing in the park.
One of them was… Rocky.
Lavinia approached from behind and tapped his shoulder. He turned around in alarm, then immediately smiled when he saw her:
"Lavinia! What are you doing here?"
She replied:
"I was visiting someone in the hospital."
She turned to look at the person sitting next to him: the friend she had seen with him many times.
Rocky introduced him:
"Lavinia, this is my friend Dirk."
They exchanged greetings, then she left quickly.
As soon as she walked away, Dirk said to Rocky:
"Is that the girl you were telling me about earlier?"
Rocky nodded:
"Yes."
Dirk grinned:
"She's amazing, man! Beautiful and tall like a model… she's exactly my type—"
He stopped when he noticed Rocky's sharp glare.
He raised his hands in surrender:
"Relax, I already have a girl I love. I won't mess with her."
Rocky looked back up at the sky and spoke in a quiet, painful tone:
"I… like her. But she rejected me…"
Dirk patted his shoulder:
"It's fine. Maybe one day… the two of you will end up together."
---
As for Lavinia…
she finally reached Farid's house.
The house was nearly falling apart, its door shaking with the wind, its windows dusty, and its walls bearing the marks of years gone by.
She stood at the door, stomped her foot on the ground, and shouted loudly:
"Farid!! It's Lavinia!! I'll come in if you don't answer by the time I finish counting!!"
She raised her hand…
and prepared to start counting…
but suddenly.
Before she could touch the doorknob,
the house began to shake…
and the scene flipped before her eyes.
The old house transformed… into a completely new one right in front of her.
---