Whispers Of the Heart : High School

Chapter 4 : Reckoning Hearts and Fragile Bonds

The next morning, Selena was rudely awakened by Asher's blaring alarms, and she couldn't help but feel annoyed. She quickly got up and banged on his door, yelling for him to turn them off. When she received no response, she decided to enter his room to stop the noise.

As she stepped inside, she couldn't help but wonder why he had so many alarms and why he hadn't turned them off before leaving for work. Her frustration grew as she turned off the alarms one by one, still not finding him inside the room.

Her eyes caught a glimpse of a picture by his bed, and she couldn't resist picking it up to take a closer look. The picture showed a younger Asher, and Selena couldn't help but think, "Wow, he was a cute kid."

But her momentary distraction proved unfortunate as she accidentally tripped over his trash can while holding the picture frame. The frame slipped from her grasp and crashed to the floor, shattering into pieces. Selena felt a pang of worry, realizing that she had broken something of sentimental value to Asher.

Unsure of what to do, Selena stood there for a moment, contemplating whether to leave a note or try to fix the frame somehow. But in the end, she decided she had no choice but to leave for school, unable to fix the situation and unsure of how to approach Asher about the broken frame.

As Selena's worry over the broken picture frame continued to gnaw at her, she found herself peering into Asher's classroom, searching for a moment to talk to him. Gathering her courage, she cautiously opened the door and called out his name, only to be met with a room full of curious stares. Feeling embarrassed and out of place, she quickly retreated and left the classroom.

Later in the hallway, Selena ran into Asher, hoping to finally address the issue and explain herself. However, he simply walked away without a word, leaving her feeling frustrated and hurt.

Throughout the day, Selena's anxiety about the situation grew. When she returned home, she found herself pacing, unable to shake the feeling of unease. As Asher arrived home, she greeted him with a hopeful smile, but he brushed her off and went straight to his room.

A short while later, he emerged again, his expression serious. "Hey, you didn't go in my room, right?" His voice was stern, and Selena's heart sank as she realized the gravity of the situation.

Her guilt and apprehension rushed to the surface, and she blurted out, "I'm so sorry. The alarms were ringing, so I was turning them off, and I accidentally dropped the picture frame. I'm really sorry."

Asher's frustration was evident as he responded, "We agreed not to go into each other's rooms. You broke the rules and my stuff. It's too much."

Selena tried desperately to explain herself, her voice trembling, "I didn't mean to touch the alarm clocks... I'll replace the frame. The photo is fine—"

Asher's voice escalated, frustration seeping through, "That's not the issue!" He raised his voice, causing Selena to flinch.

He continued, his words a mixture of anger and exasperation, "Forget it, Selena. It doesn't matter what I say." With that, he retreated back into his room, leaving Selena standing there, aching with regret and a profound sense of helplessness.

As Selena sat with Mari and Leon at school, their conversation took an unexpected turn when Leon noticed that Mari hadn't brought her lunchbox. He teasingly suggested that she bought bread just to get closer to Asher, hinting at her crush on him.

Mari blushed and confessed that it was true, but then she went on to reveal something that left Selena stunned. "You know Asher lost both his parents at a young age in a car crash. That's why he always buys his lunch," Mari explained.