THE FIRST DAY BACK

Greater Lights Academy had a way of waking up loudly after a long holiday.

By 8:10 a.m., the compound was already alive with noise—students dragging their feet across tiled walkways, laughter bouncing off classroom blocks, greetings flying from one end of the courtyard to the other. Neatly pressed uniforms moved in every direction. Some students walked with confidence, already familiar with the buildings. Others turned in slow circles, squinting at signboards and asking for directions.

The air smelled faintly of fresh paint, dust, and new textbooks.

In the middle of this morning confusion stood Annie.

Her school bag hung from her left shoulder, the strap digging slightly into her collarbone as she adjusted it for the third time. Her eyes scanned the tall cream-colored buildings ahead, trying to match them with the map she had memorized in her head the night before.

Beside her stood her best friend, Sandra, who looked far less worried and far more observant.

“Are you sure 12th grade is this block?” Annie asked, narrowing her eyes.

Sandra tilted her head. “I think so. Or maybe the next one. This school is bigger than I thought.”

Students passed them, some brushing shoulders, some throwing curious glances. A few boys slowed down as they walked by, turning to stare a second too long before continuing. Sandra noticed. Annie didn’t.

“People are already looking at us like we’re celebrities,” Sandra muttered.

Annie sighed. “Please, let’s just find the class before we get lost.”

They started walking again.

At the opposite end of the compound, under the shade of a tall almond tree near the administrative block, stood a boy who looked completely disconnected from the chaos around him.

Daniel.

Earbuds in.

Tablet in hand.

Anime playing.

He stood with his back against the tree, one leg bent slightly, his eyes focused on the screen with calm concentration. Students passed him without getting a reaction. Some greeted him. He didn’t hear them. Or maybe he did and chose not to respond.

His face carried a natural coldness—not anger, not pride, just distance. A stillness that made him look older than his age.

He had arrived earlier than most students, found his classroom, and decided to come to the bookshop to get his textbooks before the crowd grew thicker.

He wasn’t in a hurry. Nothing serious ever happened on the first day of resumption anyway.

A few minutes later, Annie and Sandra finally spotted a signboard:

SCHOOL BOOKSHOP →

They exchanged relieved looks and followed the arrow.

The bookshop door was wide open. Inside, rows of shelves stood like supermarket aisles, each packed tightly with neatly arranged textbooks. Students moved between the rows, flipping pages, checking lists, calling out class names to the attendant.

Sandra walked in first. Annie followed.

And then Sandra froze.

“Annie,” she whispered.

“What?” Annie asked, still looking at the shelf labels.

Sandra nudged her gently with her elbow. “Front. Don’t turn suddenly. Just… look.”

Annie lifted her eyes.

She didn’t see his full face.

Only his side profile.

A tall boy standing at the far end of another row, scanning through a stack of textbooks. His posture was straight, relaxed. His fingers moved calmly across the book spines as if he had all the time in the world.

Even from that angle, he looked… unreal.

Sandra swallowed. “God please.”

Annie didn’t speak.

For some reason, her heartbeat changed rhythm.

She didn’t even know why.

She wasn’t someone who cared about boys. She never had.

So why was this different?

“What class?” the shopkeeper asked loudly from behind the counter.

“12th grade!” Sandra replied quickly.

The shopkeeper nodded and began arranging a pile of textbooks for them.

Annie had already picked a few books from the shelves and paid for them earlier. She held the nylon bag in one hand while waiting for Sandra to finish.

While waiting, Annie stepped absentmindedly into another row to glance at a shelf label.

She didn’t realize someone was walking toward the same turning point from the opposite side.

And then—

Bump.

Her shoulder collided hard with someone.

Her grip loosened.

The nylon bag nearly slipped from her hand.

“Oh! I’m so sorry—”

She looked up.

And for the first time, she saw his full face.

It was him.

Closer.

Clearer.

More handsome than she had imagined from the side view.

Daniel looked down at her with calm, unreadable eyes.

“Watch where you’re going next time,” he said in a low, indifferent tone.

His voice was deep. Smooth. Cold.

But strangely… melodic.

Annie forgot to breathe.

She stood there a second longer than normal, staring without realizing it.

Daniel had already moved past her, picking two textbooks from the shelf beside her before walking away without another glance.

Sandra rushed into the row. “Annie! Our books are—”

She stopped when she saw Annie’s expression.

Then she turned and saw Daniel walking away.

Her eyes widened.

“So that’s his full face…” she whispered.

Annie didn’t reply.

She was still staring at the space he had just left.

Outside the bookshop, Daniel slipped his tablet into his bag, adjusted the strap on his shoulder, and began walking toward the school gate.

He didn’t look back.

He didn’t know that someone inside was still thinking about his voice.

After finding their classroom and confirming its location, Annie and Sandra left the school premises and headed home. Their houses were not far from the school, so the walk didn’t take long.

Neither of them spoke much on the way.

But Sandra kept stealing glances at Annie.

“You’re quiet,” she finally said.

Annie blinked. “Am I?”

“Yes. And you’ve been quiet since we left the bookshop.”

Annie looked ahead. “He sounded rude.”

Sandra smirked. “You liked his voice.”

Annie didn’t reply.

And that silence said everything.

That night, as Annie lay on her bed staring at the ceiling fan spinning slowly above her, she didn’t know why the memory of a boy’s calm eyes and cold voice refused to leave her mind.

She told herself it was nothing.

Just a random encounter.

Just a boy in a bookshop.

Nothing more.

She closed her eyes.

But sleep took longer than usual to come.

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