MY MOON (Short Stories)
• The Curry Crush •
A ceiling fan spins lazily above, creaking with every rotation like it’s on the verge of retirement.
The classroom is heavy with the kind of silence that only shows up during the last period.
The sun bleeds through tall, dusty windows, painting orange streaks across the wooden floor.
Students are strewn across their desks, halfway into nap mode, slouched over notebooks with blank stares that scream "please ring the bell."
The tick of the old wall clock is almost louder than the teacher’s monotone lecture at the front.
Rows of students. Daydreamers. Note-takers. Doodlers. Students be doing different things.
Curry
*scribbling on paper*
CURRY (17) – short, expressive, and full of barely contained chaos.
She's seated somewhere in the middle of the class—close enough to observe the board, but most importantly, close enough to see Kevin.
She taps her pen rhythmically against the side of her desk—not in sync with the ticking clock, or the lesson. Just her own anxious beat.
Kevin
*spinning his pen while leaning back on the chair*
KEVIN (17) – tall, soft-featured, unreadable.
He’s leaning back slightly, spinning his pen between his fingers with the kind of careless grace that only he could make it look interesting.
Curry
*keeps on glancing at Kevin*
Curry
(This isn't a crush.)
Curry
(This is just… curiosity.)
Curry
(Pure scientific curiosity.)
Curry
(A case study… in attraction?)
Curry
(That's still academic, right??)
Curry
*staring at Kevin's face*
Her eyes remain glued to the side of Kevin’s face.
His jawline is annoyingly nice. His sleeves are rolled up just enough to look like he didn’t try at all.
He blinks slowly, dreamily, like he’s somewhere far away. Probably not in this math class.
Curry
*leans over at the desk*
Curry
*rests her face on her hand*
Curry
(Okay fine… Maybe 40% academic)
Curry
(60%—No! 55%… No wait—)
Kevin shifts in his seat, adjusting his bag under the desk. His pen fumbles and rolls—backwards, towards her.
The pen makes a quiet clink as it comes to a stop by her foot.
Curry
*presses her lips and mumbles* Of course…
Curry
*hesitates a bit but then picks it up and reaches forward*
Kevin
*turns his seat slightly and and reaches back at the same time*
It was a brief touch—just a whisper of contact.
Curry
(DON'T BLUSH! DON'T BLUSH! DON'T BLUSH!)
Curry
*takes a long and deep breath but chokes on it*
Curry
*coughs aggressively*
Kevin
*flinch* Are you alright-?
Curry
*smiles but fails to keep it and continues coughing*
Curry
Y-yes, I am… *coughs*
Teacher : Drink some water. And calm down.
And when she realises—All the students of the class are looking at her.
Curry
(No wayyy, my impressionnn)
Kevin
*leans back and whispers* You alright, now?
Curry
*whispers back* Yes…
Kevin
*smiles and whispers* Alright, thank you, by the way.
Kevin
*whispers* For the pen.
Curry
*whispers loudly in just one breath* O-oh!! Y-Yes! You dropped it… Gravity! Totally happens.
Kevin lets out a soft chuckle. It’s not a mocking one. It’s... warm. Curry is NOT okay.
She gently places the pen on his desk, trying her best not to do anything reckless.
As she pulls back, her elbow knocks her water bottle, which tips and rolls off the desk—
The bottle hits the floor with an echo far too loud for such a light object.
Half the class glances over lazily again.
The teacher pauses mid-sentence, peers above her glasses, and returns to the board.
Curry smiles awkwardly, trying to vanish into the desk.
Curry
(Can I just change schools?)
Curry
*embarrassment on it's peak*
Behind her, a folded paper star hits the back of her head.
She picks it up and opens it.
She folds it into a crisp square and flings it backward without looking.
ASH (17)—tall, straight-backed, and giving ‘I’ve been ready for college since birth’ vibes—right between the eyes.
[ Warning : Purely Hypothetical, only for the story ]
Ash peels it off her forehead with two fingers and opens it.
Ash
Just say hi… already??
She tosses a glares at Wei.
WEI (17)—a dramatic, sunshine-fueled girl with glitter in her hair and hearts on her notebook margins.
She’s already giggling behind her palm.
Wei
She's been watching him for weeks!
Wei
It’s like live-streaming a soap opera, but in slow motion.
Curry groans, resting her cheek on the desk like she’s just suffered emotional whiplash.
Curry
You guys are just overreacting.
