Chapter 4 – Sitting Next to a Singer

Ever since Darren started sitting next to me, something strange began to happen.

Girls who used to ignore me suddenly smiled whenever I passed them in the hallway.

Some students I had never even met before started calling my name.

“Hilda!”

At first, I was confused.

But it didn’t take long to understand why.

Most of the time, they wanted to give something to Darren.

Usually small folded notes.

Love letters.

And because I was the kind of person who found it hard to refuse, I usually accepted them.

Then I passed them to Darren.

Darren always smiled when he received them.

Whether he actually read them or not, I had no idea.

But one thing was certain.

My days at school felt different now.

Before this, school had always been quiet and a little boring.

Everything felt predictable.

Now… sometimes it felt a little chaotic.

And honestly, what girl wouldn’t feel curious about someone like Darren?

To me, Darren felt like a sudden stroke of luck.

Like finding a durian falling right in front of you.

Durian is a fruit that is quite expensive for my family. It tastes rich and sweet, and for people who love it, it’s incredibly delicious.

But it’s also something we rarely get.

That was how Darren felt to me.

Ever since he sat beside me, I started paying more attention to my appearance before going to school.

I tried to look a little nicer every morning.

My mother noticed the change.

One morning she laughed softly when she saw me in front of the mirror.

“Don’t forget to study,” she reminded me.

I only smiled shyly.

After all, sitting beside someone handsome every day—especially a singer from a well-known band—was not something ordinary.

Sometimes during class, Darren hummed softly.

As if he was trying to remember the lyrics of a song.

His voice was warm.

And every time I heard it, something inside my chest seemed to melt.

A handsome face.

A beautiful voice.

And a smile that was always there.

Sometimes it felt as if Darren was too perfect for my small world.

Until one day…

Darren didn’t come to school.

At first, I thought he might just be late.

But the next day, his seat was still empty.

The day after that, it was the same.

No message.

No explanation.

For some reason, the classroom suddenly felt quieter.

The empty chair beside me felt strange.

There was no soft singing during lessons.

No gentle smile from Darren.

That afternoon, I finally gathered the courage to call his phone.

He didn’t answer.

I sighed.

Of course.

My call wasn’t important.

I was just an ordinary girl who happened to sit next to him.

But I still wanted to know if he was okay.

So I sent him a message.

“Darren, are you sick?”

I didn’t expect him to reply.

But…

The next morning, a message appeared on my phone.

“Hilda, I’m fine. Thank you. I’m preparing for a performance. I’ll come back to school after it.”

I stared at the message for a long moment.

He replied.

He actually replied to me.

Inside my head, I almost screamed.

I quickly typed another message.

“Is there anything I can help with?”

There was no reply after that.

Maybe he was busy.

Maybe he hadn’t woken up yet.

But I was already happy.

Darren had replied to my message.

That meant he still thought of me as a friend.

And while Darren was away from school, something strange happened.

Students kept asking me about him.

“Hilda, where is Darren?”

“Is Darren sick?”

“When will he come back?”

The girl who used to be invisible in class had suddenly become something like a customer service desk.

Answering endless questions from curious students about Darren.

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