Instead of bringing Sierra to their next class, Josh carried her to the clinic and got her hand treated.

“Josh, when did you start hurting girls?” Nurse Janice asked while cleaning Sierra’s wounded knuckles.

The school nurse was a nice and approachable person. In times that Sierra was sick, Nurse Janice cared for her like a mother would tend to her child. Aside from giving her medicine, Nurse Janice also prepared warm and healthy meals for Sierra and she would not allow Sierra to leave the clinic until her fever had gone down.

It was a good thing that Sierra could easily recover with only a few hours of undisturbed rest. She hated bothering people for a long time.

“She did that to herself,” Josh defensively uttered.

“I needed to defend myself because you brought me to that dangerous place,” Sierra reminded him with a glare.

“Fortunately, you did not break any bone. But the swelling will still hurt. Rest your hand,” Nurse Janice instructed while wrapping bandage over her wounded knuckles. “Rest your hand, Sierra,” she reminded her again. “Don’t overuse it.”

“Thank you, Nurse Janice,” Sierra gratefully uttered.

“Josh,” Nurse Janice shot a warning look at him. “Leave this young lady alone.”

Josh only shrugged his shoulders before leaving the clinic.

“Sierra, stay away from Josh,” Nurse Janice seriously told her. “I know he’s not a bad person but he can be dangerous for you.”

“Why?” Sierra curiously asked.

For a moment, it seemed that Nurse Janice knew Josh way better than Sierra did, but the school nurse only pointed at Sierra's wounded knuckles.

“You’re the first woman he brought here. If he can put you in danger once, he can do it again. So, stay away from him."

Sierra was touched at the concern Nurse Janice was showing her. She really cares like a mother at times.

“I'll stay away from him," Sierra promised. "Thank you for taking care of me, Nurse Janice."

^#####################################^

“We have a deal," Sierra reminded Josh who was waiting for her outside the clinic. "Why are you still here? And why are you following me?”

“We’re classmates,” Josh reminded her with a smile. “We'll be going to the same classroom. So, I waited for you. Or do you want me to stop studying so you could not see me again?”

Sierra rolled her eyes and looked away from Josh, only to find Kate peeking at the school laboratory.

Kate was an inch shorter than Sierra. Her long black hair was neatly braided. She was wearing a purple knee-length dress, a pair of purple sandals, and a purple shoulder bag. Despite having good fashion sense, beautiful and young-looking face, Kate was lacking confidence. She was such a shy girl.

Kate was like a sister to Sierra. They came from the same orphanage. They grew up and dream together. Finishing college was one of their dreams. And they were only a year away from fulfilling it.

Sierra stood behind Kate and glanced at where she was peeking. There was only one man in that room.

“Hey, don’t tell me you’re stalking Dan?” she asked Kate who suddenly blushed with embarrassment.

“I’m not!” Kate defensively denied. “I’m just…” her voice faded when Josh caught her attention. "No..." she whispered and took a step backwards. “NO!” she yelled in embarrassment as she dashed away from Sierra, Josh, and the laboratory.

“Kate, wait!” Sierra was about to follow her friend but Josh opened the door of the laboratory and talked to his friend.

“Dan! What are you doing here?”

“What else will I do in this place?” Dan shot back at him without looking away from the smoking flasks in front of him.

He was taller than Josh by a few inches. He likes to wear white overcoat over his black shirt and pants. His dark brown hair was always sleek and neat. His navy blue eyes were also sharp yet enchanting.

Plenty of girls wanted to get his attention, but he was ignoring all of them. The only thing that could interest him was his studies and experiments.

Feeling sad for her friend, Sierra looked away from Dan and went to the rooftop.

Kate was there, preparing lunch at the blanket she had spread over the floor.

“Why are you with Josh?” Kate asked when Sierra sat on the blanket.

“I don’t know. I’m as confused as you are,” Sierra sighed. “Maybe he is punishing me for bumping into him while I was in a hurry to get in my first class.”

“We tried waking you up,” Kate said, looking guilty.

“I know,” Sierra smiled at her friend. “What I didn’t know is you stalking Dan.”

“I’m not stalking him!” Kate loudly denied.

“Okay. If you say so,” Sierra sighed. “But you have to tell him your feelings.”

“I can’t do that,” Kate blushed once again.

“You like him since the first time you saw him. That was how long? Three years ago, right? How long are you planning to hide your feelings for him?” Sierra asked, raising an eyebrow at her friend.

“But I can’t say it to him,” Kate sadly admitted. “I’m scared, Sierra.”

