Noel wakes up to the shrill ring of his alarm. Same routine again—wake up, get dressed, head to college. Nothing changes.
He walks through the college gate, headphones in, eyes a little sleepy. Out of nowhere, someone grabs his shoulder from behind.
Noel turns, startled—but then smiles. It's Damien.
"Yo!"
"Damn, you scared me," Noel chuckles.
"How're you feeling now?"
"I don't know," Noel shrugs, "but I felt better after a while."
—Flashback—
He remembers that moment. The nosebleed.
He was in the washroom. Head pounding. His legs were shaky, but he forced himself out. Somehow, he made it to the faculty room. Took some meds. The pain slowly dulled.
—Back to present—
"Wait…" Noel narrows his eyes, "how did you know about that?"
Damien grins. "I have… sources."
Noel raises an eyebrow. "Stalker."
Damien just laughs harder. "Yeah, maybe."
They both walk off to meet their group, slipping into the usual rhythm of the day.
Sometime later, the campus unofficial influencer—someone who basically knows everyone—walks by and casually invites them to a party at his place.
Noel's group looks at each other. Damien leans forward with a grin.
"We in?"
Sasha shrugs like it's the easiest decision in the world.
"Why not?"
Ryan adjusts his glasses slightly, giving a thoughtful nod, like he's already mapping out how the night might go.
Nyra smirks, leaning back.
"Fine… but when life ruins us tomorrow, just remember this moment."
They all nod. It's on.
—
Hours pass.
In a quiet corner of campus, something happens.
A guy is bullying a girl. Forcing her to clean his shoes.
Sasha frowns. "This isn't right. We should stop him."
Ryan cuts in. "Don't. It's not our business. Better stay out of it."
Noel stays silent. His eyes drop, a quiet frustration flickering beneath.
"Should we really stay out of it?
But… his brother's connected.
Not just some random thug—he's tied deeper.
Here, nothing works without power.
Even the college system's in their hands ….Big fish, small fish every one of them is on the same line."
"Do you really not know?" a voice snaps Noel out of his thoughts.
"Huh?" he blinks.
a little late to catch on. His friend is already looking at him funny
"Anyway, forget all that," Damien says, stretching lazily. "We've got a party tonight."
Noel glances over. "Yeah, I know. Hard to miss with how loud you guys keep talking about it."
"Loud? Please," Damien smirks. "We're just hyping it up. Free food, free music, free chaos—you're welcome."
Noel exhales through his nose, half a laugh. "Figures."
And just like that, the mood lightens again.
That evening, Noel went home, crashed on his bed for a quick nap, then got up and changed into something casual. Before stepping out, he called out to his grandfather,
"Pops, I'll be home late today."
Outside, Ryan pulled up, honking the horn. Noel slipped out the door and got in.
The party's already in full swing. Music echoes from the building.
Noel and his friends walk in with easy smiles. The host spots them and waves them in. Everyone's already blending into the chaos—drinks, lights, laughter.
Noel looks around. There are way more people here than he expected.
Later, after losing a dumb little game, Noel gets sent off to bring drinks. Typical.
As he walks toward the table…
He sees her again.
That girl who called him by a different name—a name he never heard before.
She's standing there, talking to someone.
Noel stops for a second. Just watches.
Nothing.
No reaction. No flutter. Just blank.
…But then, for some reason, his eyes don't move away.
Something about her presence tugs at him, like a quiet pull he can't explain.
He exhales, shakes it off, grabs the drinks.
He walks back.
His friends are already talking with the host.
As Noel steps closer, Ryan glances at him.
"There he is," Ryan says. "Noel."
The host's eyes shift.
"Noel. You enjoying the party?"
"Yeah," Noel replies.
The host nods.
"There's someone who wants to talk to you."
Noel pauses. A flicker of curiosity.
His friends fall quiet, all turning toward where the host gestures.
And then—he sees her.
She's standing there.
In the crowd, yet apart from it.
Slowly, she starts walking toward him, weaving through the people as if nothing else exists.
When she reaches him, she lifts her hand in a small wave.
"Hi…"
Noel feels that pull again—the one he can't explain. The music and chatter fade into the background. For a moment, it's just the two of them, and the night itself seems to shift around her presence.
....[1]
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