Beep! Beep! Beep!
"Melvin, wake up."
"Mhmm…."
"Get up already!"
Hearing my mom's voice, I rose from my bed.
"Breakfast is already prepared on the table, so I'll be leaving for work now."
Rubbing my eyes, I replied, "Mhm…okay. Take care, Mom."
Confirming I was awake already, she left my room. Not long after, I heard the door outside open and close, telling me Mom had already left the house.
Stretching out my arm, I grabbed my phone. Looking at the date, I showed that today is Friday, February 15.
I sighed in relief, glad that February 14 was finally over.
Yesterday had been exhausting. I tried my best to keep my composure, but the atmosphere was too much for me. It drained my spirits.
Still, I'll praise myself for surviving.
However, saying that didn't improve my mood. Even though February 14 had passed, February 15 felt no different. My gut told me I should skip school today.
That feeling came from the fact that I couldn't remember what happened yesterday. Or rather, it seemed I had forgotten how Valentine's Day ended for me.
Should I worry about that? Should I try to remember? Probably not. My gut told me to leave it alone. Besides, it was probably unimportant—nothing worth remembering.
Even so, the uneasiness stayed. My gut screamed at me not to go to school. But sorry, gut, there's no helping it. Mom woke me up, and I can't skip.
Already set on going, I went through my usual routine before leaving for school.
***
Even though Valentine's Day was already over, a lingering vibe still hung in the air.
Some stores still had their Valentine's decorations up, and others hadn't taken down their promo discount signs for couples. That would probably last another two days.
So, couples who were too busy yesterday—or those who simply wanted to extend the celebration—could still spend it today or tomorrow.
Compared to yesterday, though, today was bearable. There were only a few of them around.
Even so, I chose to ignore them and just focus on my way to school.
Soon, I reached Luna High.
I usually entered through the south gate, but this time, I felt like using the east gate.
On my way there, more and more students began walking alongside me. They, too, were Luna High students heading for the east gate. Once I stepped through, I saw even more students inside—some sitting on benches and chatting, others busy taking selfies.
The area was lively, a huge contrast from the south gate.
The reason so many preferred this gate was the scenery. Unlike the south gate's blandness, which only had benches, trees, and walls, the east gate felt like a park, complete with a hangout spot and a garden.
It was no wonder this place was popular. But for me, it was too crowded. That's why I usually avoided it.
Sighing, I continued toward the main building, ignoring the bustle around me until I reached the entrance.
But just as I was about to step inside, I heard a voice from behind.
"Um… excuse me."
It was a girl's voice.
At first, I didn't think much of it, assuming she was calling someone else. But when I heard my name mentioned, it caught my attention.
"You're Dalino, right?"
"Hmm?"
I turned around to look at the owner of the voice. I recognized her face immediately—she was a classmate of mine.
"Yes, that's my name. Do you need something from me?"
"Um… actually, I thought 'You' needed something from me."
"Huh?"
Seeing my confusion, she quickly explained.
"It's because you were staring at me during class yesterday. So I thought maybe you wanted something. But if that's not the case, then I apologize for jumping to conclusions."
"… Nah, it's fine to be mistaken. It's also my fault for causing the misunderstanding. The truth is, I was just deep in thought, and without realizing it, my eyes happened to fall in your direction. There was no meaning behind it—my mind was simply preoccupied. If that made you uncomfortable, then I'm sorry."
"Well, it did bother me a little, but not anymore." After saying that, she looked me in the eyes before continuing, "Is that really it, nothing more?"
Her question made me gulp in anxiety, but I still managed to answer properly.
"Yep, nothing else."
"Is that so…? Okay then, sorry again for interrupting you. I'll be going now."
I watched her walk into the building and disappear down the hallway, then sighed in relief.
That was nerve-racking.
I never expected her to notice me staring. I didn't exactly try to hide it, but since I sat at the back, and she was in the middle row to the right, I thought it was unlikely she'd find out. Yet she did. Nothing I can do about it now.
The reason I had been staring yesterday was tied to the dream I had. Because in that dream, the girl I met behind the gym… was her.
***
Arriving in the classroom, I made my way to my seat.
As soon as I sat down, my eyes drifted toward the middle right side of the room. Sitting there was a girl named Anna Bacalad. She had long hair and wore glasses.
She was the girl I had spoken to earlier. The same person from my dream. In that dream, I met her behind the gym, thinking she would give me chocolate—only to realize I was just a tool to pass it on to someone else.
I don't know why, out of all my classmates, she was the one who appeared in my dream. Maybe it was because I found myself similar to her. She didn't talk to anyone in class and often spent her breaks outside. Right now, she was busy reading her notebook, probably reviewing for the lesson.
But I didn't have any feelings for her, nor did I hope to develop any. That's why my dream felt so strange.
Shifting my gaze to the other side of the room, I saw a boy chatting with his friends. His name was Harold Tumbal—another person who had appeared in my dream.
Well, not exactly. He didn't show up in the dream, but his name was mentioned. In that dream, Bacalad was trying to give chocolate to him.
Tumbal was what you'd call a popular guy. Friendly, easy to talk to, and good-looking to boot. The complete opposite of me.
Comparing myself to him only bruised my ego, so I shook my head and looked back at Bacalad.
!
But the moment I turned, her eyes were on me. Our gazes met, and I quickly looked away, startled.