“He will keep on ignoring you, whether you confess your feelings to him or not,” Sierra simply said with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Hey, Sierra, that hurts!” Kate said, eyes watering.

“Unless you become a flask or any equipment in the laboratory, you will not get his attention. That’s all he cares about, Kate,” Sierra honestly told her friend.

Sierra did not know anything about Dan. But every time their paths crossed, Dan was either busy reading books or observing smoking flasks. Girls were piling behind him, but he was completely oblivious of them. That was him since their first year and he never changed up to that very moment.

“Staring at him from a distance is enough,” Kate smiled, trying to hide her sadness.

“It will never be enough,” Sierra disagreed.

“How do you know that?” Kate curiously asked.

“How do I know that?” Sierra glared at her friend. “I’m watching you, Kate. This is the first time I saw you stalking Dan! When I caught you staring at him with admiration, I thought it will go away in time. That’s why I didn’t say anything. But years had passed. You still like him. You are now stalking him! Can’t you see, Kate? The more you hide your feelings, the more it intensifies. Your simple admiration can turn into obsession. Do you want that?”

Kate was silenced by her words.

“I don’t want that for you, Kate. You deserve someone that can love you back,” Sierra moved closer to her friend and gave her a warm embrace. “Say it to him, Kate. Free your heart from it.”

“Will it really end if I tell him what I feel?” Kate hesitantly asked.

“He will either tell you he loves you too or he loves you not. If he tells you he loves you too then that’s good. If he tells you otherwise then that’s also good. You can finally stop hoping and find another man to love, right?”

“You make it sound so simple,” Kate sighed.

“It’s hard. I know. Rejection hurts a lot. But after that pain, after all the tears you shed, you will start accepting the truth. And you will finally be okay. I know you’re brave enough for it, Kate,” Sierra said, tapping the back of her friend, encouraging her.

But Kate was still hesitant as she said, “I’ll think about it.”

“You’ll think about it for how many years?” Sierra frowned at her friend.

Kate raised an eyebrow at Sierra and asked, “Have you done that before?”

“Confessing?” Sierra smiled reminiscently. “Of course, I did.”

“Oh no…” Kate breathed. “You confessed to Josh?!”

Sierra laughed as she answered, “Not him. He is someone from my work. It started in admiration but with the passing of days, it grew into something that really hurts my heart. I don’t like that feeling. It’s distracting me from my work and studies. You know how important work and studies are to me. I need to end my feelings. So, I confessed. Not directly, though. I’m not that bold.”

“How did you confess?” Kate curiously asked.

“I gave him a letter,” Sierra could still feel the nervousness she felt back then.

“What happened next?” Kate asked with growing curiosity.

“I got rejected,” Sierra answered with a shrug of her shoulders. She was also trying to dismiss the pain away. It had been months, but the pain was still there. But it was not as painful as before.

“When did you do that?” Kate asked with great disbelief. “How can you love someone without our knowledge? How can you be heartbroken without us noticing? How did you hide all those feelings from us?! We live in the same apartment and I never saw you cry or even get sad.”

“You know I’m not that good at showing emotions. I hate crying in front of anyone, even with you and Ella. But I’m always glad that you are with me. Your presence and stories were enough comfort to me,” Sierra shyly admitted.

“You’re so unfair,” Kate frowned.

“I’m really okay now,” Sierra seriously uttered. “It hurts once in a while. But it’s not like before. So, Kate, just tell him how you feel.”

“Okay," Kate sighed then promised, "I’ll do it.”

Sierra sighed with relief then noticed something.

“Where’s Ella?” she asked while taking a lunchbox out of her bag.

“Here!” Ella answered, closing the door to the rooftop.

Ella was a few inches taller than Sierra. She had short blonde hair that always stayed neat even if she ran a mile or so. She was wearing an emerald green blouse, blue knee-length shorts, white sneakers, and a huge shoulder bag that matches the color of her blouse.

“Who is it this time, Ella?” Sierra teased her friend that was catching her breath.

“Another volleyball player, I guess?” Kate said, motioning for Ella to sit between her and Sierra.

“I didn’t fight anyone today,” Ella said, sitting over the blanket, still catching her breath. “I nearly did but…”

“What did you do this time?” Sierra curiously asked.

“Nothing,” Ella was shaking her head as if trying to forget something so terrible. “Let’s just eat.”

But Sierra and Kate only stared suspiciously at her.

“You will not eat?” Ella asked, pulling a lunchbox out of her huge bag.

“They must be waiting for us.”

Sierra and Kate were dumbfounded while Ella sighed in surrender.

Josh, Dan, and their other friend Renzo entered the rooftop with take out foods in their hands.

^#####################################^