We Are

Chapter 2

The school bell rang loudly, signaling the start of the break. The students welcomed it with joy after spending hours buried in their lessons—some of which had left them with pounding headaches and spinning thoughts. Not to mention the boredom and reluctance they felt.

In an instant, the once noisy classrooms became empty. This was also the case in Diana’s class. She chose to stay behind, letting the others rush out first. She had no desire to squeeze through the doorway alongside her classmates, all eager to escape the classroom.

Diana fell into deep thought, recalling the events of that morning when she had arrived at school and met a young man. The feeling she had when she saw him wasn’t just a fleeting thought—it was a sign. That young man hadn’t just reminded her of someone from her past. Something much bigger was happening. At least, that’s what she believed.

That person had reappeared in her life.

Diana sighed.

The one she had remembered when meeting that young man was now back in her world. He was in the same environment as her, entering her life the same way as before. He had come as a new student at her school.

His presence had taken Diana by surprise, but it didn’t take long for her to realize something. Unlike her, who remembered him vividly, he did not seem to recognize her at all. Or perhaps… he had simply forgotten about her.

Diana had confirmed it when she met him today.

Suddenly aware that she was the only one left in the empty classroom, Diana quickly stood up and made her way to the door. She was headed to the school library to borrow a book for a newly assigned class project.

As she walked down the corridor toward the library, her path was blocked by a large group of female students, buzzing with excitement over something. Whether intentional or not, they completely obstructed her way. Their voices filled the hallway with an almost unbearable chatter.

Diana was just about to push her way through—curious about what had captured their attention—when, all at once, the crowd began moving forward. She simply continued walking.

Wait a minute… something’s off, Diana thought.

She noticed that the entire group was heading in the same direction she was—toward the library.

There’s no way they’re all going to the library, right? That would be ridiculous.

But her intuition turned out to be correct. The crowd stopped right in front of the library entrance, and so did Diana.

"Did he really go into the library?"

"Maybe he’s getting his library card."

"That makes sense. He’s a new student, after all."

"Ugh, why did he have to come here?"

"I can’t go in. I forgot my library card."

"Same here. I left mine at home."

"I guess we won’t be able to follow him any further."

Diana overheard their conversations. She didn’t quite understand what was going on, but one by one, the girls began to leave the library entrance.

"They’re dispersing?" she mumbled to herself.

When she finally stepped inside, she immediately felt a sharp, scrutinizing gaze on her. Standing near the library counter was a young man who was staring at her intently. His dark eyes seemed to be analyzing her every move, almost piercing through her.

Without realizing it, Diana felt slightly uneasy. Just slightly. She wasn’t the type to be easily rattled, but that look he was giving her made her uncomfortable.

Why is he looking at me like that? she wondered.

Shaking off the feeling, she approached the librarian to scan her card.

"Hmm… are you really here to borrow a book? Or are you just following someone?" the librarian, a middle-aged woman, asked with a knowing look.

"Huh?" Diana blinked in confusion and instinctively followed the librarian’s gaze. It led to the same young man who had been staring at her earlier—now walking between the bookshelves.

At that moment, everything clicked in Diana’s mind.

That new student thought she was one of his admirers. And judging by what the librarian had just said, everyone else thought the same.

Diana sighed.

"Ma’am, whatever reason I have for coming here has absolutely nothing to do with that student," she clarified to the librarian.

Even middle-aged women are interested in him, huh? Diana scoffed internally.

"Oh, I see," the librarian chuckled. "I thought you were one of his fans. It’s no surprise, though. The girls were crowding the library entrance just to catch a glimpse of him. He is quite handsome, after all."

Diana exhaled sharply.

She had to admit, the guy was incredibly good-looking. But that was beside the point. They all assumed she had entered the library just to chase after him. No wonder he had looked at her with suspicion earlier.

Now that she thought about it, she had to begrudgingly admire his quick thinking. He had used the library as a way to escape his fan club. That was actually pretty clever.

Still, Diana couldn’t decide how she felt about all of this. Should she be annoyed? Impressed? Both?

Shaking her head, she finished scanning her card and made her way to the bookshelves.

She searched the shelves carefully until she finally spotted the book she needed. Just as she reached for it, another hand grabbed the same book from the top.

Her gaze followed the hand upward until she locked eyes with the owner. Her breath hitched in surprise.

The young man from earlier.

And what he said next shocked her even more.

"I’d appreciate it if you took your hand off the book," he stated matter-of-factly.

Diana remained silent for a moment.

There was only one copy of this book left. Her class was the last to receive this assignment, which meant if she hadn’t reached for it first, she might have been out of luck.

"So, you expect me to just let you have it? Even though I found it first?" she countered.

"I was the first to touch it, so it’s mine by right," he replied.

Diana wasn’t about to back down. She grabbed the book firmly with both hands.

The young man narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing? Stop trying to get my attention like this."

"What?!" Diana was beyond irritated now. He still thought she was chasing after him?

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to remain calm.

"Let me make one thing clear—I am not trying to get your attention," she said firmly. "And you’ve completely misunderstood the situation."

"Is that so?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Whatever. Believe what you want."

With that, Diana let go of the book, placing it in his hands. He was visibly startled by the sudden gesture.

"If you need it that badly, then take it. But make sure you return it the day after tomorrow," she said before pointing to an empty spot on the shelf. "Put it back there when you’re done. I still need it for my assignment too."

And with that, Diana walked past him, leaving him standing there—speechless.

*****