Chapter 1
It was early in the morning when Yomie was awakened by the blare of a car horn nearby. Groggy and curious, she climbed out of bed to see what was happening. When she pulled back her curtains, she saw two guys—Rian and Jeno—who looked to be around her age, moving into the house next door. Since it was the weekend, she closed the curtains, intent on sliding back under her covers.
Suddenly, the sharp crash of breaking pottery echoed through the air.
Frightened and protective, Yomie rushed outside. She had a tin pot of daisies sitting right near the property line where the boys were unloading. Her heart sank when she saw Rian kneeling on the ground, frantically gathering shards of clay and scattered flowers.
"Oh my, oh my," he whispered to himself, unaware he was being watched. "What am I going to do? I just got here and I’ve already broken someone’s—"
He stopped mid-sentence when he saw a pair of feet standing right in front of him. Before he could even look up, Yomie pushed past him, dropping to her knees beside the ruins of her plant.
"Oh, my poor baby," she crooned, her voice trembling as she touched the broken stems. "They just broke you."
Her expression shifted from heartbreak to pure fury as she turned on Rian. "You! You just messed up something that is worth... well, it's worth more than your own life! Oh God, I was supposed to enjoy my weekend, but instead, I get this? You ugh! Just... let me!"
Without letting him get a word in, she scooped up the broken shards and the wilted daisies, marched back inside, and slammed the door so hard the frame rattled.
Rian stood there speechless, his hand outstretched toward her closed door, his eyes wide with regret. Jeno leaned in and whispered, "Bro, I’m sorry to say this, but you really messed up on our first day. Let's just go inside and unpack. I’m starving."
The next morning, Yomie woke up early. It was Monday—her first day of college. After a quick bath and a rushed cup of tea, she hurried out the door to catch the bus. As she was locking up, she noticed a piece of paper on the ground. She picked it up and saw it was a registration form for Novaris College—the same school she was attending. It had the name "Rian" printed on it.
Probably just some random applicant, she thought, tossing it aside. She didn't know her neighbor's name, so the connection didn't click.
She sprinted to the bus station and took a seat by the window. As the bus pulled away, she saw two boys running desperately to catch it, but the driver didn't see them. She felt a flicker of sympathy for them, but it was too late to help. Little did she know, those two boys were her neighbors.
When she arrived at Novaris College, nerves began to kick in. As she wandered the halls looking for her classroom, a girl suddenly jumped in front of her.
"Hey! My name is Narie," the girl chirped, grinning from ear to ear. "Your hair is really, really cute! I’m so sorry I startled you. What’s your name?"
"Umm... my name is Yomie," she replied, still catching her breath.
Narie was charming and bubbling with excitement. She grabbed Yomie’s hand and pulled her into the lecture hall, making her sit in the desk right next to her. Five minutes later, the lecturer entered the room. But before he could start the lesson, two guys rushed through the door, breathless.
"Sorry sir, we’re late!" they stammered.
The lecturer sighed and motioned for them to take their seats. Yomie didn't look up at first; she was too busy digging through her bag for a notebook. Narie nudged her hard, whispering about the "two hot guys" who just walked in.
Yomie finally looked up. Her eyes locked onto the two familiar faces from the day before.
"WHAT?!" Yomie shouted, accidentally slamming her hands on her desk and standing up abruptly.
The entire class fell silent, every pair of eyes in the room turning to wonder what on earth had possessed the new girl..
