Surface Level Gossips

Part I

"You are Japanese, right?"

"Yeah..."

"I... transfer student too. From Japan,"

"..."

"I see. It must have been hard for you. I guess that's why you don't talk to others much."

"... huh?"

"Is something wrong?"

"If there's ever something you don't know, you can always come to me. I know a little bit of Japanese."

>>>

"Ren-kun? It's you, right?"

"..."

My eyes widen in utter disbelief.

"Hey Hana-chan, remember him?"

"You two used to play together all the time back then-"

"..."

"Uhm... sorry, but-"

"Have we met before?"

Renz interrupts,

A puzzled frown creasing his brow as he looks at my mom.

What...

It's him right?

Hey... It's him right?

So... why...

Before Mom can react, rapid footsteps echo from behind.

"Yo, Renz! Sorry to keep you waiting-"

Khyle freezes mid-sentence.

His gaze lock onto us, his mouth dropping open.

A stunned, dead silence instantly falls over him.

I can't take this anymore.

In a desperate grip, I grabbed my mom's arm.

"Mom, that's enough!"

"You... you must have misunderstood!"

I blurt out, bowing frantically toward Renz.

"I'm so sorry, my mom might had mistook you for someone else!"

"W-Wait, Hana-chan! What are you-"

"Mom, please!"

"Let's just go..."

Please, I'm begging you,

This time... Just listen for once.

"Madaam, Young master is on the line."

"He said he has something important that he wants to talk to you."

Sir thomas says, his words cutting through from the back.

"..."

"I see-"

"Let's go, Hana-chan."

"Also... Ren-kun, thank you for staying with hana-chan."

Finally, my mom enters the car, followed by me, before entering the other side of the passenger seat.

The two boys left behind, watches the black sedan merge into traffic until its taillights disappear.

"Hmm? What's wrong with you?"

Renz asks, his voice returning to its usual flat, uncaring tone.

"Do you know who that was?"

Khyle doesn't answer.

Still frozen in place like a statue, staring wide-eyed at the empty street.

He slowly clutches his left chest with a trembling hand, letting out a long, shuddering breath.

"Renz..."

"I think..."

"I think I'm in love."

Renz blinks,

"Huh? With who?"

"As soon as I saw her, my heart went thump-thump-thump like something just spark inside of me, the moment my eyes catches hers."

"That elegance..."

"That aura of mature grace..."

"Renz, I have officially found the love of my life!"

Renz stares at him for three solid seconds,

"Huh?! Who are you even talking about?"

"Renz! Please... Please tell hana to introduce me to her next time!"

Realizing with mounting disgust what Khyle is talking about,

Without saying a single word, Renz turns around and starts walking away.

"Hey! Renz! Where are you going?!"

"Wait for me!"

"Don't ignore me man! Is she her aunt?!"

>>>

"My goodness, he really grew up so handsome and tall,"

"Even I barely recognized him at first."

I stay silent.

Staring blankly, my mom continues.

"It really takes me back,"

Mom giggles softly.

"Every time you got home from school back then, I'd see little hana standing by the front gate"

"Waving her hand, and saying things like"

"See you tomorrow, Ren-kun!"

My cheeks flare hot.

"Mom, please!"

This is so embarassing,

"And remember the first time I confronted you about him?"

She glances at me with a teasing smirk.

"I asked you, Hana-chan,"

"I didn't know you had a boyfriend! Ren-kun, was it?"

"Mom is so sad you didn't tell her about him."

Gughh, don't remind me.

I remember it vividly,

My entire face flushing bright pink, as you relentlessly chuckled at me.

"Pfft!"

"It-It's not like that, Mom! He's just my friend!"

"Hmm, I don't know..."

"I'm telling Dad!"

"Gahhhh! Mom, don't!"

In an instant, my face turns completely red.

"Mom- Please stop!!

"Your expression back then was just so hilarious,"

Mom says, her voice softening into a fond tone.

"That was the first time I asked you about him."

"After that- he started coming over on weekends to study."

"And every single time I tried to bring you two snacks, you would push me out the door."

"..."

I squeeze my hands together in my lap, my heart aching with confusion.

"I... I actually thought it might be him when I first met him,"

"But I wasn't sure."

"His name is Renz now, not Ren..."

"And the way he looked at me... he acted like he didn't know me at all."

"..."

"I see..."

Mom hums thoughtfully.

"Then why don't you just ask him yourself?"

"He might not remember me given how he reacted today, but he might respond completely differently if it's you."

