Chapter 10: Changed

Hospital Room...

"Tristan? Did you hear me?" That voice... Where is that voice coming from? It sounds familiar. Is that my mom's voice?

"Tristan? You're awake!" 

The first thing I saw as I opened my eyes was the blinding light above me. My head throbbed, and I turned slightly to take in my surroundings. I'm in a hospital. What happened to me? I couldn't remember. As I moved my gaze, scanning the room, I saw my mom beside me, holding my hand and crying uncontrollably.

"Mom?" I croaked. Her face was full of tears, and seeing her like that shattered me.

"Mom, stop crying, please. I can't stand to see you like this," I said, though my voice felt weak. I'm trying to calm her, but I couldn't even calm my own self.

Her tears fell harder, and finally I remembered now, on what happened to me. I was walking in the middle of the road... Then a blinding white light hit my face, and then after I heard the sirens of an ambulance. All of those things that I only remembered.

"Mom, I'm sorry..." I whispered. Seeing her crying in front of me made my chest heavier. This was so embarrassing, I cried for the second time in my whole life.

"Stop talking," she interrupted me from speaking, wiping her tears. "Let me call the doctor. Stay here, okay?"

I nodded weakly, unable to do much else. My left arm wasn't usable, and my legs felt heavy, like they weren't mine. I watched as Mom hurried out of the room to find the doctor.

Outside, I could hear muffled voices.

"Auntie, how's Tristan? Is he okay now?"

"Yes, he's awake. I'm going to get the doctor. You can go see him if you want."

A soft knock came at the door, and I tilted my head slightly, expecting to see Mom return with the doctor. But instead, it was Hanna.

She rushed toward me, her hands grabbing mine tightly.

"Tristan! Are you okay?"

"If I wasn't, you wouldn't see me lying here," I muttered, my voice a mix of sarcasm and fatigue.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked, her voice trembling. "I'm sorry..." she apologized. For what? She didn't do anything wrong.

I look at her eyes. "Am I mad?" I asked. "No, Hanna. I'm not mad at you. So what is that sorry for? You didn't do anything wrong. It was only an accident, so stop apologizing to me."

As I said this, I noticed her tears welling in her eyes before spilling onto my hand. Is she literally crying??

"Hey. Hanna... are you crying?" I asked. My voice like I was teasing her.

"Of course, I'm crying!" she snapped, her voice breaking. "I was so worried to you! How could you do something so reckless?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but the door creaked open again. Mom and the doctor walked in.

"Can we talk later?" I whispered to Hanna with a smirk.

She nodded, wiping her tears as she stepped aside.

Five Days Later...

It feels the hospital bed had become my prison. I counted the days until I could leave, but my thoughts kept wandering. Hanna hadn't visited me again. Did something happen to her? Why am I thinking about her?

"Tristan," Mom said as she entered, balancing a tray of food.

"Today's your last day here. Your dad's coming later to pick you up."

"Dad? When did he get back? What about his business abroad?"

"Stop talking and eat your breakfast," she said, brushing off my questions.

"Alright..." I muttered, digging into the food.

Three Days Later...

I was finally home and recovered, but not entirely recovered. Physically, I was better, but something lingered in my heart. Hanna's absence weighed on me. Maybe it was time to move on and forget her. I think this is one of the signs that I was crazy in love with her.

"Mom, I'm heading to school now," I called as I grabbed my bag.

"Take care, Tristan. And don't you dare walk in the middle of the road again," she warned, her voice tight with worry.

"I know, Mom." I gave her a small smile before heading out.

The thought struck me as I walked: Mom had changed since the accident had happened. She was more cautious and attentive, constantly fussing over me.

Back at School...

The moment I entered the classroom, all eyes were on me. It was like they'd seen a ghost. Even the teacher froze, his chalk mid-air.

"TRISTAN!" My best friend's voice boomed as he leapt from his seat and sprinted toward me, pulling me into a tight hug.

"Okay, okay, stop hugging me now," I groaned, mortified by the attention. "Everyone's staring at us bro."

"Alright, back to your seat," the teacher ordered. Then he turned to me. "Tristan, glad to see you're doing better. Now the class can stop praying that you're dying, especially you, Hanna."

Especially Hanna? My heart skipped. Was she really that worried about me? Wait, why was my heart racing?

Break time...

As the bell rang, I packed my things, putting my notebooks and pens into my bag. Then, my classmate approached me.

"Hey, Tristan, there's a girl looking for you," he said.

"A girl? Who?"

"She's over there." He pointed behind me.

