Chapter 2

ASTRID TALITHA'S POINT OF VIEW

I was awakened as I heard the buzzing sound like a train of the alarm clock on my table, right beside my bed. I tapped its snooze button on the top after a few moments. Since, I forgot to set it last night, later than yesterday, so I have decided to go to school early this morning but end up being late after going back to sleep when I should be taking a bath.

My phone abruptly rang as I made my way to our department building. I rummaged in my shoulder bag in order to find my phone. Then, I suddenly bumped into someone whom I failed to notice because of being preoccupied with my phone which was still ringing.

"Oh, I'm really sorry." His coffee has been poured onto the jersey he was wearing. He was way taller than me, but he looked younger than I am, maybe a year or two. He looked so masculine in his tan skin tone. I easily noticed the innocent round dark Hazel eyes of him as a smile etched on his face.

"Nothing to worry about, I'm really about to change." I saw some beads of sweat on his forehead, and it seemed like he had been training early this morning.

"Just have this, at least." I handed him my handkerchief.

"There's no need..." He nicely uttered and seemed like he just did not want me to feel guilty of what just happened. I put my handkerchief on his left hand.

"I'm gonna buy you a coffee the next time I see you, that's a promise. I don't intend to elude what I have done; it's just that I have a morning class. By the way, I'm from that building." He chuckled a bit as I point our department building.

"I don't mind it, there's really nothing to worry about. But the free coffee, I'm looking forward to it." I slightly nodded as a response and smiled back at him before making my way going up to the third floor. I was already on my way to our classroom when I realized that I forgot to ask his name. The only thing I remember was that the number 49 was printed on the back of his blue jersey. That was actually the first time I saw him on the campus, and maybe it was not good to think but for a moment, I was hoping that I may not see him around again. Not because of the free coffee that I promised, but I just realized how embarrassing it was.

"Astrid, did you see Katie? She's really crazy!" Lia's expression showed how irritated she was. I just smiled, and linked my arms around hers.

I can conclude that Katie Zerah Walker liked Kolten so much that she literally follows wherever he goes. Actually, I studied in the same school as Kolten and Orion since we were in preschool. Unfortunately, she had been with us since then. She was in the same department as Lia and Zette. They were taking up Human Resources Management. Katie was a mean girl, reason why they did not like her. She has shoulder-length hair with a few strands of bangs. She's a curvy girl who used to wear heavy makeup with dark shades of eyeshadow who had a tan skin tone and has a deep dimple on her left cheek. And approximately five feet and two inches in height.

"I'm sorry for not being able to pick up your call earlier. By the way, did she do something crazier this time?" I asked after seeing that she was the one who called me earlier, when I finally got to checked my phone while we were walking in the corridor.

"As I heard from one of her friends, she's going to confess to Kolten again in public after class. She is really annoying!" She rolled her eyes out of irritation.

Honestly, I did not like her either, but I have so many things in mind that I could not add up such stuff.

"Don't let her ruin your day." I laughed a bit to calm her. Kolten was already sitting on his seat right next to mine. He was now resting his head on his left hand on his armchair and immediately sat properly as I was about to sit beside him. Zette ran on him. Our block mates already knew Zette and Lia because they were always coming into our classroom whenever they have no class.

"That girl is going to confess to you again." She warned him. Kolten just patted her head and slightly smiled. Maybe he was used to it since Katie was really persistent, she did not mind even if she had been rejected countless times.

When we were about to take our lunch, Lia and Zette were holding Kolten's arms as if protecting him from whoever tried to come closer to him, specifically, from Katie.

"That girl can't come closer to you." They said in unison. I just smiled as I saw Kolten's reaction. The five of us have been really close since we were in fifth grade. But since I, together with Orion and Kolten are into medicine, we were still taking up the same courses. In short, we were blockmates.

I saw a junior student give something to Orion, but unlike Kolten, he is very appreciative and used to accept gifts from his admirers. He was half-running and put his hand on my head while holding two bars of chocolates and stationary in his other hand. So cute!

"Astrid, how was the lipstick?" Lia asked while walking inside our classroom after our last period had ended. It seemed like their professor had dismissed them early today.

"Yeah, I did. It smudged." I answered and let her see my lips with the lipstick she gave me yesterday. I hastily got my stuff.

"Don't worry, I'll buy some this weekend. Maybe another shade of nude. I already knew the shades that's good on you." Lia was the girlish among us and she definitely our source of beauty products and the one who knows almost everything with regard to fashion. I was in a hurry, so I hastily put all of my notes on my desk into my bag.

"Astrid, let's have a movie marathon tonight in Orion's place." We usually do it every Friday.

"I just have things to manage, but promise, I will come." I told Zette who was now busy brushing her eyebrows while holding a cute pink mirror having a kitten sticker on its back.

"Guys, we're just goin' to buy the newly limited perfume I saw in the magazine. It's out now!" I waved at them as I saw them so excited. Orion just shook his head while smirking.

"Let's just go there together." Orion said as he hung a strap of his dark brown backpack on his left shoulder.

"You guys still remember?" Both of them smiled and nodded their heads as their response.

"How can we forget about it? Let's go?" Asked Kolten. They used to be so close with my Dad. I nodded and let him have the books I borrowed in the library earlier for our discussion tomorrow.

As we were making our way to the parking lot Katie blocked our way. She was with her squad and one of them was Fely, a volleyball player who used to stalked Orion. It seemed like she announced to their whole department her plan about confessing her feelings for Kolten.

"Kolten, please accept my love." She tried to look cute and laid a box of cakes for him. He did not pay attention to it, but still hanging his arm on Orion's shoulder. He was never like to accept anything from any girls who were confessing to him, except those who wanted to be his 'secret admirer' who chose to leave some stuff in his locker. There were some who put love letters on it, and some were brave enough to give him chocolates.

