Music From Her Anklets

"ARE YOU SERIOUSLY SLEEPING RIGHT NOW?" Cherry yelled from the other side of the phone

Aria jolted awake at the sudden scream. Glancing at her phone, she realized there were less than 2 hours left for the induction event to start. "I'll meet you at the City Square in 45 minutes," she said quickly, then hung up.

She hurriedly completed her morning chores, dressing in a sleeveless pink jumpsuit that would be suitable for both the induction event and the welcome party. Aria also adorned herself with her mother's golden ear stud and a pair of silver anklets her parents had given her, leaving her hair down. She packed her backpack with all the necessary items and left her room.

Spotting her father still sleeping on the sofa with beer cans on the table, she gently kissed his cheek, then proceeded to the main door, putting on her shoes. But before stepping out, she remembered something important. Rushing back to her room, she picked up the fanny pack from her study table, unzipped it, and found the copper coin her mother had gifted her after her death.

Khushi took the coin and kissed it, whispering, "Wish me luck, Mom," with her eyes closed. After placing the coin back into the fanny pack, she carried it with her.

As promised, she met Cherry at the City Square after 45 minutes, and they both headed to the college together. Unlike Aria, who had dressed for both the induction event and the welcome party, Cherry was specifically prepared for the latter, donning a black cocktail dress. It looked somewhat odd while she drove her scooter. They had also stashed their makeup kit in the scooter's trunk for a quick touch-up before the party and induction event.

They arrived at the college a few minutes before the induction event. Fortunately, it was delayed by an hour, granting them enough time for a touch-up to look their best. However, the event itself was rather lackluster. It felt like the college administration was merely going through the motions. Enthusiasm was noticeably absent from the atmosphere. College staff called out the names of freshmen, who then went on stage to introduce themselves, stating their names, hometowns, and intended majors.

The ceremony concluded about two hours after a speech from the college dean. Following this, the college-organized lunch commenced. However, the real event was yet to begin, and the freshmen had no idea what to expect.

At 5 PM, all the freshmen were summoned to the indoor stadium, where preparations for the party were in full swing. Students from all years were gathered, and a large banner at the entrance read, "WELCOME FRESHMEN."

Yet, the welcome party was not what the freshmen had imagined. Each of them was asked to showcase their talents in front of the sizable crowd that surrounded them. Some sang some danced, some performed stand-up comedy, some acted, and others displayed unusual talents. Unfortunately, some freshmen were unable to perform, and as a form of punishment, the seniors made them dance to embarrassing songs or subjected them to mild hazing.

Thankfully, Aria and Cherry avoided embarrassment by performing a duet dance. Despite managing to entertain the seniors, all freshmen were then assigned the role of waiters and servers at the party.

An hour later, the college soccer team arrived in their team jackets and jeans. The moment they stepped into the stadium, the crowd erupted into cheers, lauding their recent victory. Confetti filled the air, and the entire stadium resonated with a cacophony of chants. At the heart of the celebration was the college captain, Holo.

Meanwhile, most of the freshmen were watching the victorious team from the sidelines. Aria stood among them, holding a tray of skewered meatballs, while Cherry stood beside her with a tray of plastic glasses filled with a fizzy drink, some kind of alcohol.

After some time, when everyone had finished their dinner, romantic music filled the air, and gentle disco lights began to dazzle the stadium. It was time to dance. The center area was cleared for couples eager to groove to the romantic tunes. Some senior boys and girls who were already in relationships began dancing on the floor, holding each other close. As for the rest, those without partners or who were too tired from serving food, mostly the freshmen, took a seat on the stadium benches, watching the others dance.

However, strangely, one of the most popular individuals in the college and the MVP of the night, Holo, was standing on the sideline. Many girls, including Aria and Cherry, couldn't help but steal glances at him instead of focusing on the ongoing dance.

"What do you think? Should I go and ask him to dance?" asked Cherry as she looked at Holo.

Aria, seated beside her, replied, "You can try, I guess."

"Alright," said Cherry with a grunting sound as she stood up. "If you say so."

"I didn't insist," commented Aria.

Meanwhile, a girl approached Holo and said something to him. However, due to the loud music and their distance from Holo, they couldn't possibly hear what was being said. Observing the interaction, Cherry commented while keeping her eyes on Holo, "What do you think the girl's asking?"

"Probably if he'd like to dance," replied Aria.

In a short while, Holo responded to the girl, and she returned with a disappointed expression. Soon after, another girl approached Holo and inquired about something, only to return disappointed as well. Likewise, two more girls approached Holo and got similar results.

To avoid further advances from girls, Holo left the stadium and stepped into the open.

Observing this, Cherry said, "Maybe I should stick around with you."

"Good idea," commented Aria.

As both friends were enjoying watching the others dance, Aria's cellphone suddenly rang. When she checked her phone, she noticed it was her father. The noise inside the stadium was too loud, so she informed Cherry that she was stepping outside for a moment to talk to her father.

She went outside the stadium and made the call. She informed her father that she would be leaving the college soon, accompanied by Cherry. After the conversation, she took a moment to look around. It was a full moon night, and the area outside the stadium was peaceful, with only a few parked vehicles, some trees, the chirping of crickets, and Holo, standing alone at a distance, smoking a cigarette with his back to Aria.

Amidst the mild sound of music emanating from the stadium, Holo relished his solitude, a cigarette in his mouth. Suddenly, an unfamiliar yet soothing jingling sound reached his ears.

Jing. Jing. Jing.

The rhythm of the jingling was consistent, with each jing occurring at minute intervals, akin to the time gap between steps.

Gradually, Holo could hear that sound clearer and clearer with each jingling sound. Intrigued, he slowly turned around to identify its source. It was Aria, and as he watched her, time seemed to slow down, his heart beating at a leisurely pace as Aria approached him.

In that moment, all other noises faded into the background for Holo; they were eclipsed by the soothing melody of Aria's anklets. A subtle smile formed on his face, and his eyes allowed him to savor the joy of a strange yet warm feeling. He felt something unusual in his heart that he had never experienced before.

Even as Aria stood right before him, he remained lost in his daydream. "Hey," Aria said, but Holo was still in a different world at that moment. He smiled, the cigarette still in his mouth. "Hey," Aria tried again with a slightly louder voice. As a result, Holo snapped out of his daydream.

  "Hey," he responded.

"Congratulations on the win," said Aria.

Although Aria's compliment reached his ears, his mind was still elsewhere, captivated by the sight of Aria's face. Subconsciously, voiced what had been buzzing in his head since he first saw her. He pulled out the cigarette from his mouth like the cool guy he was, and asked, "Will you dance with me?"

Hearing such a random question out of the blue, Aria froze for a moment, her eyes widening in surprise as she looked at Holo. The question took her aback, and she didn't know how or what to answer.