I walked through the peaceful streets, slicing through the tranquil morning air as I made my way to school. The cool morning breeze brushed against my face, while the soft rays of the sun slowly descended onto the earth, casting their gentle glow on my cheeks.
As I stepped out of the quiet alley, I slowed my pace, lost in thought, and soon found myself on a street that was gradually filling with people. It was early morning—fewer adults, but many children. Some were chatting loudly, while others, still drowsy, walked while stifling yawns.
Observing all this, I walked at a leisurely pace, my black school bag slung over my shoulder. Passing by a cute little bakery, I took a few more steps and finally reached the school gate.
My eyes fell on the massive school building, divided into four sections—plain yet slightly intimidating, painted in stark white. The school gate was a deep, rich color—simple but sturdy—standing as a boundary between the outside world and the world within the school.
Crossing the gate, I noticed the lush green schoolyard, and upon passing through it, I stepped into the hallway. Instantly, a cacophony of voices filled my ears—boys and girls laughing and chatting, some engrossed in their books, others standing with their friends. I tightened the straps of my bag, lowered my gaze, as if wanting to disappear into the crowd, and walked quietly toward my classroom without making eye contact with anyone.
I entered the large classroom, making my way past wooden benches until I reached a seat near the window, in a secluded corner of the room. The classroom, like any typical school classroom, was filled with students. The teacher hadn't arrived yet, so some students were joking around, girls were chatting in groups, couples had gathered in a corner, while others were talking from their seats.
Amidst all this laughter and chatter that floated through the four walls of the room, I sat alone in the corner. My eyes were glued to a novel—one I Often read in moments of solitude, letting the world around me blur into the background. The one I am currently reading is tgcf .
The sound of the bell rang, and a stunningly beautiful teacher entered the classroom, immediately silencing the buzzing voices as if burying them in an unseen abyss. The girls' groups dispersed as they took their seats, and the couples, bound by reality, had to separate.
In front of me sat two girls, my only friends in this school. Both were incredibly beautiful. They wore their uniforms perfectly, in a very neat and sophisticated manner, and both had short hair that reached their necks. Their skin was fair—one had a small face, named Elish, and the other had a slightly longer face with a sharp, striking look, named Sifra.
They were very close friends with each other, and they also talked to me sometimes.
The teacher raised her voice, explaining things to the students, her tone bright and engaging, but it seemed that the two beautiful girls sitting ahead of me did not particularly enjoy that brightness.
I remained quiet, focused on the lesson being taught. I had long hair, a cleanly pressed uniform, and wore glasses that hid my large, innocent eyes. There was no expression on my face; she appeared calm and reserved.
"Freya, did you finish the project I gave you?"
My attention was on the teacher's words, but suddenly, a laugh-filled voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I turned my face toward the voice (which belonged to Sifra) and softly replied, "Yes! I'll bring it tomorrow."
Sifra looked at me with slightly narrowed eyes and a teasing smile, saying, "Freya, because of you, we're getting late! Please hurry up."
Then, with that same fake-looking smile, she suddenly grabbed my hand, looked into my eyes, and said, "Thank you, Freya!"
I didn't know how to respond to her smile and laughter, but before I could say anything, Elish pulled Sifra's hand away, thanked me, and went back to talking with her.
"I'll finish it today and give it to them," I thought to myself, "but I did this project for five people all alone, and no one even helped me."
But it's okay. They are my only friends in this school.
I shifted my gaze to the boy sitting beside me. Seeing him, a fleeting smile crossed my lips for a second before I quickly wiped it away.
In my school, I had only four friends: Elish and Sifra, who sat in front of me, and two tall boys sitting on the bench beside me. They were very tall and had decent physiques. Their names were Hugo and Adri.
I shifted my gaze to these two boys, who were certainly not paying attention to the lesson. They were laughing and exchanging glances with Sifra and Elish.
