The next morning, Rina walked into the classroom feeling different. Her steps were light, her heart was full, and she had a tiny secret smile on her face.
'Today is going to be a good day,' she thought. 'I'm going to see Luna.'
But the moment she stepped inside, her smile froze.
The classroom was noisy, and right in the middle of it was Luna. Of course it was Luna.
She was surrounded by a group of girls from other sections. They were laughing, handing her drinks and snacks, and batting their eyelashes.
"Lunaaaa, you're so smart even though you're second place!" one girl giggled.
"Here, I bought you chocolate milk!" another said, trying to hand it to her.
And Luna... being Luna... just smiled that charming, lazy smile and accepted it all.
"Ah, thanks girls! You're too kind," Luna said casually, taking the milk and even patting one girl on the head. "You're all so cute."
SMACK.
Rina's heart felt like it was hit with a hammer.
'Cute? She calls them cute? She's patting their heads? She's accepting drinks from them?!'
The warm feeling in Rina's chest instantly turned into something heavy and hot. It was uncomfortable. It was annoying. It was JEALOUSY.
Rina frowned deeply, her eyebrows furrowing together so hard it looked like she was solving the hardest math problem in the world. Her hands clenched into fists inside her pockets.
'What is this feeling?' Rina thought, glaring at them from the doorway. 'Why does it make me want to throw those drinks in the trash? Why does it make me angry?'
Before, Rina would just ignore this scene. She would just walk to her seat, roll her eyes, and think 'Ugh, she's so popular and annoying.'
But now... it felt different. It hurt.
'She's my rival... no, she's mine...' the thought popped into Rina's head unconsciously.
Luna finally noticed Rina standing there. Her eyes lit up instantly. She waved enthusiastically, forgetting about the other girls immediately.
"Rina! Good morning!" Luna beamed, walking towards her with that bright smile. "Did you sleep well? You look—"
Luna stopped mid-step.
Wait. Why was Rina looking at her like that?
Rina didn't smile back. She didn't say good morning. She just looked at Luna with cold, sharp eyes, then shifted her gaze to the chocolate milk in Luna's hand, and then looked away with a "Hmph!"
Without saying a word, Rina walked straight to her seat, pulled out her chair, and sat down with a loud thud. She opened her book aggressively and started reading, acting like Luna was invisible.
"...."
Luna stood there, blinking in confusion. Her hand was still raised in a wave.
"Uh...?" Luna lowered her hand. "Okay? Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed?"
The other girls looked at Rina, then at Luna, and giggled. "Ooh, seems like Top 1 is in a bad mood, Luna."
Luna didn't pay attention to them anymore. She walked back to her seat which was just in front of Rina, but she kept turning around to look at her.
'What happened?' Luna wondered, worried. 'Was it something I did? Did I breathe too loud? She looks so mad... but also kinda cute when she pouts like that.'
During class, Rina was unusually quiet. Usually, she would compete with Luna during recitations, but today, she just answered flatly, not even looking at Luna.
When the teacher asked a question and Luna answered correctly, the class clapped. Even the girls beside Luna were cheering.
"Wow Luna, you're genius!"
"So cool!"
Rina could hear them. She gripped her pen so tight her knuckles turned white.
'So cool? Hah. It's just a simple question.' she thought bitterly. 'And why are they laughing so loud? It's not even funny.'
Luna noticed Rina's ears were red. She decided to tease her a little. She turned around, leaning her chin on her hand, looking at Rina.
"You're very quiet today, Miss Top 1," Luna whispered with a smirk. "Are you jealous?"
Rina's head snapped up, eyes wide. "W-What?! Of course not! Don't be so full of yourself!"
She turned her face away quickly, hiding her blush. "I just... I don't have time to talk. I'm studying. Unlike some people who just like to flirt around."
"Flirt around?" Luna raised an eyebrow, enjoying this way too much now. "Oh? So you were watching me?"
"I WAS NOT!" Rina shouted a little too loud, making the whole class look at them.
Rina froze, then quickly buried her face in her arms on the desk. "Ugh... just ignore me."
Luna laughed softly, feeling relieved and also giddy.
'Oh my god,' Luna thought, heart beating fast. 'She's jealous! She's actually jealous! That means she really likes me! Yes! My plan is working!'
But Luna also decided to be a little naughty. She wanted to see more of that cute angry face.
During break time, Luna deliberately went out and talked more with the other girls, laughing loudly on purpose.
And sure enough, Rina was watching from the corner of her eye, sipping her juice angrily, her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel.
'Wait until later,' Rina thought, glaring at Luna's back. 'I'm going to... I'm going to tell her to stop! Or else... or else I won't talk to her ever again!'
But deep down, she knew she couldn't stay mad at her for long. She just wanted Luna to look at her... and only her.
To be continued in chapter 9>>ಡ ͜ ʖ ಡ