Friday, January 28th.
It was supposed to be a chill day. No surprise quizzes. No heavy assignments. Just vibes.
Brandston sat half-slouched in his chair, lazily flipping through his notes while Joel kept running his mouth about some "super rare" bag of chips he found in the vending machine.
"Bro, listen, it had like… double the seasoning! I'm telling you, it was sent from heaven, man. I think I ascended for like two seconds after the first bite!" Joel was half-standing on his chair now, animated as ever.
Brandston cracked a small smile but barely reacted otherwise. His mind was elsewhere.
The teacher hadn't arrived yet, so the room buzzed with students chatting, throwing paper balls, and blasting memes on their phones.
Just then—
the door swung open.
All eyes turned.
There she was.
Vanessa.
In all her attention-grabbing glory, tight jeans, casual hoodie, sunglasses on her head like she was stepping off a movie set.
She strutted right into the First-Year department like she owned it.
Brandston blinked, his body tensing instantly.
What the hell is she doing here?
"Yo," she said casually, walking right up to him.
He sat up straighter, his chair squeaking a little. "Why are you here?"
Vanessa smiled sweetly—too sweet. "I brought you food," she said, lifting a neatly packed bag from behind her back.
Without waiting for a reply, she shoved it into his chest.
"Don't you want it?" she asked innocently.
Brandston hesitated, holding the bag awkwardly like it might explode.
Before he could respond, Vanessa leaned closer and whispered with a wink, "I'll see you when school closes."
Then she turned on her heel and walked out like a queen making her grand exit.
The whole class buzzed with whispers and side-eyes.
Joel leaned over immediately, his face practically glued to the food bag.
"Bro. Bro. Broooo," Joel whispered dramatically. "If you're not gonna eat it… can I have it?"
Brandston shoved the bag toward him without thinking. "Yeah, whatever."
Joel squealed—yes, squealed—and tore into the bag like a starved man, pulling out a loaded sandwich, fries, and even a slice of chocolate cake.
"HOLY CRAP," Joel moaned after one bite. "This… This is love. This is real love, bro. I feel blessed."
Brandston laughed quietly, but his mind was already spiraling again.
He couldn't stop thinking about Audrey.
He had to talk to her.
He had to explain that everything with Vanessa was… not what it looked like.
The day dragged on, Joel providing endless entertainment by giving live commentary on every bite of food he took.
"Bro, these fries? LIFE-CHANGING. I'm about to write a Yelp review on her behalf."
"This sandwich… Bro, I think I just saw heaven. I'm not even religious."
It would've been hilarious if Brandston wasn't so distracted.
When the final bell rang, students flooded the halls like a river breaking through a dam.
Brandston and Joel were walking toward the front gates when Joel suddenly gasped loudly and grabbed his arm.
"BRO. BRO. BROOOO. Look! It's her! Audrey! GO TALK TO HER, YOU COWARD!"
Brandston froze.
Audrey was standing a few meters ahead with her friends, chatting casually.
Joel shoved him forward. "Go, dude! Before my second-hand embarrassment kills me!"
Heart hammering, Brandston swallowed hard and walked over.
He approached her friends first, his voice shy and awkward. "Uh… Excuse me… Can I talk to Audrey… for a second?"
The girls giggled among themselves but moved aside, giving them space.
Brandston stood there, feeling like his chest was too tight.
Audrey looked at him, her face unreadable.
"Audrey, I—" he started, voice cracking slightly. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I'm really sorry… about everything. I know it looked bad, and… I should've explained earlier. I never meant to—"
Before he could finish, Audrey raised her hand, stopping him.
Her voice was calm, almost too calm.
"Why are you apologizing, Brandston?" she said, tilting her head slightly.
He blinked. "Because… I didn't want you to misunderstand."
She gave a short laugh, but there was no humor in it.
"It's not like I'm your girlfriend or anything," Audrey said bluntly. "And don't think I have feelings for you, okay?"
Each word hit like a punch to the gut.
"So…" she continued, her voice getting colder, "Stop apologizing to me."
Brandston opened his mouth to speak, but she wasn't finished.
"And please… stop talking to me before I get in trouble with your new girlfriend… Vanessa."
"No! Audrey, you got it all wrong!" he said, desperate. "I don't even like her! She's been chasing me, pulling all these… dumb moves!"
Audrey gave him a look so sharp it could cut glass.
"Don't you know what she wants?" she said, voice low. "She wants you. That's it."
Before he could say anything else, Audrey turned around.
"Please…" she said over her shoulder, "Let me go before she sees us and makes a scene."
And with that, she walked back to her friends.
Gone.
Brandston stood there, stunned, the world blurring a little around him.
Joel, ever the MVP of bad timing, appeared beside him, finishing the last of the fries.
"Yo, bro, what was that about? You look like someone ran over your puppy."
Brandston didn't answer.
"You good, man?" Joel said, frowning.
Brandston just shook his head. "Nevermind. Let's go."
They walked toward the dorms in silence, Joel crumpling the food bag and tossing it into a nearby trashcan.
And somewhere deep inside,
Brandston felt something small but important crack.
Like something he didn't even realize he cared about until it broke.