C12 CHAPTER 12

Sometimes, you really get surprised at how quickly the days pass by. Today is their midterms exam. Isn't it even more surprising than those timeskips in movies and novels? Anyway, Akira was still half-asleep when she remembered today's date.

Her plan was really to wake up early and leave. Saiko, her sister, left the house with her. They didn't let their mom wake up early just to make them breakfast. They noticed how tired she had been from work lately and waking up early every day. So they let her catch up on sleep since it's her rest day.

So the sisters decided to eat at a Fast Food chain instead. Carrying their stuff, Akira knocked just to say goodbye to their mom. They went for the usual student breakfast place - McDonald's. Plus, Saiko's school was just nearby, making it convenient for her to go straight from there. As for Akira, her Midterms start at 9 am, and it was still as early as 6:30.

They ordered their usual breakfast meal - Hotcakes with Sausage and Hash brown on the side, paired with Iced coffee. With her handmade reviewer in hand, Akira read it while waiting for their receipt number to be called. She hadn't seen Dwayne since the last time they studied at his house. Which is a good thing for both of them right now, to focus more on their own reviewing.

She and her sister Saiko ate, small-talking about random stuff.

The siblings parted ways after finishing breakfast. Since Saiko's school was just across from McDonald's, they parted ways once Saiko made sure she was inside the school.

Akira was currently walking inside the University campus while adjusting her bag, which had just been inspected. "Kira," Jayden greeted as they crossed paths. It was just the usual smile, but Akira could tell there was something different about Jayden lately.

"Hey, where are you headed?" They both stopped walking, looking back at each other.

"Admin office. I need to drop something off to a professor," There was silence between them. Normally, Jayden would blabber about what happened over the weekend, but something was off about Jayden. "Uhh... good luck on your Midterms today,"

"Yeah. You too. Break a leg maybe," They even held out fists as a 'do good' gesture, but Jayden only smiled lightly before leaving. As friends who had developed a close bond over time, Akira was puzzled. Normally, in a casual conversation like this, they wouldn't let each other go so easily.

She felt a tap on her shoulder followed by a call "Aki!" which startled Akira. "Hey, what's with the bothered look? Are you okay?" he added.

The way she was called, Akira knew exactly who it was. Even without looking or facing him, even with her eyes closed, she would know who was behind that nickname basis...

In the middle of their iMessage conversation three days ago, the topic of why Akira's name was like that suddenly came up. So Dwayne came up with the idea to call her 'Aki'. Although Akira wasn't too happy being called that.

"Hey, Aki, why the long face so early in the morning? Who got you all upset, tell me, TELL ME!"

"No one, seriously. I'm just nervous," Akira's nervousness showed in her face and actions.

"Why are you nervous when we reviewed everything?" Akira nodded in agreement with Dwayne. They walked together to the room where the exam would be held. "Unless you didn't follow up on the review and ended up binge-watching Stranger Things again."

"Hey!" Akira nudged Dwayne's arm. "But that's true. BUT then again, I only watched a few episodes. I didn't even finish Season 3. I DID follow up on the review!"

Once they reached the classroom, they immediately took their seats and did some last-minute reading since there were only a few students in the room and the proctor hadn't arrived yet to start the exam.

Usually, midterm exams were taken in batches. If the class was too large, it would be divided into two different classrooms. But in the case of BSBA, they were accommodated in one room with seats far apart. They only wished now to finish well and pass.

The BSBA students were focused as the exam began. Meanwhile, on the other side of the story, Jayden couldn't help but wonder why Akira seemed to be avoiding him lately. And lately, he also noticed that she was often with that mysterious guy. Jayden didn't quite catch the name, but that same dude was the talk of their section. The 'BSBA cutie', as the girls address him.

If he wasn't mistaken, it was the same guy he saw with Akira getting into a car that time he wanted to invite her to the newly opened coffee shop. From the looks of it, they seemed pretty close.

