Inspiration or Just a Distraction

Everything slowly returned to normal as the events ended. The once noisy, colorful campus filled with cheers and music during the Intramurals was now back to the familiar hum of lectures, quizzes, and sleepy students trying to keep up with the final lessons. Graduation was just around the corner, and the air buzzed with a mixture of excitement, anxiety, and longing.

"Should we go hiking during the break?" Argee asked, arms crossed behind his head as he leaned back on his chair during dismissal.

"Joe should tour us!" Ven chimed in quickly, a grin spreading across her face.

"Huh? Why me?" Joe blinked, obviously caught off guard.

"Because your house is practically hugging the mountains! You said it yourself—it’s just a short walk away, right?"

Joe sighed dramatically. "Yeah, but can you all even survive climbing that high? You’ll have to wake up before sunrise, or else you’ll be fried by the heat."

"True! It’s been insanely hot lately," Ven groaned, already fanning herself at the thought.

"Then what about swimming?" Joe suggested, trying to offer a less exhausting alternative.

"Same spot again?" Carol raised an eyebrow. "That’s getting old... but fine, I guess it still sounds refreshing. I’ll go."

"Everyone should come though," Mar added seriously. "It’s not fun with just a handful. We’ll figure out the food and venue later."

Their conversation faded into the background as I quietly packed up my bag. I didn’t usually join these outings. The last time I did, it ended up being a day full of awkward silences, couples sneaking away for their own little moments, and me stuck sipping lukewarm soda, wondering what I was doing there.

Outings were fine—for them. But for me, it always felt like I was watching someone else’s story from the sidelines.

Later that night at home, Joe knocked on my door.

“Hey Reign, you’re not planning to join the outing again, are you?”

“Nope. What about you?” I asked casually, flipping through a book but not really reading.

He slumped on the edge of my bed and sighed. “Honestly, I don’t want to go either… but I can’t think of an excuse this time.”

“Is that really a problem? Just say you won’t come.”

“It’s not that simple! I always go with them. If I bail now, they might feel bad. I even helped plan it...”

I looked at him, puzzled. “Then why are you backing out? Something wrong?”

He paused. “It’s a long story. You don’t have to know.”

“You’re avoiding girls, aren’t you?”

That hit something. He glanced at me, clearly weighing his next words, then turned away and sighed again.

“You don’t need to say it. It’s pretty obvious,” I teased lightly. “You feel awkward when girls start acting weird, right? Like they’re in some cuteness competition?”

Joe chuckled. “They’re insane sometimes, you know?”

“I know. I live in a dorm full of them.”

He laughed more this time, the tension in his shoulders easing.

“I still remember when some upperclass girls came looking for you at your house,” I said, suddenly remembering. “They tried to hug and kiss you? That was awkward!”

Joe’s face turned red. “Wait—you saw that?!”

“Not just me. Aunt Cony did too!”

He covered his face with a groan. “Oh no... I hope she didn’t tell Mom. That was the most uncomfortable moment ever. I was just being friendly, but it totally backfired. Now I’m avoiding them, too.”

Joe had always been open with me. He never hid things like relationships, and I could even check his phone without issues. He hadn’t dated anyone in a while, and I respected that.

“But seriously,” he said suddenly, “how about you? Why don’t you fix yourself up more? Tie your hair often. You’ve got a small face—it would look great.”

“Are you a girl now? You seem to know so much about hairstyles,” I smirked.

He rolled his eyes. “I’m just saying. You keep saying guys don’t notice you, but you don’t exactly make it easy to be noticed.”

“I don’t care if they notice me or not. I came to school to study, not flirt.”

“As if,” he snorted.

“I mean it. Boys are distractions.”

He looked at me, quiet now, not even trying to argue. That silence made me more uncomfortable than his teasing.

“Whatever,” I muttered and stood up. “Believe what you want.”

“Don’t be so bitter!” he called after me. “You’ll swallow those words someday!”

I turned around and gave him a mock glare before walking off. But his words stuck with me more than I wanted to admit.

The next morning, I tied my hair before going to school. Just loosely. Nothing fancy. I didn’t want to give Joe the satisfaction of thinking I followed his advice.

But I started doing it more often, experimenting a little. Eventually, I cut my bangs shorter and tied the rest to the side. It felt weird at first... but also a bit refreshing. Lighter.

At school—

“Hi Reign!” Judy greeted with a bright smile. “I like your hairstyle lately. It’s cool!”

I blinked, surprised. “Thanks,” I said, shyly smiling.

“Are you inspired by someone?” Ven teased, suddenly jumping into the conversation.

“Huh?! No!” I replied too quickly, and without realizing, my hand flew to the back of my head, untying the ribbon.

“Why’d you take it off?!” Judy asked, disappointed.

I didn’t know either. Compliments made me feel… awkward. I liked them, but at the same time, I didn’t know how to handle them.

“Ah, I think it got messy. I’ll fix it later,” I said. “Anyway, what are you all doing here?”

“Nothing much. Just talking nonsense,” Abby laughed.

Before we could chat more, the bell rang. Time for class. I rushed to my seat after redoing my hair hastily. On slow days, especially during Math, I found myself pretending to go to the bathroom just to clear my head.

From the far end of the building, you could pass by the fourth-year classroom on the way to the restroom.

I didn’t need to look—but I did.

Jay was there. Laughing. Talking to his friends. His smile was soft and effortless. I didn’t even know him well, but I found myself always looking.

It made my day lighter just to see him, even if he never noticed me.

Sometimes, I wondered if it was too late. He was about to graduate. I’d barely just started noticing him now.

But maybe some things are meant to stay as passing moments... and maybe that's okay.

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