The soft, golden sunlight covered Denver City as morning unfolded. Along the narrow road leading to school, students walked on either side, their voices filled with laughter and chatter. Mornings like this were always the same, alive with excitement.
Lynette and Seena chatted the entire walk, and before she realized it, they were already standing in front of the school gates. Lynette froze. Her eyes landed on the large sign, "Denver High School." A chill ran down her spine.
"Can I really change everything?" she wondered.
This place… this was where everything began to fall apart. The start of her nightmares. She sank into her thoughts, overwhelmed, when a voice broke through.
"Lynette!! Are you planning to stand there all day?" Seena asked, raising an eyebrow.
A wave of emotions hit Lynette all at once: fear, sorrow, and doubt. But she reminded herself that facing everything wouldn't be easy, and that's exactly why she had to try her best.
"I knew this would be hard. But this time, things will be different. I won't make the same mistakes again. I have everyone now… and I won't lose them," she thought to herself.
Suddenly, Seena grabbed her arm and tugged her through the gates.
"Are you sure you're okay? You've been acting so weird lately. It's like you're a whole different person," Seena said, concern written all over her face.
Lynette stayed quiet, looking down for a moment. Then, after taking a deep breath, she looked at Seena and said with a soft smile, "It's nothing, Seena… I'm just really glad you're here."
Seena didn't push further. She smiled back.
As they walked through the corridor, a familiar figure appeared ahead. Lynette froze for a moment. It was Ael, the very person she had hoped to avoid in this second chance at life. But to truly change things, she would have to face him, too.
With a deep breath and narrowed eyes, she watched him approach with that same old smile, one she used to adore but now resented. "You look pretty, Dodo," he teased. Dodo, his old nickname for her.
"Don't ever call me that again," Lynette replied firmly, her voice like ice.
The sharpness of her stare knocked the smile right off Ael's face. Without another word, she walked past him, straight toward the classroom. Seena burst out laughing behind her as Ael stood frozen, stunned by this new version of Lynette. She wasn't the shy girl he used to know.
Inside the classroom, Lynette looked around. It was exactly as she remembered, wooden benches, a large blackboard, rule posters no one followed, and the familiar scent of ink and chalk. A strange mix of happiness and fear filled her. She was back, but what would happen this time?
Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud voice at the door.
"Dodo Shortie!"
It was Ael again, joking around. "You look like a Dodo, the angry bird! Hahaha."
Lynette didn't reply. She simply stood and walked out of the classroom, leaving Ael confused. Something about her had changed. He could feel it.
Out in the hallway, surrounded by laughter and chaos, Lynette stood still, gazing toward the school gate. That's when she saw Charlie, another familiar face. The girl she had wronged, and never got the chance to make things right with.
Charlie looked exactly as she did before, shoulder-length curly hair, big brows, long natural lashes, warm brown skin. Lynette had never noticed how beautiful Charlie truly was.
Eventually, the first bell rang. The hallway quieted as everyone returned to class.
Lynette sat on the second bench beside Seena, her books open and pens ready. Unlike the old her, she was excited to learn. The breeze from the open window danced through the classroom, flipping the pages of her notebook. The teacher's chalk scratched across the blackboard. Students murmured softly around her. It was all so real again.
From the back bench, someone watched her closely, brows raised, hand over his mouth.
"What's going on? She's not shy anymore?" he thought.
The first, second, and third periods passed quickly. Then the lunch bell rang. A stampede of students rushed to the cafeteria, turning it into a noisy battlefield. Everyone fought for their favourite meal, laughter echoing through the air.
Divitia and Yelena were Seena's friends from her after-school academy who had transferred to Denver High last year. Eventually, Lynette started hanging out with them too. Their group quickly earned a reputation around the school as "beauty with brains." Divitia was the top student in the entire school, and the others were not far behind, smart, outgoing, and popular.
Back then, Lynette was different. She was shy, quiet, and often referred to as the shadow of the group.
But not anymore. This time, everything was different.
As they walked toward the cafeteria, something unexpected happened; all eyes were on Lynette. Students whispered and stared, clearly noticing the change in her demeanour and appearance. Lynette wasn't prepared for the sudden attention. Her heart raced as she walked through the crowded corridor.
Seena leaned in and whispered with a chuckle, "I told you, you look pretty pretty today."
Lynette gave her an awkward smile, still overwhelmed by the weight of everyone's stares.
At the cafeteria entrance, Divitia took charge. "Okay, here's the plan. Two of us will line up for noodles, it's always the longest. The other two will grab soup and potato balls. Got it?"
Everyone agreed. Lynette and Seena headed for the noodle line, while Divitia and Yelena split off to get the rest.
As they stood in line, Seena chatted endlessly, but Lynette's mind was elsewhere. She glanced around with a soft smile. The cafeteria was filled with familiar smells, the warmth of chicken soup, the spicy tang of noodles, and the comforting sweetness of crispy potato balls.
A sudden nudge brought her back. "Are you even listening to me?" Seena asked, nudging her again.
Lynette grinned, "Yes, madam."
As they laughed, Lynette looked towards the other line and spotted a hand waving at her. It was Ael.
Her smile disappeared instantly. She turned away, pretending not to see him. Ael frowned, surprised by her cold reaction.
