INT – CLASSROOM, 7:00 AM
"YOU WHAT?!"
My voice shot to the ceiling—I thought my ears had malfunctioned.
Before I could blurt out anything else, Oriel clamped a hand over my mouth.
I kept muttering in muffled disbelief. She was sitting on the edge of my desk, and thank goodness only a few students were around. Still, my shout had definitely turned some heads.
With a sheepish smile and awkward wave to the curious glances, Oriel finally released me. I blinked rapidly, needing a mental reset, while she stared me down with a pleading look that begged me not to scream again.
Her bestie-lover had conveniently run off to grab breakfast from the cafeteria—or at least, that's the excuse he gave for escaping the scene.
I leaned in, whispering with the lowest voice I could manage. "You… kissed him??"
I was screaming on the inside. This was torture—I wanted to roll on the floor.
Her reaction said it all. A red flush bloomed across her cheeks as she gave the tiniest, guiltiest nod.
My fists curled on the desk. I had questions. And when it came to gossip like this, I was the lead investigator, prosecutor, and judge.
In a few minutes, I'd gotten the full report—well, mostly. Oriel kept going on about how thankful they were and how talented the whole team was.
"It was Tomo, you know," she gushed. "The Tomo! Top photographer!"
"But... you didn't have to force yourself!" I frowned, worried. I could tell from her voice that she'd gone through with it because of me. Or maybe I was just the excuse. I'd kind of joined her fan club too, Sorry Oriel.
"No, Fyre, it was amazing." Her face lit up with real joy. "Nothing like my side gig modeling. This was on another level—they even did my makeup!"
Still... "You could've just told them the truth. I mean, I called right in the middle of something. I only told Tomo you needed a wedding set."
That part was true. I hadn't gone into details.
"Sorry," I mumbled.
"No!" Oriel grabbed my hand, squeezing it. "You're not at fault."
"But you did something you weren't comfortable with!"
"It's not that," she hesitated. "I think I'm the one who messed up." Her voice dropped so low I almost didn't catch it. "I think DJ's mad at me."
"What? Why?"
"He didn't want to do the kiss. I went through with it anyway. I forced it." She sighed and slumped over my desk, burying her face in her arms.
A muffled "Ahhhh" escaped her, full of frustration.
I mean… it's Dhylan. Why would he be mad?
She sighed again.
"It'll be fine," I said gently.
"Dhylan's probably just overwhelmed. Honestly, I think he liked it—or just couldn't handle it. If my crush kissed me, I'd disintegrate on the spot." I kept this part on myself.
Not that it would ever happen. My crushes usually lived in hardbound copies of books… or digital manga apps.
"Can I see the photos?" I asked, grinning. "I want to see the kiss."
Oriel lifted her head slightly, cheeks still pink. "They're only on DJ's hard drive." She paused. "Honestly, the final shot was perfect. The lighting, the editing, the makeup—everything."
She sighed again. "But the photo before that… DJ's eyes were wide open. Completely shocked."
She collapsed back into the desk with a dramatic groan.
Cue Ice glaring at the noise from his seat.
I giggled. "Was it like… this?" I showed her my phone.
Oriel slowly raised her head, squinted at the screen—and froze in absolute terror.
"How?!" She stood up, stunned.
Busted.
I grinned. "I knew it."
"Silence. Class is about to start," Ice said from the left, his voice sharp and cold.
Oriel sat down, still wide-eyed and glued to my phone like it had betrayed her.
And then... the whispers started.
Two minutes ago. School forum. Newspaper club page.
Headline: NEWLYWEDS?! CONGRATULATIONS!
"Omg, Oriel, are you married?" Rika called from behind, phone in hand.
"What??" Lia looked over her shoulder and gasped. "Congrats!"
Before I could react, half the class had gathered around Oriel's desk, offering their excited cheers and well wishes.
Oriel? She looked like she'd been launched to the moon.
The photo they posted? Oh, it was perfect—for the chaos. It was the one where she kissed Dhylan, and he looked utterly stunned, mid-eye-bulge.
It was adorable.
Mostly because Dhylan was usually the expressive one, and now the tables had turned.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Oriel blinked back to reality—and zeroed in on the culprit.
"DJ!!"
Right on cue, Dhylan appeared at the door.
One look at the crowd and the headline on everyone's phones told him everything. His face turned white—and then he bolted down the hallway.
Oriel jumped up and chased after him. "DJ, wait!"
Another voice followed from the left. "Hey! No running in the halls!"
And me? I just sat there, happily staring at the photo on my screen.
Tomo-sama… you're a genius.