A meeting I never saw coming

My eyes gazed into the distance toward the sea, my mind completely blank. I felt like I had lost my direction in life. I used to be cheerful, optimistic, and had bright hopes for the future, but all of that faded after I took my high school graduation exam.

It’s been nearly a year now. I’m studying a major in college that I never thought I would pursue. I’ve met some interesting new friends and even got to know a few guys, but none of them were genuine or sincere. No one can replace the boy in my heart, because he was my first love—the one who truly and sincerely loved me. But we broke up because, back then, I couldn’t tell if his feelings were real or not.

Right now, I just want to go back to high school so I can change everything. I lay down on the sand, looking at the vast sky with clouds drifting aimlessly. I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of waves crashing against the shore. Gradually, the sound of the waves faded, and then familiar murmurs of conversation began to rise. Curious, I opened my eyes—and right in front of me was Chi, mumbling to herself and covering her ears while reviewing old lessons. I froze for a moment, then jumped up and looked around. The familiar scene lay before me—from the desks and chairs to the blackboard that hadn’t been fully erased. I glanced around at my dear high school friends. Yes! There was no mistaking it. This was clearly my old high school classroom.

A wave of excitement welled up in my heart. Without thinking, I ran out to the hallway, searching for that familiar figure. In front of me was a group of boys talking and joking around. My eyes lit up when I saw him—the boy I had always wished to see again, even in my dreams. But he looked just like he did in grade 10. I looked up at the classroom sign and realized—yes, this was grade 10. If I remember correctly, I was dating an older guy at this time. I glanced across to the opposite building and saw him on the second floor, waving at me.

The school bell rang, snapping me out of my tangled thoughts. I stepped into the classroom, looked around at everyone, and went back to my familiar seat in the back corner.

I sat down and saw Chi next to me studying history. I pinched her thigh lightly to see if I was dreaming.

"Ouch, that hurts!" (Chi shouted)

"Wait, this is real?" (I asked, surprised)

"Why’d you pinch my thigh?" (Chi asked, rubbing the spot)

"I thought I was dreaming, so I wanted to see if it hurt." (I replied)

"Well grandma, shouldn’t you pinch yourself then?" (Chi retorted)

"Pinching you was more objective." (I laughed)

"Give me your thigh, let me pinch you back!" (Chi laughed and pinched me back)

"Ouch, that hurts!" (I cried)

After a bit of playful banter, Chi returned to her studying. I sat there thinking—this isn't a dream. It's real. I had truly gone back to the past. Just that thought made me feel excited and joyful.

When school ended, I ran outside and followed him from behind, staring at his back. Suddenly, someone grabbed my hand. I turned around to see a familiar tall figure—it was Viet, the guy I was dating at the time.

"Why didn’t you wait for me?" (Viet frowned and asked)

"We’ll talk later!" (I looked up at Viet and said coldly)

Then I turned and ran after the boy I held in my heart, leaving Viet in shock. I watched him until his figure disappeared from view, then put on my helmet and headed home.

When I got home, I greeted my mom and dad, then helped set the table. Everything was just as I remembered—the delicious food my mom cooked. I loved this feeling—being in my parents' arms, carefree and comfortable. After dinner, I sat on my bed and checked my phone. Viet had sent me a lot of messages. That reminded me—I had to deal with him first. He was not someone I should love, because he would eventually break up with me just because his close female friends told him to, regardless of how much pain it would cause me. I opened our chat and typed:

- Let’s break up. (Me)

- Why are you suddenly breaking up with me? (Viet)

- No need to know the reason. (Me)

I didn’t wait for him to finish typing and blocked him, cutting off contact. Then, I went on Facebook to look for him.

Le Minh Vu (I typed into the search bar)

There it was—his cute close-up profile picture. It looked like we were already friends. Back in the first few weeks of school, I often visited his class to talk with some of my old middle school friends, so I had gotten to know almost everyone there, including Vu. Our relationship wasn't close yet, so I decided to slowly get closer to him. Just thinking about that made me smile like a fool. Then I packed my books and got ready for class in the afternoon.

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