Home - Night, 19:13
(Two weeks since 'Two Wolves' sat together)
~Lala la... Lala la...
I hummed softly while lying down on the soft sofa. Occasionally, I lifted a pack of chocolate in my hand toward the lamp, watching its shiny wrapper glint in the light. This chocolate was a treasure.
Mom, who was folding clothes across from me, looked up and raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Kirana, you've been smiling to yourself for thirty minutes. Should Mom be worried?"
"Maybe today, I've gone crazy, Mom. Lala la~" I went back to humming, ignoring Mom's teasing.
The sound of the door opening, followed by heavy footsteps. "Any reports for today that have made Papa's little girl smile so wide?"
Papa was home. He looked tired, but his expression immediately softened upon seeing me. He started placing his police gear on the table. I sat up straight, hugging a sofa cushion with a mix of excitement.
"Papa, Mom... at school today, there was an inter-class competition. Relay race, tug of war, futsal, basketball, even volleyball. Our class won two sports by a landslide: basketball and volleyball. And this?" I raised the chocolate high toward the lamp, as if showing off a sacred trophy. "Ta-da... the prize!"
"No wonder you've been smiling all this time," Mom said.
"Papa's little princess turns out to have athletic skills. Which competition did you join? Basketball? Volleyball?" Papa asked proudly while loosening his uniform collar. Mom also smiled widely, ready to offer congratulations.
I smiled awkwardly. "Uh, you've got it wrong. The competition was only for the boys. Us girls were just cheerleaders on the sidelines."
"Wait, you didn't join?" Mom said, slightly disappointed.
I shook my head. Papa chuckled, then patted my shoulder gently. "Well, that's okay. Still, it's great that your class won. That means their skills are good."
I let out a long sigh. "To be honest... our class team is lousy, Papa. Really lousy compared to the other classes. But, it turns out Victor is a basketball athlete and Nico is a volleyball athlete. Our class score shot up because of those two. At the end, they got a whole box of snacks as a prize, then distributed them to the class."
I looked down again, staring at the chocolate in my hand. My earlier wide grin had turned into a shy, small smile.
"And this chocolate? Nico gave it to me. Funny isn't it, Mom... everyone else got biscuits, chips, or if they were lucky, soda. But when Nico walked past me..." I paused, remembering the guy's brief glance.
"'Take it,' he said shortly. He slipped this into my hand, then left just like that. This is the only one, you know. No one else got chocolate except me."
Mom stopped folding her laundry, covering her mouth with her hand, her eyes sparkling. "Aww... so it's a 'chocolate confession of love' from Nico? How cute!"
"A c-confession of love? D-don't make things up!" I protested.
Papa cleared his throat, putting on a stern face to tease me. "Hmm. Papa needs to know who this guy named Nico is who's approaching Papa's little girl."
"What's wrong with you guys... this is just chocolate, right? Right?"
But... what if Nico does have feelings for me? What if tomorrow he suddenly says hello to me? My cheeks immediately flushed. My heart pounded wildly. Argh! I buried my face into the sofa cushion. Nooo! This is too good to be true.
Mom nudged Papa's arm while laughing softly. "Oh dear, Papa see that? Looks like someone just got struck by Cupid's arrow through a pack of chocolate."
"Shut up!" I buried my face even deeper. Papa joined in the laughter.
Suddenly, I heard the creak of the front door opening. Then a familiar deep voice cleared its throat.
Cold sweat dripped down my forehead. Shoot, I forgot about "HIM." If that annoying creature saw the chocolate in my hand, I was done for.
"Mom, Papa... I'm going to my room first, I'm sleepy, bye," I said half-lying. I grabbed the chocolate and quickly walked toward my room before that person appeared in the doorway.
Papa squinted, watching me disappear from his sight, while Mom just shook her head gently.
"Just let her be, Papa. She's enjoying her blossoming days," Mom whispered as she continued folding clothes. Papa nodded. "At least now she has motivation to get up early for school."
Kirana's Room - 8:03 PM
I closed the bedroom door and leaned my back against it, letting out a sigh of relief. "Okay, safe," I murmured softly, making sure no one had followed me.
I sat cross-legged on the bed, staring at the brown wrapper with the gold-yellow stripe as if it could talk.
"Hey, are you just part of the regular snack stash, or are you Nico's way of expressing his feelings for me?" Silence. Only the ticking of the wall clock seemed to mock my foolishness.
"Stupid," I cursed at myself. "I should be doing something more productive."
I pulled up my study desk chair, stared at the pile of textbooks stacked high, then pushed them aside roughly to make room for my phone. This is what I call "productivity": in-depth research on human behavior. Tap-tap-tap. (Opened a chat AI app).
"AI, what does it mean if a guy gives me chocolate?"
Ding!
"Oh, chocolate? So cliché. You're probably hoping it's some secret code, aren't you, Kirana? Sorry to break it to you, but it's just a regular snack share that he gives to everyone. Want a tip on how to stop hoping?"
"So skeptical," I said flatly. "But, what if I'm the only one he gave it to?" I typed quickly.
Ding!
AI: "Interesting. The data changes. Now there's a 78% chance you are SPECIAL in his eyes. Congratulations!"
"S-special?" My cheeks flushed again. I jumped onto the bed and started punching the poor pillow. Punch! Punch! Punch! "You hear that? I'm special in his eyes!" Then I bounced up and down on the bed.
Ding!
AI: "Want to know how to confirm the remaining 22%?"
"Sure!"
AI: "To confirm the remaining 22%, do this:
1. In the cafeteria, try accidentally spilling your drink on him. If he smiles, you're special! But if he gets angry? Well, stay away. He's a psychopath."
"S-spill on him?" I scratched my head. "That would make ME the psychopath!" I protested.
AI: "2. In an empty room, try calling his name in your heart three times. If he comes, that means he has feelings for you."
"M-mind synchronization technique!" I paused for a moment, then, "Nico... Nico... Nico..." Ugh, I slapped my forehead while laughing in embarrassment. Besides, it would be terrifying if he suddenly appeared outside my bedroom window.
Tap-tap-tap. "But... what if he doesn't come?"
AI: "Don't be disappointed. Keep calling until he happens to pass by. If he still doesn't come? Just shout until he hears you. If he approaches you... Congratulations! 110% chance he wants you."
"MISLEADING AI! STOP MAKING THINGS UP!" I shrieked at my phone screen.
Without realizing it, my thumb moved on its own. "How to approach a guy who is-"
I jolted. "HAH?! WHAT AM I DOING?!"
I threw my phone onto the bed. Crap. I'm a student who chases perfect grades! A future top-of-the-class contender! Because of a piece of chocolate, I've lost my sanity. My breathing was ragged. I covered my face with both hands, trying to cool my head.
A second later, my eyes glanced back at the chocolate. My hand reached for it again, then stared at it intently. "A little 'experiment' couldn't hurt, right?" I grinned at the chocolate wrapper. "Nico, see you tomorrow."