Later, as the chaos of lunch settled, the girls sat beneath a tree outside with their food. They had successfully gotten everything they wanted. Seena, mouth full, brought up the topic everyone had been thinking about.
"You guys know the talent show's coming up, right? What do we do?"
Everyone fell silent, thinking.
Seena suddenly brought up. "Why don't we sing? Lynette won that singing competition at her church last week!"
"That would be great," Yelena said. "But we can't sing it like Lynette. We will look like a fool next to her."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Then let's dance," Divitia suggested. "Seena, you're good at it. And the rest of us aren't that terrible."
"Yeah, you could choreograph something for us," Lynette added.
Seena grinned proudly. "If that's what my girls want, then I'll give you my best."
The group burst into laughter.
Meanwhile, inside the cafeteria, Ael sat with his friends, glancing repeatedly out the window at Lynette.
"If you keep staring like that, she is going to fly away," one friend joked. "And just a reminder, you don't have time for this, right?!!"
Another added with a smirk, "Or do you actually like her?"
Ael didn't respond. He just sighed, eyes still on her.
When school ended, Lynette was packing her bag when Ael approached her. Without a word, he held out a chocolate bar.
"Sorry about teasing you earlier," he said awkwardly.
Lynette looked at him but stayed silent. Ael shifted nervously under her gaze.
"I… can you come early tomorrow?" he asked, voice low. "There's something I want to tell you."
Lynette took a deep breath, slung her bag over her shoulder, and walked past him. But then, she paused.
"You know what? I hate chocolate," she said coldly, staring him down.
Ael blinked, caught off guard. "Didn't she use to love chocolate?" he thought. A smile crept onto his face.
"Weird…"
Outside the classroom, Seena and the others were waiting.
"What did he say?" Seena asked eagerly.
"Nothing important," Lynette replied.
As they walked toward the school gate, Lynette drifted deep into her thoughts. She already knew what Ael was going to say. She remembered it all too well. Ael never liked her. Back then, he was only trying to win a bet he had made with his friends. The quiet, shy Lynette was an easy target, and his goal was simple: to make her his girlfriend.
For Lynette, someone who had never been approached by a boy before, Ael's attention had felt like a dream. She had believed she was finally stepping into the romance she had always hoped for. But that dream shattered the moment she overheard him laughing with his friends, mocking her innocence and revealing the cruel truth about the bet.
But not this time. She wouldn't let history repeat itself.
While Lynette was lost in those painful memories, her gaze caught another familiar face. "Neven". He was the only one, aside from Seena, who had never treated her like a shadow. He had always tried to help her, to pull her out of the mess she didn't even know she was drowning in.
In the past, she had liked him. But Ael's manipulation had trapped her, and her feelings for Neven had been buried deep and left unspoken.
Now, seeing him again brought a strange warmth to her chest. He still looked the same, tall and slim, with soft brown skin, short hair, a chunky watch on his wrist, and those sweet, gentle doe eyes. As she stared a little too long, Neven suddenly turned and caught her looking. Lynette panicked and quickly smiled, flustered.
That's it, she thought. There's going to be no Ael in this life. I'll end that tomorrow. And I'll pursue Neven with my whole heart.
She hadn't realized she was blushing until Seena nudged her. "What's going on with you?"
Lynette just laughed awkwardly.
Seena leaned over to Divitia and Yelena and whispered, "See? I told you, she has gotten so weird lately."
They both nodded while side-eyeing Lynette.
"I can hear you guys, you know," Lynette said with a chuckle.
They all laughed, waved goodbye, and headed their separate ways home.
When Lynette opened the gate to her house, someone was already waiting, Toto, her dog. He ran up and jumped on her, licking her face, tail wagging wildly. She hugged him tightly and whispered to herself, "Now this… this is home."
After changing out of her uniform, she ate the snack her mom had made for her. Her first day back at school had been overwhelming, so many old faces, so many memories, but it had also been filled with something she hadn't felt before, warmth and a real joy.
As the evening settled in and the sun dipped below the horizon, Lynette took Toto out for a walk near the neighbourhood. The sky was getting dark, the streets became quiet.
Suddenly, a scooter pulled up beside her. A person dressed in all black got off and removed their helmet.
Lynette got scared until she saw his face.
Rowan.
"That's your dog?" he asked casually.
"What?! That was you? I got scared for no reason," Lynette said, exhaling in relief.
"Did I really scare you?" Rowan asked softly.
"It's dark out. What if you were a thief?" she replied, raising an eyebrow.
Rowan just smiled at her, amused.
Toto didn't seem scared of him, but quite the opposite. He wagged his tail and sniffed Rowan's hand, clearly liking him.
"He's cute. What's his name?" Rowan asked.
"Toto," Lynette replied proudly.
Rowan nodded with a grin.
"So… what are you doing out here this late?" she said.
"I had something to drop off at the church," he replied.
They ended up chatting for a while, walking slowly through the neighbourhood. Rowan even walked her all the way back to her house. The entire time, he couldn't stop smiling.
"Alright, you're home. I'll head out too. See you on Friday evening at church," he said gently.
"I didn't ask you to walk me home. But… thanks," Lynette replied, glancing at him. "See you then."
Rowan didn't say anything, just smiled and gave a small wave before turning away.
Later that night, after a warm dinner with her family, Lynette went to bed early. Her first day of school had ended with uncertainty, old scars, but also a new light.