TULIP (17)—quiet and observant, leans forward calmly from her seat beside Ash.
She’s sipping juice through a paper straw and hasn’t spoken until now.
Tulip
You'll talk to him when you're ready.
Tulip
Either way, life continues.
Ash
*looks at Tulip* And so does the semester.
Ash
If you wait any longer, you'll miss your shot…
Ash
And then, we're dealing with the "what could have been" crisis for the next decade.
Curry
*mumbles* I'm normal until he exists in the room.
Wei
You walk to him, you ask something—anything
Wei
Ask if he has a pencil, ask the time, ask if he believes in soulmate—
Ash
*interrupts* Ask about the chemistry homework.
Tulip
Or something related to sports.
Tulip
He might even give you a huge lecture about it *mumbles*
Curry
*start shaking legs*
Curry
*mumbles* I'm going to die. I'm going to combust and turn into a pile of embarrassment.
Tulip
If you combust infront him, that would definitely get his attention.
Curry
*gives her a boring look*
Tulip
*sips her drink acting like she didn't say anything*
Teacher : ...And on that note, you’ll all complete page 89 for homework. Class dismissed. *leaves the class*
Students groan and start packing up.
Kevin
*swings his bag on one of his shoulders*
Kevin
*puts on her sunglasses*
Kevin
*brushes back his hair*
Kevin
*puts his palm in pockets*
Kevin
*turns around towards the girls*
Kevin
See ya tomorrow, eh?
Kevin
*runs out of the class*
Wei
*makes a weird expression*
Tulip
*gives him a disgusted look*
Tulip
*points at him* This is the thing you like-?!
Curry
He isn't a thing-? *still speechless*
Tulip
*looks at Curry like what* =_=
• The Curry Crush •
Curry's way to home is in opposite direction of her friends'.
Curry
*waves bye to her friends*
Ash
Make sure to finish your homework today!
Wei
Hah! I can't hear you! *runs away*
Ash
Stop! *runs after her*
Tulip
Wait for me! *runs after them*
Curry watches their figurines till they disappear.
Curry
Why am I the only one with my house in the other direction?
Kevin
*pokes her shoulder* Heyy
Curry
Y-y-y-you, what are you doing here?!
Curry
(Noooo that's not what I was supposed to ask!)
Kevin
Well… I just wanted to this to you.
Kevin handed Curry a medicine for dry cough.
Kevin
And this… *hands her a juice*
Kevin
The medicine might be a little bitter, drink this if you don't like the taste.
Curry
(What was that sound?)
Curry
*takes the medicine from one hand and juice from another*
Kevin
Anyway… *wears his sunglasses on again*
Kevin
*slides it a little down*
Kevin
See you ~ *winks and runs away*
The situation was hard to digest for Curry. Thus, she unknowingly crushes the juice 🧃 and it ended up making her shirt stained.
Curry
(I don't know what to feel)
The lunchroom is a familiar chaos—trays clatter, chairs scrape, someone’s phone blasts a pop song before being hurriedly shut off.
There’s a warm sunbeam slicing through the row of windows, landing right on a lunch table at the far corner of the room.
Curry, Tulip, Wei and Ash have gathered around their usual lunch spot.
Their trays are a mixed display of questionable cafeteria cuisine and homemade snacks.
Curry is hunched over her carton of rice like it wronged her.
Curry
*stabs at it absentmindedly with a spoon*
Curry
*lost in her own inner monologue*
Curry
One more second and I might have actually said something normal.
Curry
Like “Hey Kevin, nice pen-twirling technique.”
Curry
Or, you know, not exploded juice all over myself.
Wei
What happened after class yesterday?
Ash
Dead silence when she came to school today morning.
Ash
That usually means either emotional catastrophe… or denial.
Curry
*grumbling* Both. Simultaneously.
Tulip
*eyes totally focused on food*
Tulip
That's impressive. Tragic, but impressive.
Wei
Did he say anything like those K-Drama boys do right before the opening theme?!
Curry
*remembering the moment when Kevin smiled*
Her spoon freezes in midair.
Curry
*speaks softly* He smiled.
Wei
*leans back dramatically*
Wei
Wedding bells! Joint college applications! Matching Hoodies!
Tulip
Or… maybe he was just being polite?
Tulip
*take a huge bite of food*
Wei
Must you logic everything into the grave?!
Tulip
*mouth full of food*
Tulip
A en kiwwin gwa rowans. (I ain't killing the romance.)
