The First Curse of Love
9. The Lost Focus

Qiara was busy picking out novels at a bookstore when Prissy suddenly came and greeted her with a smile that always seemed friendly and warm. "Hay, Qiara! You here too? What book?"

Qiara who had just noticed Prissy's presence suddenly gasped. His eyes were looking for another figure who might drive Prissy to that place. Yeah, Danny. Qiara is looking for Danny. "Gue is a novel. I ran out of reading material" Qiara replied as she continued searching for Danny.

Prissy nodded. His attention did not escape the stupor that Qiara openly showed. Prissy then chuckled softly, then as if she could read Qiara's mind, she said, "gue come alone! Danny's again doing group work."

"Oh..." Qiara muttered softly without him noticing. However, once again Qiara gasped, then realized something, "no! I'm not looking for Danny anymore." His eagle.

Prissy laughed, "who said you nyariin Danny who? I'm just saying it."

"Huh?"

"You guys fight, huh?" Guess Prissy with a smile full of mystery. It's like he already knows what the answer is.

"No," Qiara replied briefly then refocused on the bookshelf that was in front of her. Pretending to choose a novel.

"Not lie. I also asked Danny, and it's funny you got the same answer."

This time Qiara was silent. Confused how to answer.

"Gue doesn't know what your problem is, but I hope whatever the problem is, you can solve it well. Your friendship has been sixteen years running, so it's not exciting if you feel stretched in-dieman kayak gini." Prissy's 'seems' to sound sincere. "Gue's saying goodbye, huh? I got the book I was looking for." Close Prissy while showing Qiara a book.

"Okay, Priss."

Just as Prissy turned around, she came back after remembering something. "Yes, said Arga lo sick, yes, so can not come to my birthday party?"

"Huh? Eemmm. yes, yes." Answer Qiara.

"How are you doing now? You okay?"

"I –iya"

"Thank God."

"Thanks, Priss..."

When Prissy turned around for the second time, the warm smile that she had been patriarching from earlier was instantly erased, and replaced by a sharp grin that soiled her beautiful face.

...****...

During the course hours, Qiara kept staring at Danny who was sitting right across the bench. Suddenly, Prissy's words yesterday afternoon continued to fill her head.

For three days he had not spoken to the young man. Although the four of them still gather as usual, but not once he talked to Danny.

Qiara did not try to avoid Danny, nor did she. It's just that they always try to avoid talking or looking at each other.

"Qiara Serena Ghandy!" Call Miss Winda with an intimidating tone from the front of the class.

Qiara instantly broke her daydream as her ears caught the voice of one of Killer's famous lecturers calling out his name.

"Try repeating my explanation, how culture can affect communication!"

"Huh?"

Qiara was surprised, how could he repeat Mother Winda's explanation if he didn't even listen to her explanation earlier? Not to mention Qiara forgot to bring the book. Hhh... It felt as if Qiara was anxious to submerge herself to the bottom of the deepest sea that second as well.

"Qiara, K-KA-RANG!" Shouts Miss Winda once again.

Now all the attention of the class is on Qiara, and Danny is no exception. They all stared at Qiara with concern, as if today was the last day Qiara lived on earth.

From his place, Qiara could see Danny showing his upset face. Danny seemed to sigh, shook his head slowly, then refocused his notebook, trying to ignore Qiara as much as he could.

Miss Winda, who stood in front of her, folded her hands in front of her chest, said back when Qiara did not also make her voice and just confused in her seat, "is something wrong, Qiara?" Bu Winda's voice sounded slow but quite intimidating.

"Sorry Mom, I didn't listen to Mom's explanation very well." Said Qiara bluntly without daring to look at Bu Winda.

Miss Winda then shook her head several times, and began her sermon, "if you don't listen to me, then what have you done since then? Watching brother Danny?"

"CIEEEEE!!!" Shouted all the class except Danny. Danny seemed unconcerned about the class atmosphere that was starting to break out. He is still focused on his notes.

"That's not it, Miss Winda!"

"You think I haven't seen that since as long as I've been explaining, you keep paying attention to Danny's brother?"

The mood of the class was getting out of control and further provoked the anger of Madam Vinda. Qiara then threw a murderous look at her classmates who were really inconsiderate.

"Once again you are not noticed in my class, I will not hesitate to give you a C on the next task. Understood?"

"I'm sorry, Mom..." Qiara said regretfully while looking down deeply. He then closed his eyes, trying to drown out the extreme embarrassment.

...****...

