Oddly

“Ah, I'm so bored.”

It was early in the morning, yet Marco already wanted to go home. I was watching the students passing by while leaning my body against the window.

“It's your fault... you're the one who woke me up so early to see what's the school looks like when the sun still hasn't out," I answered.

Marco continued shoving his face on his table.

“I have just wondered what the school looks like.”

Then don't complain to me!

————————————

I was peacefully sleeping, diving deep into my dreams until a loud sound roused and pushed me out of my dream. I opened my sleepy eyes looking where the sound came from. It was from my phone but I had no memory of setting an alarm.

I left my phone knowing the sound would be gone in a minute but I was wrong. The annoying sound continued soaring into my ears, I'd even buried my face on my bed because of the repeating sound, but there was nothing left for me to do except to look at it.

I was in a rage after I saw that it wasn't an alarm. It was a call from a certain person, that's was right, it was from Marco. But that rage couldn't be compared after I saw the time

4:48 am, what the... What does he want, the sun still isn't up yet...

I answered the phone and an ear-breaking shout surprised me.

[Yos! Wake up sleepy head, we're gonna go to school!]

“Don't you know what time it is, Marco? It's still four in the morning," I blurted on my phone.

[My... My... Calm down. First of all, look outside your window.]

I pushed myself to stand up and glanced from the window to the outside. At first glance, there was nothing there except dark streets and street lamps but I blinked my eyes many times as a saw Marco in front of our house, waving his hand at me while his other hand holding his phone.

I quickly headed down and met him in front of our door.

“Oh, by any chance, did I wake you up?” he teased.

I let him inside our house since it would bother our neighbors and he went into my room. He just threw his body on my bed.

“Seriously, you don't have to do this kind of thing, I'm perfectly fine," I said while changing my clothes.

“What kind of things? I didn't do anything for you," Marco responded with a fake innocent voice.

He still acting like I didn't notice it...

Ever since that day, when the first event ended, Marco tried to cheer me up... Did he see through me, everything that I felt that day.

Days passed since I met Ericka and Mikael, along with the other characters, and I have grown accustomed to it. I made up my mind to save Ericka from her terrible end and build a new route where she would live happily ever after. It was easy to say but whenever I thought how would I save her... I felt my mind going to blow up.

I was still fazed by a hundred what-ifs in my mind...

We left our house early in the morning, there was still no trace of the sun in the sky as we walked through the dark street.

“Oh! why do you want to go to the school this early?” I asked exasperatedly, as I watch him grip the strap of his backpack.

“Well, you know... we are already in our last year of high school and we only have a few months left before graduation. After that I'm sure we were taking different paths and meeting different kinds of people... that's why, while we're still in high school we should go crazy and enjoy ourselves, something along those lines.”

For the first time, Marco talked to me seriously. Well, I guess it couldn't be helped.

For the past few years, we had been relying on each other, we were not just a classmate anymore. We could call ourselves a friend that we could rely on when we needed their help.

“Hey, Marco,” I called, making him look at me. “Thanks for the past few years, that was really fun. And I know that you secretly cheering me up, you can drop the innocent act since it doesn't look good to you,” I chuckled. “There's a lot of things happened and a lot of things that I can't tell you... but I hope after all this crazy and unbelievable event, you will stay by my side as my friend.”

It felt weird saying this to the same gender, but all I'd said was my true feeling. Even though sometimes—okay, always— he was annoying and a huge pain in the neck, I'm glad that he was my friend.

“Sorry for dragging you in all of this..." he muttered.

As we were walking, a glimpse of light started to rise to the yellow-orange sky. Marco punched my shoulder and started running, and so I followed him.

In the end, the still gate wasn't opened yet and we forced ourselves to break in again. Fortunately, this time, there was no Ms. Velasquez smokin—breathing some fresh air on the rooftop. I followed him expecting to do something crazy again but we ended up in front of our classroom.

“Hey, Marco did you say you just want to enjoy our last year in high school?"

I knew it! that was just his act to drag me here in this cold-early morning.

Hours passed and we were in each other seats, spending time just watching the students little by little filled the school. Marco was dozing off on his chair.

“They were late,” I muttered after I glance at Ericka's and Mikael's seat empty. I said that but the truth was I just too early.

It was usual for Mikael to be late since he was always late in class even in the manga. But for Ericka, that was pretty unusual...

Is there something wrong happen?

I didn't have a plan on how would I keep her away from her future tragedy and if I made a blunt move now and failed, I might get things worse.

I was startled after I felt a presence pass by my side, which meant they were already here—or it was just Ericka.

“Good morning..."

She just replied to me with a nod.

It was hardly noticeable but the sides of her eyes were quite a bit red not only that, it was slightly swollen.

Just what did happen?...

I glanced at Mikael who just arrived in our class. There was a brightly large smile on his face as he approaches me and Marco.

“Yo, good morning!”

“Y-yeah good morning.” replied awkwardly.

“Oh! you have a great smile there, is something good that happens?” Marco greeted Mikael.

“That was a secret...” he simply answered and sat in his seat in front of me.

I glanced at Ericka who was still looking down on her feet.

“Are you okay, Ericka?" I whispered to Ericka but still, she kept silent in her seat. Marco was busy browsing on his phone, so maybe he didn't notice that Ericka was kinda different today.

I poked Mikael's back. “Are you free in a minute?" I asked.

“What's wrong?"

“Let's go outside, there's a thing I want to talk about." I stood up and started to walk out of our class. Eventually, Mikael followed me until we came up the building's stairs.

“So, what was the thing that you want to talk about?" he asked while constantly checking his phone.

“Ericka... Ericka was kinda down earlier, is there something that happens to her?"

His face looked like something he just realized. “Oh! now that you mention it, she was acting odd earlier, after I mentioned that her sister will come home in a few days she just left me in the street. Gladly, I catch up to her.” He sounded clueless.

Then, Arisa will be here in a few days...

It must be hard for her... to be compared to her sister again.

“Now that I answered your question, let me ask you something" his usual expression turned into a sharp gaze glaring towards me. “Tell me... do you like Ericka?”