It's February 2, 1995.
I've turned sixteen. The Blossoms too. Innes is still yet to become her sweet sixteen.
G.H. Academy finally opened its gates again today. After over three months of dead silence, my high school is gathered again in our chapel assembly hall.
Innes is sitting in the front row with the rest of the Prefects as the Blossoms and I sit tons of wooden rows behind her.
"This has to be blasphemy. Our assembly hall is so identical to a church!" Ollie whispers into my ear as we all wait for our Dean to enter the stage.
As he and I chatter away, I spot Pandora behind me. I listen to Ollie but dart occasional glances at her. She knows I'm horribly in love with Ollie and she's not doing a very good job hiding it. She teasingly grins and giggles, mouthing: Get a room! as she traces a heart with her gold-painted fingers.
This feels so weird. Talking to your crush as your ex cheers you on.
I steal one last nervous glance at Pandora to suddenly find her looking even more nervous than I was. I look beside her to see none other than her crush sitting beside her. Hana Mayer. With her plump body, knee-long silky brown hair, and a blank face. Pandora's honey eyes slowly looked at her, to which Hana just ignored.
I turn back to Ollie, hoping he doesn't notice my efforts to not burst into complete laughter, before the sound of heels clanking against the floor hushed the school.
It was our Dean. It seemed like a few more white hairs had sprouted from her hair. Probably because of The Hazard attacks. She walks up to the mic, her thin lips pull into a tight line.
I steal glances with my friends. We all brace for her Texan-accented announcements.
"G.H. Academy has opened its gates again, this February 2nd, to you. As much as we are pleased to welcome you again, there are still precautions to follow."
That's it. That's all the words needed to put the school to sleep. Nobody was listening anymore. Rather we were sleeping or fighting not to.
Yet The Dean continued. I didn't understand a word she was saying. It was all a hazy blur.
Until she said her ending statement.
"Your prom will be held on February 25."
The entire assembly hall burst into cheer and merriment. Such out-of-the-blue noise made me jump!
Startled, I looked at Ollie. Everyone was out of their seats and celebrating yet I just sat in mine. He was laughing without a care in the world. I was just staring at him. Everybody was drowned out. Everybody but him was blurred.
'His laugh.' I sighed. 'Oh, his laugh.'
I felt someone tap my shoulder.
I turned around to feel my heart sink.
A police officer was standing behind me like a tiger ready to attack.
"Stephan Dragus?" A Japanese officer asked, his tone cutting serious and cold.
Ollie's attention drew towards us as he looked at us in confusion. But the policeman didn't just catch his attention. A flood of murmurs rose as countless skeptical students eyed us up and down.
I felt my chest tighten in both terror and embarrassment. The whole academy was looking at me. Looking at me with a police officer! And knowing them . . . they're thinking ill about it. "I-is there a problem, sir?"
"Would you follow me?" He said.
I gulped, slowly and wearily following him out of the assembly hall, laying my head low with everybody hushed to a whisper.
Oh, why me?