"Hi, Brother Dean! I know, I'm Nadya." Said a sweet girl introducing herself to Dean who was waiting for Qiara's arrival in the campus cafeteria.

Dean froze in place with an expressionless face, letting Nadya's hand hang in the air without a welcome.

Realizing that Dean was ignoring him, Nadya smiled awkwardly as she slowly lowered her outstretched hand.

"Waah, it turns out that people actually say, Brother Dean is very cold. Haha." Nadya laughed blankly at the end of her sentence.

"Yes, Brother Dean if you don't mind –"

"DADDY!" Excited someone from a distance who inappropriately cut the charm spread effort launched by Nadya, the most popular girl in the Journalistic Science department.

Dean and Nadya compactly turned towards the source of the voice. While Nadya showed her upset face, Dean was just the opposite. The cold aura that surrounded his face, swept in an instant by the eyes as soon as he saw the figure of Qiara walking over to him, then flanking his arm. The 'ordinary' thing for Qiara, managed to make Dean's heart beat twice as fast as usual.

"Sister Dean, I've been looking for Brother." Said Qiara with a cute pretentious tone that he deliberately made up to heat up Nadya.

Dean tried hard to hold back his laughter so as not to explode on the spot. He then covered his mouth with one of his hands while throwing his face so that Nadya did not catch his reaction now.

But really, Qiara looks really adorable to Dean.

"E –elo who?" Nadya asked Qiara.

"Qiara Cave. His girlfriend's brother Dean." Qiara answered with a serious face while lifting her chin to look reassuring.

"WHAT?"

"If you've found out, now go and stop caper with my guy." Hardik Qiara ferociously.

Without having to linger, Nadya immediately lifted her foot from the front of the two people and left with a cocky feeling. Hope is dashed.

"Hahahaha, why did I suddenly become your girlfriend?" Ask Dean.

His laughter instantly broke once Nadya had disappeared from their sight.

"Don't want to meet that girl! He used to run Arga. But rejected." Momentary pause. Qiara then looked at Dean, he raised his right hand, took a little tiptoe and rubbed Dean's head gently, "now how dare he sneak his hands on my precious Dean's sister." Then continue while still stroking Dean's head.

Dean fell silent, with his eyes fixed on Qiara's pair of clear eyes. Something in his chest was churning. And his heart work is growing in there.

"Sister Dean, treated Qia ice cream, huh?" Qiara said as she blinked her eyes after she slid her hand from Dean's head.

A few seconds later, Dean regained his consciousness. He snorted and rubbed the girl's forehead, "it turned out that he wanted." Grouse Dean.

Qiara just laughed. A moment later he flanked Dean's arm. They also walked to the ice cream storefront.

...****...

Prissy sat languidly in front of a large mirror shortly after she finished ballet practice. He looked at his tired face with a blank look.

From the person of Pricilla Renata Lee, everything seemed fine from the outside, but no one thought that deep inside, he harbored a deep sense of distress and loneliness.

Every day, since she was a child she has been forged to become a professional ballet dancer. And now the training is getting harder because it has to pursue the target to be able to study at Juilliard, catch up last year. Every time Mama kept pressing him to get a place at Juilliard anyway.

The road is not easy and increasingly winding considering there are many rivals out there. That's what caused him to fail to get a place at Juilliard when he graduated High School first. The percentage of graduates in world-class schools is indeed very small, and although he has spent his teenage years to keep practicing and learning, apparently he is still not worthy enough, to almost make him depressed. But her mother did not even understand her sense of despair.

Prissy is the only daughter of a Single Mother. Clarissa Hwang, a world-class famous Ballerina is her Mama who is a Juilliard graduate as well. That's why Clarissa wanted Prissy to follow in her footsteps. He does not want Prissy to make the slightest mistake that will make him fail for the second time to get a place there.

Every time, Prissy felt so depressed. He even found it difficult to breathe because of the rules of his mother who seemed to curb his freedom. Prissy loves ballet, she can't even describe how great her love for ballet is, but she never knows until finally this time comes, the time when love actually suffocates him and makes it difficult to just breathe.

He is tired, he also needs to rest and run his life like a girl his age. But he knew that there was such a high price he had to pay for a dream. Even if the path he took was so tiring and bloody, he had to go through it to be able to stand in the highest place that had always been his dream.

The phone's shaking, there's one call from Danny. Prissy just stared at her phone without doing anything. He then looked back at his reflection in the mirror until his phone no longer vibrated. He took a deep breath and resumed his training.

Again, this was the price he had to pay for his dream.

^^^To be Continued...^^^