Rewind

"Elora!!!! Wake up!! You'd soon be late" Her mom yelled splashing water on her

Elora was jerked back to reality, her dream evaporating like smoke in the air. She sat up abruptly, disoriented and confused for a moment before regaining her bearings.

"Mom?!" she exclaimed, rubbing her eyes and trying to shake off the lingering effects of the dream. She felt a pang of disappointment as she looked at her mother standing in the doorway, a concerned expression on her face.

"You overslept," her mother said with a mixture of exasperation and concern. "You need to get ready or you'll be late for school"

Elora glanced at the clock on her bedside table and cursed under her breath. Her mother was right; she had slept in and now had only a few minutes to get ready.

She pushed the covers aside and hastily got out of bed, mentally scolding herself for oversleeping. As she began to quickly get dressed, her mind couldn't help but linger on the vivid dream she had just been ripped from.

It was always the same dream, always about Ethan. She couldn't understand why her subconscious kept tormenting her with these vivid illusions of him. It was as if her heart was taunting her with what it yearned for.

She tried to shake off the lingering thoughts and focus on getting ready, but her mind kept slipping back to the dream. The way he had looked at her, touched her, kissed her - it all felt so real, even now.

As she finished getting dressed and quickly brushed her hair, she stole one last glance at the clock. "Damnit," she muttered under her breath, realizing she was severely cutting it close.

Grabbing her backpack, she dashed out of her room and down the stairs, her mother's voice trailing after her, "Don't forget your lunch!"

She hurriedly grabbed her lunch from the kitchen counter, stuffing it into her backpack along with her notebooks and textbooks. She was mentally kicking herself for oversleeping and ruining her usually meticulous morning routine.

Rushing out the door, she barely took the time to lock it, her mind preoccupied with the thought of being late. She broke into a sprint, her legs carrying her quickly down the familiar path to school.

Meanwhile,

Ethan was walking into school, looking as effortlessly cool as usual. The group of friends who usually surrounded him were trailing after him, engaging in lively conversation.

"Hey, Ethan. It's time for your monthly dare"

Ethan rolled his eyes, an amused grin playing at the corners of his lips. "Oh, here we go again," he replied, used to the dares his friends came up with. "What is it this time?"

"I dare you to date the first girl that walks into this school"

Ethan raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth twitching with a smirk. "Is that all?" he asked, feigning nonchalance. "Piece of cake. I'll have her swooning by the end of lunch."

And it so happened that that girl was no other than elora

Ethan's eyes landed on Elora as she walked into the school building. She looked slightly disheveled, as if she had run all the way there. He felt a pang of familiarity as he took in her appearance, but he shook it off, attributing it to the fact that they had some classes together.

Without thinking about it too much, he turned to his friends and said, "Alright, consider the dare accepted." His friends chuckled and began whispering among themselves, clearly intrigued by the girl he had unknowingly chosen.

As Elora made her way down the hall, she felt a pair of eyes on her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ethan and his friends watching her. She felt a pang of unease, wondering why they were paying her any attention at all.