"You girls take care of yourselves in school today," Karen's mother, Miss Aida, said, her voice a mix of a command and a plea.
"We always do, Mom," Karen and chimed in from the backseat.
"I know," Miss Aida replied, a slight smirk on her face. "Just a reminder in case that deep sleep you had today didn't swallow all the do's and don'ts you're supposed to adhere to."
Karen rolled her eyes playfully. "Mom, can you stop being so dramatic? We'll take care of ourselves, and you do the same, especially with that naughty boy still with you in the car."
Jason, who had been listening from the front passenger seat, turned to his sister with a look of mock offense. "Why are you coming at me, Miss Karen? I never said anything."
"Well, I don't need you to say anything," Karen shot back. "I know what you're thinking even if you don't say it aloud, Mr. Jason."
"Alright, alright, that bickering ends here," their mother said, pulling the car to a stop in front of the school's entrance. "You girls should hurry up before the lecture starts. And have a great presentation."
"Thank you, Mummy!" Karen said, stepping out of the car.
"Thank you, Miss Aida!" Jenny echoed, a bright smile on her face.
"Sure. See you girls later," Miss Aida replied with a wave.
"Wait, see us later?" Karen's brow furrowed. "Mom, don't tell me you'll be coming to pick us up today?"
"Of course I will, my dear," Miss Aida said with a laugh. "Now hurry up and leave, we're also leaving. Later."
Karen watched the car drive off, then turned to Jenny with a look of pure confusion. "Jenny, can you believe my mom is impossible? Why would she suddenly decide to pick us up after lectures? She never does that."
"Yeah, I do," Jenny said, her phone already in her hand. "Maybe she has something in store for us later."
"I don't really know. It's okay, let's just ignore it for now," Karen sighed. She pulled her presentation notes from her bag. "I hope you're prepared for the presentation?"
"Of course I am, girl," Jenny said, giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "You know I spent almost the whole night rehearsing everything all over again. I'd say I'm pretty prepared."
"Good to know," Karen said, feeling a sense of calm spread through her. "Off we go then."
"Okay, girl. We've got this," Jenny replied, and they started walking towards the building.
"Like always." Karen nodded, a feeling of confidence swelling inside her. "We still have twenty more minutes before the lecturer comes in. I want to go through my notes to make sure everything is set."
"Okay, girl. I'll just leave you to do what you're best at, and I'll just be on my phone," Jenny said, holding it up like a precious object. "You know, that's my lifesaver."
"Oh, really? So now, who am I to you then?" Karen asked, a playful hurt in her voice.
"Ouch, I can hear a hint of jealousy in that statement."
"Hush! Who's jealous?
You know I can't live without you. You're the air that I breathe, I mean, you're my everything!"
"Madam, can you please stop being so dramatic? You know we have a very busy and important day today," Karen said, unable to hide her smile.
"Yeah, back to being the busybody Miss Karen," Jenny teased, backing away slowly.
"Please, I need my peaceful environment."
"Okay, I will leave you, your highness," Jenny said with a theatrical bow before turning to walk off.
The two burst into laughter, the sound echoing lightly in the quiet hallway. Karen found a bench and buried her nose in her notes. A few minutes later, Jenny came rushing back, her phone clutched in her hand, her eyes wide with shock.
"Hey, Karen! Can you imagine what I just saw in our school's group chat?"
Karen sighed, looking up from her notes. "Okay, what is it, Madam?"
"It's about him!" Jenny whispered, her voice full of awe.
"About who?"
"About Jaden! I mean, the mysterious and almighty Jaden—the known smart and intelligent guy in the senior level who always wears a mask. But even the mask can't hide his handsomeness!"
"Okay, what about him?" Karen asked, trying to focus on her notes, her mind already annoyed.
"He came to school today! Some students saw him and took this picture of him." Jenny shoved her phone into Karen's face. "Look!"
Karen squinted at the screen. The image showed a tall figure from behind, his face completely obscured. "For real, Jenny? How is this a picture of him? He's covering his face! How can you even tell if he's handsome or not just by looking at his masked pictures?" She pushed the phone away gently. "Please, as I said earlier, I need my peaceful environment. What you brought was no news at all. He is a student here, so why is it surprising if he comes to school? Can you excuse yourself again so I can focus before the lecturer comes in, Miss Jenny?"
"Alright, fine! You're such a killjoy!" Jenny pouted.
"Thank you, Ma'am," Karen said, already turning her attention back to her notes, completely unaware that the mythical figure her friend just spoke of was about to change her life forever.