Chapter 1: School Garden
A distinct ringtone blasted off, breaking off the silence of early dawn. Groaning, Luana rolled out of bed and grabbed her phone to check the time.
Monday, 5:00 a.m.
It’s almost a crime to be awake this early on a Monday morning, but today marks the first day of senior high for Luana. Now in her 12th grade, she’s even more determined to spend the remaining year of her high school life as peaceful as possible. No teenage drama, no unnecessary beef with anyone, and no bad grades.
After taking a quick shower, Luana wore her favorite Mushu shirt that says Dishonor on your cow, a pair of fitted black jeans, and an old white converse. Her straight, shoulder-length raven hair flowed loosely over her face; stoic, round eyes of the same shade made her look snobbish.
She was looking a little pale, so she decided to put on some lip tint. She then went outside her room to get some food.
“Wana?” A gentle, sleepy voice came from the kitchen. It’s her dad.
“Mornin’, dad. Rough night?” Luana knows that her dad will never admit that he’s exhausted even after working 24 hours straight. Being a police officer is never easy. “Do you want me to make you a cup of coffee?”
The tired lines around his eyes wrinkled as he smiled. “If you weren’t wearing a brass knuckle while casually eating a slice of bread, I’d think you were the kindest kid around.”
If there was anything that Luana Iglesias loved more than anime, food, and sleeping, it’s cute-looking self-defense weapons. These are her happy pills in life.
Luana gave him a cheeky grin. “It’s pretty, right? I got it from a friend’s small business.” She held the item to his face. “It’s made up of resin, and there are flowers inside.”
“If I get smacked in the face with that, I’m not going to see flowers; I’m going to see my dead grandfather reaching out to me.” He chuckled, and Luana found herself laughing too.
“Are you going to school now? It’s still too early.”
“Yep.” She raised her eyebrows. “I woke up early so I can take a nap at school.”
Her dad made a face and sighed. “At least wake up your brothers and sister so we can eat breakfast together.” He started removing his jacket.
“Uh, no.” Luana gulped down the last mouthful of bread, grabbed her backpack, and dashed to the door. “Bye, dad!”
Between removing his socks and releasing the buttons on his uniform, her father tried to catch up to her. “Hey, wait! Do you need a lift?”
Luana was at the gate by now. “Dad, we don’t have a car!” She waved goodbye. “Aziel crashed it two days ago. It’s at the repair shop right now.”
Her dad’s mouth fell open. “That’s it.” He said with finality. After breakfast, I’m going to register him for adoption.”
She burst out laughing and closed the gate before walking away.
It isn’t a long walk from their house to the school - ten minutes at most - so Luana usually hums a song while walking casually. By the time she reaches the school gates, all she can think about is having a nap in the school garden, which is her favorite spot.
Luana walked through the gates. Dante, the school guard, gave her a small smile and raised his cup of coffee. Luana nodded and continued walking.
At this point, Dante stopped trying to shoo Luana away. He has seen her arrive early just to take a nap for years now. It’s a weird tradition, but Dante never dared to ask why. Luana Iglesias is an enigma, and Dante decided that his pay doesn’t cover snooping around.
As soon as Luana reached the small mushroom-shaped table at the far end of the garden, she placed her backpack, drew up a chair (of the same pattern), and rested her head for a nap.
She never really liked going to school. But she arrives at least an hour before the morning assembly. That’s the only time the school garden is empty and peaceful. There, she can fall asleep to the gentle breeze softly blowing on her skin, robins chirping excitedly, calming sound of leaves rustling around old trees, and the first sign of sunrays breaking. For Luana, it’s a privilege more worth than three boxes of pizza and chicken nuggets.
“Ah,” Luana sighed. “Cottagecore.”
Thirty minutes after and Luana is already knocked out, completely unaware of what’s happening around her.
Unbeknown to Luana, she wasn’t the only person who thought of hanging out in the garden this morning.
Just a few feet away from her, a rowdy gang of high school guys is busy roasting each other over a game of UNO cards. They reek of alcohol and second-hand smoke.
Perhaps it was simply a coincidence. Perhaps, it was fate. Or Luana was just at a good place at the wrong time.
Because neither Luana nor the drunk and rowdy gang of high school guys knew that this day would also mark the beginning of an unexpected romance.
Disclaimer: Photo not mine. Full credits go to the original owner.
