ELISE’S POV

EN ROUTE TO THE DINING HALL

“Trent! I am not done talking. Stop walking away!”

My voice pierced through the noisy cafeteria as I shouted after him. His retreating figure paid me no mind, and he continued walking without turning back. The cacophony of chattering students in the cafeteria drowned out my words, and I reluctantly gave up, sulking as I followed Trent.

Upon reaching our designated tables, I spotted my classmates already seated. My sulking persisted as I took a seat beside Max. She briefly glanced at me from behind her book, shaking her head at my expression, before returning to her reading.

Hannah, hand in hand with Senza, chatted animatedly as they strolled towards our table. She gesticulated wildly while Senza, quiet and composed, listened attentively, holding onto her cardigan.

“... I think it will go well. But I have to remember to put them in the right places. You know, picturesque. Such a big word! Talking about big words, I have so many specialized assignments to learn the scientific names of plants. Me and scientific names are a no-no. Why can’t I just stick with the common names? Triangulare? And the plant isn’t even a triangle! Why name it that?! These scientists need to do better–”

“Lily” Senza interjected softly amid her rant.

“Oh! Guys, you won’t believe what I did today,” she chirped excitedly. Hannah sat down beside Bri, pulling Senza with her. He leaned back into his seat, arms draped over Hannah’s seat and her cardigan on his thighs.

“Cherry Blossoms!” She announced, her hands spread out wide. A moment of confusion passed before we grasped her meaning.

Noticing the puzzled expressions, she continued excitedly, “As you all know, Valentine’s Day is next week and I love Love. So... I decided to plant cherry blossom nurseries around the school. I’ll speed up their growth and they’ll bloom on the 14th! Isn’t that so romantic? You are welcome.”

Hannah concluded her statement with a dramatic bow. It was evident that she had taken it upon herself to play cupid and spread love throughout the school, evident by the blooming flowers interwoven with her braided fishtails.

Hannah sought Senza’s approval for her brilliant idea, and he rewarded her with a kiss on her crown, earning a wide smile from. Their affectionate display made me envious, though I couldn’t deny their sweetness. They gazed at each other with adoration, a sight that elicited both swooning and nausea within me.

Valentine’s Day discussions began among our group as we contemplated our plans for the special day. With no lover in sight, I pondered how I would spend it, perhaps in bed or at the pool, practising my abilities.

Before I could inquire about Max’s plans, a tray of food appeared in front of me, interrupting my thoughts. “I got it for you.”

Recognizing the voice, my initial gratitude turned to annoyance. “You!” I blurted out with a furrowed brow, initially attempting to decline his “kind” gesture.

Trent’s commanding voice silenced my protests. “Don’t fight it. Just eat your food,” he ordered, taking the seat beside me.

All I could do was grumble and call him offensive words under my breath. Noticing the slight banter between us, Max suppressed a laugh, her eyes peeking at the both of us from behind her book.

All I could do was grumble and mutter under my breath, but I still picked up a fry and began eating. I couldn’t help but wonder how he knew I enjoyed fries. Trent was usually indifferent during lunchtime, and his presence at our table was unusual.

I pushed these thoughts aside and focused on a more pressing matter. “Has anyone seen Tome?” I asked the group.

My earlier conversation with Tome had left me concerned about his well-being. The group exchanged whispers as they attempted to recall when they had last seen him. No one seemed to know his whereabouts.

“I saw him with Sanya. I think they were heading towards the dorms. Why do you ask?” Awesome replied from the nearby table.

Relief washed over me as I received his response. Perhaps Tome had chosen to confide in Sanya about his troubles. Although a part of me worried about their conversation, a different image intrusively flashed through my mind – Tome and Sanya kissing. I quickly dismissed the thought and chastised myself for going there.

“Your emotions are leaking. Reel it in, princess,” Trent remarked nonchalantly, calling me out on my internal turmoil.

I turned to him with narrowed eyes, my hand still covering my cheeks as I stared at him. Bri couldn’t help but giggle at our exchange.

“Hannah, I think your cherry blossoms are starting to work their magic,” Bri teased playfully with a singing tone, prompting laughter from everyone.

“Bri!” I exclaimed, embarrassed by the sudden attention. Trent acted as if he were oblivious, concentrating on his meal.

Max cleared her throat, hidden behind her book, before commenting, “I undoubtedly saw that coming”

“Max! You are supposed to be my best friend. Don’t join Bri to tease me.“, I protested, nudging her shoulder playfully.

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Suddenly, a commotion erupted at the far end of the cafeteria, drawing our attention. A younger student stood on a table, his friends cheering him on. He cleared his throat and, with a loud voice, proclaimed, “I’d like to ask a special girl who brings life to my work and always makes me happy.” He turned to the girls at the adjacent table and continued, “Tina, would you be my Valentine?”

Cheers erupted from his friends, urging Tina to join him at the table. He guided her up with a gentle hand, and her response was met with enthusiastic applause.

“So, what do you say?“, he asked anxiously

“I would love that!” The atmosphere was filled with romantic vibes as Tina hugged her suitor.

Swoons resound throughout the entire venue. I couldn’t help but think how romantic it was, a stark contrast to my situation. The sight of their youthful love stirred conflicting emotions within me, and I found myself both yearning for their affection and wanting to escape their public display.

“Oh, young love! It must be nice. I’m tryna get like you, my boy”

Bri cries dramatically, brushing a fake tear away. Earning applause from a few people for her dramatics, she pops a strawberry-flavoured lollipop into her mouth.

“That was so romantic, wasn’t it babe?”