Perhaps Hugo, a very tall boy with brown eyes and curly hair, noticed my gaze. He turned to me, still smiling, and asked, "Do you need something?"
Feeling a bit awkward, I quickly looked away and shook my head. Seeing this, Hugo playfully placed his hand on Adri's shoulder, a handsome, tall boy with hazel eyes, a straight nose, and fair skin, and said, "Then, just look ahead."
I didn't particularly like Hugo because he sometimes spoke to me rudely, but at other times, he treated me quite nicely.
Adri, on the other hand, remained calm and said nothing. Though my gaze lingered on Hugo, my thoughts were entirely about Adri. I didn't respond to Hugo and simply turned my attention back to the lesson.
My heart was beating a little faster. I could feel butterflies in my stomach, and a hidden smile played on my lips. Adri was much better than Hugo—he was kind, good at studies, and excellent in sports. He was good-looking too, and once, he had fought for me.
I liked him.
Then, I heard a voice from beside me.
"Hey, Freya, did you finish our project? Please hurry up, Freya, or else our marks will be deducted. It's been so many days already!" The voice, full of laughter, belonged to Hugo.
I looked at them and, in a soft voice, replied, "It… is done. I'll bring it tomorrow." (Do it yourself! Didn't God give you hands? I don't like him very much.)
Hugo gave me a thumbs-up and then returned to his fun conversations with Adri.
I looked at him, giving me a thumbs-up as if I had done this for him. No, I did it because of our friendship and for Adri. Thinking this, I turned my focus back to the lesson.
These were my four friends. Whether they were truly my friends or not, I wasn't sure. But I talked to them. Yes!
Break time—
Elish and Sifra forced me to come with them to the school cafeteria. They were so engrossed in their conversation that they completely forgot about me.
This is what happens when you are with best friends.
I quietly followed behind them, walking slowly with calm steps. They were chatting and laughing with every student who passed by, while I walked behind them with lowered eyes, adjusting my glasses, feeling slightly shy.
I thought to myself, If I could be friends with these people like this, maybe I'd be happy too. But then I quickly pushed that thought away, reminding myself, No! I'm still happy that I have friends like Elish and Sifra.
As soon as they entered the cafeteria, Elish and Sifra began showing off. Feeling slightly left out, I sat with them.
The cafeteria was a large space, filled with the laughter and chatter of students. Groups of friends sat together, eating and talking. Freya also sat with her two friends, quietly munching on a hamburger.
Even in this lively crowd, surrounded by two girls sitting beside me, I felt alone. But I didn't say anything.
The air was filled with joy and laughter. Elish and Sifra's attention was entirely on each other and on the two boys sitting at the nearby table—Adri and Hugo. The four of them were joking and laughing.
Meanwhile, I quietly listened to their conversation, taking small bites of my burger.
Then, suddenly, I heard a voice…
"Hey guys, guys, guys! Guess who I met this morning?"
Elish's voice rang with excitement.
The three of them looked at her, their faces carrying a big question mark. Seeing their expressions, she chuckled and said, "Oh, come on, dumbass Sifra, you should know! I met the most popular, handsome, and rich guy in our school today! His face, his personality, and even his voice—everything about him is just magical!"
She spoke while clenching her hands, as if imagining some unseen figure.
I thought , Girls like her always admire three things in a guy—looks, wealth, and charm and same goes for boys .
Well, beautiful girls deserve beautiful guys, and Elish and Sifra definitely deserve better.
Hugo's face twisted in irritation, while Adri remained completely silent.
Hugo scoffed, his voice tinged with annoyance, "Oh, you mean that guy? The one who defeated Adri in the music competition?"
Hearing this, I instinctively glanced at Adri. He was already looking at me. The moment our eyes met, I quickly looked away, feeling my heart race for a second. I forced myself to calm down.
"So that's why Adri was upset that day."
It made sense—when you've been winning at something for years, and suddenly someone else takes your place, it feels like a part of you has been taken away. Just like how I left music… it felt like losing a piece of myself.
