A new school year had begun and the school was brimming with students both new returning students.
Those that went to have fun over the summer, those who had to study during the break to cover up what they had missed or gotten wrong during the last semester, those who are happy to have gotten into college and other who are just there to chill out.
Anyways, Luka had already done all the necessary registrations and documentaries before this day, so he just goes straight to the lecture hall.
"Oh my God, who's that?!" a girl says after a brief shriek, in a light soft tone in the the hallway. "He's so handsome"
"I haven't seen him before, that must mean he's a first year."
"I think I saw him with a girl outside this morning when I was coming to school."
"Really, could that be his girlfriend?"
"Damn it, I thought I stood a chance."
This was the normal reaction Luka always got when going somewhere for the first time, wherever he walked gazed followed around him. Whispers would always fill the air, with people wondering about his identity and his relationships. The whole way punctuated by hushed conversations, with strangers speculating who he was and what his life was like.
He'd already been used to the gazes of admiration speculation and concern that flew around him from the time of his adoption and as usual, he made no reaction.
This time though, admiration, envy, anxiety and excitement towards him were most of the temperaments. All one in the same, Luka walks through the hall with his ears covered with his headphones, helping him keep his concentration steady and go towards his lecture hall.
He sighs, "… as always, they keep staring and whispering. I still don't know why they keep staring at me with that look in their eyes, there are a lot of other guys that are far more better looking than me."
One of Luka's downsides in character is his low self esteem, he puts himself below others to a certain level by which the way others look at him doesn't really matter to him, and so his life goes.
"The fundamentals of fine arts lies in their origins…." a professor of the first year fine arts department says in a commanding tone, lecturing a hall of over a hundred and sixty three students who had applied into the fine arts faculty.
The faculty consisted of various departments including that of Painting & Sculpture, Theater Arts & Choreography and Writing Literature.
"Oh Shit, We're late for the class already" Brianna says as she enters the class from the door at the back of the hall with her friends, Brittney and Duke.
"Well we wouldn't be late if 'someone' hadn't made us stop at the cafe behind the library. Ring any bells?!" Duke asks with a charming smile.
Brianna pouts, " I was in a hurry, so I had to run without eating breakfast and puh..lease, that smile of yours can't charm me anymore. Huh… That guy this morning was a totally hottie and I looked him in his pretty eyes" she sighs and says thinking about Luka, before sitting down while facing the two of them who were a standing beside her, and she sees them staring at her in awe or rather staring behind her.
Brittney then breaks the sudden silence among them, " He's even hotter up close."
"Even hotter up close, what are you talking abou…." Brianna says ignorantly while turning to see what they're staring at only to jump up from the seat in shock and embarrassment with her cheeks all lit up.
She had unknowingly sat down beside Luka, who this time around had pulled his headphones to his neck, exposing his ears to the cold air that had been blowing, turning his ears all red. And to her, this made a whole new look as she was the only one who had really looked at him up close, and this new look had just added a certain amount of cute to him normally handsome face.
Startled, "uhm…, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking anything perverted I promise…" she apologized while stuttering. "But you kinda startled me there. What are you doing here?!" She asks out of confusion, even knowing the obvious answer.
Luka looks at her, with intention to continue observing her facial properties for his portrait but he notices something more while seeing her face completely up close. Though not the prettiest, she was pretty.
Brianna has brown hair and brown eyes, with certain features that distinguish her from other females of her age. She has a type of skin that's a tint fairer than normal, a round like face that made her look a bit younger than her actual age and a smile that stabbed guys in the chest.
He just noticed it for a brief moment, but what he just saw had changed his view of her.
"I'm also a student here" he says briefly before turning back to face his phone which he was holding.
That brief answer has already done a lot to her, she immediately remembers the feeling of when she had heard his voice for the first time, that was a feeling she would never forget.
"Really?! what department?!" She feels a sudden burst of confidence and her extroverted side readily kicks in and she sits back on the chair beside him.
"Painting & Sculpture"
"Wow, that's good. I'm actually in theater arts department, in this faculty" she laughs awkwardly.
"Won't your friends sit down?!, I don't like the idea of people standing around me unnecessarily" he says, still looking at his phone. It may seem like he wants them to sit down but in reality, he really couldn't care less.
"Oh sorry, I haven't even introduced you to my friends. These are my best friends Brittney and Duke" then she points at them.
" Alright, I'm Luka, nice to meet you." Luka turns and faces them then stretches his hand out for a handshake.
Duke shakes his hand, "Nice to meet you, I'm Duke, Painting and Sculpture, I look forward to working with you."
Brittney, too shy to shake him stutters as she talks, "hi, I..I'm Brittney, n-n-nice to meet you."
"Hey, that's not fair."
"What?!"
"You didn't tell me your name when we first met" She said pouting in a little envious phase.
Luka sighs, "Hmm…, I don't think its ideal to share names with someone you don't really know, besides you didn't even realize I was a student until now."
"Well, that's true, but still, you didn't tell me that you were a student even though you knew I was coming to the same place as you."
"I don't really talk to people the first time we meet, communication isn't one of my strong suits." He says after returning to his normal position.
Brianna then thought, "Anyway, since we're acquainted now, can I assume that we can be friends"
"Hmm…" Luka thought, at the mention of friends, he remembers what it was like before that whole incident.
Friends were one of the things Luka was never able to recover aside his emotions after that incident. He had some friends back before then, and they were the ones who had unknowingly helped him keep his emotions lit through his years of school until the unfortunate summer of the incident.
"Friends huh?!, …..NO!" He scoffed without making a single expression. "Please don't assume that, I don't want to do something that might cause anyone harm later on."
"Misunderstandings?!, What do you mean?!" Brianna asked, trying by all means to be friends with him.
He sighs, "As you can see there are already eyes watching me from every angle and so many people would become attracted to people close to me, good and bad alike and things could happen.
The only friend Luka gotten was terribly bullied in their first year of high school. The bullies were afraid to face him because of the fear they get from his eyes and demeanor, so their target became victor, his friend. And because of that lack of emotion, Luka did nothing to stop the bullies and victor ended up leaving the school because of that.
As for Brianna, No one had ever declined being friends with her, so she didn't really know how to handle this situation.
"So, I really don't want people pestering others because they're close to me and that's it" Luka concluded hoping that she would drop the topic.
Now she had become determined to make friends with the first person to ever turn down her friendship.
"Alright, I here you. But, I'm not a fan of owing favors to people, so, you'll still be seeing me a lot until I'm able to repay you for your help today."
"I don't need you to pay me bac…." he was saying but then she cuts in.
"I won't take no for an answer" she says confidently.
"Alright, fine" He agreed to put a stop to the topic.
As one of his many developed traits, Luka had the innate ability to read people properly, almost transparently. And it had been very obvious that Brianna wasn't going down that easily and so he says that just to calm her down for the moment.
Brianna being happy about the successful start of her newly self determined mission almost jumps for joy before remembering that they were still in class.
"Those of you behind should take your seats and quiet down. Whatever is said today will be essential for your stay here as fine art students.", says the professor lecturing the class as he noticed Brianna and her group behind the class.
Both Brittney and Duke sit down and the class continues. Duke was sitting by Luka's left while Brianna and Brittney sat by his right.
"I still can't believe how handsome this guy is!" Duke thought to himself obnoxiously while stealing glances at Luka's 'Perfect' face. "This guy could get any girl he wants as his girlfriend without a hitch. Well maybe hanging around him would help my popularity boost a little."
After the lecture, the three friends, packing up to leave the hall and then Brianna turns to talk to Luka only to find an empty spot beside her.