Third POV

"Ah, such a lovely day. Perfect timing to ruin my mood." The man sat up, wiping the water off his face. Their shirt was completely drenched.

"Aish, just get lost." The old woman continued to sweep, muttering curses under her breath. "As if getting greeted by many beer bottles wasn't enough for me."

"Argh, my head . . ." The person held their head. "Painkillers."

"Tch, useless brats." The old woman pulled out a small bottle from her pocket. "Here, drink this and get your ass moving." She threw the bottle, the man catching it perfectly, as she continued her work. The man smiled to himself, looking down at the bottle before opening it up.

The man drank half the bottle. "Thank you." He wiped his lips as he stood up from the bench. "I am grateful."

The old woman hissed. "If you're going to be grateful to me, quit that toxic drink. It will take your life or worse ruin it." Another co-worker called out to her. "Ah, I'll be leaving then." The man bowed to her as he watched her walk away.

"Quit drinking, huh?" He looked up at the sky, warm winds blowing through the air. "Hm . . . Looks like summer is coming . . ." He trailed off, lost in his own thoughts. His eyes went towards a large tree, scanning its leaves as sunlight pierced through them.

"As if my life isn't already ruined enough."

The leaves rustled, the warm winds turning into harsh ones. It felt as if someone had flicked on a switch which controlled the weather. The man smiled to himself. "Or maybe, things might change."

Liam

"Summer vacation!" Sho shouted at the top of her lungs, earning cheers and claps from everyone as they had their attention on her. "Peony Mir High School! Goodbye! Never see you again! You can gladly kiss my—"

"Ahem."

". . ."

The class dropped silent. All the cheerful laughter and craze vanished, as if it wasn't there in the first place. I looked away from Sho, ignoring the second-hand embarrassment erupting from my stomach. Yuna wasn't any different as he had indulged himself in a 'tough' Chemistry equation.

"I really appreciate the feelings you have towards our school, Miss Sho. But I think it would be a lovely idea if you were given the opportunity to give our graduation speech and vent everything out."

The whole class erupted with laughter, slamming their hands on the desk and stomping their feet.

"Idiot." Yuna muttered to himself as Sho stood beet red in her seat. "We still have a whole week left until summer vacation."

"O-Of course I knew about that." Sho turned towards Yuna, flushing even more. "I was just trying to lighten the mood." The teacher banged her table, everyone's laugh slowly dying out as Sho sat down with a pout.

"Now, can we focus back on our subject?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Aish, damn you." Sho turned back towards Yuna, glaring at him. "If you hadn't suddenly woken me up, this wouldn't have happened."

"I guess it's better than narrating the dream you had in front of everyone in the class." Yuna replied, closing his book as he kept it in his bag. "Besides, stop sleeping in the class." He flicked her forehead as he stood up.

"Ah! You—"

"Now, now. Don't fight." I shushed, cutting Sho off as I made her sit down. "We are supposed to be studying right now."

"But my eyes feel droopy whenever I see my textbooks." Sho opened a random page of her Mathematics' textbook as she began solving the problems. I turned towards Yuna, "I guess you'll be going for your special after school classes."

He nodded his head. "Usually, we would have it after our classes end for the day. But today I am supposed to meet my seniors for some work regarding the classes."

"Did they say anything about it?"

"No, they didn't. That's why I am going now." He hung his bag on one shoulder. "See you later then."

"Bye." I waved at him as he exited the classroom. I let out a sigh, looking down at my Chemistry homework. "Just five more questions and then I am done." I cracked my knuckles, rotating my wrists as I got into the mood of studying. I held my pen, taking a deep breath as I started to work on my questions.

To be honest, attending school after months was overwhelming. At one point, I was scared about the fact that I might have forgotten about the things which were taught in the past. But luckily, I had retained my memory regarding my subjects. Just need to brush up on my knowledge and problem-solving ability.

If Yuna and Cecilia weren't there for me, I don't know what would have happened to me. They both were always there for me, going through ups and downs with me. I still remember the horrors they had to go through while I suffered from panic attacks.

