Today is March 8th.He used a red pen to cross out the 7th on the wall calendar hanging in the kitchen.  Only ten more days left.  He was ready. 

...

The afternoon breeze was gently cool, white clouds drifting lazily across the deep blue sky, rows of trees swaying quietly in the wind. A scene of peaceful tranquility—lately the weather had been hot and stifling, so these cool days were rare.

There was a girl, about fifteen years old, sitting on the stone steps in the church courtyard, arms hugging her knees, eyes quietly staring into nothingness, without any particular intention. The surroundings seemed a bit empty of people, so she was just waiting—for someone. Her name was Hạ Đan. Those pretty lips murmured:

"Someday someone will love me with their whole heart  Not like the fleeting birds, not like those previous people  .That person will understand how much love is enough  Not just for one day  But whispered for a hundred years..."

Her small heart felt heavy because her relationship with Duy Hải, the boy from the same school, had shattered. She never thought she'd be rejected and treated that way. A schoolyard romance she thought would be sweet, but it couldn't satisfy him with her looks, compared to that other girl...

Mostly disappointment, because she always liked people to be sincere. Whether it was Duy Hải or someone else, any "crush," she always gave her care. If they didn't like her, fine, tastes vary—but why the indifference, the distance, making all her efforts turn to smoke? Was fate really this cruel? Seeing others happy like that made her heart tighten with sadness and self-pity. What she had always wished for was just a light, gentle student love, but perhaps it wouldn't come easily for her in this era.

No movement around her, no particular intention, her eyes dazed—not from discouragement, but from a slight loss of patience...

Suddenly, an unexpected shout from behind: 

"BOO!"

She fell backward, looked behind her, eyes wide open—half scared, half surprised. But she was even more shocked when she realized it was Hải Đường and Xuân An, the ones she'd been waiting for all this time:

"You two little devils, I almost died because of you guys!"
"Haha, it's been a while since we got you good!"
"Yo, I didn't expect Đan to jump like that—it looks so funny!"

Hạ Đan was probably a little annoyed. She raised the empty water bottle she'd just finished and pretended to hit them, but then burst out laughing helplessly:

"Why'd you take so long? Made me wait forever. The test wasn't even that hard."
"You're the smart one—your scores are always high, I don't even know how you study. I had to wrack my brain just to write the prayers."
"I'm sure this is the hardest catechism test I've ever done. Semester one was easy, but now in the middle of semester two like this—what's the final gonna be like?"

Hạ Đan just shrugged. Anyway, the test was over, nothing left to regret. She said:

"If I got something wrong, I'll learn and fix it. As long as there's still a chance, just give it your all."

The two nodded, and all three looked toward the classroom doors as people gradually turned in their papers and left—today they got out a bit early. A sudden idea flashed through Xuân An's mind:

"Hey you two, it's rare we get out early—wanna buy some soda?"
"Across from the church, right?"
"Yeah, you in?"
"Let's go!"

So the three agreed unanimously. They stood up, brushed the dust off their skirts, and were about to start walking when Đan suddenly realized something while checking her bag:

"Oh shoot, I think I left my Bible somewhere."
"Didn't you take it out during Mass and put it on the pew next to where you were sitting? I saw one earlier."
"Yeah, that's right! Tch, you two go buy first—I'll head back in real quick. C2 lemon like usual, okay?"

They nodded and went ahead. After Hải Đường's reminder, Đan quickly walked back into the church. The atmosphere was quiet, warm, filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit. She didn't forget to bow toward the statue of Our Lady as she passed. Then she recalled her seat from Mass earlier and hurried to that row. Hải Đường was right—the Bible was still there, right next to where she'd sat. She breathed a sigh of relief—thank goodness—and put it in her bag. She was about to turn and leave when her eyes caught a figure. It was a boy, sitting dazed in the front pew.

Not dazed like she had been earlier, but empty, bored to the point of having nothing left to express. His eyes were fixed on the sanctuary, truly vacant.

This guy, Hạ Đan thought, she'd seen him for a while now—he always seemed like this. Did he have no one to talk to? Or maybe he couldn't fit in with the class? She understood the feeling of having no friends around—it was both sad and boring. If possible, why not try to heal him a little? Ah, never mind, she was probably overthinking. But she'd just gone through something upsetting too—she could understand him.

So she gently approached the pew where he sat. He still hadn't noticed anyone was there. When she got close, he glanced up and startled—silent, but his eyes were even more surprised than Đan's had been when her friends scared her.

"Hi, can I sit here?"

She asked very politely and gently, her warm gaze making anyone who looked into it feel comforted. His eyes were still wide—truly surprised, like he never expected anyone to come.

"Uh—uh... sure..."

He answered awkwardly, then scooted over to make space for her. After she sat down, still with that smile, she asked:

"I'm Hạ Đan, from Confirmation class 1A. Can I get to know you?"
"Thanh Quang, Confirmation class 3A..."

He was still awkward, though she didn't seem to mind or feel embarrassed at all. She smiled again and said:

"Oh, then I should call you 'anh,' ("anh" is a pronoun in Vietnamese when you call a male older version) right? Sorry, I didn't know. But today only the Confirmation 1 class stayed for the test—if I remember right, your block's test is next week?"
"Yeah... but today I just wanted to stay a bit longer..."
"I see. Are you waiting for your friends to hang out? Staying here alone would be so boring."
"N-No... I'm not waiting for anyone. I just... don't feel like going home..."

Quang's answer surprised Đan—her eyes widened a little—but she understood and didn't press further. When someone's upset or dealing with something new, just let them think it through first. She simply nodded sympathetically, figuring he'd had some disagreement with his parents:

"Ah... oh shoot, I almost forgot—I have to go. Do you have Zalo or Facebook so I can add you? I can't stay here with you long."

Once again, his eyes widened—this seemed like the first time in his life anyone had asked for his contact info. Everything was truly beyond his expectations; he really hadn't expected it. Yet his answer:

"I'm sorry, I don't have any..."

This time she was the surprised one. Almost every young person these days used social media, right? Maybe he wasn't into mobile stuff, or... other reasons.

"Nothing to apologize for! It's fine. We can still talk outside if you want. I have to go now or my friends will yell at me. Bye!"

She stood up, slung her bag over her shoulder, waved goodbye with a friendly smile, and walked out the side door of the church. Even though a lot of things hadn't gone as she wanted today, she still didn't let negative emotions spill onto others—they weren't at fault, they didn't need to hear it.

As for him, time seemed frozen. His eyes followed her as she left. He still couldn't believe someone had actually come over, after everything that had happened.

But he had lied to her—for some reason, he didn't want to add her on Facebook. His eyes dropped to the floor, and he let out a sigh. It was late—he had to go home.He still felt a little bad for doing that to her...