Throughout the remaining days of fifth grade, her face kept flashing in his mind. He brushed it off as a random trick of his brain, something meaningless. But it didn't fade.
The annual exams arrived, his primary school days ended, the holidays began, yet, she was still there lingering in his thoughts, refusing to disappear.
Then came the entrance exam results. As expected, he passed, securing his seat in the school. Everything was set, and life was supposed to go on as usual. But this time, something was different. His mind had moved on, but his eyes hadn't.
He searched for her, even though he told himself not to. But she was nowhere to be found.
Exhausted, he told himself it was over. He wouldn't see her again, and that was fine. There was nothing in his heart for her, or so he believed.
The holidays melted away, and the first day of sixth grade arrived. A new school, a new beginning. Yet, he remained the same. His father dropped him off, and he started searching for his classroom.
The bell rang. Students lined up near the flag post for the morning prayer. Even before the prayer ended, the protagonist had already started talking to the boy in front of him. By the time the teachers arrived to lead them inside, they had already become friends.
New class, new faces. The protagonist settled in quickly, making new friends at his bench. Everything felt predictable, until the interval bell rang.
As he walked along the balcony veranda towards the restroom, something strange happened.
A student from another class suddenly jumped behind him, grabbing onto his shoulders, his legs dangling in midair.
The protagonist froze. His breath caught in his throat.
Without thinking, he grabbed the boy and pulled him back to safety. Their eyes met. Neither spoke. Just a long, silent stare.
Then, without a word, they went on separate ways and later, they would become best friends.
And while life at his new school began to settle, something still felt incomplete.
He hadn't seen her.
And for some reason, that bothered him more than he was willing to admit.