ɴᴏ ᴛɪᴛʟᴇ

-ᴅᴇᴘᴀʀᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴘᴛ. ɪ-

The semester has finally ended for the third years. Various emotions filled the entire hall. Most of them cried in joy for they have graduated after their hard work. Some cried, hugging and patting each other's backs, giving their last supports and goodbyes. But overall, everybody was happy. Satisfied to know that things have went on exactly how they wanted, getting accepted in universities they've always dreamed of. It's everything a fresh graduate could ever ask for.

But to Aesop Carl, everything remains the same. His good grades mean nothing but temporary satisfaction. They are numbers and forever shall be numbers, unable to judge the true capabilities of his brain which should be able to do better than these exams. As he carried a bouquet of flowers he had received from a girl, he let out a sigh from behind his face mask.

Before the event started, he arrived at YY high school pretty early. His attire was as tidy as ever, with an additional yellow rose boutonnière. Under the warm sun, his skin remains covered by a black suit he bought a few weeks ago. It felt tight. Rather torturing, making him grunt often in complaint as he fixed the collar of his shirt. The grey-haired sighed as he picked a seat which is just right at the very back and placed his bag on the other chair next to him.

His parents? They're long gone outside of the country. They only sent Aesop some allowance every once a month, and basically just left him in their small apartment for three. The male stopped from his train of thought to take a glance over his watch. Guess he came pretty early, as an about-to-be fresh graduate. He didn't see anybody else and decided to get up from his seat and set off outside of the auditorium just to walk around the school for at least, the last time before he were to belong elsewhere.

It was a Saturday, and all the club activities were cancelled. His footsteps resonated across the hallways. It was unusual, since his footwear today were a pair of shiny black pointed shoes. The sound coming from the soles were quite annoying, for Aesop at least.

"Aesop! I.. I finally found you," one's voice called out from the other end. It echoed through the empty room, followed by heavy breaths as if they had ran miles. The male refused to turn his head around, trying to collect his memories, of to whom that voice belonged to. It sounded rather feminine, and Aesop didn't have female friends, is why he gave up in digging any further into his bottle of memories. He turned his heel with his eyes meeting a pair of broken white shoes with a bright blue strap wrapped neatly around their ankles. The dress was colored in pale blue with printed flower motives on the hem of the skirt. A simple, dark blue ribbon covered it's waistline, adding more visual aesthetic to the attire's design.

"Uh. H-hi," the young woman stammered, with her head sinking into her thin shoulders. Behind her back was obviously a bouquet of flowers. Daisies, if the gray haired's memories are correct.

Aesop only nodded as a greeting, for he is a man of a few words— Or so he said himself. He wondered, though. Why would someone like Lisa look for him at this hour, at this date where all of them are all about to say their final farewells, why she's here while holding a bouquet of flowers he can't recall behind her back instead of leaving them inside the auditorium. Maybe she doesn't want them to be stolen?

The awkward silence grew, and of course it was getting to Aesop as well. He decided to open the conversation between them, "Oh, it's you. What brings you here?"
"I was looking for you."
"On what occasion?"
"Thi... this."

The wrapping paper rustled like trampled dried leafs as the flowers were brought up to his face. It looked rather... grandiose to be receiving a bouquet so early in the morning. But Aesop couldn't decline as it might be judged as rude. He genuinely felt bad for Lisa who made this, which obviously would cost money, even though she's probably the one who planted these herself.

"Er.. I'm guessing this is for—"

"A- A confession!"

"...Huh?"

"I..! I like you! Romantically, Aesop Carl!!"

Aesop was left speechless with his eyelids wide open to surprise. His fingers covered in silky white gloves hooked onto the stems. "Lisa, I.." The male was cut off by seeing the brunette's cyan shaded irises. They shimmered like the starry skies as tears started to cover them up. As if she knew she'd get rejected anyway, but Lisa herself still denied the most possible scenario. With him looking heartless, that didn't stop him to feel all the guilt for rejecting her. He knew that she tried hard, how much courage she's collected to even come and walk up to him like this.

"Look, Lisa.. I- I'm sorry. I wish not to be rude, but-"

"I know. I know," Lisa smiled as she inhaled the fresh air and paused as her hand lets go of the flowers. Her entire body felt heavy as her heart grew empty. She was ready for this. And yet, she wasn't. "Just consider this as a gift to congratulate you for your graduation," she said in between shaky breaths. Her chest tightened with her lungs forcing the petite girl to breathe. The brunette knew about the outcome more than anybody else. But she still remains heartbroken, with all her effort wasted, words of support from her friends, it was all just for nothing.

Without knowing what else to say, he nodded and accepted the flowers as a thank you. Aesop turned his heel, leaving a heartbroken Lisa in the middle of the school hallways as he believed she needed some time alone after what he did.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Glossary:

> Boutonnière: a floral decoration, typically a single flower/bud, worn on the lapel of a tuxedo/suit jacket. (Women who wear jackets on these occasions also often may wear "buttonholes", but more typically a woman would wear a corsage.)

> I am using Emma Woods' real name, Lisa Woods, the original name she was given.

> Daisies symbolize innocence and purity. In Norse mythology, the daisy is Freya's sacred flower. Freya is the goddess of love, beauty, and fertility, and as such the daisy symbolizes childbirth, motherhood, and new beginnings.

> This chapter was recently edited on 1st of June 2020. Happy Pride month by the way!