Hopeless, Devoted, Unrequited (ACE CLAWS Trilogy #1)

Chapter 1

"Alright, submit to me your drafts after tomorrow so we can start combining them altogether next week." I smile to them before standing up to organize the papers scattered on the long table.

I finish organizing and stretched my neck, feeling the pain of how long I've been bending my neck down the table. It's officially starting!

This week and the following week will be busy due to the upcoming competition that we the Creative Writing Club had to participate in, having no choice. So unfortunately, the bad news is...

I cannot see Ambrose more than I usually do.

Ambrose has been my crush for a long time, and now I'm a sophomore student at East Maxwell. A sophomore student who has no concrete goals in the future but to receive some long-lasting attention from Ambrose himself.

Why do I crave for his attention so much? I ask that all the time but I always end up with the same answer.

He doesn't know who I am.

Maybe it's the fact that no matter how much I randomly show up near his presence, he still won't remember even a glimpse of me. He probably doesn't even remember the time I used my club as an excuse to ask his opinion about the story we were writing about.

Well, I guess we can consider the fact that his popularity is so high, he considers me as one of his 'fangirls'. He's still right obviously, but maybe one day I can be an exception?

I'm kidding, my hope is too high. Too high, my grades won't even reach it.

"Ophelia!" A feminine voice shouts my name.

I look back and see Komiko, one of my best friend, standing right at the door with a duffle bag. I smile widely, welcoming her inside the club room.

"Training done?" I ask her as she approaches my direction preparing to plop her bag down the table.

She nods exhaustedly. "I need to catch up on sleeping. All I did this week was practice and practice," she takes a seat in front of me, exhaling loudly.

I look at her in awe, sighing as well. At least I'm not tired alone.

"Are you going to check the court? I'm pretty sure the boys team have started practicing already," she asks softly, checking her watch.

She knows me so well! Hearing that from her already boosted my energy back to a hundred and now I can literally just jump from here all the way to the gymnasium.

"Oh Mimi, what would I do without you?" I dramatically walk to her, opening my arms for a hug.

Komiko's basically my living signal. Since she's part of the girls team, she knows when and where the boys team will practice. That's one of my advantages as an admirer.

Although, in all the moments I've stayed for awhile just to watch them practice, he's never seen me and won't even spare me a glance. Not that I'm upset over that, I wouldn't know what to do once he actually starts looking my way, so I'm more grateful that he's the focused type.

I let go of the hug. "You're not coming aren't you?" I smirk at her.

She rolls her eyes, gesturing me to leave the room immediately.

"What a good day to become a queen, right Mimi?" I yell as I close the door behind me, hearing her shout my name in annoyance.

I giggle at her reaction before dashing out of the building and walking on the way to the gymnasium.

After walking for about three minutes, I eventually reach near the campus gym but halted almost immediately upon seeing a familiar face outside.

I walk closer and saw how the two of them looked like they were arguing with one another. What the hell is going on?