"But who could have beaten Adri? He sings really well."
Sifra and Elish burst into laughter, looking at Adri teasingly. "Well, it's your fault for losing," they said playfully.
Adri, however, remained completely indifferent, as if it didn't matter to him at all.
Hugo smirked, leaning back confidently. "My friend is gonna prove himself at the festival. This kind of competition is nothing for him."
Elish and Sifra exchanged glances before laughing again.
Elish added, "That guy has three friends too. They're like the F4 of our school—handsome, rich, and stylish. But there's one girl among them, and I don't like her. She's way too arrogant."
Sifra rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, they're the most popular group. Who doesn't know about them?" she said sarcastically.
Hugo nodded. "Yeah, I've talked to that guy before. Except for him, the rest of his group are just arrogant brats. But that girl… she's hot. What was her name again? Oh yeah, Astrid. And the other two—Magnus and Roy? They live in their own world."
He leaned back, crossing his arms. "I remember that day—the relay race competition. It was me, Adri, and two others on our team. And who were we up against? Those four. When I first saw them, I was stunned. I mean, who the hell manages to look that charismatic in a school uniform?" Hugo scoffed before adding, "And Astrid… damn, my heart skipped a beat. First sight love." He clicked his tongue.("Not that it means anything—happens every time he see a pretty girl. drunkard" I thought to myself).
Still, trying my luck, I decided to go for it. Mustering up some confidence, I walked up to them, brushing a hand through my hair, a smirk playing on my lips. Out of the four, three didn't even react to my presence. Astrid rolled her eyes. Magnus and Roy? Acted like I didn't even exist.
Fine. Plan change.
Instead of focusing on them, I turned to the one guy who actually looked approachable. Flashing a grin, I said, "Let's have a good match. Let's see who wins."
Even then, the other three didn't spare me a glance. My blood was boiling. ("hmph , trying to be act like a big shot), Freya muttered under her breath. But at least that guy responded. He just said two words—"Let's see."
And for some reason, hearing those words made me think, Oh, so at least one of them can actually hold a conversation.
Not wanting to embarrass myself further, I decided to walk away. But just as I turned, the one girl I had my eyes on spoke up, "Don't bother showing your face again if you reek of sweat."
My heart shattered. The guy girls want ---
Sifra said who ??
Ignoring her , He says My first sight love rejected me at first sight .
And maybe that's why… we lost the race.
He scoffed. "She always has that expressionless face, like someone glued a frown on her. And that guy—he's always smiling. I don't like people like that."
"So now he has a problem with people being happy too?" I thought to myself.
"But wait… who are they even talking about? I've never even heard of these four people."
Elish and Sifra giggled at Hugo's frustration and teased, "Jealous of the hot guy?" and they both started laughing madly , Adri who is silent also started laughing at him", Left as a hero in their eyes, returned as a zero, rejected and dejected." Said both girls .
Just then, Astrid—who had been laughing quietly until now—suddenly looked at me. His gaze was familiar.
He smirked. "The one who stole Freya's first rank is also this guy, huh?"
His words surprised me.
Not because he was ahead of me in academics—but because this guy seemed to be good at everything.
"So this is the guy who beat me by 10 marks?"
"The reason my mom forgot my birthday?"
"And I didn't even know he existed."
For the first time during the entire conversation, I lifted my head and looked at all four of them. "Well… who is he?" I asked.
Silence.
Everyone stared at me in shock.
The person they had been talking about for so long—the very person who had beaten me—was someone I had no clue about.
After a brief pause, Sifra finally broke the silence.
"He's the handsome, rich, tall guy who loves music, makes girls go crazy, has a permanent smile glued to his face, always hangs out with his three rude friends—Astrid, Magnus, and Roy—excels in studies and sports, and is basically perfect in everything."
She sighed.
"His name is Sean."
And that was the first time I ever heard his name in the season of those brightening red flowers .