Jason sat down in his usual seat in class, waiting for the professor to begin. He took out his laptop and opened his notes from the previous lecture, reviewing the material in case of a pop quiz. Feeling the need to update his friends, he grabbed his phone and sent a message to Evan and Nadine in their group chat.

"Can't believe we've been going over the same stuff repeatedly. Finally, something interesting today—a new student is being introduced."

Despite attending different universities in Jakarta, they remained in touch. Evan studied Physics at Binawan University, while Nadine pursued Graphic Design at UMN.

Signal08:57 am

Evan

my prof is just discussing about GLB and GLBB like sir bas in 8th grade lol

Nadine

Van why did you even pursue physics its basically middle school abuse, bio or chem is a thousand times better and less abusive to the adolescent mind.

Jason

okok both of you just shut up my prof is abt to start the lecture.

im gonna go now bye idiots

After sending the message, Jason powered off his phone and placed it in his bag. He shifted his focus to his laptop as the professor entered the classroom.

"Good evening, class. As I mentioned yesterday, we have a new student joining us. She seems to be running a bit late, so let's begin by opening our textbooks to page 15-"

The professor's words were interrupted by the entrance of a girl wearing a grey hoodie and jeans. She apologized for her lateness, blaming the traffic for the delay.

"No problem, Anastasia. You're right on time. Please take a seat next to Jason at the back," the professor replied.

Engrossed in his computer, Jason didn't pay much attention to the new student's arrival.

"You can call me Cinta, sir. Anastasia is just my first name," she clarified.

Those words immediately grabbed Jason's attention.

"Cinta?"

"Jason?"