Chapter 2: II

THE SOUND OF BIRDS CHIRPING AND their neighbor's rooster crowing were the indications of another morning. Laia raised her head and momentarily stopped from writing notes on a topic that would likely be discussed in November. It's currently August.

Laia decided that she could not care less. She still had two more subjects to study and write notes on.

She checked the clock on her bedside. It was already five in the morning. She did not sleep. She could've, but she decided against it when Samuel's words of mockery once again entered her train of thoughts.

She stretched her arms but immediately retracted them when she heard the bed in her mother's room creak. It was one of the obvious signs that her mother was already awake and would obviously reprimand her again if she catches her current state. Laia straight away pretended to be asleep, jumping to her bed and covering her entire body with her blanket. A few moments later, her mother stepped inside her room and closed the door silently to avoid waking up her child.

Her mother's hand lightly caressed the girl's head and a kiss was dropped on her forehead. Laia thought that her mother would immediately leave and prepare breakfast but she stayed at her bedside for a bit, almost absentmindedly running her fingers through her daughter's newly cut hair.

"Laia, you already make me so proud," Her mother gently says, barely a whisper. The woman was afraid of waking her child. "Please let me be the strong one for once, okay?"

The woman's voice was full of sadness. Laia knew by her tone that her mother already knew she was awake, but Laia still did not open my eyes. She couldn't look her mother in the eyes and not cry.

Laia's mother, Layla, never pressured her child when it came to academics. It was Laia's decision to pressure herself. The young girl wanted to enroll in the most prestigious university in the country when she finally becomes a college student. She knew that only those who pass their difficult entrance exams can be among the university's students. However, she also knew that passing the entrance exam is not enough for the university's annual tuition is quite big as well. It's one of the primary reasons why the young girl wanted to graduate as the valedictorian of her class in order for her to be validated for more scholarships which can lessen her tuition fee or make it completely free.

Her mother left a few minutes later. Laia struggled not to break down and cry at her mother's words. It's different from how Brie tells her to take a break sometimes or how their advisor told her the other day that being second in the rankings does not necessarily mean that she immediately became a failure.

Laia's mother knows her. She knows her child is not a natural genius. She knows how hard the young girl studies and tries her best.

Laia shook her head and continued studying until her mother called her for breakfast, ignoring the growing pain inside her heart.

*

Upon arriving at school Laia noticed a couple of students obviously talking about her as she entered the school gates. It's not uncommon for random students to talk about Laia openly, but this time it was as if they were pitying her.

Laia hated it when people pity her.

Fortunately, she saw Brie who was waiting for her by the bench. Her friend waved at her and Laia immediately walked towards her. "Hey,"

"Hiya!" Brie greets, looping her arm around Laia's, and pulled her inside the campus. Laia didn't object to it since she was too tired from the all-night studying that she did.

The young girl was not even able to nap on her way to the school since she forgot her earphones and everyone on the bus was talking too loudly for her to get a fifteen-minute nap.

When the two finally reached their room, Brie made her friend sit down on one of the chairs, which was close to one of the doors.

It smells in here, Laia thinks. She realizes that the bathroom was literally next door. She angrily thinks of why do some students not bother flushing their shit. Must be so hard to be a janitor these days with all these nasty and irresponsible students.

Brie's hands explored her friend's face as if finding something that isn't there. "Why do you look so tired? Did you not sleep again?" She hissed.

Laia looked away, afraid of letting her friend know the truth. "Of course I did," She lies, but she could already feel herself falling asleep right after saying that. "A good nine hours of sleep."

More like nine minutes during taking a dump.

"Laia!" Brie shrieked, catching the attention of, well, everybody.

The taller of the two glared at her and she immediately quieted down. Brie sat next to Laia and started to tie her friend's messy hair which she did not bother to tie or fix as she was already about to be late. "I swear Laia if you don't sleep for another day I'll tell Auntie!"

"I told you, I did sleep--"

"Good morning, class!"

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Laia immediately ran to her original seat and greeted their adviser. Her adviser obviously noticed her student's obvious exhaustion and urged her to take a seat instead of usually telling her to fetch some markers from the classroom just across theirs.

"... let's get back to our lesson from yesterday,"

Laia yawns, hiding it with her handkerchief. She fought the urge to just let herself fall asleep. It's not as if she didn't study what their adviser was talking about at the moment.

However, the prideful part of the girl said no and it made her force herself to stay awake until the third period, which was right before recess.

Upon the ring of the bell, the girl immediately stood up from her chair and made her way to the cafeteria. She sighs in relief as she can finally buy the coffee Brie was talking about.

Laia was walking down the stairs when her vision suddenly blurred for a split second and she missed a step.

Shit, I'm not gonna be able to attend the next three classes was her last thought.

Suddenly, the girl felt a strong grip on her wrist, preventing her from falling to her death. Or maybe to her missing the next three classes due to a sprain. It was as if the world froze for a second, and Laia turned to the person who saved her.

Samuel?

Laia straight away pulled her wrist free, frowning.

"No gratitude? I expected so much more from you Lopez," Samuel grins with the annoying grin of his again. A mixture of mockery and fakeness.

Everyone near was staring at the two. Laia even saw Brie with concern on her face. "Thank you," She decided to say with a forced smile.

The boy obviously expected it and leaned close. "Just a thank you? No kiss?"

Laia fought the urge to grimace when she heard some of the people watching them swoon. Disgusting. She would rather kiss a frog, thank you very much.

The girl decided to just pat him on the shoulder instead of punching or kicking him down the stairs. "No kiss."

*

After she finally had her two cups of coffee, the girl felt energized. Brie reprimanded her again once she returned to their classroom, not only because of the two cups she drank in one gulp but with the accident earlier.

"... I told you not to take the stairs without me! What would have happened if Samuel wasn't there?"

A better day, obviously, Laia wanted to say. However, Laia knew that Brie and the asshole were friends. Well, more like the asshole was friends with everyone except her. And probably their classmate Luke who spends his entire day on the rooftop reading comics.

"Anyway, what is up with him asking for a kiss? Are you secretly together? I knew he liked you!"

Laia almost choked in her canned coffee, which was her third caffeine drink for the day. The Samuel liking her? Is Brie even in her right state of mind? The same Samuel who mocked her a few months back? The same Samuel who would grin at her mockingly whenever he was the one to check Laia's paper and she makes a single mistake?

Absolutely disgusting, Laia thinks. She should take Brie to a psychiatrist. Her friend's delusions are getting worse.

"I'm obviously not his type," Laia says instead. Brie cannot know that Laia hated the asshole more than she hated cockroaches. Brie will only end up thinking more about it and soon she'll end up matchmaking her and Samuel.

Laia would rather jump off the rooftop this very instant.

Brie looked like she wanted to say something else but when Laia started reading the source materials to review once again for the quiz they would be having this week, her friend decided not to say anything to ruin the mood. And also, it's a library.. The two are supposed to study, not talk.

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