The horrors . . .

'Everyone has a reason.'

"Liam!" I snapped out of my thoughts as I turned towards Sho. "What? Is something wrong?" Her face held a worried expression. "Did something happen?"

She shook her head. "You were supposed to submit your Monthly Club project, weren't you?"

My eyes widened. "Oh shoot." I got up from my seat, closing my Chemistry notebook shut as I began to pack my bag. "Do you perhaps have any idea which teacher is in-charge of the Poetry Club?"

"Didn't your Club In-charge inform you about that?" She stated as a-matter-of-fact.

I rubbed my neck. "We aren't that communicative." I let out an awkward laugh, as I looked away.

"Wait a minute." She turned towards a random student as she called out to her. "Hey, do you know who is the teacher in-charge of the Poetry Club?"

"I guess it's Mr. Vincent. I heard he came this morning. He'll probably be in Poetry Club room." Sho gave her a thanks as she turned towards me. "Mr. Vincent. Poetry Club. Got it?"

"Got it."

I slide the door open, the familiar scent of Poetry Club hitting my nose. The evening sun was setting down slowly, the days getting longer as summer approached us. The golden orange lights filled with the additive scent of books. Ah, heaven. I closed my eyes, enjoying the rare serene moment in front of me.

"Yo." I flinched, taking a step back as I averted my attention to the man sitting on the teacher's chair. He had pale white skin with raven black hair almost covering his ears. Two ear piercings could be seen on his right ear while one on his left one. He wore a loose white shirt, its sleeves rolled up till his elbow. He finished his look with dark blue jeans, with a silver chain hanging around his waist and white sneakers.

"I guess you are Liam Abiko. The third-year student." He held a clipboard in his hand, slipping through some pages before stopping at one. "You have yet to submit your and Miss Gardenia's project."

"Ah, yes." I walked towards him, fumbling with the project in my hand as I kept it on his table. "Here it is."

He stared at the notebook for a while before picking it up. He flipped through the pages, probably reading Leah's part of the project. With everything happening right now, I didn't have the guts to flip back and see what she had written. Maybe some part of me feared the confrontation. I didn't want to read something which I can't handle.

"About your part . . . Write it again." He closed the book as he kept it in his drawer. "Miss Leah will be awarded marks for her part, if you are worried about that."

"But, why? Is there something wrong?" I asked, confused about Mr. Vincent's behaviour.

"I heard you had a pretty bad accident a few months ago which led to you losing your memories." My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach, the horrific flashes going through my mind.

"Argh." I held my head, feeling my emotions getting overwhelmed.

"You aren't ready to face your true emotions yet. I can't basically force you to write what you feel when you yourself don't know what is going on."

"But the marks—"

"I'll give you time till summer vacation. Submit your part of the project after the holidays." He got up from his chair as he stood tall in front of me. "I hope that's enough time for you to sort out your emotions."

"Y-Yeah—" My eyes widened, feeling his long thin fingers on my head. "M-Mr. Vincent."

He continued to stare at me, specifically my eyes. I bit my lips, feeling embarrassment upon getting stared at.

"You have really pretty green eyes." He softly spoke, ruffling my hair as he removed his hand. "I'm sure many people compliment you for them."

I suddenly felt shy. "Yeah . . . sometimes."

"Later then, I guess." I bowed to him, a bright feeling flowing through my body, as if someone had lightened me with hope. I exited the Poetry Club, heading towards my classroom, where I had promised Cecilia to meet up.

I quickly ran down the stairs, reaching the third floor as I held tightly on my bag. I slowed down a bit, catching my breath as I began walking towards my class. My eyes caught Yuna, standing out in the corridor as I was about to call out his name. But I stopped my actions, walking closer to him as I noticed where he was looking.

My gaze followed to where he was looking, stopping at a familiar figure.

My body went still, foreign emotions erupting as I switched my gaze between Yuna and the person he was looking at. I shouldn't get bothered by this. It might be a coincidence. But then, why is he staring at her with those serene eyes?

Why is he staring at Leah Gardenia?