I arrive early to class, and as I step into the room, a chorus of “Happy Birthday!” greets me from my classmates. Mico, who’s been absent for a while, returns to class with a faint smile directed at me. Scanning the room, I can’t find my friends. I quickly tuck my bag behind my seat and lean forward to nudge Rita, the girl in front of me.
“Rita,” I ask in a hushed tone, “do you know where Yuri and the girls are?”
She shrugs, just as puzzled as I am. “No idea,” she replies.
Suddenly, the door opens, and Amisha and Mich approach me with excitement. Mich pulls a handkerchief from her pocket and gently drapes it over my eyes, enveloping me in darkness. “I can’t see.”
“That’s the point, you dumb!” Mich remarks.
They take hold of my hands and lead me somewhere, but I have no idea where. “G
