𝕲𝖔𝖊𝖙𝖎𝖈[𝕬 𝕿𝖔𝖒 𝖗𝖎𝖉𝖉𝖑𝖊 𝕾𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖞]

Was it Just a Dream?

Leo was nodding her head to the rhythm of the music playing in her ears. It was Saturday, the one day of the week she actually looked forward to. On Saturdays, students were allowed to use their iPods to listen to music, providing a much-needed escape from the world around them.

She felt a gentle tap on her shoulder, causing her to flinch in pain. Her body was covered in marks from the incident the day before. Sitting for even a few minutes made her ache all over.

Miss Aleena had eventually apologized for her misunderstanding and had taken action by cancelling Max's exams. But despite the apology, the pain still lingered, both physically and emotionally.

Noi Noi tapped on Leo's shoulders again, finally managing to snap her out of her musical trance. She snatched the headphones away and held them up in the air triumphantly.

"Guess what, Leo? We're going to the park tomorrow! Time to find the perfect shorts!"

"Give me back my music!" Leo grumbled, feeling a little annoyed.

"Oh, come on! Your precious K-pop can wait for a few moments," Noi Noi squealed, switching off Leo's headset. Leo shot her a mock glare but begrudgingly got up from her bed.

She grumbled to herself as they made their way to the trunk, and grumbled even more as she pulled out a pair of shorts with banana patterns on them.

Noi Noi gave her a disapproving look, shaking her head from side to side. She let out an exaggerated sigh and resumed her search for something else.

"Leo? Are you sure about wearing shorts with all those marks from yesterday? I mean, it might be uncomfortable and-"

"A true warrior flaunts her battle scars, my dear Noi Noi," Leo interrupted dramatically, pulling out another pair of shorts adorned with Batman prints.

"Oh, of course, peach shorts with a peach emoji, because that makes perfect sense," Leo remarked, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she eyed the pair of shorts Noi noi was holding.

 "I guess it's only fair that you get to wear them while I'm denied the pleasure of my beloved banana shorts."

Noi Noi grinned mischievously. "Life is full of unfair choices, my dear Leo. Embrace the absurdity!"

Leo couldn't help but chuckle at Noi Noi's response. She grabbed the black t-shirt with a smirk and read it out loud.

"Row, row, row your boat, gently off a cliff... Well, that's definitely a mantra to live by," she said, raising an eyebrow.

Noi Noi finally emerged from the trunk, a triumphant smile on her face as she held up a pair of neon green flip-flops.

"Found them!" she exclaimed, oblivious to the fact that Leo had already made her escape.

Leo, comfortably cocooned in her blankets, secretly celebrated her successful getaway. With her headphones on, she closed her eyes and let the music transport her to a different world, far away from the chaos of the day.

The day was quite uneventful until late evening when Addie and Tina ganged up on her. How unfortunate for them.

Leo was innocently engrossed in her reading, pretending to be completely oblivious to their presence. Addie approached her with an air of false authority, pushing her shoulders with a rather feeble attempt to intimidate Leo.

Leo's eyebrow arched with amusement as she looked at Addie, her smile growing wider.

"Well, well, if it isn't the dynamic duo gracing me with their presence. Should I be honoured?"

Addie, clearly irritated by Leo's nonchalant attitude, pointed a perfectly manicured nail at her. Leo's eyes sparkled mischievously.

"Oh, look at that! The finger of doom. Careful, Addie, I might mistake it for a carrot and take a bite."