A Rushed Morning

Luna grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder, taking one last gulp of her coffee before glancing at the time again. 7:48 AM.

Her stomach dropped. "Aria—"

Aria was already checking her phone, and her relaxed posture stiffened. "Oh. Oh no."

Luna shot up from her seat, nearly knocking over her chair. "We have twelve minutes. Twelve minutes, Aria!"

"Okay, okay, no need to panic," Aria said quickly, shoving her phone into her pocket and grabbing her bag. "We just need to—"

"Move. Now," Luna cut in, already weaving through the café tables toward the exit.

Aria followed, nearly colliding with a server carrying a tray. "Sorry! Sorry!" she called over her shoulder before catching up to Luna, who had already pushed the door open.

The morning air was colder now, but there was no time to focus on that. The streets were busier, people walking at a normal, unbothered pace while Luna and Aria were anything but.

"We should’ve left earlier," Luna muttered, picking up her pace.

"You should’ve checked the time," Aria countered.

Luna shot her a glare. "Oh, so this is my fault?"

Aria shrugged as she jogged beside her. "Well. You were too busy overanalyzing your dream, and I was too busy listening."

Luna huffed but didn’t argue. They didn’t have the time. Their college campus was still several blocks away, and walking wasn’t going to cut it.

"We need to run," Luna said, already tightening her grip on her bag.

"Ugh, I hate running."

"Then enjoy getting marked late," Luna shot back before taking off.

Aria groaned but followed. The sound of their rushed footsteps joined the morning noise.. horns honking, distant chatter, the occasional bark of a dog. They dodged past slow walkers, barely waiting for the pedestrian light before crossing the street.

Luna’s heartbeat pounded in her ears. Aria wasn’t far behind, both of them fueled by sheer desperation at this point.

"How much time?" Aria asked between breaths.

Luna glanced at her phone again. 7:54 AM.

"We have six minutes!"

Aria cursed under her breath. "Move faster!"

They pushed forward, cutting through shortcuts they had memorized from previous close calls. The sight of their college building in the distance gave them a boost of energy.

Then, just as they turned a corner, Luna slammed into someone. Hard.

Luna stumbled back, barely managing to keep her balance. Aria nearly tripped over her own feet. The guy they had crashed into barely flinched.

"Luca?!" Luna exclaimed, eyes narrowing.

Tall, perpetually unbothered, hands tucked into his hoodie pockets like he had all the time in the world. His dark hair was slightly tousled, as if he’d just rolled out of bed, and the smirk tugging at his lips only made Luna more annoyed.

Luca, standing there completely unfazed, blinked at them. "Oh, hey. You guys are late too?"

Luna felt her eye twitch. "Obviously."

Aria groaned. "Luca, why are you just standing here?! We need to move!"

He stretched lazily, rolling his shoulders like he had all the time in the world. "Eh, we’ll make it."

Luna stared at him in disbelief. "Make it? Luca, it’s 7:55!"

He shrugged. "Four minutes. Plenty of time."

Aria threw her hands in the air. "Luna, we’re leaving him. Let’s go!"

Luna hesitated, watching Luca’s completely unbothered expression, before shaking her head. "You’re impossible. Fine, see you in class.. if you even make it!"

She grabbed Aria’s wrist and took off again, leaving Luca behind. He didn’t even look concerned.

"Why is he like that?!" Aria huffed as they ran.

"No idea!" Luna replied, dodging past a group of students strolling toward campus like they had all the time in the world.

The front gates loomed ahead, students still strolling inside at a normal pace. At least they weren’t *that* late.

7:58 AM.

They had made it. Barely.

Breathing heavily, Luna and Aria slowed down, entering the building with seconds to spare. Luna wiped her forehead with the back of her sleeve.

"Never again," Aria panted beside her.

"You say that every time," Luna muttered.

"Yeah, well, this time, I mean it."

Luna gave her a look before glancing at the hallway ahead. They still had to make it to the lecture hall, but for now, at least they weren’t

'officially' late.

Just another rushed morning.

Then, to Luna’s utter disbelief, Luca strolled past them, completely calm, completely unbothered.

"See? Told you there was time," he said with a lazy grin.

Luna glared at him. "Go trip on the stairs, Luca."

"Love you too, Luna," Winks then walked beside Aria.

Luna exhaled heavily and exchanged a look with Aria.

"Just another morning," Aria said with a tired smile.

"Yeah," Luna agreed, finally allowing herself to relax. "Just another morning."

The three of them walked down the hallway, their hurried footsteps echoing against the stone walls. Their breathing was still uneven from rushing, and the moment they reached their classroom, they were met with the sharp gaze of their professor.

