Baby don't hurt me—

"Love, it's when you commit yourself to taking care of someone as they also commit that to you. Isn't it?" Ivan gave his definition.

"Correct as usual. But what I meant was on a deeper level of self-understanding. Say, I've already known what it's like to love but what truly is it?" I clarified.

"Well that's up to you. In time, you would find out what it is and who it is." Ken responded.

"As you said, if you want self-understanding of love, you gotta experience it. As Ken said, time will tell." Jay added.

"A lot of stuff you guys gave me but I appreciate it a lot. Not like I would need that sort of thing again right now, I got you bros!"

"Oh really? Says the one who looks for the one who called his name in a soft, sweet, enticing—"

"NO!!! I DON'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT, KEN YOU FOOL!!!"

"Why so serious?" Jay bumped in.

"Alright quit the teasing, it's getting pretty late now. Let's all head home now, our parents must be looking for us right now." Ivan de-escalated the situation.

"Yeah, Ivan is right we should head home now, hahaha..." I was relieved.

So, the day ends and everyone gets home, eats dinner, the squad has a bit of an evening group video call, and we all go to sleep for the next day.

BEEEP, BEEEP, BEEEP, BEEEP, BEE—

*I stop the alarm from my phone*

5:00AM. The time I usually wake up for school. Well, time to go to school. Today felt unusually different for me. It's like if there was something bound to happen within the day.

"Manong, please stop the jeep!" I hopped off the jeepney in front of my school and headed to my classroom.

Our classroom is in the third floor, which is pretty high. It does have the coolest air

"Hwhat's, uhp y-y'all..." Still sleepy, I greeted my bros.

"Good, you still sleepy?" My bros ask.

"For some reason, it's like I've been nerfed with drowsiness as a passive trait... Quite a hindrance especially I'm here at front of the class."

"I think some classes nerf your sensory neurons to be very drowsy. Hence, a passively receding intelligence quotient (IQ). But some others aren't affected by such nerf. This probably only applies to primates." Ivan jokingly suggests.

"Heck yeah! Apes together strong!!!" Ken then pumps his chest like a primate in it's purest form.

"Yeah, more like together in answering worksheets hahaha..."

"Alright guys it's almost time for class to start. See y'all later then bros." Jay returns to his class right before ours starts.

"See ya champ!" Us three send our farewells.

Would I be doomed when our first period and starting this second period I've been half-consious phasing from the realms of dreaming and reality as I am at my very drowsy state. Nothing goes into my knucklehead me as ma'am is discussing in front.

"Mr. Ying? Pick your head up alright?" Ma'am Raya of our General Biology subject checked me out in front of the class.

"Mm, Yes ma'am, I'm alright here, yes..." I jolted my head up while nodding.

"There he goes again, praying as usual! (I was in a praying position with my arms up on the desk like if you were to pray in a chapel) HAHAHA!" a voice of a classmate came from behind.

*And there was a resounding laughter once again*

And there I kept my eyes open for the whole period until...

"Alright y'all, since this is a fresh start to the school year, we need to group you all for our activities." Ma'am Raya announced.

"Groupings, well another way to freeload my grades. Let's go I guess." I snickered to myself.

Well, I did hope that at least I got in a group either with Ivan or Ken. Better even if both because who doesn't want that?

"Okay, Ying you go to this group for General Biology." Ma'am instructs.

"Man I hope I see—"

"Bro!" Ivan exclaimed.

"Brooo!" I return the reaction.

"Man what a great start, having at least a bro in the group! Wonder which group Ken is in though... Anyways, we better coope—"

"Aand Ying? Where is that sleepyhead?"

Hmm, did I not recall such dialogue correctly? The tone, though of questioning now, the way it reached my eardrums and vibrated to send the sensory signals to my temporal lobe in order to process such voice of identical nature...

"Yes, I'm here awake." I responded to the call.

"Alright. Since you two arrived quite late to the assignment of our roles for this project, you will handle the overall writing of information and Ivan will handle revision." Our leader in such formal manner would instruct us.

"Well um, what do you think we should call you?" I asked hesitantly.

"I guess you guys can just call me Lin."

"Lin, quite a name." I whispered to myself.

"Alright then, I'll get this done. Promise, I won't snooze on work."

"As you say so. Hope you'll walk the talk, Ying." Lin read me through my sleepy eyes like a book. For some reason, walking the talk was something I always used to hear.

"Bro, you gotta not pass out writing the paper HAHAHA! I'm still gonna revise your work so get it done right." Ivan adds to my predicament placed by our leader.

"Yeah, yeah... I'm gonna make sure of that."

Lunchtime has came and we ate peacefully with Jay. Discussions were about just what happened earlier in our groupings for General Biology.

Ken got grouped with his pet peeves and is in disappointment. While Jay got grouped with the smartest classmates like he had done beginner banner pulls and got the SSRs (usually the highest rarity in a gacha) for his starting team.

Meanwhile me and Ivan, I guess something just strikes me about it.

As the day ends, we all came to go again to the spot. And this time we had to go home immediately because of our pending assignments given by our teachers.

As I got home, I called Ivan to talk about something.

"Ay bro what's up?" Ivan picked up.

"Bro, you remember yesterday?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"My name, I heard it again in such way."

"Oh bro, don't tell me you're trying to get into that topic..."

"No but really, I'm just curious if you would agree with me that was the one who called my name yesterday."

"Hmm, I dunno. You are the only one who heard. I think you're assuming things again."

"No but really, that voice... It just caught me in some way."

"Is this what I am thinking it is? Ying? What do you mean in some way?"

"I mean, in a way that both sounded identical. Like really."

"Man stop playing with me, you're wanting to get to know Lin am I right or wrong?

"Well, not like I don't wanna..."

"Aha, got your silly tongue out for ya."

"I mean what else would it even mean anyway? Not like I'm that of that caliber for such other intention other than being a colleague. Just wanna ask if she did call my name yesterday."

"Well, you think I can't predict you? Like this getting to know and ditch has like happened a couple times. Then you'll come to me again wailing like a crybaby about this and that and that you're useless an—"

"OKAY!!!"

"Well why would you ask, what is love?"

"Baby don't hurt me—"

"Really..."

"Alright let's call it a night."

We ended the call and got a good night's sleep...

~ To be continued ~