In the classroom — during break
The bell rang for break, but Rayan remained seated, leaning back in his chair.
Beside him, Nate and Soren wore sour expressions, clearly bored out of their minds.
Rayan stayed quiet, fiddling with the end of his pencil.
Suddenly, Evan appeared next to Liana.
"Liana… are we still doing the group work at your place later?" he asked, smiling faintly.
Rayan turned his head—eyes wide in surprise.
Nate and Soren immediately exchanged looks, trying to hide their smirks.
"Look at Ray's face!" Nate whispered.
"Epic," Soren added with a suppressed laugh.
Rayan pressed a hand to his cheek, trying to look calm, but his eyes kept darting toward Evan, a mix of irritation and curiosity.
Liana just shook her head slightly, hiding a smile.
Suddenly, the PE teacher called out the names of the basketball team members: Nate, Soren, Evan, and a few others.
Rayan's name was not called.
Nate and Soren glanced at him, stunned.
"Wait… seriously?" Nate whispered.
"Wow, Ray…" Soren muttered.
Rayan looked at the teacher calmly.
He took a deep breath.
"Alright. I'm out. I'm quitting the team."
Nate and Soren just stared in disbelief.
Liana turned to Rayan, who gave her a faint, almost mysterious smile.
He walked over to her.
"Lia… let's go home together later, okay? It's been a while… since my mom said we couldn't."
Liana was about to complain about him quitting the team, but Rayan quickly changed the subject.
"I want to watch the game first," he said, pointing toward the field outside the classroom.
Without waiting for an answer, Rayan stepped out, following the other players onto the court.
Liana just watched his back, smiling faintly, muttering:
"…this kid really never lets life be boring."
On the corridor — watching the basketball practice below
Rayan sat on the upper corridor, eyes fixed on the court.
He was watching the practice intently, balls flying, shoes squeaking against the wooden floor.
Evan, practicing below, accidentally sent a ball flying toward Rayan.
Rayan turned his gaze downward but kept watching the game.
The first half went smoothly, players running and passing.
In the second half, a ball suddenly flew straight from Evan's direction—and hit Rayan right on the head.
Rayan suddenly felt dizzy.
He held his head, swaying slightly.
Nate, who was coming up the corridor, panicked immediately.
"Ray! Hey, snap out of it!" he shouted, grabbing Rayan's shoulder.
Rayan just shook his head weakly.
"No, I'm fine, Nate…" he muttered, though Nate could see the tension on his face.
Nate frowned.
"Come on, I'll take you to the nurse. Don't push yourself."
Suddenly, Rayan snapped sharply:
"I SAID I'm fine already!!"
Soren, standing nearby, just gave him a concerned look.
"Good grief… stubborn as ever," he muttered under his breath.
Evan watched from below, his expression showing a mix of concern and curiosity.
He lowered the ball but stayed focused on the game.
The PE teacher, noticing the commotion from the court, called out loudly:
"Rayan! Are you okay, or are you sick? Don't pretend!"
Rayan lightly tapped his head and sat up straighter.
"I'm fine, sir. Just got hit by the ball, my head's a bit dizzy… I'll just go back to class."
The teacher eyed him suspiciously but nodded.
Rayan carefully made his way down from the corridor, Nate and Soren following cautiously, while Evan kept his gaze on him from the court, a hint of concern lingering in his eyes.
Rayan stepped into the classroom lazily, eyes half-closed.
He sat in the desk behind Liana.
Liana turned around, noticing her friend looking tired and unmotivated.
"Rayan… are you okay?" she murmured.
Rayan groaned softly.
"Lia… can we skip class now?"
Liana's eyes went wide.
"What?! Are you crazy?!"
Rayan shrugged, leaning back in his chair.
"Ugh… it's so boring here."
Liana lightly tapped the desk.
"Who told you to quit the basketball team? Now you regret it, don't you?"
Rayan let out a dramatic sigh.
"Allah… Lia, don't nag me."
Liana shook her head and gave him a tired look.
Suddenly, Rayan stood up, neatly packed his books into his bag, then walked up to Liana's desk and gently—but firmly—took her hand.
Liana hurriedly organized her books.
"Fine… if you won't go alone, I guess I'm coming too…"
They quietly slipped out of the classroom, taking the back hallway to avoid being seen by the teachers.
On the street and in the city park
They walked side by side, laughing freely, running a little through the city park.
Rayan playfully pinched Liana's cheek as she nudged him back with her foot.
They bought chocolate at a small kiosk nearby. Liana ate most of hers, leaving a bit on the corner of her mouth.
Rayan pointed at it, laughing.
"Hey… that's still there!"
Without thinking, he leaned over and popped the remaining chocolate into his mouth.
Liana froze, eyes wide.
Rayan looked back at her, equally frozen for a moment, slightly startled by the closeness.
Breaking the moment, Rayan looked away and said,
"Come on… let's go to your favorite bookstore. I'll treat you today."
Liana smiled shyly, cheeks slightly flushed.
"Okay… but don't you dare read my books!"
Rayan chuckled softly.
"No promises, Lia. No promises."
Hand in hand, almost touching, they walked toward the bookstore, the morning warm and carefree—like the world belonged only to the two of them.