Friday did not arrive gently.
It crept in through half-open windows and tired eyes, settling over Campus 2 like a promise nobody had asked for but everyone felt. The kind of day where the air itself seemed bored with responsibility. Where clocks ticked louder than lectures, and even the sunlight looked like it wanted to leave early.
XH sat with his pen hovering above the page, ink untouched for several minutes now.
He could hear the lecturer speaking. Words about definitions, structures, outcomes. None of them stuck. His gaze drifted instead to the window, where dust floated lazily in the warm light, unbothered by deadlines or attendance sheets.
He checked the time.
Too early.
TR leaned back in his chair beside him, balancing it on two legs like gravity was a suggestion rather than a rule."If I stay in this room another hour," TR muttered, "I'm aging in real time."
JP didn't even look up from his laptop. His fingers moved steadily, precise and efficient, like the lecture was already being sorted and archived in his mind."You've been aging since high school," he replied flatly.
HS smiled faintly, still listening. NS tapped his pen once against the desk, his eyes fixed somewhere past the whiteboard, thoughtful but unreadable.
"Ocean," NS said.
One word.
It cut through the room sharper than anything the lecturer had said.
PL's head snapped up."The supermall?"
NS nodded once. "Now."
XH frowned slightly. "We still have class."
TR's chair hit the floor as he stood up, already slinging his bag over his shoulder."We also still have youth."
Soft laughter rippled through the row, not loud enough to draw attention, but warm enough to spread. XH turned without thinking, his eyes landing on Kitty.
She sat near the window, chin resting lightly on her hand, eyes unfocused as if she was already somewhere else. When she noticed everyone looking at her, she lifted her brows in quiet curiosity.
"What?" she asked.
TR leaned closer, grinning."Do you believe in skipping class?"
Kitty smiled gently."I believe in consequences."
JP glanced at his phone."No announcement. No cancellation."
HS shrugged."Which means fate hasn't decided yet."
TR grabbed the door handle."Then we decide."
There was no vote. No debate. No second thoughts.
They moved as one, slipping out before hesitation could catch up. The hallway felt wider than usual, echoing with footsteps that sounded freer than they should have been. XH felt a strange lightness in his chest, like something invisible had loosened its grip.
Outside, the air hit them like permission.
They squeezed into an Uber that clearly wasn't designed for this many bodies, bags, and bad decisions.
"Bro," PL complained instantly, "I'm sitting on someone."
"That's bonding," TR said, already half leaning out the window.
Kitty ended up beside XH, her shoulder pressed lightly against his arm. Every bump in the road nudged them closer. Neither of them moved away. XH became painfully aware of the warmth through his sleeve, the quiet rhythm of her breathing.
The driver glanced at them through the mirror."You kids skipping school?"
TR answered proudly."University."
The driver laughed."Even worse."
"Ocean Supermall," TZ added calmly, like he already knew the day would turn out fine.
The word felt electric.
Ocean greeted them with sound before they even stepped inside. Music spilled from storefronts. Screens flashed sales they couldn't afford. The smell of food wrapped around them instantly, heavy and tempting.
PL stretched his arms wide."Welcome to temptation."
They wandered without purpose, drifting from store to store, laughing too loudly, stopping suddenly just because something caught their eye. Nobody checked the time. Nobody talked about assignments or exams.
Kitty slowed near a luxury women's clothing store.
The mannequins stood tall and confident, dressed in fabric that looked expensive in a quiet way. Kitty stepped closer, eyes soft, thoughtful.
"These are beautiful," she murmured.
XH followed her inside without realizing he had decided to.
The store was quieter, cooler. The air smelled faintly like perfume and money. Kitty brushed her fingers along a sleeve carefully, like she didn't want to disturb it.
"This looks like something someone successful would wear," she said, half-joking, half-serious.
"You'd look good in it," XH said before he could stop himself.
She turned, surprised. Then she smiled shyly, the kind of smile that stayed close to her face."You always say things like that."
"Like what?"
"Like you don't realize you're saying them."
Outside, TR pressed his face dramatically against the glass."ARE YOU BUYING HER A DRESS?"
"Go away," XH laughed, heat creeping into his ears.
The arcade pulled them back together like gravity.
Lights blinked. Machines hummed. Coins clinked. The air buzzed with movement and sound.
The motion-sensed boxing game immediately claimed TR."I was born for this."
He was not.
JP dodged clean punches, expression calm. HS laughed so hard he had to sit down. NS surprised everyone, landing precise hits with minimal movement, his focus sharp and quiet.
At the basketball arcade, balls flew everywhere.
"That one went in," TR argued.
"It hit the rim," JP replied.
"That counts emotionally."
The claw machines became PL's personal enemy.
"Just one more," he begged, feeding in another coin.
SP appeared quietly beside them, dropped a single coin, and lifted a plush toy on the first try.
Everyone stared.
SP blinked."What?"
They booed him loudly.
Hunger hit all at once, sharp and unavoidable.
They bought too much food. Coca-Cola bottles clinked in plastic bags. Big Macs stacked unevenly. A giant bucket of fried chicken steamed like treasure.
Back at Campus 2, they claimed their usual classroom, sunlight pouring through the windows like it belonged there.
Crunch.
They turned.
SP sat alone near the back, fried chicken bucket open, grease on his fingers, chewing calmly.
"…You're back early," he said.
The room exploded.
TR pointed at him like betrayal had a face."YOU ATE EVERYTHING."
SP peered into the bucket."There's one piece left."
Kitty laughed so hard she had to sit down, covering her mouth, shoulders shaking.
One by one, people drifted away. Bathroom breaks. Phone calls. Refills. Excuses.
The noise thinned.
Until it was just XH and Kitty.
The classroom felt different without everyone else. Sunlight softened the desks. Dust floated lazily in the air.
"That was a good day," Kitty said, sitting on the edge of a desk, legs swinging slightly.
"It really was," XH replied.
He stepped closer without planning to.
The back of his palm brushed her cheek.
She inhaled sharply, surprised, but she didn't pull away.
"I didn't mean to—"
"It's okay," she whispered.
The kiss was shy. Soft. Almost invisible.
But it existed.
When they pulled back, the room felt smaller, heavier with something that hadn't been there before.
Outside the classroom, NS paused by the window.
He hadn't meant to look.
But he did.
He saw enough.
Not anger.
Jealousy.
Quiet. Controlled. Dangerous.
He turned away without a word.
Inside, Kitty touched her cheek lightly, as if confirming it was real."We should go."
XH nodded.
As she left, he stayed behind, heart racing, knowing something had shifted.
Not loudly.
But permanently.