It's not that Jayden didn't want his best friend to have other friends; actually, he was fine with that. Knowing that during their high school years, Akira had a hard time making friends, so she didn't have any other friends besides him. But for some reason, that mysterious guy pisses him off.

How many times had Jayden tried to reach out to spend time with Akira like before, only to be turned down several times? Whether it was catching up on activities, general cleaning day, or having plans with that guy. Jayden understood that college life was busy, but at least even on their free days...?

If you're wondering why it's a big deal to him, he's not overreacting. Maybe that's just how it is when you were practically inseparable before and very close, almost like siblings. It's just sad that there comes a day when, no matter how close you were, you will still grow apart from each other.

In other words, he's feeling hurt.

They both breathed a sigh of relief when dismissal was declared. Given that it was also Jayden's midterm exam today, he felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest after finishing the exam smoothly.

Students started to leave one by one, bidding farewell to each other, as did the students from the other room. "We're heading out first, bro. Good job today," a classmate tapped Jayden on the shoulder as he moved to the side of the hallway to take out his phone and check on Akira.

"Likewise. Take care!" He waved back. In the midst of calling her, he heard light chuckles and giggles from the girls in his previous class, on the same floor as him, pointing at a guy from below. If one were to judge, it seemed like they were giggling about someone. You know, that kind of teenage romantic comedy gossiping. He didn't pay much attention and was distracted when Akira answered on the other line when he tried to call her phone.

Akira: Hey! How did it go for you?

She starts. Jayden couldn't help but smile involuntarily. "Okay, little miss psychic, you beat me to asking the same question," he chuckled, as Akira proceeded to tell him about her struggles memorizing long method processes and keywords.

"I think I did okay, I guess staying up until the early morning reviewing was worth it," Jayden replied. Akira laughed on the other end of the line. Still on the third floor building, he could see Akira from the railing where he stood in the hallway. She smiled again when she saw him.

He could hear some of her classmates in the background, approaching one by one as their conversation continued.

Akira: ...yeah, I can binge-watch series again hahah- Ouch, Dwayne, stay put will you?

Jayden furrowed his brows upon seeing what was happening. Because their buildings were practically opposite each other, he could see the students who had just finished their exams dispersing downstairs. He also clearly saw how playfully 'Dwayne' was teasing Akira.

Turns out, the topic the girls in her class were chatting about earlier was that mysterious guy who's always with Akira. That Dwayne dude.

Dwayne was sitting on the bench with some of Akira's classmates. He kept teasing her while they were still talking on the phone. "Do you have plans?" Jayden asked seriously. "Let's grab a bite, my treat. Since the midterms are over-"

"Aki, let's go!" Jayden suddenly heard Dwayne inviting his friend.

Akira: U-uhh sorry, I'll just flip the Pass Card again. My classmates invited me to eat out. Maybe some other time, Kade.

Jayden let out a soft "Ahh..." as he realized it was another pass again.

Akira: If you want, you can join us-

"No, it's okay. I just remembered I have something else to do," he made an excuse. But the truth was, there wasn't anything pending that he needs to do. The shift in his tone was evident. "Take care, Kira."

After Akira responded, they ended the call. Jayden sighed as he watched his friend walking out of the campus with her other classmates.

Realizing he got passed over again. He even impulsively made a private Twitter account to vent out on.

Akira, Luna, Rover, and Dwayne along with their other classmates decided to celebrate finishing their midterms with some Samgyupsal because they deserved it. Despite the proctor being a bit strict with time during exams, they managed to finish without any mistakes on their papers.

Even though she's out with friends and batchmates, Akira couldn't help but keep declining Jayden, both literally and figuratively. For some reason, she feels guilty. There's nothing wrong with spending time with newly made friends, but she feels like her friendship with Jayden is being neglected.

She doesn't want to think that way, but that's what's happening. She needs to make it up to him. I believe that's what should be done.