I bite my lip, sinking lower into my seat.

"I... I don't know."

By the time we reach home, my brain is completely fried.

"Hana-chan, I need to go to your Dad's office for a bit"

"I already told Mayu-chan, She should be home soon."

"..."

"Okay,"

"Then, see you later Hana-chan."

After mom left, I stumble up the stairs to my room, collapsing face-first onto my bed.

The physical and emotional exhaustion slams into me all at once.

"So mom knows about him as well..."

Within minutes, My eyelids grows heavy.

And then finally, sleep takes over.

Part II

The next morning, I feel like a walking corpse.

"Hey, Hana... are you alright?"

Sarah asks, her face filled with genuine concern as we walk down the hallway toward the classroom.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine,"

All of this happening,

I seriously don't know what to do anymore.

"You honestly don't look fine, did something happened?"

"N-no... I'm fine really,"

I honestly don't know what I should feel.

Ever since I started going to this school,

There has not been a day, where I get a chance to rest.

And learning that he could be the one from my past, bought mixed feelings of anger and curiosity.

Should I be glad?

Should I feel bad?

That rejection in the past...

When he left without saying anything.

Remembering it just bring me bad feelings.

Though why, despite all that,

Why I can't stop thinking about him?

"You don't need to worry about me, Sarah..."

Huh?!

As soon as we reach the hallway outside our room, a heavy, suffocating mood hits us instantly.

Whispers and hushed chatter echo from every corner of the corridor.

"Hey, have you heard about that top first-year student yesterday?"

"Yeah! They said he asked a girl out right in their classroom!"

"Seriously? I heard she looks totally plain, super average, actually."

"Hehhh... There's no way Renz would pick someone like that!"

"..."

"What..."

Bzzzt!

Beside me, Sarah pulls out her phone,

As soon as she opens it, her hands tremble,

"Wh-What is all this?!"

Notifications, tags, mentions, and dozens of private messages floods her screen,

Her thumbs flies across her screen.

"I was only off the internet yesterday because of my own stuff, and now this?!"

She turns the screen toward me.

My blood runs cold.

It is a viral thread on the school's unofficial forum, trending at the very top.

[The Top 1 Freshman Genius, Renz, Just Asked A Girl Out!]

This is...

No, please tell me I'm hallucinating.

I pull out my own phone.

DMs from random strangers,

Mentions on thread updates,

Messages filled with intense curiosity... envy... and hatreds.

My notifications, it's ten times worse than Sarah's.

My face goes ghostly pale.

The room suddenly feels like it is spinning.

"Wh-What...? S-Sarah, what do I do?!"

I stammer, my chest tightening with sheer panic.

"Hmm? What are you guys doing standing out here in front of the door?"

Khyle's cheerful voice booms.

Beside him is Renz, his face the same, with entirely unreadable expression.

"Aren't you guys going inside?"

He says, as he reaches out and grabs the door handle.

Click.

As Renz pushes the door open, the loud noise inside the classroom abruptly dies down.

Every single gaze in the room snaps toward him.

Then, those dozens of eyes shift-landing squarely on me, standing right behind him.

This silence is deafening.

Renz calmly walks inside and takes his seat as if nothing is wrong.

Khyle slips past me next, giving me an awkward, sympathetic wince before taking his desk.

Left standing alone in the doorway,

the thick, heavy atmosphere feels like lead pressing down on my chest.

Every whisper, every glare, every judging stare feels like a physical weight.

Move, Hana. Just move...

Forcing my trembling legs to walk, I push past the awkward silence and finally reach my desk.

My hands are shaking violently under my bag.

Just what is happening?!

Him sayingthat yesterday?!

And also, how did everyone find out?!

I look around to call for Sarah, but her desk is completely empty

A second later, the heavy door slams shut.

Our homeroom teacher walks in, locking the door behind him to start the morning period.

"..."

I am trapped in this room.

Completely swallowed whole by the piercing stares of my classmates.

My thoughts spiraling.

J-Just... Just what is my high school life turning into?!

>>>

Meanwhile, down the hall...

Sarah stands outside the classroom, holding her stomach and breathing heavily after coming back from the girls' bathroom.

She reaches out and slide the metallic door handle.

'Crackle- crackle'

"Huh?"

Sarah whimpers, looking at the clock on the wall.

"Oh... no-"

Ten minutes later, a hall monitor catches her hovering aimlessly outside the room

Leading her straight down to the Guidance Office.