Setting: The main university campus courtyard early in the morning.
The air is crisp and cool, and the morning sun is casting soft light over the concrete paths as students slowly head toward their classes.
New Characters:
Rey Cast: A sharp-eyed criminology student and a close friend of Seth and Lest.
He shares a room with Jasper in the law department dorms, has a disciplined but highly analytical personality, and likes to treat everyday situations like a major investigation.
Jasper Pula: A lively, outspoken criminology student who rounds out their friend group.
He shares the same dorm room with Rey, possesses a high energy level, and likes to dramatically joke around with his friends like he is in an action movie.
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Seth: (Walks slowly down the sunlit concrete path as we head toward our morning classes, clutching the straps of my heavy backpack tightly against my chest. My shoulders are slightly slouched from exhaustion, and my eyes are fixed firmly on the ground. Ever since that intense moment of eye contact in the canteen yesterday, my mind has been completely disorganized, unable to process why a total stranger’s gaze threw me so far off balance.)
Lest: (Walks beside me, gesturing wildly with his hands as he talks about his day, completely exaggerating his frustration.) “—and then the professor seriously expected us to read three whole chapters before today! Can you believe that?! It’s an absolute crime against humanity! I barely had time to skim them before leaving my dorm block this morning. Hey, Seth, are you even listening to me?! You’ve been staring at your shoes for the past ten thousand miles!”
Seth: (Blinks out of my thoughts, looking over at him with a tired, guarded expression as I adjust my hoodie.) “Yeah, Lest. I’m listening. Three chapters. That’s rough.” (I lie quietly, my voice sounding low and flat. In reality, my chest still feels incredibly tight and warm, and I am desperately trying to convince myself that I am just getting sick from academic burnout.)
Lest: (Gasping dramatically and crossing his arms as we continue walking past the main campus benches.) “Oh, wow! What a convincing performance! You are a terrible liar, man! I swear, even though we live in completely different dorm buildings, I can still tell when your soul has left your body! Your independent ‘lone wolf’ brain is clearly short-circuiting! You always shut down and try to survive everything alone until you explode! You need an emergency brain sweep!”
Rey: (Steps onto the path from the law enforcement building alongside Jasper, catching up to us as we walk deeper into the university grounds. He fixes his eyes on my slouched posture and points an analytical finger at me.) “Hold on, Lest. Look at the subject. He looks completely compromised. Jasper and I barely made it out of our dorm room on time this morning, but Seth looks like he’s been awake since the previous century. What is the status here, Seth? Did the engineering department finally break your spirit?”
Jasper: (Suddenly slides right into my path, crouching down like a SWAT officer entering a high-risk zone before jumping up with wide eyes.) “Freeze!
Suspect is down!
Hands where I can see ’em, Seth!” (He slaps a heavy hand onto my shoulder, shaking me back and forth with dramatic intensity.) “Rey practically had to drag me out of our bunk beds thirty minutes ago thinking I was the tiredest guy on campus, but you completely beat me!
You look like a walking zombie apocalypse!
Who did this to you?!
Give us a name, and we will file an official report right now!”
Seth: (Blinks out of my thoughts, looking at the three of them with a tired, guarded expression as I pull my hoodie lower to hide from Jasper’s theatrical energy.) “I’m fine, guys. Just… a lot on my mind. I didn’t sleep well.” (I mutter, keeping my hands stuffed deep inside my front pockets. I am trying to keep my defensive walls up, completely terrified by the fact that my body is still reacting to yesterday’s glance.)
Rey: (Narrows his eyes dramatically, crossing his arms and leaning closer to inspect me like a detective.) “The evidence does not support your claim, Seth. Your knuckles are completely white inside your pockets. Your breathing is irregular. My future criminologist instinct tells me you are reacting to a hidden variable in this environment. Suspect is hiding a major secret from the squad!”
