PAST
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Dark rain clouds spread slowly across the blue sky, swallowing its brightness and turning the day into a dull, heavy grey — like a scene pulled straight out of a melancholic film. The wind carried a faint chill, brushing against Melina's cheeks as she dragged herself toward the college gates.
The once-familiar road felt strangely distant today. Her shoes tapped softly against the wet footpath, crushing the scattered brown leaves without a thought — mercilessly, just as she often stepped on her own heart and hopes. Each crackle beneath her feet echoed faintly, a reminder of the quiet storm that brewed within her.
She tilted her head up for a moment. Normally, the sight of dark clouds would bring her an unexplainable joy — that childlike excitement for rain, for the smell of wet earth, for the rhythm of droplets against the windows. But today, that spark was missing. The world around her looked blurred, as if even the sky had lost its color.
She stopped mid-step, her breath trembling. For a long moment, she simply stood there — motionless — watching a single raindrop land on her hand and slide down her wrist. Maybe it was time to gather what little remained of her confidence. Maybe it was time to face herself.
She reluctantly took another step forward, as if breaking free from invisible chains — the ones that held her back, that held down her self-worth. She wanted, for once, to prove to herself that she wasn't just a plain, unremarkable face lost in the crowd, just like the message she recieved last night.
Melina walked into the college gates, clutching together what she called the scattered mess of her confidence, patched up just enough to get her through the day.
"Confidence is supposed to be for good-looking people," she mumbled under her breath, eyes fixed on the ground.
Then, almost instinctively, she heard a voice correcting her. "No... confidence is for people who love themselves."
The words surprised her. A small laugh escaped her lips — a rare sound, laced with both amusement and disbelief. At least I can still think something positive, she thought to herself.
"Hey, aren't you the pillar-headbutting girl, by the way?"
Melina snapped her head toward the voice. It wasn't a student this time.
That's when she realized the positive words wasn't from me, it was from Mrs Hellen, A faculty of another department of the college.
"Oh… Mrs. Hellen," she said softly, giving the proffessor a small nod of acknowledgment.
"What was your name again?" Mrs. Hellen asked, laughing lightly. "Sorry, I shouldn't have called you the pillar-headbutting girl."
Melina waved her hand dismissively, a shy smile tugging at her lips. "It's Melina, ma'am."
"Ah, Melina," Mrs. Hellen repeated, her eyes warm. "I need to rush, but remember one thing — confidence isn't for the good-looking or the bad-looking. It's for people who love themselves. So get that silly label out of your mind, alright?"
She gave Melina's arm a gentle pat and jogged away, her messy hair bouncing and her un-ironed shirt fluttering behind her.
Melina couldn't help but smile faintly. She's definitely in a hurry, she thought — and yet somehow still has time to notice me.
For a fleeting moment, the dark clouds above didn't seem so heavy.
A faint smile lingered on Melina's lips as she walked through the corridor toward her classroom — a small aftereffect of Mrs. Hellen's messy cheerfulness. But it faded just as quickly as it came, the moment she saw the figure approaching from the other end of the hall.
Theo.
Her breath caught. Melina tried to act indifferent, her face carefully blank, but her body betrayed her. Her heartbeat quickened — sharp and uneven — and her lungs seemed to tighten under the weight of a familiar ache.
She kept walking, forcing her steps to stay steady, as if willing her fingers to stay glued to her books, to the floor, to anything that could keep her grounded. But as Theo drew closer, she could already feel the silence stretching between them — the silence that once used to be laughter, long talks, and shared smiles.
He brushed past her without a glance. As if she was no one.
Just another face in the corridor.
Melina didn't turn immediately, but every cell in her body screamed to. She could still smell his cologne — sharp, clean, painfully familiar. It was enough to pull her back into memories she tried to bury.
She hated herself for it — for the way her heart still flinched at his indifference, for aching after someone who have wounded her.
Her steps slowed, her chest heavy. Finally, she turned her head — just slightly — and caught a glimpse of Theo's retreating figure, confident and careless as ever, disappearing down the hall.
A sigh escaped her lips, soft but loaded. Melina turned away and kept walking, clutching her bag tighter — as if holding herself together.
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Laughter echoed through the abandoned corridors of old building of the college— laughter that didn't belong there anymore. The cracked walls caught every sound, sending back faint, distorted echoes that almost sounded like the building itself was laughing along with them.
"I can't believe you kissed Theo!" Melodie screamed, her voice bursting through the still air as she hopped excitedly on her toes. Her squeal bounced off the walls like a spark of mischief.
Ellie rolled her eyes dramatically, crossing her arms. "Ugh, please. I've done more with him… even right here in this same classroom." Her smirk was sharp, her tone teasing, but her eyes flickered toward Angela — the kind of flicker that hinted at competition rather than friendship.
Melodie's grin faltered. "Yeah, but you and Theo were always just… physical." She stepped closer, her tone almost protective. "With Angela, it's different. He cares about her. There's something real — friendship, maybe even more. It doesn't take much for that to turn into a relationship."
Angela sat at the back, quiet, her fingers tracing the initials carved into the old wooden desk. She watched the two of them bicker.
"Anyway," Ellie snapped her fingers, changing the topic with practiced sass. "Did you seriously tell that idiot Gregg you're a lesbian?"
Angela smirked. "Yeah, I did. Just for fun. It was a prank."
Ellie arched a brow. "Well, congratulations. He's told half the school by now."
Melodie groaned. "Sheesh, can we not talk about Gregg right now? Ugh, boring." She leaned forward, eyes gleaming again. "So, what actually happened with Theo? Tell me everything!"
Angela's lips curved into a slow, teasing smile as she side-eyed her. "He was drunk," she began softly, almost whispering, "so I took him to his home."
Ellie froze. "Wait. What happened after that?" she asked, her face paling.
Angela turned her gaze toward Melodie instead, ignoring Ellie completely. "Don't tell Melina," she said, her voice dropping lower — almost playful, almost threatening. "Not yet."
A wide smile spread across her face — one that didn't reach her eyes. There was something cold and deliberate about it. The air in the room felt heavier.
Melodie's laughter faltered. Ellie took a step back.
" I am saving that for her last moment" Angela muttered keeping her smile wide as it is.
For the first time that night, the echoes that answered them didn't sound like laughter anymore — they sounded like a warning.
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