springtime | winrina

one

The first time Karina Yu met her first love it was back in her first day of senior year. 

She remembers the clear blue skies, the sweet smell of flowers, the leaves rustling in the winds, the sound of her voice as she welcomed the delicate beginnings of spring.

"Good morning and welcome back to a brand new school year in SM High. I hope you've all enjoyed the winter break just as I did. What did you guys do over the holidays? Personally, my family brought me to go skiing for the first time. I was really scared and afraid, but I decided to give it a try."

A laugh escapes her lips, a smile gracing her face as she leaned back in to talk into the mic.

"It was actually better than I thought and really fun, minus the falls and tumbles... But if you haven't, you should try it at least once when winter comes around again. Oh and you definitely have to try having s'mores. They are delicious and one of my favorites..."

Her voice travels through the speakers, it lingers around the halls of the school, it plays in the classrooms, it captures everyone's attention.

"Enough about winter because my favorite season is here and that's spring! What's not to love about spring? The flowers are blooming, the temperatures are perfect, the skies are so blue, and the air is fresh. Look outside the window and you'll see..."

Students from every classroom tear their attention away from what they were doing. Everyone turns to look out of the window at the welcoming of spring.

"Look, the flowers are beginning to bloom!" one of them exclaims.

Chairs drag against the floor, footsteps rushing up to crowd around the window looking out towards the school's field and the small town they live in.

"It's the best time to go out for walks and have picnics with your loved ones, the perfect time to fall in love with someone. Did you know about the cherry blossom tree behind our school? I heard that if you confess to your crush under the cherry blossom tree in spring, the love will blossom."

The girl sitting inside the studio brushes her hair, tucking her hair behind her ear, gazing down at the piece of paper before her. She pauses for a moment.

"Just like how much I love spring, I hope you fall in love with it too."

The bell rings.

"That's it for the morning broadcast. A gentle reminder that after school activities begin next week and the examination dates will be put up on the school's noticeboard soon. Enjoy your first week back at school everyone. Thank you, this has been Karina Yu."

Winter lifts her head up from the desk, eyes slowly fluttering open. She was still sleepy, barely enough sleep to sustain her for the day. Seated at the very back of her classroom, she also had the privilege of being next to the window which had just been overcrowded with students.

What was so great about spring? Winter didn't understand it. It had always felt like any other ordinary day. If not, it signified the dreadful start of the school year. She was in her last year of high school, a senior. Everyone constantly told her to enjoy it while it lasted, to bask in her youth before the painful realities of adulthood would crash into her like waves.

The front door slides open, a man in his late thirties strolled into class. "Good morning, I'm your homeroom teacher, Mr. Kim," he announced, before starting off the lesson with attendance taking.

"Winter Kim?"

The red-haired girl raised a hand up in the air for him to notice her presence. "Please get rid of your red hair, it's against the school rules," he warned while scribbling a note down on the class attendance list.