Did she notice? I hoped not. Otherwise, it would cause another misunderstanding.
Peeking carefully, I saw that Bacalad had already returned her attention to her notebook. Seeing that made me sigh in relief, though the fact that she caught me staring still gnawed at me.
I sighed again, this time in resignation.
Time passed, homeroom ended, and the second period had already begun.
As the teacher checked attendance, hurried footsteps echoed from the hallway. A moment later, the sound stopped outside our classroom, and someone suddenly walked in.
"Good morning, Ma'am. Sorry for being late."
The person who entered, panting, was Camille Escuro.
"Oh, Miss Escuro, it's rare for you to be late. But since class just started, I'll let this slide."
"Thank you, Ma'am."
What's with this special treatment? Is it because of her perfect attendance record?
At the teacher's urging, she headed to her seat.
But on her way, Escuro glanced in my direction.
Was she glaring at me? She looked mad. Did I do something to her?
After staring for a moment, she finally sat down.
What's with her? My gut tells me to ignore it, so I did.
Once the attendance check was over, the teacher began the lesson.
***
Break time had come.
After the teacher left the room, I stood up from my seat, preparing to leave as well.
While putting my stuff in my bag, I noticed Bacalad glancing at me. Alarmed, thinking she might ask why I'd been staring at her again, I hurried up. Grabbing my wallet, I left the classroom immediately.
"Wait!"
As I walked quickly down the hallway, I heard a girl's voice behind me. I didn't recognize whose it was, but I ignored it and quickened my pace toward the cafeteria.
Without thinking too long, I grabbed a sandwich and paid for it. Before the cafeteria became crowded, I left and headed to my usual spot.
Arriving at the back of the gym, I sat on a nearby bench.
Tearing open the sandwich wrapper, I took a bite.
"Eating with this atmosphere really feels nice," I remarked to myself, enjoying my food.
But that peacefulness ended quickly when a familiar silhouette approached.
"I said, 'wait,' didn't I?"
It was a classmate.
"Hmm? Why are you here, Escuro?"
She looked irritated as she replied.
"Have you forgotten? We were supposed to continue the conversation from yesterday. After school, I was looking for you, but you were nowhere to be found."
"Conversation? What conversation? Did we even have one?"
About yesterday, I hadn't exactly forgotten it. I wished I had, but all I could do was pretend. I hoped it had just been one of my dreams.
I really didn't want to get involved, but she had decided on her own that I should be part of it.
Seeing me play dumb, she frowned.
"I even added you on FB and left a message."
She was right. Checking my phone, I saw a pending friend request on Facebook and an unread message on Messenger. The message read, 'Where are you right now?!' It was from yesterday. There was more to it, but I didn't bother reading further.
"Accept it," she urged me.
Sighing, I accepted her friend request.
"Alright, alright, I'll help you. But for the record, I have no experience, so even if I could help, I might not be of much use."
After listening to my statement, she sat beside me and replied;
"Just your opinion is enough, since I need a guy's perspective. Plus, after hearing what you said yesterday, you could help me greatly."
"Is that so? Or are you just sweet-talking me?"
"No, it's the truth. Your words really helped me find confidence."
"Well, now, do you still need my help even though you've gained confidence?"
"Even though I have confidence, I still need ideas. That's where your help comes in. I need you to find a way for me to get closer to him. Isn't that what you told me before? Make him conscious of me."
"So you need my advice, is that it?"
"Yes."
She opened her lunch box and began munching on her food.
"Well… that's right, I did say that. But does it have to be me? Don't you have any friends who could help?"
Taking another bite, she put down her spoon and answered;
"I do have friends, but I don't want to involve them. I want this to stay between us."
But why me, a stranger?
"Then what advice do you need?" I asked.
"The thing is, Manzano and I haven't talked since yesterday."
"Is that it? That's easy. Just talk to him."
"I can't. After what happened, it's awkward."
"So you need my help with that?"
She nodded.
I could understand why she couldn't talk to him. But what about Manzano? Why hadn't he spoken to her yet?
"Then what you need is some topic to talk about with him."
Pretty simple—anyone could do that.
"Easier said than done. Did you forget? It's hard to talk to him because things have been awkward lately."
"I heard you. That's why you need to talk to him more."
"I… don't get it."
"Okay, here's the thing. You two have been awkward because of what happened yesterday, right? So by having a conversation you're familiar with, that awkward atmosphere will slowly fade, and maybe what happened before will be forgotten."
"I see where you're going at, but would that really work?"
"Not sure. But at least I think it could."
Thinking deeply, Escuro finally agreed to the plan. However, there was one issue.
"So, what will I talk about with him?" she asked.
"Huh?"
"The topic—what kind?"
"What? I don't know. Maybe try the things you guys usually talk about."
"That's a bad idea."
"It is? Why?"
"If we just talk like usual, we'll only end up recalling what happened."
"Hmm, that makes sense. Let's revise the plan."
As I thought of a solution, I finished my sandwich. Then an idea came to mind—not a topic for conversation, but a new plan entirely.
"Hey, didn't we have math homework due next week?" I asked for confirmation.
"Yeah, we do."
"Have you already worked on it?"
"Not yet, actually. Why do you ask?"
"Well, that's because I just thought of another plan."
"Hmm? What is it?"
Formulating the plan in my head, I explained the details to her.