INT – CLASSROOM
It's Monday again.
The eternal enemy of happiness.
Work? School? Motivation? Gone—obliterated by Monday.
Right now, I'm sitting alone in the classroom. Why? Because Mr. Caretaker—I mean Ice—is busy with his SSC duties. Apparently, he volunteered (read: forced himself) to pick me up this morning after I got discharged from the hospital.
Did I mention I told him, loud and clear, NO HOSPITAL?
Traitor.
But who knew Ice actually had a conscience? Apparently, all you have to do is faint and land in the hospital for him to show a tiny, tiny bit of kindness. No clue how long this limited-time subscription lasts, though.
I sigh dramatically and open my laptop. With a few clicks, I pull up the PDF file showing the three-tier wedding cake design we rushed to finish last night—thank you, video calls! If not for those, I'd be absolutely toast. All because I fainted at the worst possible moment during finals.
I don't need animation software to imagine how it'll look. It's already alive in my head.
At first, we had no idea how to blend the two themes—Snow and Flame—for a wedding cake. Who even wants that kind of aesthetic? Fire and Ice? Disaster!
The colors? Even worse.
Our first idea was minimalistic—just slap on some logos or symbols. Snowflakes here, little flames there.
But nooo, Miss Ruin My Weekends wrote in all caps that she wanted to see the elements. Loud and bold.
Of course, I came up with terrible ideas. Ice didn't even speak—just gave me his signature death glare through the screen.
Thank goodness he couldn't reach me through the laptop.
Me: "Let's set the cake on fire!"
Ice: "We'll violate school policy."
Me: "But it's artistic!"
Him: "It's illegal."
Me again: "Then what if we freeze the whole thing?"
Ice, already done with me: "Do you even know how sugar reacts to freezing temperatures?"
(…I didn't.)
Eventually, we settled on a cake divided vertically into two distinct themes.
Hey! I did contribute, okay? I'm pretty sure I did… maybe… a little?
Left side: Snow.
Jagged icicle-shaped candies shimmer in shades of blue like precious crystals. Cold, elegant, and a little intimidating—just like Ice himself.
Right side: Flame.
Warm orange and red fondant shaped like licking fire. Simpler, but bold. Ice said the contrast makes both sides stand out even more. And for once… I agreed.
Then, smack in the center, we added the most adorable part: chibi bride and groom figurines!
It was so cute I nearly cried.
And the part I loved most? A river flowing down the middle, sparkling between fire and ice—made from clear soda. When the light hits it, it looks like flowing glass. Elegant and kind of magical.
But the symbolism? That part bugged me.
"Why water?" I'd asked, staring at it like it was some mysterious code.
Ice replied without looking at me: "It represents them being together."
"Huh?" I blinked at him. "Because the ice melts into water?"
No response.
"But fire boils water! That's not romantic!" I argued.
"It means neither side wins. Both melt away to be together."
Okay, that… sounded kinda tragic.
Also, a little poetic? But mostly tragic.
He ignored me, as usual. Until this morning. I was still complaining as he got ready to leave for his SSC duties.
"Tell me, Ice! Why water? It sounds like heartbreak!" I whined.
He flicked my forehead and muttered, "It's called sacrifice."
Then he walked away, not even looking back.
I stood by the door, holding my forehead and watching his figure fade down the hallway.
Was that… Ice just now?
So deep. So cool. So rude.
Now I'm staring at the design again. Somehow, it makes sense.
It reminds me of a cartoon I watched as a kid—about a flame prince and an ice princess. They weren't allowed to be together because they'd end up hurting each other. But they chose to love anyway, hugging until they both melted away.
No fairytale ending.
But they were smiling… like they were finally free.
I remember crying at that scene.
And here I am again, about to cry thinking about it.
Knock knock.
"Fyre?"
Oriel peeked in from the door, squinting like I'd done something suspicious. Not that I can blame her—me being early is a rare cosmic event.
Dhylan appeared behind her with a wide smile. "Oh, Fyre! You're early!"
At least he sounded genuinely amused. Oriel was clearly holding back judgment.
Thanks, DJ. You're a real one.
"How was the photoshoot?" I asked as they stepped inside.
But suddenly… they froze.
Like statues.
Oriel's face turned pale.
Dhylan? His eyes darted everywhere—walls, ceiling, his own shoes—anywhere but me.
I narrowed my eyes, crossing my arms as I stood. "Okay… Campus Couple. What happened?"