A crumpled ice cream wrapper, folded neatly in half, skidded across the parking lot in a zigzag as the wind pushed it along. It bumped into the tip of Dina's shoe before taking off again.
Dina blinked blankly.
Life really did have a talent for adding unnecessary dramatic effects to the most insignificant things.
But the real question was—Which inconsiderate idiot littered in the first place?
She let out an annoyed huff, picked up the wrapper, and headed toward the nearest trash bin.
The afternoon breeze swept through her loose hair, blowing a few strands across her cheeks. Even though the day was slipping toward evening, the heat refused to let up.
Students streamed out of the classrooms like birds returning to their nests—chatting, laughing, running around, arguing over helmets, and stopping every few steps to take photos before heading home.
Dina, Icha, and Nia walked side by side toward the school gate.
Icha absentmindedly spun the bracelet around her wrist, while Nia busied herself tapping away on a cellphone covered in flower stickers.
Suddenly, Icha stopped.
"Hey, hey, hey. Look."
The three of them turned instinctively.
At the far end of the parking lot, Ando was walking hand in hand with Clara.
Normally, there would've been nothing unusual about it. But today, Clara's expression was something else.
Her cheeks were puffed up, her brows tightly knitted together, and her lips had flattened into a line that looked personally offended by the world.
"Whoa..."
"Clara looks like she just got smacked in the face by a heat wave," Icha commented, squinting for a better look.
The three girls deliberately slowed their pace, trying to catch Clara's voice as the wind carried fragments of their conversation toward them.
"You and her again! She's always in your group! Happy now?" Clara's voice climbed half an octave.
Meanwhile, Ando looked like a student who'd somehow ended up taking an oral exam he'd never signed up for. Utterly caught off guard.
Dina frowned.
"Uh... Who is she talking about?"
She kept her voice low, afraid of getting caught eavesdropping.
Icha looked at her as though the answer couldn't possibly be more obvious.
"Who else would it be, Din?" she whispered.
Nia slipped her phone into her bag before adding, "She already knows you and Ando are in the same group again."
Dina sighed.
"You two really love making things up."
Icha shrugged.
"It doesn't take Sherlock Holmes. Clara wouldn't be pouting that hard unless she was jealous of you. Everyone else in Ando's group is a guy. Come on."
Nia nodded decisively.
"Exactly. Clara's insecure."
Dina slapped a hand against her forehead.
"Oh my God... There is absolutely nothing going on between me and Ando."
Icha curled her lips into a teasing grin.
"Who'd believe that? Even we, your best friends, think something's going on."
Dina quickly looked away, pretending to study the rows of parked motorcycles. In reality, she simply didn't want to continue the conversation.
Before she could compose herself, Ando happened to glance over and spot the three of them. Without the slightest hesitation—as naturally as breathing—he waved.
Dina froze.
Her steps halted for half a second. Heat immediately crept into her ears.
"Oh my God... Is he trying to get himself killed? His girlfriend's literally yelling at him, and he's over there waving."
Nia nearly choked trying to suppress her laughter.
"See? He waved at you first."
"At us," Dina corrected immediately.
She refused to entertain the idea that Ando had waved only at her.
Icha tilted her chin toward Clara.
"Look. She's pouting even more now."
Clara really was glaring at them as though they were her sworn enemies. She looked at Dina. Then at Ando. Then down at the hand she was holding. And with noticeably more force, she tightened her grip and tugged Ando closer, as though making absolutely sure he stayed within her orbit.
Caught off guard, Ando awkwardly turned his attention back to her.
Dina quickly nodded politely toward Clara, hoping to ease at least a little of the awkwardness.
"Come on. Let's go. Before Clara burns a hole through me with those laser eyes."
She grabbed Icha's hand and pulled her along.
Nia followed behind them, chuckling.
"This is so much drama. I love it."
Icha playfully shook off Dina's grip.
"I seriously love the parking lot at this hour. I never want to go home.
"Oh, please. You don't love the parking lot. You love the gossip."
Dina grabbed her arm again.
The three girls finally reached the school gate. Their pace remained brisk, accompanied by hushed whispers that made everything feel wonderfully, unmistakably teenage.
The parking lot gradually emptied. Sunlight glimmered against motorcycle mirrors. Leaves rustled lazily in the breeze. Even the sky seemed to be smiling at the tiny drama that had just unfolded.
---
Dina's house felt unusually peaceful that Saturday afternoon—
Almost too peaceful.
Outside, motorcycles occasionally rumbled past, but the moment the front door closed behind them, everything became wonderfully cozy.
The faint scent of vanilla from the diffuser lingered in the air. The ceiling fan hummed softly overhead. Sheets of paper covered with Dina and her friends' scribbles were scattered across the living room table.
The wall clock read 4:20 PM.