"Try not to be late again," the professor said in a firm but controlled voice. "Especially you, Luca."

Luca winced, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, professor. Won’t happen again."

The professor only sighed, clearly unconvinced, before gesturing toward their seats. Aria, already feeling a wave of embarrassment, quickly lowered her head and rushed to her desk, hoping to disappear into her books. Meanwhile, Luna all but collapsed onto her chair, panting as if she had just run a marathon. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her exhaustion evident in the way her shoulders slumped forward.

“I swear,” Luna groaned, pressing her forehead against the desk, “we should have just skipped breakfast. Running on a full stomach is a nightmare.”

Aria shot her a sideways glance. “You were the one who insisted on getting a second plate of pancakes.”

Luna lifted her head just enough to glare weakly at Aria before groaning again and burying her face into her folded arms. Luca, on the other hand, seemed unbothered, already rummaging through his bag for his notes as if nothing had happened.

The professor cleared his throat, signaling the class to focus. “Alright, let’s begin. Today, we’ll be continuing our discussion on the history of the three great kingdoms. Open your books to page one hundred and thirty-two.”

The class collectively flipped their pages, the sound of rustling paper filling the room. Aria took a deep breath, willing herself to focus despite the lingering embarrassment of being called out.

Luna, still looking half-dead, turned her book open with minimal effort, her eyes drooping slightly. “Ugh. Why is history so exhausting?” she muttered under her breath.

Luca smirked. “Because you never actually study.”

Luna shot him a glare before flipping to the right page. The professor began his lecture, his voice steady and commanding, recounting the formation of the great kingdoms, their conflicts, and the political shifts that shaped their current state. The words flowed over Aria like background noise as she jotted down notes diligently, her pen gliding across her notes.

A few seats away, Luca tapped his fingers idly against his desk, his mind already drifting elsewhere. He had never been particularly interested in history, and today was no exception. The only thing keeping him remotely engaged was the fact that the professor’s gaze kept sweeping over him as if expecting him to zone out at any moment.

Time passed, and soon, the lecture reached its midway point. The professor, noticing some of the students' drooping eyelids, sighed. “Alright. I can see that some of you are struggling to stay awake.” His eyes landed on Luna for a fraction longer than necessary. “Let’s take a short break before we continue.”

Luna immediately perked up, as if she had been revived from the dead. “Oh, thank goodness.”

Aria chuckled softly, stretching her arms before turning to Luca. “You okay? You look like your soul left your body halfway through.”

Luca grinned. “It did. But it’s fine, I’ll manage.”

The three of them stood up from their seats, stretching slightly before heading toward the large windows at the side of the room. Outside, the campus was bathed in sunlight, the gentle breeze rustling the trees. Students could be seen walking across the stone paths, some deep in conversation, others heading toward their next classes.

Luna sighed dreamily. “I wish we had classes outside. I bet I’d actually pay attention then.”

Luca raised an eyebrow. “No, you wouldn’t. You’d just fall asleep under a tree.”

Luna gasped in mock offense. “How dare you? I am a scholar with a thirst for knowledge.”

Aria snorted. “You literally just said history was exhausting.”

Luna waved a hand dismissively. “Details, details.”

Their lighthearted conversation continued until the professor called for the class to resume. They returned to their seats, and the lesson picked up once more, though with a slightly more tolerable atmosphere now that they had a short break.

As the lesson progressed, Aria found herself focusing more, absorbing the information with keen interest. Despite the initial chaos of their morning, she felt herself settling into the rhythm of the class. Even Luna managed to stay awake, barely.

By the time the class ended, the tension from earlier had completely faded. The three of them gathered their things, preparing to leave when the professor called out, “Luca, a word?”

Luca froze mid-step, glancing at his friends before sighing. “Go on ahead. I’ll catch up.”

Aria and Luna exchanged looks but nodded before exiting the classroom. Luca turned to the professor, bracing himself.

“Luca,” the professor began, folding his arms. “You’re a bright student, but your habit of being late is becoming a pattern. If you don’t start taking your studies more seriously, it will affect your future.”

Luca nodded. “I understand, professor. I’ll do better.”

The professor studied him for a moment before sighing. “See that you do.”

Luca gave a small smile before finally leaving the room. As soon as he stepped outside, he spotted Aria and Luna waiting for him down the hallway.

“So? How bad was it?” Luna asked.

Luca shrugged. “Eh. Just another lecture about my ‘habits.’”

Aria sighed. “Maybe if you actually tried being on time, you wouldn’t have to hear it so often.”

Luca smirked. “Where’s the fun in that?”

Luna laughed, shaking her head as they walked down the hall together, ready to take on the rest of the day.

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