Love Before Graduation

There was an awkward silence in the classroom when the teacher's footsteps were heard. The sound of pens being scratched could be heard, and all I could think about was what I didn't want. Like the wound last night—the deep hate hidden in Rei's eyes—it was with me like a part of my life, but I wanted to push it out of my memory. I didn't remember what she said, but at that moment there was an emptiness in my chest. As if I had buried something lost somewhere deep inside me, and some trace of it was still there, like a longing.

The sound of the second bell pulled me back to the present. It was time for the biology lab, and the students were rushing in with their stuff. The sound of their footsteps seemed to match the beat of my heart. I followed them slowly, but the pain in my head was getting stronger. There was a slight coolness in the air, and then a voice was heard that sounded very deep and strange—Rian's.

"Nami, are you leaving me?" he asked teasingly. His voice was embedded in the walls, as if it were a shadow trying to surround me every moment.

"It doesn't matter to me," Nami said, and there was a freshness in that voice that she had probably found in herself.

Rian put a hand over his heart and said, "Ouch! I thought we were friends!" There was a slight mischief in his words, but there was something in his eyes that disturbed me.

"Friends? After what you did to us yesterday?" Nami silenced him. There were barbs in her words, and those barbs made Rian's smile fade. I felt something break in Rian's eyes, but he came closer to me and said softly, "Aira, tell him she's too harsh."

There was a deep sadness in his eyes, and I didn't know how to answer him. But still, I just shook my head, "Not anymore," and walked on without saying a word. Rei's shadow was with me, and Rian's pull was entangling it further.

"Aira...." Rian's voice trembled, but I moved quickly. My heart was fluttering, like something was about to break, but then Nami's hand fell on my shoulder and she stopped me. Her touch was solid, like she was there to protect me from any storm.

In the lab, I sat on a chair, hiding my head in my hands. The pungent smell of chemicals lingered in the air, shaking my soul. Just then, Arin's soft voice pulled me back from the outside world.

"You okay, Aira?" he asked, and there was something in her voice—something deep, something comforting. I looked up. Arin was standing there, holding the lab book in his hand, and his eyes, full of a freshness, were looking into mine. It was as if he understood everything, but he wasn't saying anything.

"I'm fine," I said softly, but my voice was trembling, as if I was lying to myself.

He didn't listen. "You don't look well," he said, and sat close to me. His proximity stirred inside me, as if someone had plucked my heartstrings. There was something in his eyes,something very soft, very steady.

"Headache again?" he asked, and my breath stopped. His proximity, his breath, everything was absorbed in me in that moment.

"Yes," I said softly, and then I got lost in his eyes.

A slight smile came to his lips, and my heart was caught in some unknown dilemma. Was this smile real, or was it just an illusion, which I couldn't understand?

Teru's laughter now surrounded us, and his joke allowed me to compose myself a little. "What's going on? Is Aira upset and embarrassed?"

"I don't.." I said nervously, but Arin's light smile calmed me down. His smile had a warmth that made me feel relaxed for a moment.

Teru's eyes were shining, and she pointed to the wall. "Aira, what is that?" she asked, and I saw that there was a curved diagram—slowly, then a light smoke.

"Stairs?" I asked, trembling, and Teru laughed, "What is that? DNA, you turned out to be a genius!" Her laughter echoed in my ears, and she pointed to Nami.

Nami smiled, "Only you can do that."

Arin laughed again, and there was something about his smile that pulled me in from the inside. His closeness, every bit of his, it was like I was being absorbed into him.

Teru's teasing eased, and in that moment, all I could feel was Arin—his laugh, his eyes, and how he made the air seem small.

I bowed my head, hiding a smile I couldn't hide anymore.