In Between

Chapter 10

"So, who's the next group?" Mr. Yan asked, and Red raised his hand, prompting Mr. Yan to nod and indicate for him to proceed to the front. As Red stood in front, some students giggled, pleased to see him up front, but Red remained focused, displaying his usual serious expression.

"So, Red, what's the topic of your group?" Mr. Yan asked him.

"Our topic is about..." He started, then turned his gaze to Vivian before continuing, "How love evolves in a person."

Meanwhile, Yna and Sira glanced at him, and the whole class grew wide-eyed, uttering a collective "Whoa" as they found the topic interesting, with Mr. Yan nodding his head in amazement.

Did he agree? But that's not our topic. He won the voting, right? Isn't this supposed to be our topic? But why is he doing this? Vivian thoughts looking at him.

"In this topic, we will find out how and when love grows inside, how it feels to be in love, whether love has a specific definition, and if love has a scientific explanation or if it just literally grows within the person who experiences or feels the so-called love. And when do people say that he or she is in love? And we can discover more about love from it." Soon, Mr. Yan let his hands clap, as he was really amazed by the topic Red presented,he couldn't have expected it to be so unique and thought-provoking.

"I'm impressed by your chosen topic, Red. So far, I've looked at you as a good thesis leader." Mr. Yan complimented him, clearing his throat before throwing a glance at Vivian that made the students notice and follow his gaze, finding it fixed on her.

"Sir, we have a good thesis leader, but I'm not the one who suggested this." Red said, which made everyone look confused, as Red was still glancing at Vivian, making her feel nervous and shy at the same time. She didn't expect Red to do this.

"Then who?"

"It's Vivian, sir," Red uttered, and everyone in the class turned their gaze to Vivian, looking surprised, while others wore unpleasant expressions, perhaps feeling jealous that she had somehow managed to be in the spotlight. The fact that she was the only girl Red mentioned so far didn't go unnoticed.

"So, Vivian, is it true that you're the one who suggested this topic?" Mr. Yan asked, looking at Vivian with a smile. Vivian stood up.

"Y-yes, sir." she said, slightly hesitant.

"Well, it's a great topic - really one of the most unique I've ever heard. I'm impressed, Vivian," Mr. Yan complimented her, making her smile and bow.

"By the way, Vivian, may we know why or how you came up with this kind of topic?"

"Ah... sir, honestly, I don't have enough reason why I suggested this topic, but... I think why I came out with this is because of curiosity, wondering how it would feel when the time comes for you to be in love, and somehow you may think about how you can definitely say that this is love, or you're feeling the love, or you're in love. As we all know that love can be seen and felt in many ways, but true love can't often be... So, we tend to discover how it starts, when it grows, and how it ends." The whole room was now filled with silence after Vivian's words. Everyone paused, eyeing her, and she noticed that even Red was caught up in the silence. As she noticed the sudden silence, she cursed herself, thinking that maybe she had said something wrong.

What's the meaning of this dead silence? Did I say something? "Yes, you did." Really?! What? "Your heart..." Huh? My heart? "You've conveyed it wholeheartedly."

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Walking towards the locker area, Vivian quickened her pace to reach there as soon as possible, as her last class of the day was about to start in a few minutes. Soon, she headed to the locker area, took the key to her locker, unlocked it, and opened the door to grab the things she needed for her next class. After a while, she closed the locker, and Yna and Sira's faces instantly flashed into her sight, making her gasp in surprise at their presence.

"Hey, Vivian, it's us. Cool down, can you?" Yna said, chuckling at her reaction.

"Then don't appear out of nowhere," Vivian said, fixing her bag before hearing Sira speak.

"Anyway, congrats, Vivian, you're so damn good at thesis. I'm lucky to have you as our group mate," Sira said with a wink, making Vivian smile at her cute compliment. Somehow, she enjoyed being with Yna and Sira, the two besties who brought good vibes to their group.

"Stop praising me, we're a group. So we're all doing great work." she replied, giving them both a smile that made them giggle.

"By the way, Vivian, Red mentioned that we're going to have a meeting to assign some tasks for our thesis. Can you go?" Sira asked her.

"I have one class to attend," Vivian replied.

"That's fine, you can go after, we'll wait for you at the south lounge," Yna added, and Vivian nodded. After that, Yna and Sira took their leave. Soon, Vivian turned her way, now heading to her next class.

"Hi, bestie!" Theo suddenly appeared in her way, again making her jump in shock.

"Are you fine? Did I surprise you?" Theo asked, chuckling as he found her adorable actions of being annoyed but still controlled.

"Isn't it obvious? Never mind, so... what now, brat?"

"Vian, can you call me by my name, Theo? Or better yet, create some endearment for your friend," Theo said.

"But that's my endearment for you," Vivian replied.

"Huh? What? You mean 'the brat'?" Theo asked, raising his eyebrows once again, which made her laugh. He looked confused, even though he already knew the answer. Getting the point, he glared at her as Vivian kept staring at him, controlling her burst of laughter.

"Are you an i***t, to the point that you can't think of some pleasant endearment for me?"

"Is that so mean to you, bro? I mean, without that, you're still my friend," Vivian said, winking at him to avoid squirming again.

"Yuck! Don't dare to wink again, Vian..." Theo jokingly rebutted, and she lightly hit his arm, chuckling happily. It was usual for them to annoy each other.

"Anyway, I heard that you're alone at home?" Theo asked, being a concerned best friend. Soon, Vivian walked while talking to him.

"Hey, don't walk so fast. So, is it true?"

"Yes, but don't worry, Theo, I'm good," Vivian replied, giving him a smile to reassure him.

"Are you sure? What if you stay at my place as well, for me to secure your safety?"

"Brat, I'm not a kid, okay? I can take care of myself, chill out, dude," Vivian said, patting his shoulder. That was their usual buddy behavior.

"I insist, so don't dare to refuse," Theo looked at her sternly, which made her chuckle, thinking that being serious was out of his character, as he was used to being a silly, playful, and annoying buddy.

"No need. I assure you everything is fine, and if not, then I'll call you for some help, alright?" Vivian smiled, and he just nodded, forcibly agreeing to her terms.

Honestly, I've never imagined that I could still have someone who really cared for me - someone I could count on, someone I could trust, and earn that trust from me. Someone like Theo, who always sticks by my side when I need someone to rely on... And for that, I've grown to love this little buddy. Imagine? We're almost at that point, even from the start, when I treated him harshly, but still, he didn't give up, and turn his back at me instead, he kept on earning my trust.

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To be continued.....