Janna's POV:
Is this... what they call...
"Love?"
"…na… Janna!"
I jumped when I saw Elaine standing in front of me, waving and calling my name.
"E-Elaine?"
"What's the matter with you, Janna? I've been calling you for a while, and you didn't even respond. What's going on in your head? And what's this about 'love'?"
Oh no… I'd said it out loud without even realizing it.
"Uh… n-no, it's nothing. It's just that… Yanna—yes! Right! It's Yanna! She said something last night about having her first love or something, but I wasn't really listening carefully since I was kind of sleepy…"
Yanna is Janna's little sister.
"Really?" Elaine asked, eyeing me skeptically.
"Y-yeah! Of course! What else could it be, right? He he he he…" I replied awkwardly, trying to cover my embarrassment.
"Okay… if you say so. So, are your things ready? Shall we go home now? Sophia's waiting for us."
"Yes, let's go," I mumbled, still feeling a little flustered.
Elaine's POV:
Ugh… so tired. It's been a while since we had a research activity. Thank goodness class is finally over. I can't wait to lie down on my bed once we get home.
I was about to head over to Janna when I noticed the new student, Mr. Bill Burton, talking to her. I couldn't hear their conversation… maybe I'd wait until they finished.
It seemed like they were just saying goodbye, because he walked away fairly quickly. I decided it was time to get Janna.
"Janna, are your things ready? Shall we go home now? Sophia's waiting outside," I called.
She didn't respond. She was staring off into space, completely zoned out.
"Hey, Jan—" I stopped mid-sentence when I heard her whisper a word that hardly ever comes out of her mouth:
"Love?"
Love? What on earth?
I followed her gaze and realized she was staring at the new student leaving the classroom.
"Janna? Janna!"
"E-Elaine?"
Finally, she noticed me.
"What's the matter with you, Janna? I've been calling out to you for a while, and you didn't answer. What's going on in your head? And why are you saying 'love'?"
"Uh… it's nothing! It's just that… Yanna! Yes! Yanna said something last night about her first love or something. I wasn't really listening carefully because I was sleepy…"
"Really?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Y-yeah! Of course! What else could it be, right? He he he he…"
"Okay… if you say so. So, are your things ready? Shall we go home now? Sophia's waiting."
I studied Janna closely. Something about her seemed… off. My instincts told me she wasn't telling the full story. I had a feeling this had something to do with the new student, Mr. Bill Burton. Hmmm… interesting.