Tulip
Ang gova gi a rowawisti augoshy (I'm giving it a realistic autopsy.)
Ash
Either eat or speak, you sound like a himbo.
Tulip
*glares at Ash and takes all the pakoras from her tray*
Curry
*quietly* I don't want to overthink it.
Curry
I wish I could talk to him like a normal person.
Curry
Without blanking out.
Curry
Or turning into a comedy sketch.
Tulip
*hands Curry her drink bottle*
Tulip
*gulps the food in her mouth in just one go*
Ash
(How did she do that-)
Tulip
Then don't start with a confession.
Tulip
Start with… a question.
Wei
Ooh! Flirty questions!
Wei
Like "Do you like cats?"
Wei
Or "Do you believe in fate?"
Wei
Or—OH!— "If I were a fruit, what would I be?!"
Ash
That last one guarantees a restraining order.
Tulip
Ask something casual.
Tulip
Something you actually want to know.
Tulip
About class, a book… Or even his water bottle brand, doesn't matter.
Curry
*sarcastically* Hey Kevin, is that …reusable plastic?
Wei
*mock swoon* You hydration choices are SO responsible.
Tulip
Seriously? *rolls eyes and laughs*
Curry
*takes a deep breath, carefully not to choke this time*
Curry
Okay, strategy time!
Curry
I'll ask him something normal after this lunch.
Ash
Want me to casually shove you in his direction?
Tulip
How about we don't give him a whiplash?
Kevin is seated at a table with a few friends.
He’s laughing at something someone just said, leaning forward with his elbows on the table, half-eaten sandwich in one hand.
Curry studies him quietly. It’s like the world around him softens.
She watches the way his smile seems effortless, the way he listens more than he talks.
Curry
(What if he's not who I think he is?)
A/N: He's definitely not from my observation of his behaviour.
Curry
(What if I build him up too much?)
Curry
(What if I say one weird thing and everything crashes?)
Tulip
Don't think, just walk.
Curry blinks—Tulip has scooted her tray aside and is now looking at her calmly, but firmly.
Tulip
Get up and walk over.
Tulip
Ask about anything, just don't think.
Curry
*shaky laugh* Right now?
Ash
Statistically, the longer you delay an action, the more likely you are to never take it.
Wei
*whisper-shouting* GO! LIVE YOUR MAIN CHARACTER MOMENT!
Curry stands slowly, adjusting her skirt. Her knees wobble slightly, like her legs haven’t realized they’re part of this plan.
She picks up her tray and inhales deeply.
Curry
(Step 3: Don't combust.)
She starts walking toward Kevin’s table, slow and steady, holding her tray like a fragile peace offering.
HALFWAY ACROSS THE CAFETERIA— A student with a football casually spins it, looses control, and—
It hits the side of Curry’s leg. She stumbles forward slightly. Her tray jerks—but she manages to stay upright.
Entire cafeteria glances over.
Curry
*locks eyes with him for one perfect second*
She bails. Walks straight out the back exit of the cafeteria.
Wei
*both her hands on her head while her mouth wide opened*
Ash
You sure a spider won't fall in your mouth?
Curry sits on the bottom step, her lunch tray beside her, untouched. She hides her face in her hands, half-laughing, half-crying.
Curry
*talking to herself*
Curry
NASA should study how smooth that crash was.
Wei plops down dramatically. Tulip follows, gently placing the tray down. Ash brings Curry's bad, no questions asked.
Wei
Well, that was… cinematic.
Curry
*laughs* I didn't even make it till halfway!
Curry
And I tripped on a football like some cartoon extra!
Ash
You didn't fall, you improvised.
Tulip
You moved, that's good enough for today.
Curry leans against Wei who gently and affectionately pats her head.
Wei
Tomorrow, we aim for actual dialogues.
Curry
Tomorrow, I might just wear knee pads and bubble wrap.
The four girls sit in warm silence. A small pile of uneaten lunch beside them. The afternoon sunlight creeps along the floor, slow and soft.
They don’t speak for a while—and they don’t need to.
• The Curry Crush •
The air inside the library is cool and still.
A golden light seeps in from the tall windows, casting long shadows across the floor and bookshelves.
It smells of old paper, wooden shelves, and faint lemony cleaning solution.
Time feels slower here, like the rest of the world is muted behind the tall glass.
Curry steps inside quietly, backpack slung on one shoulder, a library card clenched tightly in her hand.
