10:45

PART 8

It was early in the morning, and Claudine was sitting at her desk, furiously typing away at her laptop. She had promised herself she’d finish her schoolwork the night before, but she had gotten too tired. Now, with only a few hours before meeting Rico at the mall, she was trying to complete everything.

Her phone buzzed on the table, and she glanced at it. It was a text from Rico.

Rico: “Hey Clau, you ready for our day out later? 10:30 at the mall, right? 😊”

Claudine smiled, even though she was feeling a little stressed. She quickly typed back.

Claudine: “Yes! Can’t wait. Just finishing something real quick.”

Rico: “Take your time! But don’t forget, we have to watch the movie at 10:30. Don’t be late!”

She giggled, shaking her head. “Don’t be late,” she repeated to herself softly, knowing how sometimes she could lose track of time when she got busy.

She focused again on her laptop, her fingers flying over the keys. There was just a little more to do, and she could almost taste the freedom that would come once she hit ‘send.’ Her thoughts were already drifting to the fun they would have—Rico loved movies, and she had picked the perfect one for them to watch together.

As she typed, she lost herself in her thoughts. The ticking clock on the wall seemed to fade into the background, unnoticed as she tried to finish the last part of her assignment.

---

About an hour later, Claudine was still working, unaware of how much time had passed. Her mind was deep in her school project, fixing details and reading over her notes.

Then, something made her glance at the clock. She blinked once, twice, then her heart nearly jumped out of her chest.

10:45 AM.

Claudine’s eyes widened in shock, and she jumped from her chair, knocking over her pens in the process.

“Oh no! 10:45?? What?? 10:45?!”

She grabbed her things in a panic, rushing to gather her bag and shoes. She hadn’t even changed out of her casual house clothes. Her hair was still messy, and she hadn’t put on any makeup. But there was no time to worry about that. Rico was already at the mall, waiting for her!

She stumbled around, slipping on her shoes while trying to grab her wallet and phone at the same time.

“I’m so late!” she whispered to herself, feeling flustered. “Why didn’t I set an alarm?!”

Without bothering to look in the mirror, she bolted out the door, almost tripping over the stairs as she hurried outside. She was in such a rush that she could barely focus on anything else, her mind spinning with thoughts of being late.

---

When Claudine finally arrived at the mall, she was out of breath. She hurried through the entrance, scanning the area for Rico. She spotted him standing near the entrance of the cinema, checking his watch with a small smile.

Her heart pounded, both from running and from the embarrassment of being so late.

“Rico!” she called, waving her hand and trying to catch her breath as she ran towards him.

Rico looked up and grinned when he saw her, amusement dancing in his eyes. As Claudine approached, he couldn’t help but chuckle. Her hair was slightly messy, and she was still wearing her casual clothes from earlier. She hadn’t had time to fix herself up, and it was obvious.

“Clau, you look… different,” he teased with a laugh, his eyes twinkling. “Did you just roll out of bed?”

Claudine flushed red, half embarrassed, half laughing at herself. “I was working on my school project! I lost track of time! I didn’t even realize it was already 10:45…”