Chapter 5 – My Notes for Darren

After school, the moment I got my phone back from the class monitor, I quickly turned it on.

There was a message from Darren.

“Can you send me photos of today’s assignments… and the ones from the past few days I missed?”

For some reason, that simple request made my heart feel light.

Darren—someone who felt so important in my world—was asking for my help.

As soon as I got home, I immediately took out my notebooks and started taking pictures of every page.

I sent them all to him without thinking twice.

And from that day on, it became a routine.

Whenever Darren didn’t come to school, I would automatically send him photos of the lessons and assignments so he wouldn’t fall behind.

Sometimes, in return, Darren would treat me to food in the cafeteria.

Actually, he wanted to treat me almost every time.

But I often felt too shy to accept.

So most of the time, I refused.

“I’m on a diet.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“I don’t feel like eating.”

Those were the excuses I used.

Even though, deep down, I didn’t really mind.

Sometimes after school, I would help explain the lessons he didn’t understand.

We would sit together for a while, going over the material.

If I had to describe it…

It almost felt like we were dating.

Going to the cafeteria together.

Studying together after school.

Or maybe more accurately…

I was giving him free tutoring.

Still, I didn’t mind.

Not at all.

In fact, I was happy.

Just being able to look at his face, to hear his voice… somehow made everything feel worth it.

Those days felt… beautiful.

Even though the people around us were still just as noisy.

Students still gathered around us, curious as always.

Sometimes it felt like we were surrounded by buzzing flies.

But strangely, some of them even joined in helping Darren study.

And just like that, my notes slowly became something Darren depended on.

Sometimes at night, Darren would call me when there was something in the lessons he didn’t understand.

To be honest, I was one of the top three students in the class. I didn’t really know why the school had seated me next to Darren, but I had a feeling it might have something to do with my grades.

Still, I didn’t mind helping him as much as I could.

Sometimes, those calls would last longer than I expected.

Darren would ask questions about the lessons, and I would try my best to explain everything clearly. At first, I thought he was just asking casually, but over time, I realized he was actually trying to understand.

“Wait… can you explain that part again?” he would say.

And I would repeat it, slower this time.

There were moments when we both stayed silent for a few seconds. I could hear his breathing on the other side of the phone, and somehow, it made me feel strangely nervous.

“Got it,” he would finally say.

“Thanks, Hilda.”

Just hearing him say my name like that was enough to make my heart race.

I didn’t know if this was normal.

But somehow, those quiet conversations at night became something I started to look forward to.

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