Hannah coos at the scenario, pouting towards Senza as she bats her eyelashes at him. With the kind of person Senza is, Hannah is never going to get that sort of public display of affection. Senza pulls her head to his chest and puts chicken nuggets in her mouth. She eats it in defeat.

While watching the proposal, I unconsciously leaned into Trent, who feigned ignorance at their contact. His eyes watched my happy expressions, unknown to me. After a while of observing, he closed his eyes, drowning out the noises and concentrated on the feel of my cold skin against his sleeved arms.

“I do wonder how this year’s valentines will be. Only a few of us are coupled up.”

Fancy voices out from her table, involving us in the topic of discussion. Her lips pursed and her hands folded across her chest as she thought for a bit before continuing,

“The only official couples we have are, Hannah and Senza”, she points at them, “Everyone else is just complicated. I could have said Sarah and Sanya but we all know how that ended.“, turning to Sarah, “No offence Sarah”

“None taken. It’s fine,” noticing worried eyes at her, Sarah assured us that it was fine. Fancy can be quite straight to the point, she isn’t one to cut corners but she means well at the end of the day.

“And we can’t say what is going on between Sanya and Tome. That’s on probation. Who else am I missing?”

Fancy looks around both tables trying to find anyone she missed out. Something caught her attention as confusion made its way to her face,

“Well, that’s very strange. Trent, why are you on that table?”

He slowly opened his eyes at the sound of his name. His hands still crossed across his chest, he coldly answered,

“Nothing”

Not taking offence at his tone, Fancy shrugged and continued her previous train of thought.

“Samuel and Elise aren’t together anymore, so that’s out too.”

At the mention of his name, his lips dipped into a sad smile. His eyes met mine and remorse flashed through them. I looked away from him quickly, now wasn’t the time for emotional reminiscing. He opened his mouth to speak but I immediately cut him off,

“We were never together. So we didn’t need to break up”

My words came out a little sharper than I expected, startling Fancy a bit.

“I’m sorry Elise. I didn’t know.”

She apologizes quickly, tucking her hair behind her ears.

“Hmm... yeah.“, I breathed out.

My face held a strong facade, anything to show that I was okay and the words or look from Samuel did not get to me. My hands chipped at the nails placed on my thigh as they started to get colder, cold air leaking out. I tried rubbing them together to warm them up out of sight from others. I have been doing better in keeping my emotions under control, I can’t afford to freeze something here in front of others mistakenly.

A warm hand enveloped my icy hands startling me a bit. I tried pulling my hands out but they held me tighter. Trent still kept his eyes closed as his hands warmed mine. The heat of his hands warmed me physically and strangely, calmed my nerves. I could gradually feel control coming back to me. I slightly squeezed his hands in appreciation as I tried to release myself from his hold. Instead, he interlaced our hands to my surprise.

“Who wants to be my Valentine among you ladies?”

Bri leans out of her chair, taking the lollipop out of her mouth. Her eyes scan through us for anyone willing to accept her request.

“Hannah? What do you say, flower girl? Wanna be the mi casa to my su casa?”

Her eyebrows dance with mischief towards Hannah. Senza glares at her, pulling a giggling Hannah closer into his embrace for a kiss.

One look at Senza and she withdraws in defeat.

“Ewww... I forfeit.”

Her face frowns in disgust, muttering something like ‘You didn’t have to exchange saliva in front of me’.

Shaking that away, she turned to the twins at the second table,

Priscy started, “Not”. Debby completed, “Happening”.

The twins always completed each other’s sentences. I heard it has something to do with their synchronization abilities. Despite being identical twins, little facial differences set them apart from one another. Even personality-wise, few characteristics set them apart from each other.

Scrunching her lips, she slumped back into her seat with a defeated sigh.

A new voice that I hadn’t heard before spoke,

“I don’t mind being your Valentine buddy, Fancy.”

Everyone turned to the voice in shock. The tall, slim boy who spoke was sitting beside Samuel, quietly observing everyone until now. The speaker pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and nervously swallowed as he proceeded with his request.

“Do you mind that? I mean it’s fine if you do mind. I’m not forcing you or anything. Sorry, I put you in a weird position. Forget I said anything.”

He ran his hands through his brown wolf cuts, pushing them away from his eyes as Fancy stared back with sceptical eyes at him.

“Sure. Let’s do that. It could be fun.”

She accepted with a shrug, before turning to her twin. Excel’s face lit up in surprise and excitement at her response. He summoned the courage to ask her and it played off.

“Awesome, I guess I would be ditching you this year. Sorry.”

Not even an ounce of apology was on her face, putting a smirk on Awesome’s face.

As I pondered my own, Trent and I remained connected beneath the table, his warm hand enveloping my cold one. This seemingly strange connection with him felt different from my past with Samuel, and it left me bewildered and scared.

My confusion only deepened with Trent’s interactions – his contradictory behaviour towards me further clouded my emotions. The thought of spending that day with him crossed my mind but was quickly shut down. There was no logical reason he would ask me to be his Valentine.

Why would that even come to my mind? He hates me.

I needed to distance myself and prevent false feelings from forming. I released my hand from his grip, feeling the warmth disappear from my grasp. His eyebrow twitched slightly at our loss of contact, but he remained stoic.

“Not fair! Even Fancy gets someone to spend the day with and she isn’t even the loving type,” Bri complains loudly, pointing at Fancy.

Sophie’s sudden arrival caught our attention, and her posture conveyed tension. She held a clipboard in one hand and smoothed her skirt with the other, her demure demeanour standing out among our rowdier group.

Sophie scans the entire table before announcing, “Guys, we need to head to the field now. We have been summoned by Sensai”

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