This is a story that happened long before Chapter 1.
Something Rina never knew.
And honestly… Anto never intended to confess.
💭 From Anto's Point of View
Truth is, I had been noticing Rina for a long time.
Everyone thought I was just the noisy one—
always causing trouble, always making a scene, joking too much.
But no one knew that every time I acted up in class…
my eyes were always drawn in one direction.
Rina.
The "grumpy girl," they said.
The "cold girl," they said.
But to me?
She wasn't cold.
She was just someone who knew how to protect herself.
And somehow… that was fascinating.
Every time Rina walked into class carrying her Biology book,
I pretended to be busy playing on my phone.
When in reality, I was watching her.
Every time she talked to Eli with that cute little frown on her face,
I pretended to cough—
just to hide my smile.
Yeah.
I was that simple.
Weird, right?
The loudest guy in school falling for the calmest girl in class.
🌧️ That Day — When Our Eyes Met
One day, I was standing in the hallway, leaning against the wall,
pretending to play a game on my phone.
In truth, I was openly watching Rina inside the classroom,
reading her book alone during break.
I thought no one noticed.
Until someone stood beside me.
"Who are you staring at, To?"
I nearly jumped out of my skin.
I turned my head.
Adrian.
A popular upperclassman.
The smartest guy.
The calmest guy.
And—damn it—the guy who suited Rina the most.
"I-I'm not looking at anyone," I replied quickly.
Adrian followed my gaze.
Straight to Rina.
He smiled slightly.
Not a mocking smile.
A smile I hated.
"Rina, right?"
My heart dropped.
"W-what are you talking about? I was just—"
"Heh," Adrian chuckled softly.
"I'm looking at her too."
I froze.
His smile softened.
"She's cute, isn't she?"
MY WORLD ENDED.
I stood there, stiff as a statue, thinking:
Oh no.
Rina likes Adrian.
And Adrian likes Rina.
If they like each other… then what about me?
I was just the class clown.
Why would Rina ever look at someone like me?
In that moment…
for the first time in my life, I felt real jealousy.
Not jealousy over losing a basketball game.
Not jealousy over test scores.
Jealousy…
because someone else could see Rina the same way I did.
🔥 The Birth of a Crazy Plan
That night, I couldn't sleep.
I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling,
thinking about Adrian and Rina over and over again.
It hurt.
Strangely—but it hurt.
Then, inside my stupid, overthinking head, an idea appeared:
If I couldn't get close to Rina in a normal way…
then I needed a reason to be near her.
A reason she couldn't refuse.
I grabbed my notebook immediately,
scribbling things down while laughing to myself.
"What if… there's a bet?
What if the whole class gets involved?
What if… Rina and I are forced to be seen together for a month…
until she gets used to me?"
I knew it was stupid.
EXTREMELY stupid.
But I also knew one thing:
Adrian would never do something this foolish.
He was too perfect.
Me?
All I had was recklessness and unreasonable courage.
So the next day…
I deliberately caused trouble during break time.
I deliberately let the class start teasing about Rina.
I deliberately baited that bet into existence.
When Tey said,
"If Anto can date Rina for a month, we'll give him half our allowance!"
I laughed along…
Even though my heart was pounding.
Because that was the plan all along.
And when the entire class raised their hands in agreement…
I knew there was no turning back.
The bet was stupid.
The agreement was stupid.
Every part of this plan was stupid.
But…
It was the only way for me to be close to Rina.
🌑 And That Was the Beginning of All the Chaos
Not because of Tey.
Not because of the class.
Not because of the bet.
But because of me—
a foolish, noisy boy
who fell for a quiet, sharp-eyed girl from afar.
And I was afraid of losing
before I ever tried.