Seth: (Takes a deep breath, trying to block out their loud questioning. I look out across the crowded university green lawn, watching the other students laughing and enjoying the sunshine. For a brief second, a strange feeling washes over me—the same comforting shield that protected me from my heavy sorrow back in the canteen and at the 7-Eleven. I find myself instinctively scanning the crowd, my logical brain desperately trying to find a reason for why my mood suddenly lifted, even though there is no sign of her anywhere near the path.)
Seth: (I quickly shake her image out of my head to clear the thought, my cheeks burning with a hot, sudden blush. I hurriedly pull my hoodie strings tighter to hide my face, panicking internally because I have absolutely no idea what these overwhelming feelings are yet. I am completely terrified by how much power a total stranger has over my body’s reactions, even when she isn’t around.)
Jasper: (Gasps so loudly that a few passing students turn to look, pointing a trembling, dramatic finger straight at my face.) “Code Red! Code Red! The stone-cold lone wolf is turning completely pink! Rey, did you see that?! Did someone walk past us while my back was turned?! Rey, check the perimeter immediately before the suspect passes out from blushing!”
Rey: (Glances around the courtyard with a hyper-serious expression before looking back at me with a triumphant smirk.) “Perimeter is clear of immediate targets. But Seth’s psychological reaction is highly irregular. The data points directly to a major anomaly. Case file open!”
Lest: (Throws his hands in the air dramatically, looking at my red face in pure panic.) “Oh my gosh, Seth, seriously, your face is glowing! Are you running a fever?! Jasper, stop yelling—look at him, he looks dizzy! If you collapse right here on the concrete, I am not carrying you to the clinic!”
Seth: (Quickly avoids Jasper’s hand as he tries to theatrically check my forehead for a fever, taking a long, shaky breath to force my racing pulse to calm down.
I look back down at the concrete path, refusing to meet any of their ridiculous eyes.) “I’m fine, all of you! Just… a sudden dizzy spell from the sun! Stop making a whole drama out of nothing! Let’s just keep walking to the next building before we look like complete idiots!” (I mutter defensively, gripping my backpack straps until my knuckles turn white.
I push past my three over-dramatic friends to hide the total confusion in my eyes, completely bewildered by the sudden chaotic twist in my chest, totally unaware of what these symptoms mean as I desperately try to convince myself it’s just exhaustion.)
Rey: (Chuckles, checking his watch with a playful nod as we finally approach the central campus crossroads where the paths divide.) “Alright, we’ll grant the suspect a temporary bail for now. But this investigation is far from over. We are definitely having sisig outside the university gates tonight. The official interrogation room is officially booked for dinner.”
Jasper: (Salutes dramatically, clicking his heels together as he steps away toward the left path leading to the Law Enforcement wing.) “Roger that, Detective Rey! Interrogation and sisig time is set for tonight! See ya, Seth! Head back to your dorm block and crash if your face gets any redder! Take care of yourself, buddy, you’re gonna need your strength to survive our questioning over that sizzling plate!” (He turns and walks alongside Rey, waving backward dramatically as they head toward their department.)
Lest: (Watches them walk away, sighing with an over-exaggerated roll of his eyes before turning down the right path with me toward the Engineering complex.) “They’re completely unhinged, I swear. But they’re right, you know! You’ve been completely off-balance since lunch yesterday. Plus, you actually need a heavy, real meal like sisig tonight instead of your usual convenience store routine. We’re right outside our department lab now. Thank goodness, let’s just get inside so you can sit down away from the scorching heat before you melt!”
Seth: (Nods quietly as we step through the heavy glass doors of the Engineering building, the cool air conditioning instantly hitting my flushed face. I look down at my hands, still completely bewildered by the lingering warmth in my chest. I walk into our regular classroom and drop my heavy backpack onto the desk, trying to lock away the thoughts of the stranger in the purple dress so I can focus on my work, completely lost in total confusion about why her presence affects me so deeply.)
[ END OF CHAPTER 4 ]