#MORNING#

# MARIGOLD HIGH SCHOOL#

#SCHOOL CAFETERIA#

**ROYCE'S POINT OF VIEW**

As I sat, lost in my thoughts, I couldn't help but wear a goofy grin plastered across my face. The amusing moment blurred the line between reality and fantasy, and I was blissfully unaware of how odd I must have looked staring at her.

Suddenly, Karim’s voice broke into my reverie, cutting through the haze of my daydreams with an exasperated tone.

"Geez, dude! Will you just stop smiling like someone who's gone crazy? You look so weird right now, and I swear you're beginning to creep me out," he said, his brow furrowed and lips pressed into a...