*****Jeremiah*****

As I walked into Block 2, steps quick and brisk, I suddenly heard someone shout behind me, "MATCHA! JEREMIAH MATCHA!" I stopped in my tracks, grinning as I recognized the voice—it was Alexander. 

"Alex, bro!" I called out, turning around and walking towards him, laughing as I pulled him into a hug." Bro, where the hell have you been? You didn't even show up at the concert last weekend! The girls there? Let me just say, they were all over the place," Alex said with a smirk.

"Dude, forget the concert. I haven't even slept properly all week," I groaned, stifling a tired yawn, rubbing my temples as the fatigue crept up on me.

"Yeah, no kidding. You look completely dead, bro. What's the deal? Council work?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow." 

Yeah, this guy keeps dumping work on me at the last goddamn minute," I grumbled, passing him my phone to show him the barrage of texts from Dr Rajen Kumar.

"Bruh!" Alex snorted, scrolling through the messages and shaking his head, "Glad I bailed on all that council crap. Looks like a nightmare." he stated with a laugh as I rolled my shoulders, trying to shake off the weariness. 

"Yeah, well, too late for me to back out now. Anyway, I'm heading to your class to make an announcement," I said, grabbing him by his shoulders and dragging him along.

"Ayy! Man, let me ditch, no?" Alex groaned, clearly annoyed at me not letting him escape. "Chumma, bro! Just come!" I laughed as we walked toward his class. 

As we approached the classroom, I could feel the shift—no more relaxed banter, I had to put my council face back on. The weight of my responsibilities pressed on me, forcing me to push through the exhaustion. I rolled my neck, trying to focus. 

I entered the class, moving toward the front, the blackboard behind me. The students, who had been sitting quietly, were now up and about—some chatting with friends, a few standing at the back, others wandering around as break had just started. 

Alexander, ever the dramatic one, slammed his hand on a desk with a loud thud to grab everyone's attention. The class fell into an awkward hush after the loud thud. A couple of students near the back shot annoyed looks at Alex, while others seemed unfazed, still murmuring quietly among themselves.

"Guys, this will only take a minute." I said, my voice almost faltering as I pulled myself together for the announcement. "Student council selection...last date for registration..." My mind scrambled to find the next part of the speech I had given countless times, the words blurring in my head. I felt the exhaustion clawing at me, making it harder to focus. 

I barely noticed when my speech ended, only realizing I had been staring...

Staring at her, Abigail.

When our eyes met, just for a second, something flickered. I wasn't sure what it was, but I found myself still looking, almost absentmindedly. My fingers tightened around the edge of the desk, a wave of something—not just exhaustion—washed over me. I couldn't place it, but I didn't turn away immediately, I couldn't.

"So, what's the selection process for the student council?" someone asked, thankfully snapping me out of my daze as I turned away.

"Yeah, it's going to consist of a couple of rounds. In the first round, you'll have an interview with your class teacher. After that, there'll be an interview with the student coordinator, Dr Shantharaju. Finally, the last round is a panel interview with your class teacher, the student coordinator, the HOD, and me." I replied, my voice monotonous and rehearsed, feeling like a machine going through the motions.

As I spoke, I caught glimpses of side glances from a few students, their murmurs barely audible. Some exchanged looks, bored or indifferent. Meanwhile, my mind lingered on Abigail, trying to shake off whatever that moment had been.