The classroom buzzed louder than usual, the air still humming with leftover excitement from yesterday's basketball match.
Rhea, of course, was at the center of it. She stood beside Sally and Selene's table, one leg resting lightly on the chair, hands flailing like she was orchestrating the world's most important debate.
"I'm telling you, it was INSANE!" she declared. "Alvin! He scored, like, three goals in a row. Three! And the way he moved? I still can't get over it!"
Sally rolled her eyes. "It was just a basketball game."
"JUST a basketball game?" Rhea echoed dramatically.
"When Alvin stole the ball, I swear the entire court stopped breathing!" She clutched her chest as though personally affected.
"And then he scored. So clean. So effortless. Ugh! Handsome people should not be allowed to be athletic too. It's unfair to the rest of humanity!"
Sally lazily turned a page of her book.
"You say that every time someone decent-looking runs."
"This was NOT 'decent-looking,'" Rhea protested. "This was life-altering!"
Selene sat beside them, head bent over her notebook, pen gliding across the paper in distracted strokes. She hadn't written a coherent sentence in minutes, only looping lines and unfinished shapes.
"…And Chess from Class D," Rhea continued, leaning closer, her voice softening dreamily. "Not as charismatic as our Alvin, but… his soft eyes? Like they're calling directly into your soul. Tall, gentle, that quiet type that looks like he could ruin your life, and you'd hand it over without question."
Sally snorted. "You need help."
"I need BOTH of them," Rhea corrected.
"How can one choose between beauty and poetry in motion? Impossible!"
Sally shut her book and rested her chin on her palm, eyes sliding toward Selene. Meanwhile, Rhea leaned forward suddenly and nudged Selene's arm.
"Okay, you. Back to Earth! Important question."
Selene paused mid-scribble.
"Who's more handsome? Alvin or Chess?"
Selene blinked once, as if the question had to travel a long distance to reach her.
"…I don't know."
"Don't know?!" Rhea gasped, clutching her chest dramatically. "You were literally THERE!"
At that moment, something flickered through Selene's mind.
A memory from yesterday. The roar of the crowd. That moment, the quiet gaze they shared.
Chess had looked straight at her. Not past her.
At her.
A gaze that hesitated just slightly, as if he wanted to speak but couldn't, his teammates blocking him before anything could happen.
Her grip tightened slightly on her pen. Why me?
Before she could dwell on it, Rhea's voice sliced through.
"Okay, serious question. If you had to choose, and I mean had to choose... who would you rather date?"
Selene blinked, caught off guard. "I… I don't…"
"Are you struck dumb by their handsomeness too?" Sally teased.
"I… need some air."
Selene pushed her chair back a little too quickly.
Rhea jumped up as well. "No! You can't escape! You have to answer me! This is critical!"
Selene ignored her, brushing past Sally. "I'll be right back," she said, trying to keep her voice steady.
Rhea blinked, flabbergasted. "Wait— that's not an answer!" But Selene was already gone.
As she slipped out of the classroom, Rhea sighed dramatically. "See what extreme beauty does to people?"
Sally reached over and pinched Rhea's cheek. "Ow! What was that for?!"
"What about your idol?" Sally said coolly. "The one you keep calling your husband. Aren't you cheating on him by obsessing over other men this passionately?"
Rhea straightened immediately. "That is completely different."
"Oh?"
"Rin is my husband," she declared with absolute seriousness. "These ones? Merely… harmless admirers, distractions."
Sally stared at her. "…You are unbelievable."
The hallway felt quieter, the distant chatter fading into soft echoes as Selene walked toward the restroom. Her steps were unhurried, but her thoughts were racing.
It's nothing, she told herself. You're reading too much into it. People make eye contact all the time. It didn't mean anything.
By the time she reached the restroom, the noise of the classroom was a distant hum. She pushed open the door and caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror. Pale, slightly flustered, a faint pink on her cheeks. She splashed cold water on her face, hoping to reset her racing heart.
Patting her cheeks gently, she muttered, "Focus, Selene. You have goals to meet. You can't be distracted."
She inhaled slowly. Then again. Get a hold of yourself.
When she finally pushed the door open and stepped back into the hallway...
She stopped.
Chess stood a short distance away.
As if waiting.
Tall, lean, with a faint tan that hinted at hours under the sun rather than the gym. Broad shoulders, relaxed posture, effortless strength.
But it was his eyes that stole her attention. Soft, warm, the same look she had glimpsed yesterday from the stands.
And then he smiled, the quiet smile he had worn after yesterday's game, even though his team didn't win.
That small, traitorous skip in her chest.
Ignore it.
She lowered her gaze slightly and continued forward.
One step.
Two.
Then he shifted.
Not abruptly, just enough to block her path.
Selene paused
Her breath hitched ever so slightly.
"…Do you need something?" she asked, her voice steadier than she felt.
Chess' fingers grazed the back of his neck, a faint blush creeping into his cheeks. His eyes darted everywhere except hers.
Is he… shy? Selene wondered.
"Yesterday… after the game," he began.
His eyes met hers again.
"I wanted to talk to you."