Violets are Blue (ONC 2021)

chapter eight

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Chapter Eight

Milana Fallaci

See you in English class. The words rang in her frantic and tangled mind. Hope spiked in her and the bouncing of her knee didn't stop to rest. 

Minutes after Aster and Milana found out that Anonymous was in their class, the two had found themselves in the exact class in which Anonymous said he shared with them. 

English class. 

Students around Aster and Milana were bustling around, using their throats to empty the remaining chatter from their lunch break. The halls outside their packed classroom were still crowded for the bell had only rung minutes ago. 

Milana was seated in her assigned seat by the window a few rows in front of the back. She studied each face in her classroom, wondering and twisting her mind with the possibility of who Anonymous was. 

Her attention hooked onto a boy, hunched over and hugging a tattered notebook, who entered the classroom. She smiled softly, following the boy's movement. He, unlike everyone else she had observed, didn't stop to mingle with anyone. Instead, he walked straight to his desk a few seats over from Milana's desk. 

His fluffy brown hair covered most of his face and he didn't look up to meet anyone's gaze, keeping his focus on the ground. The sweater he wore hid his trembling hands and pity washed over Milana.

His name was Riven Marquez. 

She hadn't really talked to him, but every time their gazes would align, she felt like she was communicating with him through her eyes.  

He was a quieter student; always lost in a book he was reading. He barely talked to anyone around him and seemed lonely. 

Sighing, she turned around to face Aster who was seated in the way back, glaring down at her phone. Milana rolled her eyes. She and her phone. 

"Aster!" she hissed, catching her friend's attention. Aster's brown eyes flickered up from her screen and smiled when she noticed Lana. 

"What?" Aster whispered back, frowning. Her feet were resting on her desk surface and she lazily slouched in her seat. She was half-paying attention to Milana, listening to her friend while scrolling through what Milana could guess was social media. 

More students entered their classroom and slowly began occupying more and more seats. The sounds of laughter mingled in the air. 

"Can you at least stop looking at your phone and help me search for Anonymous?" Milana stated, lowering her tone. 

Aster sighed heavily, reluctantly putting her phone down. She parted her lips to speak but was interrupted when a figure appeared by Milana's side.

"Hey, Milana!" A cheery voice chirped, sliding into the seat beside her. 

Milana froze, midway pulling her supplies out of her backpack. That voice—she recognized it. Then, the realization hit her. Oh no. She groaned internally.

Averting her attention to the slender figure beside her, she felt her surroundings collapse and her heart crumble. Blonde hair fell over his lively eyes while a small smile curled on his lips.