Chapter 3: Start Anew
She and her friends sat beside the table next to ours. Maybe it might be a bit weird, but I just couldn't resist the temptation of taking a glimpse just to see her face. I've done all the possible tricks just to risk being called a weirdo for a chance to appreciate her overflowing visuals.
Compared to me, this lady is a goddess!
Although I only met her today, judging from her visuals and how she communicates with her friends. She must be someone caring and quite the extrovert to begin with. Beauty was enough to make a man fall in love. However, with a face like hers, she can be already taken by the luckiest man on earth.
If I were the man she has a relationship with, I would go to great lengths just to brag about the beauty in the entire universe. At first, I never really believed this love at first sight, but now, seeing her. Maybe it was real all along. She left a great impression just by standing at the counter waiting for her order. Her smile, that really wonderful gummy smile, made my entire day.
Would it be too early to say that seeing her made me feel vulnerable? I mean, it's only been a few minutes since I first saw her. What have I done to myself?
"Let's go," I told the three because I felt that staying there longer would only make things harder for me to leave. How can a single smile make me feel this way? Am I really that easy to please? I've been choosy with the girls I had a relationship with. Yet, this lady, without doing anything, just purely existing made me crazy for her instantly.
Augustine, Chance, and Calliber already knew what I meant. So without letting her notice, I swiftly left McDonald's and went to a small convenience store outside.
'This bursts of emotions is making me want to smoke again...'
"You need a lighter?" Calliber already knew what I was thinking. "Was that girl too much for someone who had already quit smoking to revert to his old doings?" Augustine and Chance both agreed with what Calliber said.
Countless vehicles passed on the highway, at the footbridge many students were slowly disappearing as they walked towards the direction of the school.
"Let me finish just one, then we're all set to go," Cause Calliber already had a cigarette, to begin with. I asked for one, and he gave it to me without hesitation. "Do you think that girl is already in a relationship?" I asked because of curiosity. "The chances of that happening isn't slim," Suddenly, Augustine teased me again.
"You saw how that lady smiled at Leo earlier? Maybe Leo is her type," This bastard... "Leo, stop blushing! It's out of your character," Chance mocked and laughed at my reaction. "She cute tho. Like, for real," If I'm going to describe her by details.
Her height is probably five foot three, and she has quite a rosy chubby cheeks, which increases her cuteness by a hundred percent. Her skin tone is pale ivory, her eyes are that dough-looking type, and she is not the skinny type but chubby. She is the perfect opposite of my ideal type in the past. Voice is soft and soothing to the ear. Personality is quite the extrovert which is different from mine who is an introvert.
Most of the ladies I have met, exert an impression of being someone mean because of their facial features and their makeup. However, this lady is different. She is wearing almost none of that makeup, but judging from her lips, she uses a lip tint typical for ladies the same age as us. The facial powder is probably to keep that fresh look since the Philippines is a tropical country.
"What are the odds that I'll see her again, don't you think?" How I wish she is a student from the same school as ours. The University of Guillermo Panguini is a catholic school full of demons. Nah, I'm just kidding. Although, the University has the same name as my surname. It isn't related to me or any of my family tree.
"Our school isn't that prestigious or anything. Just an ordinary private school. Plus, who knows, maybe she also attends our school as a student. Though our strands might be different from hers since her vibes are giving me the STEM Student type," What Chance said might be right. Our strand is HUMSS which is more leaning on literature or those who are aspiring to be lawyers, teachers, journalists, and many more.
While students with a strand of STEM are more leaning on Engineering and the more technological side of careers in the future. They are the type of people who excel in Math and Science, while HUMSS Students excel more in English. There are strands beside the two, but most of the time. These two are popular among students because of their scope of careers to choose from in the future.
"It's almost nine... Why don't we head to school and play for a bit? It's been three months since we graduated from Junior Highschool. I missed the smell of the newly furnished classrooms. Their air conditioning, which is colder than most of the schools makes every student be tempted to sleep," The classrooms in our school are big enough for fifty people to fit in with still a lot of spaces to spare. "Even though it's not tempting, you were always asleep back in elementary days," These three really kept on bringing up the past till now.
"The three of you have been reminiscing and opening the topic about our elementary days since we were inside Mcdonald's. What are you hiding?" From their hesitance to answer, I noticed that there might be something regarding a topic that they felt I must avoid. "It's nothing... Some of our classmates wanted to have a small reunion since years passed without any connection with them since we last saw each other. Just some quality time to reminisce the good old days," I knew it. That's why they were hesitant to inform me about it.
"So? Why were you hiding it from me?" A situation happened in the past that I was uncomfortable telling anyone about. "We just thought that maybe you don't want anything to do with them anymore because of what happened between you and Marin," Never heard of that name for a while... "Omg, I appreciate the thought. But you know that six years to be exact is the time that passed. Besides, we were just kids during that time," She really did me good back then... "Still, you were traumatized by what happened," Chance added.
"The Leo then is clearly different from who I have grown now," The three of them smiled and teased me again. "You only just met with that lady, and you changed drastically? Our friend might be already in love."
Marin...
That was the name of the girl I met in elementary school to whom I had a romantic attraction in the past. And the first-ever girl to make my heart flutter and the first one to break me into pieces.
"The day is still young... We should head to the University, and I want to take a rest. Though our dismissal is at noon, for sure, you bastards would invite me to drink," These three smirked since they were caught red-handed. "Obviously! Shouldn't we celebrate our first as Seniors," A bunch of gibberish.
"Bro... Even though there is nothing to celebrate, the four of us always drink liquor. You can stop trying to justify our daily routine," As we laughed and discussed topics regarding games, preferences in drinks, and lunch for the day.
We didn't notice that we were already running late although the school was only a ten-minute run from Mcdonald's.
"Sh--, let's run!"
-Entering the University-
-In the hallway-
Many of my friends were still the same, just like in Junior Highschool. Still lurking in the hallway, spotting some new students, and you know what happens next.
And a familiar face went running towards me for a hug.
"LEO!!! IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" It was a friend of mine, Risha. "How have you been, Risha?" She was the friend I had given most of my time during the summer vacation. Because she was the most likely to have suicidal thoughts. I made it my duty on checking her often. "Because of you, I was able to cope since you always check on me every now and then."
"That's good to hear... But you should hurry up. The orientation is about to start," Talking with a familiar face does surely bring out a lot of good memories before I graduated as a Junior High school student. "Oh right, talk to you later, Leo! I missed you."
Oh, how quickly the days passed as if the spectrum of time began to speed up.
The atmosphere is finally back to where it was. And my life as a Senior Highschool Student officially begins now!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone