27TH OCTOBER.
ORION ACADEMY:
GRAND QUARTERS.

HER CHEST WAS being crushed by the pressure applied by her hands as she held her textbooks against her chest. Her legs grew numb as she sprinted down the hallway of the Grand Quarters. She finally found her class and uneasily waited at the threshold.

Her Business Communication Professor, Mr. Baker pried his eyes away from the white board to the girl standing on the doorstep. He twisted the cap of a blue marker and gestured to her to come in. Aphrodite silently made her way to the stairs, feeling everyone's gaze on her. She climbed five steps when she heard him call her out.

"Uh, Ms. Rosie?" Aphrodite turned around.

"It's Rose," she corrected.

"Right. Rosina," he said with spite. Aphrodite clutched her textbooks tightly. "You don't get to arrive ten minutes late and expect me to let you sit behind." He pointed at the seat on the second row. "There. You should be sitting there in my lecture for the whole year." His ocean blue eyes cold with contempt.

"Yes, sir." She said, "I'm sorry."

"Apology not accepted. Turn your assignments in on time and I might let you pass the final exams." Aphrodite clenched her jaw as she stepped down. She sat on the seat Mr. Baker asked her to sit on. The whole row had only five students. The one who sat beside her flashed her a smile.

He flicked his honey blonde hair behind his ear and leaned a little closer to her. "Don't worry about Mr. Baker. He is like a coconut," the boy mumbled.

She rolled her eyes at Mr. Baker who was busy writing a few terms and their definitions on the white board. "Probably the type that has tasteless water inside."

The boy chuckled. "I meant, hard on the outside and sweet from the inside."

"I beg to differ," Aphrodite scoffed.

"Jonah," he said and extended his hand. Aphrodite shook hers and introduced herself. "Aphrodite," he savoured her name. "Your family into Greek Mythology?"

"My mom was obsessed with Greek Mythology when she had me. Now I suppose she's sick of my ginormous name and prefers to introduce me as Aphy," Aphrodite answered and snapped her head back to her textbook, wondering why she was over sharing with a random stranger.

"I--" Jonah paused when Mr. Baker turned around and continued with his lecture without sparing a glance at Aphrodite. She tried her best to hide her rage towards this man but there was something about his eyes that she couldn't help but think. She had seen them somewhere. The hollow socket in his eyes, the bags underneath. She knew he had met her somewhere and she suspected that he knew her too.

•••

Aphrodite made her way to her next lecture. Her eyes scanned around the lecture hall searching for that one face. When she failed to find him, she sent him a text asking where the hell he was.

As she made her way to the fifth row, her phone buzzed with a notification. She pulled her phone out and sat on the closest seat. Basketball practice, can't come. Lex had replied with. Aphrodite frowned and was about to close his chat when he sent a GIF sticker of a basketball with large puppy eyes. She laughed and sent him a picture of the empty seat beside her. This seat will miss you. She wrote. The three dots danced as she waited for his reply. Right then, another text popped up. This time, it wasn't him.

•••

AYO HALLOWEEN IS ON ITS WAY

AND WE CAN'T LET THIS OPPORTUNITY SLIDE AWAY.

SCARE SOMEONE OFF WITH YOUR UNIQUE SKILLS

SO MUCH THAT THEY GETS CHILLS.

~ the black hole

•••

A halloween dare? Won't say I am surprised. Karan texted on their group chat. Aphrodite snickered and typed that she was excited for this one. we shld take em 2 a haunted house. Yumi texted back. let's see. West said. basketball practice, see y'all at lunch. West added. Lex sent a thumbs up.

"What's up?" She flinched at the sudden voice. She looked in the direction from where the voice came. Jonah was sitting beside her with an inquisitive look on his face. "Someone looks happy," he added.

Aphrodite switched her phone off and kept it back in her pocket, still grinning. "Ah, just my friends."

Friends.

My friends.

Well, that's new.

•••

"How was the practice?" Aphrodite asked as soon as Lex arrived near her booth. He was wearing a sleeveless blue jersey and blue shorts. Beads of sweat were rolling down his forehead. The exhaustion in his eyes was clear as day but as soon as he saw Aphrodite, he sparkled with a smile.

He plopped beside her, keeping his distance because he didn't want her to gross out with his sweat. He cocked his head behind and rested his head there while taking deep breaths. "It went well. Coach will be announcing the team captain this week." His travelled at the empty seats. "Why are you sitting alone? Where are Yumi and Karan?"

"They're gonna get late. You wanna eat something?" She asked and slided her sandwich to him.

"No, thanks," he said. "Coach wants to discuss something so the whole team is having lunch together. I just came here to inform you that West and I won't be able to make it and if we could meet at the school library tonight to discuss the new task?"

Aphrodite chuckled. "You could've texted that. You didn't have to run all the way here from the gym."

"I know," Lex scratched the back of his head. "But I thought a run would be good."

Aphrodite narrowed her eyes at him. "Uh-huh, very convincing reason. A run from Grand Quarters to the cafeteria is broad daylight under the hot sun. Sure, sure, sure. Everyone does that," she mocked.

Lex chuckled. "Coach also wanted a milkshake so there's that."

"I believe you." She smirked.

The door of the cafeteria opened and Karan and Yumi walked in. They slided on the couch across from Aphrodite and Lex. Lex offered them a nod of acknowledgment and turned his head back to Aphrodite.

"I'll see you later. Bye," he said and got up.

"Bye," Aphrodite muttered, her lips curling up. She stared at Lex's retreating figure. Once he was out of the cafeteria, she looked back at Karan who was holding a smug smile on his circular face. She pressed her lips. "What?"

"Uh...kuch nahi." He winked. "Just that I won't be shocked if ek din you two become a thing."

header image by Hans Vivek.

translation of Hindi terminologies:

kuch nahi: nothing.
ek din: one day.

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