DANIELA

Chapter 8: María, the Other Side of the Coin

Let's go back in time a little, to the time when we formed study groups. The first time I spoke with María was when I was waiting outside the classroom because sometimes the teacher would arrive on time and sometimes not, like this time. While I was waiting in the cold, I started checking my phone to see if there was anything on my social media. While I was focused, someone approached (at that time, I didn't know her name) and reached out her hand. I hesitated for a moment but then extended mine to greet her, and she said to me:

"Hi, so early here?" "Yes, sometimes the teacher arrives on time, and you know, he doesn't let latecomers in." "Yeah, he's a bad teacher. I don't like him." "Well, he's the only one teaching this subject, so it's either him or nothing." While we were talking, Juan arrived and joined the conversation. From that point on, we started talking in the following classes because I found it strange that he didn't greet María, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to start a conversation. And so, it continued between the two of us until the end of the semester.

Returning to the present, we talked more than usual. I walked her to the main door, and we chatted through messages several times. However, whenever we talked, it was always about assignments or university-related matters, never anything personal. As the classes went on that Wednesday, after finishing the class and heading home, I ran into María. We greeted each other and started talking.

"Hi." "Hey, I didn't know you were taking this subject too." "I didn't know you were taking it either." "Not only me, but Daniela is also in this class." At that moment, joy filled me because the thought of being able to pass at least one subject with Daniela filled me with hope. What about last year? Well, that was forgotten. Now I was focused on getting closer to Daniela. But how? That question only had one answer: María.

Once, as we were leaving our class, María asked me if I could accompany her to return something she had borrowed. While we were walking, our conversation began.

"What do you need to return?" "Oh, it's this notebook I borrowed from a friend."

I didn't want the conversation to die down.

"Oh, did you see the university event?"

"No, I didn't. I was there dancing."

"Really? What kind of dance?"

"I was part of the Morenada group."

"Oh, and how much was the registration fee?"

"It was $130, but I didn't like the organization very much."

"It's always like that. There's always something we don't like. And why do you seem down? I saw your social media posts, and they seemed a bit depressing."

"Do you want to know?"

"If you want to share it, go ahead. If not, it's okay."

"Well, I just ended a relationship, and that's why I've been feeling this way. That's why I danced at the carnival."

"Ahh, to forget the bad moments, to give yourself a fresh start."

"More than that, to forget everything. But that's how things end."

We kept talking until we reached the main door, still chatting. That's how that day ended, but I had hopes of running into Daniela because María always called her whenever she could to meet up with her.

There was a time when I experienced the desperation of not being able to see Daniela. The previous week, I hadn't seen her at all, so I thought I would see her this week. It was a Monday when María and I were leaving around noon, and we were talking. We passed by the classroom where Daniela has her class, and I subtly asked María:

"Aren't you waiting for Daniela? I think she's coming out now."

"No, no, let's go. I have an exam tomorrow, and I'm very busy."

"Alright."

We left that day, but the next day something similar happened, except this time the question came from María as we were leaving on Tuesday at 10 am.

"Should we wait for Daniela?"

"It depends on you."

"Let's just go. I'm busy today too."

"They're just five minutes! This can't be happening!" These thoughts were running through my mind. I even started to think that María wanted to keep me away from Daniela. It was a fictional idea. Did María like me? Did someone who had just ended a relationship actually like me? I didn't know the truth, but one thing I was sure of was that all these events were just coincidences. Anyway, the next week would come, and I would finally be able to talk to Daniela.

The following Monday was uneventful because Daniela didn't have classes that day. But on Tuesday, like every morning, I waited with other classmates for the teacher to arrive. While waiting, I talked to María, of course, whenever I arrived early. Sometimes I arrived late, but at the end of Tuesday's class, unexpectedly, María hurriedly left the room. Without being fazed, I headed towards the exit and saw María with Daniel and a new friend. I felt annoyed by María's abruptness, but I shouldn't care. I could finally talk to Daniela. Without wasting time, I approached them (even though I might not have been invited) and started greeting them, directing the conversation towards Daniela. As I walked beside her, I kept asking her questions:

"In that computer class, I can't grasp the programs. Can you help me?"

"Don't worry, just keep moving forward, do the practice assignments given by the teacher, and you'll understand. Let me tell you something funny that happened when I took that subject. When we had the second midterm, the teacher told us it would be on the computer. But when the time came (she started laughing), nobody started the exam because nobody knew how to, so the teacher gave us another week to prepare (she continued laughing)."

Oh God, I love her laughter. I kept the conversation going, and meanwhile, María and Daniela's friend were talking behind us (I'm not sure if they were talking, but I had achieved what I wanted). We continued talking until we reached the main door where we said goodbye, and I went home, marveling at what had happened. They say that when girls act playful with someone, it means they like them. This sounds fictional, but it doesn't matter. I feel like Daniela likes me.