The school day felt unusually long, and as the bell finally rang, I gathered my things, half-waiting for Daniel's message. As I stepped outside, I spotted him leaning against his car, waiting patiently, his familiar smile lighting up his face when he saw me.
"Hey, beautiful," he greeted, and I felt my heart skip a beat.
"Hey, Dan," I smiled back, trying to shake off the nerves that had been growing all day. We were slowly getting used to each other, but the butterflies never really went away.
"Ready?" he asked, opening the passenger door for me. I nodded and slid inside, trying not to feel too self-conscious. He'd mentioned something about a surprise, but I had no idea what it could be.
---
The next day at school, the group of friends was having their usual chaos. Jungwon was still acting strangely quiet, watching the others carefully, especially when Marcy and Riki were bickering once again.
"Seriously, Riki? What's your deal today?" Marcy snapped, her arms crossed as she glared at him.
"What's my deal? You're the one making everything awkward, as usual!" Riki retorted, not backing down.
"You've been acting like a child," Marcy shot back, clearly frustrated. "Can't you go a day without starting something?"
I heard the conversation from across the room as I grabbed my books. Sunghoon, standing next to me, let out a sigh. He looked at me briefly, as if noticing my mood shifting.
"You alright?" he asked quietly, his eyes soft but serious.
"I'm fine," I said, giving him a small smile, though I wasn't entirely sure myself. I was definitely feeling some tension between the group, and it was starting to get under my skin.
Jungwon, who had been listening to the argument between Riki and Marcy, finally stood up, stepping in before things could escalate. "Alright, can we stop the bickering? I swear, you two are like children." He rubbed his face, looking exhausted.
I glanced over, seeing Marcy huff in annoyance before turning to Riki. "Whatever, just don't talk to me until you figure out what your issue is," she muttered, storming off.
Riki, for once, stayed silent, his gaze fixed on the floor as he rubbed the back of his neck. The tension had simmered down, but the unease lingered in the air.
---
As the day dragged on, I couldn't help but feel a strange unease. I knew it wasn't just about the arguments. There was something different about the way everyone was acting lately. And the most confusing part? It wasn't just with Riki and Marcy anymore.
Helen and Jake weren't talking as much, either. The silence between them was loud, and it wasn't something I'd missed.
"Did you hear anything about what happened between Helen and Jake?" I whispered to Sunghoon, leaning closer as we walked out of class.
He looked over at the pair, who were sitting on opposite sides of the room, not saying a word to each other. "Not sure. They've been off for a while. I think Jake said something that set Helen off, but she hasn't said much about it."
I frowned. "Do you think they're... okay?"
Sunghoon shrugged, his expression unreadable. "I don't know. They're both stubborn. But something's definitely up."
---
Later that day, I met Daniel after school again. The surprise he had been talking about turned out to be a small, cozy café just a few blocks from the school. The walls were covered in bookshelves, and soft jazz music played in the background. It wasn't exactly fancy, but it felt warm and intimate, and I couldn't help but relax a little.
