Project: Socialize (Chapters 1-197)

135. They will be Preparing for the Final Exams

The pouring rain from the day before seemed almost as if a distant dream. When I woke up the next morning, the first thing I did was walk to the sliding glass door in my room and pulled the curtains over to the side in order to see the beautiful blue sky outside. Numerous skyscrapers and high rises lined the city, but none of that took from the clear blue sky overhead. I felt as if the sky reflected my current state of mind, the tranquility I felt after losing that clouded confusion that lingered about constantly in my mind.

I quickly dressed into my school uniform, wearing a woolen vest over my dress shirt and underneath my blazer in order to keep warm. Then, I grabbed my school bag and left my room. I left the bag by the wall next to the entrance of my room and made my way over to the washroom where I finished with my morning routine.

I exited the washroom to head over to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. It wasn't long before Loriana also exited her room and walked over to the dining table. I smiled as I greeted her, feeling oddly happy and proud this morning after I was able to fall asleep on my own after numerous nights of sleeping by her side. She yawned as she sat down in her usual spot, probably because she was still extremely tired. Therefore, it is the most that I can do to help her morning start off right.

After eating breakfast, Loriana left the house with her car keys in order to commute to her workplace while I stayed behind to wash the dishes. After I was done, I left the house as well and waited in front of the elevator door. A few seconds later, Muria also emerged from her house, and after locking the door, she walked over and waited alongside me.

"You seem like you're in a good mood," she commented without looking over at me.

"I might be," I sighed. "To be honest, this is the best I had felt in quite some time."

After that, our conversation died off as the girl beside me once again became that same old silent and cold person she was. However, as I walked behind her on the city streets of Palisia on our commute to school, I felt as if she has changed as well. Although I can't describe it exactly, I could feel a difference in her aura, probably because of Irina's presence in her life.

I looked up at the blue sky overhead and took a deep breath. The air was quite cold as it entered through my nostrils and down to my lungs. It was rather a pleasant feeling to be honest, one of the many reasons why I love the cold weather.

When class began, it's simply as usual. The teachers gave lectures on the subject of study and the students taking notes as they learned the final new concept of the semester before diving into the long period of studying for the finals. It was such an ordinary day, but... it just feels so different. As I gazed out the window, watching as the first year students who had physical education run around the track, I felt a pleasant tranquility in my mind that led to a uncontrollable grin on my face.

When school was finally over, we made our way over to the club room. We sat down where we usually do and went about with our daily business. However, instead of only having casual conversations, everybody was also focused on getting their homework done as well as reviewing some concepts for the final exams. It wasn't long before Zaksus arrived and he too joined in.

"This is gonna be a long month," Zaksus sighed as he rested his head against the desk. "Why does the school think we can still concentrate after having a whole week off?"

"You just gotta do it," Loyd said as he finished writing down an answer in his homework notebook. "It's like that sometimes."

"I know," Zaksus forced his head up from the desk and stained at his literature homework. "This is just confusing. Why do they have to talk like that in the past?"

As Zaksus continued to complain and Loyd continued to respond, the door to the club room soon slid open to reveal Luna. She had a smile on her face as the others greeted her. She looked around at everyone before she allowed her eyes to stop on me and smiled in a friendly manner.