Dina sat cross-legged on the floor with Bram, Aldi, and Arvin. Spread out before them were page after page of draft outlines that, in Dina's opinion, still needed to be reorganized.
Ando sat against the sofa a short distance away from everyone else. His white polo shirt still looked remarkably crisp despite the long day. Even his spiky hairstyle looked as fresh as it had when he'd arrived earlier that afternoon.
They were working on the introduction to their paper and drafting interview questions for their performing arts research project.
Yet no matter how many times Dina reviewed everything...
Something still felt missing.
"Don't make the questionnaire too long, Din," Aldi commented. "You'll drive the interviewees crazy."
Dina frowned as she reread the list.
"But what if we don't collect enough data? We can't exactly go back if we miss something."
Behind them, Ando continued texting on his phone.
Dina didn't need psychic powers to know exactly who he was texting.
Clara.
Of course.
"Questions twelve and sixteen are basically asking the same thing," Arvin pointed out. "Just combine them."
Dina crossed out Question Sixteen and added Arvin's notes to Question Twelve.
Bram nodded.
"I think this is enough. We've got plenty already."
"But—"
Before Dina could argue, something rubbed affectionately against her back.
"Meow."
Her concentration vanished instantly. She turned around.
Percy.
Her fluffy white furball.
"Percy... Come here. Have you eaten yet?"
She lifted the rather heavy cat into her lap.
"That's your cat?" Arvin asked, setting down the pencil he'd been sharpening.
Dina nodded, gently stroking Percy's head.
"What's his name again?"
"Percy. From the Percy Jackson series," she answered proudly, lifting her chin.
"Huh?" Arvin bit back a laugh.
"What's so funny? He's a boy. If he were a girl, I'd have named her Mercy."
Dina answered matter-of-factly.
Arvin and Aldi burst into laughter. Bram merely chuckled.
Ando, meanwhile, didn't seem to be paying attention.
"It even matches his breed. A Persian cat."
Dina dramatically stroked Percy's luxurious fur like a princess introducing her prized pet.
Percy meowed, sounding as though he wanted to show off too.
Bram shook his head.
"You're seriously weird. You're not creative at all. But somehow you're still incredibly random. So besides collecting Alfas, your secret hobby is talking to your cat?"
Arvin and Aldi laughed all over again.
At last, Ando looked up from his phone. The corner of his mouth curled into an amused smile.
"Pets are too much work," Bram said. "All they do is eat and poop."
Without looking away from his phone, Ando replied, "Not all of them. If you train them properly, they'll use the bathroom where they're supposed to."
"Exactly!" Dina said immediately, relieved that someone was actually on her side. "Percy's already toilet trained."
She then turned toward Ando.
"So... Do you know anything about pets?"
"A little." He shrugged casually. "My mom's a veterinarian. She runs an animal clinic right in front of our house."
Aldi couldn't resist teasing again.
"So, does everyone who owns a pet talk to it like Dina does?"
This time Ando actually looked up from his phone.
"Not really. But the really devoted owners or the lonely ones, usually do."
Arvin immediately patted Dina's shoulder.
"You definitely fall into the lonely category. No wonder you're looking for emotional support from all those Alfas."
Laughter erupted once more.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," Dina answered flatly. "Are we done now? We're using this version, right?"
"Yeah. Let's go with that one," Ando replied.
Dina rolled her eyes.
You've barely contributed anything.And somehow you're making the final decision for the whole team.
"During the interview," Ando continued, "let's ask for the interviewee's contact information. If we end up missing anything, we can just follow up afterward."
Okay...Barely contributed, but annoyingly smart, Dina admitted to herself.
Aldi sprang to his feet as though he'd been launched by a rocket, enthusiastically gathering their things.
Dina glanced at the clock. It was almost night.
Not long afterward, the boys were already sitting on their motorcycles, ready to leave. Aldi, Arvin, and Bram waved before riding off. Ando lingered behind.
"Din." His voice was quiet, but unmistakably clear.
Dina looked up. There was something about the way he said her name.
Serious.
Yet barely hiding a smile.
"You know... I really wouldn't mind being one of your Alfas."
Oh my God.He's seriously still going on about that?
"Will you just leave already? GO!" Dina shouted, exasperated.
Laughing to himself, Ando started his motorcycle and rode away.
Percy let out a meow, almost as though he were laughing at his owner too.
"Just you wait! When I finally find my Alfa, I'll prove he really exists! He's not just something I imagined!"
The breeze drifted through the window, stirring the thin curtains. Dina let out a quiet sigh and began clearing the table.
As she picked up one of the papers, she paused. It was one of Ando's draft notes. Detailed. Practical.
So he was paying attention after all, she thought quietly.
Even while he looked completely absorbed in texting Clara.