Love Alarm [Based On A True Story]

Admirers

"Ariana look. Your admirer is here. Again."

"What admirer? What are you- oh."

My words die down in my lips the moment I spot him- Orlando.

Peeking from behind the auditorium doors, Orlando watches me with keen eyes while I stare at him with my lips parted. When he sees my eyes are on him, blood rushes to his cheeks and in an instant, the plumpy boy scurries away, leaving his baffled friends hanging in the doorway.

I sigh with my eyes shut, massaging my temples before getting back to the sheets in my hand while Claire and Mary watch with smirks. "That boy is smitten with you."

I know. The alarm won't stop blaring at the sight of him.

It's annoying.

"We have work to do." I reply, diverting the topic as I spread the papers on the table. "This is the outline of our speech Mr. Hawthorn prepared after Ryan's team failed. We now have an idea of how things are done. Let's practice that way."

"Are you seriously not going to give him an answer?"

"Claire-"

"She's right though." Mary intervenes, looking intently at me. "That boy's been lingering around you for days! Why don't you just give him an answer and get over with it?"

"He didn't ask for an answer!" I whisper yell at them, wondering why we are discussing Orlando all of a sudden. "And it's not like he doesn't know what my answer is. After what Sindy did at Sports week, it's obvious my answer is a no."

"That was Sindy, not you. Judging by his behavior, he seems truly in love with you which means he won't back down with just a few words from your friend. He'll wait until he hears it from you. So, tell him." Claire clears, and it is only then I realize how true it is. Why did I think I could stop Orlando from hanging around me all the time merely with what Sindy said? Is it because when Zack's friend said shit about me, I gave up easily? Did I think everyone is the same?

"I thought... I thought he already knew my answer." I reply meekly, fidgeting with my hands which are soon covered by a much paler ones of Mary as she smiles at me. "It's alright. Now that you know, let's do things the right way."

I know everyone is confused, so we'll take a trip back to a few months back. That is January. Sports week.

Orlando Alier is an eighth year NC student, the same batch as Alice's and friends with Phillipa's cousin. But his best friend is another guy named Sky, a raggedy looking boy that has a crush on Claire who she rejected.

It was the second day of sports week. Sindy, Claire and I were coincidentally together, returning from the marathon race that I just failed when we were stopped by a bunch of girls, I recognized were from Eight grade NC.

Out of nowhere, they blurted this to me on my face with sweet smiles. "Orlando likes you."

Huh?

Needless to say, I was dumbfounded. I had no idea who Orlando was not had I ever seen him. While I wasn't as famous either, I knew my face now was a known one in the school grounds given my slow rise to fame, so it was natural they knew me. But I knew not who Orlando was.