At school, Tina was already waiting near the gate, her shoulder length hair tied in a loose ponytail that swayed as she moved. She was the kind of girl who could light up a room just by walking in. She was cheerful, smart, and always brimming with a kind of restless energy. Despite her outgoing nature, there was a shy streak in her, the way she'd sometimes bite her lip mid sentence or blush when a boy smiled at her. She had a tiny obsession with good looking boys, though she'd never admit it out loud. A little boy crazy, a lot lovable, that was Tina.
She wrapped me in a quick hug, bright as ever.
"Hi, Ana! I thought you might skip today."
"Exams," I muttered, still breathless. "Don't remind me." I gently pulled away, not used to that kind of closeness.
She gave me a once-over, her brows furrowing. "You okay? You look like you saw a ghost."
I didn't answer. How could I explain that it wasn't a ghost, but a dream that felt more real than anything else?
"Forget that. We've got a new guy joining today." She leaned in like she was revealing some secret. "And he's supposed to be really handsome."
I rolled my eyes. "That's the emergency??"
"Hey, come on, everyone's excited."
"Well he picked the wrong day to start school, it's exam day and this one's going to be tough"
"Oh right, he's going to be in be in trouble, but you know what? I heard he's good at studies too."
Tina's excitement was infectious, but it didn't stick to me today. I nodded vaguely, my thoughts elsewhere. My mind was still entangled with the fragments of the dream, that thick mist, the strange bench, and most of all, the eyes that belonged to the boy.
We walked to our classroom, it buzzed like a hive of restless bees. The news had spread fast. Everyone was whispering and excited for the new student.
I slid into my seat and dropped my bag next to the desk with a soft thud.
I rested my head on the desk, eyes half-shut. The fog in my chest hadn't lifted. If anything, it had thickened. Usually, I didn't overthink my dreams. Most of the time, they're just random and I forgot them by morning. But this one... it was different. It was so vivid, I just couldn't shake it off. And what's strange was, could someone even dream of a stranger or more precisely an unknown face? I always thought we only see familiar faces in our dreams.
Tina nudged me gently with her elbow. "Are you sure you're okay? You're spacing out more than usual."
"Just tired," I whispered. "Didn't sleep well."
I closed my eyes again, just for a second. I could still see those eyes. Sad, quiet, haunting.
What bothered me most was that I couldn't remember the rest of his face. No features. Just those eyes and the weight they carried.
Then I felt two light taps on my shoulder.
I didn't move.
"I'm really not in the mood to deal with this right now," I muttered, still facing forward, assuming Tina had reached over to poke me again.
Then I felt the tap again.