I turned, and there she was—a girl standing with the poise of a teacher catching a student mid-cheat. Her piercing gaze sent shivers down my spine.

Before I could say a word, she hit me on the shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for?" I exclaimed, rubbing the spot where she'd struck me.

"Do you remember me?" she demanded, her tone sharp.

"Uh... no? And why did you hit me?"

She crossed her arms, clearly unimpressed. "You sat behind me in the cafeteria once. You were crying because—"

I panicked, clapping my hand over her mouth. "Okay, okay! I remember now. Just don't say it out loud!" I demanded, "She's here," I whispered.

She pushed my hand away, smirking. "Alright. I heard you got hit by a car. What happened?"

"It's none of your business," I said defensively, crossing my arms. "And I don't even know your name. Why am I supposed to say my personal matters to strangers?"

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'm Sarah, from section Sampaguita."

Wait. She's from the pilot section?

Before I could respond, Hanna's voice sliced through the air like a blade.

"TRISTAN!"

I turned, looking to the person who shouted my name. I startled as Hanna stormed toward us, her eyes narrowing on Sarah.

"Who is she?" Hanna demanded, her voice sharp.

"She's Sarah, from section Sampaguita," I replied carefully. "Why are you yelling?"

Without a word, Hanna grabbed my hand.

"Let's go to the cafeteria," she said, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"Wait, Hanna!" I protested, pulling my hand free. "What are you doing? Why are you—"

He looked at me, her expression softened unexpectedly. "We need to talk."

Sarah's POV:

"Who is Hanna?" I asked one of Tristan's classmates, unable to suppress my curiosity.

"She's his friend. Or maybe his best friend," the classmate replied with a shrug.

"Oh..." I murmured, glancing toward where Tristan and Hanna had disappeared.

Back to Tristan and Hanna

As we walked to the cafeteria, Hanna clung to my hand. I could feel the stares of passing students, whispers trailing in our wake.

"Are they dating?" someone muttered, and my ears burned with embarrassment.

I tugged at my hand, trying to free myself. "Hanna, can you let my hand go? I can walk just fine without you holding my hand."

She glanced at me briefly but tightened her grip instead. "No."

Like... What?! She's not my girlfriend, so why is she acting crazier?

Finally, we reached the cafeteria. After grabbing our food, we sat at the same table.

"Hey, why do you keep holding my hand?" I asked, trying to confront her.

"Because you're a stubborn kid," she replied very fast, she didn't even hesitantly say those words.

"Kid?! Did I just hear you call me a kid?" I sighed.

She ignored my outburst entirely, calmly eating her food.

"I'm done," I muttered, pushing my plate away.

"Done? But there's still food on your plate."

"I'm full," I said, standing up. "I'm heading back to the classroom."

"Wait," she said, glancing up. "Let me finish first, and we'll go back together."

I ignored her and walked away.

Back in the classroom, I slumped into my seat and started organizing my things. Breaktime was almost over. Suddenly, Hanna appeared in front of me, her hands on her hips, looking like she was about to scold me.

"TRISTAN," she said sternly.

"Yeah?" I responded, keeping my tone soft and calm.

"I called you earlier in the cafeteria, but you ignored me and walked off. Why? Am I just someone you can brush off?"

"Sorry," I said, not meeting her eyes. "I forgot I had something important to do."

"Look at me when you're talking!" she snapped, grabbing my head and forcing me to face her.

"Okay, okay, stop!" I protested, startled by her intensity. I'm looking intensely at her eyes like she wanted. But it seems she's blushing.

She finally let go, huffing as she stomped back to her seat.

"Let's talk later, TRISTAN," she called over her shoulder, loud enough for the entire class to hear.

I groaned inwardly. This was so embarrassing. Now everyone probably thought we were dating. Even my best friend leaned over and whispered, "Hey, are you two dating now?" he asked. "Of course, NO!" I sighed.

After Class...

When the final bell rang, I decided to avoid Hanna. I had plans to meet an old friend from elementary school, and if she found out, she'd definitely insist on coming along.

As I reached the school gate, I froze. There she was, waiting near the entrance.

But she wasn't alone.

My world stopped as I processed the scene in front of me.

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Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy this amazing and confusing chapter of "Unseen depth of love" See you all on the next chapter!

Note: This story is from the idea and imaginary of the author. If anything wrong, like it was A.I generated. It's a big NO. It's not an A.I generated but it enchanced by an A.I to make it engaging and readability. But all of information and story line from this novel is from the author ideas,experienced and imaginary. Thank you.

Next chapter will release soon.

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Author: Who do you think the person that Tristan saw was?