The Moon Hiding at Dawn

Chapter 20: A New Moon

I've been playing games for years and have been studying software development for the recent time. I know for a fact that there is always that kind of anxiety attached especially when going after something new, or expecting a kind of change out of something that's been old but memorable. Usually, the latter merits a higher level of anxiousness.

There's always a danger of engaging to a recently updated game if you haven't played it in, like, a very long while. Things might end up not the way you expected it to be. There may be parts that are nostalgic and reminiscent of good old times but, most of the instances, you wouldn't know what to do once you've encountered it. Too make things worse, there's a great possibility that it would force you down to your knees, stare at it in disappointment, and curse all who are involved. When that happens, it is highly probable that the memories of the past will be nothing more than a sting of reality that no matter how we hope for it to come back, time will always flow forward and never back. Then again, we're talking about possibilities so it might also turn into something that you wanted all along. That's the anxiety I always feel with games...

Turns out that it's the same anxiety I'm feeling against Kallen as we return from the midterm break. The good thing with games is that you'd have a clue or two on the outcome once you've known the developer handling the project. There's nothing like that with humans as far as my memory is concerned.

The usual routine came by: I got up, ate some stuff from the fridge, took a shower, got into my uniform, then walked to school. Arriving first in the class as usual, I slumped at my seat and prepared to sleep.

My seat... Crap. Her seat is next to mine. Now the anxiety levels rose to intolerable heights of overthinking what could possibly happen in such an awkward situation. In times like this, my solution would've been to sleep... I guess I can't do that at this state, let alone fake it to be believable. The same thoughts circulate my mind like a satellite trying to gather and reflect signals to earth. My brain must be stuck in an extremely rural area, there being no useful reception from my thoughts when I'm search spamming any possible way to troubleshoot and escape the possibilities. Escape... I could go absent since no one has seen me here yet but that solution just took a sharp turn together with a pitfall as all the many possibilities are now narrowed to a single fact.

Out of all the possibilities though, what happened was the most unexpected and heartbreaking one.

The next to arrive and block my possibility of escape was Clyde. In his arms, laughing and chatting with him, is another girl. The difference now is that it's not any of the girls previously chasing him. This time, it's none other than the one he has been chasing up until recently. Kallen.

I held back the tears as my chest got heavier. Of all the reasons I've gone through in the process of overthinking, little did I— no... I did not entirely expect the reason to be Kallen falling in love with another person. This is too much for me to take. At least, as a consolation, she sat at the seat next to him, where Chris originally sat. I guess that's better than being forced to a conversation with her in this spiteful moment of my life.

I pretended to mind my own business, hoping that none of the two would engage in a conversation with me.

Chris got inside just a moment later, froze for a split second, then sat at the seat right next to me.

He then elbowed me. "Dude, I thought you and Kallen were going out? Why's she with Clyde?"

"Beats me..." I said. "All I know is that I got dumped right before midterms. Who would've thought, right?"

"Clyde is a man of conviction. That I'm sure. Clyde would never make the first move to go to Kallen after your duel of sorts. So, it must've been Kallen who made the first move."