The second orientation ended, I dipped.
Trinity tried to flag me down on the way out—probably wanted help dragging Bri off her—but I played dumb and kept walking.
She's definitely gonna kill me later.
Back in the junior building, the vibe had shifted. Everyone was buzzing—linking up, showing off, sizing each other up.
Me? I was still alone.
Did I care? Kinda.
But not really.
Loners can't be betrayed.
"Um… excuse me?"
I turned around.
A girl was standing there—tiny, maybe 4'11", pale as snow, and red hair tied back in loose curls. Her crimson eyes avoided mine as she fiddled nervously with her fingers.
"Something wrong?" I asked.
She opened her mouth, then stopped. "I… um… I don't know. Never mind."
And then she bolted.
Full sprint.
"Wait—what?"
Before I could chase her down, everyone nearby turned and stared at me like I just smacked someone's grandma.
Daggers. Judging eyes. So many whispers.
I dipped into homeroom before I got labeled the campus creep.
I made it to the classroom early, took the seat by the window—classic main character spot—and stared outside.
Bright blue skies. Puffy white clouds.
"Man… I wish I could lay on one."
"Ayo."
I turned and saw a guy waving at me as he walked over. Bronze skin, gray eyes, low waves. Fit build—definitely played sports.
"Yo," I replied with a nod.
"I'm Tempus," he said, holding out a hand.
"Trey."
We shook.
"I didn't bother you, did I?" he asked, looking genuinely concerned.
Let's mess with him a little.
"Yeah, bro. You kinda interrupted something really important."
His face dropped.
"My bad," he said, bowing. "I won't bother you again—"
I burst out laughing.
The class turned for a second. Then went back to whatever they were doing.
Tempus just stood there, blinking.
"Man, I'm messing with you," I said, grinning. "You're good."
He sighed. "Bro. Not cool. You had me sweating."
We both laughed.
And just like that—my first real friend of the year.
We talked about anime, games, music—basically everything that mattered.
Before I knew it, the room filled up. Then the teacher walked in and started scribbling on the whiteboard.
"My name is John Blackwell. You can call me Mr. Blackwell."
Tall. Stocky. White hair, snow-pale skin, peppered beard. Gave off wise warrior from a fantasy RPG energy.
"Welcome to your junior year."
Let the suffering begin.
The rest of the day flew by.
Surprisingly, me and Tempus had all the same classes. We stuck together like glue—roasting teachers, dodging assignments, and pretending not to be socially awkward.
The only thing missing?
Anna.
Not a glimpse. Not a text. Not even a reaction to my story post this morning.
She couldn't be avoiding me… right?
After school, we walked out the front gate.
"Aye," Tempus said, "you tryna hoop?"
"Heh. This ain't what you want, bro. I'm a demon on the court."
"Oh word?" he said, already hyped. "We'll see."
But before I could accept, my phone buzzed.
I expected Trinity.
Maybe even Bri.
Nope.
Anna.
I froze.
Tempus noticed instantly. "Yo… you good?"
I opened the message.
"Hey… I'm sorry I didn't get to see you all day. It's been hectic… Can I see you later? I need to talk to you. It's important."
Oh no.
Not that.
The dreaded 'we need to talk.'
I showed Tempus the text.
He stared. Nodded slowly.
"Damn," he said. "That's tough."
"What do you think she wants?" I asked, stomach twisting.
"She could be pregnant."
"What?! Dude—I'm a virgin!"
Tempus gave me this sad puppy look. Like he'd just found out I had three months to live.
"Nah, see, now I gotta hit you," I said, smacking him upside the head.
We both cracked up, laughing to take the edge off.
But deep down, I couldn't shake the feeling… something was about to change.
Anna said to meet at our usual spot at 5 PM.
It was only 4:20, but waiting made it worse. Every minute felt like an hour.
I told Tempus we'd have to reschedule the basketball match.
He understood. Gave me a fist bump.
"I'll pray for you," he said.
And the way things were feeling… I needed all the prayers I could get.