She looks around—careful, tentative, like she’s entering holy ground. Her eyes flicker between shelves, corners, tables… and then—
Kevin
*seated at a desk tucked beside a window*
A paperback is balanced in one hand, the other propped beneath his chin. He’s alone, lost in the pages. A sunbeam touches the edge of his hair.
Curry
(Okay, okay, you've got this.)
Curry
(You're here for knowledge.)
Curry
(And maybe… proximity.)
She ducks behind the nearest row of shelves and peeks through a gap between the books.
Kevin
*flips a page slowly*
Kevin
*pause to underline something*
Kevin
*brows furrows a little*
She breathes in. And out. And straightens her spine like she’s about to go into battle.
Curry
(It's just a person.)
Curry
(A very symmetrical person.)
Curry
(Like a graph of f(x)=x²)
Curry
(With excellent posture and annoyingly gorgeous eyelashes.)
Curry
(You can handle this.)
She steps out from behind the shelf and walks casually (too casually?) toward a nearby section.
Her fingers trail along the spines of books—History. Philosophy. Biology. Nope.
She pretends to read a title, then pulls a book out.
Curry
*mutters* Great start Curry, real academic of you.
？？？
Looking for something?
Kevin
*standing few feets away with a soft smile on his face*
Curry
(He must have noticed me lurking.)
Curry
Me?! No—Yes. I mean, kind of.
Curry
I'm just browsing the uh…
Curry
Educational sectors??
Curry
Of the shelf! Definitely not lost!
Kevin
*glances over at the book in her hand*
Kevin
That's… the school handbook on tree diseases.
Kevin
*gestures* Need help finding?
Curry
I don't even know what I'm looking for, to be honest.
Curry
You ever just… roam until a book speaks to you?
Kevin
*soft chuckle* All the time.
Curry
(Tch… I hope he didn't hear it.)
Kevin steps past her and slides a book from the shelf. He hands it to her.
Kevin
This is about a girl who doesn't know how to say what she's feeling…
Kevin
So, she writes it all in letters that she never sends.
——NOVEL BOOK COVER——
"Letters That I'll Never Send"
Kevin
It's quite, but… It sticks with you.
Kevin
*smiling* No problem.
He turns and walks back to his desk, not asking questions, not pushing. Just existing.
Curry
*stares at the book in her hands*
Curry has sat down at a separate table nearby. Her bag is half-open, the book resting on top.
Curry
*glances at Kevin again*
He’s back in his book world, his pen twirling again in absent thought.
Curry
(How is he not awkward?)
Curry
(How does he talk like that?)
Curry
(Soft and casual and not like his throat is closing up?)
Curry
*sighs and opens the book*
Curry reads slowly, carefully, eyebrows furrowed.
Kevin
*glances at her over his book*
Curry
*tracing underlined sentences with her fingers*
Kevin
*glances at her again*
Curry
*yawns and stretches quietly*
She gets up to return the book—still unaware she’s being watched.
As she walks past a display shelf, her elbow catches the edge.
The entire shelf wobbles—books slide forward—
A loud avalanche of paperbacks hits the floor.
Dead silence in the library.
Even the clock stops ticking, metaphorically.
Kevin
*stands up and rushes to help*
Curry
*crouched and flustered*
Curry
Testing the gravity. Still works.
They both reach for the same book. Their hands meet.
This time, Curry doesn’t jerk away.
Kevin
*grins* This is the second time we meet over a falling object.
Curry
I think the universe is trying to tell me to stop standing near the shelves.
They pick up the rest of the books in silence.
When they’re done, Kevin hands her the one she dropped last.
Kevin
For what it’s worth… I like girls who knock over things.
Curry
...So basically, I’m your dream girl.
They laugh together—awkward but real.
Curry
(He laughed. We talked.)
Curry
(We even touched the same library book.)
Curry
(That’s practically marriage.)
The bell rings in the distance—final class is over for today.
Kevin
*slings his bag on again but properly this thing*
Kevin
See you around, Curry.
She exhales, as if she'd been holding her breath the whole time.
Tulip
*suddenly appearing* You alive?
Tulip had been hiding behind the poetry shelf the entire time.
Curry
How long have you been there?
Tulip
Long enough, I'm proud.
Tulip
Also, he totally smiled after he left.
Curry’s heart does cartwheels.
Curry
I think… I like the library now.
Tulip
You should, it likes you back.
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