"Good luck, bro," Orion whispered before he chuckled and put his both hand on my shoulders as he was walking behind me. But Kolten gripped my wrist as we were about to go.

"I'm sorry, please stop this." He answered before he continued to walked away with us. I nudged Orion who was laughing, not even thinking that Katie was looking at him, who was distorted with rage for being rejected.

"She's really crazy over you!" I muttered as I felt the eyes of the crowd were still glued on us.

"But he's crazy over somebody." Orion laughed while teasing Kolten.

"Stop it, guys. Just hurry up!" I was actually pulling the both of them to quickly got into the elevator. Because at this moment, I could feel that most of the students in the corridor were striking me with their indignant stare. I could even heard them murmuring.

"Won't you ask who's the lucky girl?" Orion asked me and seemed like teasing Kolten.

"It doesn't matter who she is, as long as I don't see him doing such crazy things like what that girl keeps on doing," I answered before stepped into Kolten's car. Orion sat beside him.

As we arrived at Dad's tomb we lit candles for him and prayed. Kolten put a bouquet of flowers on it.

"I missed you, Dad." Orion pulled me closer to his chest and gently wiped away my tears before messing up my hair.

"He surely missed you more." He tried to make me feel at ease. I could not manage to smile back at him since I was trying hard to not let out any sobs.

I texted my brother that we were having a movie marathon, he already knew about it. Actually, I told him earlier, but he always wanted me to text and inform him wherever I go. He was so strict as if he was my Dad, but I won't mind. My phone suddenly buzzed the moment Kolten started the engine. Zette's name had been flashed on my screen, signifying that there was someone calling me. She informed us that they may arrive late since it seemed like there were lots of customers who were wanted to buy the limited edition of perfume, they actually waited for too long.

"They might be late." I said as I hang up the call.

"As expected." Orion let out a deep sigh before he chuckled.

"Bro, romorrow will Be our rematch with Dax's team, right?" I saw Kolten nodded to answer Orion.

"Will you play against them again?" I butted in. The last time they played, they were literally turned basketball court into a boxing ring.

"They asked your older brother for a rematch, we will just give them what they want." He simply answered out of irritation.

"Kolten started the riot, Astrid," Orion explained and tried to defend himself. Kolten just hissed.

"I just remind him that, what mine is mine." He said seriously, I even saw how he clenched his jaw and tightly hold the steering wheel.

"Just for the ball? How ridiculous!" I rolled my eyes against him.

"Go ahead, defend him if you want!" Kolten exclaimed. His voice was laced with sarcasm.

"Drop that trash, Kolten. You know that even if you always let your anger controls you, I will always be on your side." I could not control my anger this time.

"Bro, chill. Take it easy. She is still on your side." I heard Orion teasing him while we were making our way to enter in their main door.

"You guys should eat first." Miss Linda gave us the sandwiches as we got into their living room.

"Thank you, Miss Linda!" I took the tray and helped her to put it on the table.

"There you are again!" Sani excitedly ran and hugged Kolten as she saw us entering. She was giggling. She was Orion's younger sister. She was so smart and a very talented girl.

"Hello, Sani! How was your day?" I stooped down on her level and smiled at her. She raised her right eyebrow, not even smiling back at me.

"It's just fine." She rolled her eyes against me. Actually, I already knew that she did not like me, I mean, a big time! I even saw her smirking as Kolten carried her before she at on his lap.

"Hello, baby!" He kissed her forehead and tried to wipe the chocolate on her lower left cheek.

"Did you miss me?" Kolten asked while tickling her side-to-side. He used to be this closed to her, maybe because he was an only child.

"A big time! I played with Arly and Sam!" She was really cute as she nodded her head.

"I'm sorry, I'll come over here much often." She looked so happy as her eyes widely bright and her lips lifted.

After about an hour of waiting, Lia and Zette had finally arrived. They were both looked so jaded after being trap by all of the hustle while they were shopping in the mall.

"I'll just bring her to her room." Orion carried his little sister who had fallen asleep on their couch. I came to realized how she grown up too fast as she was wearing a cute pink pajama and put on a pair of white sock.

"Does Auntie still working by this hour? She still needs to recover and get back and strength. She needs to take some rest." I asked Orion as he went down from his sister's room while looking for a good movie to watch.

"That was what I told her last night, but she's so stubborn. She did not want to listen. But, Dad told me that there is nothing to worry about, he will take care of her while they are in the office. Mom just called me to say that they just need wait for some of the papers to be reviewed tomorrow morning." He simply answered and become serious regarding this matter. His mom just got been discharged this weekend. She had been overworked and needed time to rest as per advise of her doctor.

"Let's watch a romantic movie!" Zette suggested. Actually, this was what they usually fought about, a movie to be watched. Zette and Lia were fans of romantic movies and dying to hear sweet punchlines, while Orion was into action movies and something with to do with zombie apocalypse. And whenever they asked me, I always told them that when it came to me, any movie with a cool actor was fine with me. While Kolten did not complaining with the movies we were watching, not even suggesting any movie that he liked.

"Astrid, I've heard that Kolten rejected her again." Lia nudged me and gave me a wry smile while we were in the kitchen to get a pitcher of water.

"Maybe you're too confident that she will be rejected by him, Am I right?" Zette was teasing me.

"What are you talking about? Stop it, guys. Of course not." They tickled me as I tried to defend myself.

"Stop denying, Astrid. You know that you're the one he really likes, even before." Zette whispered. Then I felt someone's hand on my shoulder.

"Do you still not believe them?" It was Orion who whispered. But Kolten took off his hand on me.

"Stop bothering her! Let's just go to your room, I left there my necklace last night." He threw his arm on Orion's shoulder this time.