NEW LIFE : A SECOND CHANCE

Beatrice looked up to see the highly panicked Sam running after Xing Han.

She had never seen him like that before and it affected her in a way she didn't know could possibly happen. All this time, Sam had always been the calm and logical type, no matter what the situation. Just what had happened to have made him so agitated like that?

Her mind thought back on what Xing Han had said before he left. First-year classrooms? Someone, he was going to ask out?

Beatrice's eye twitched.

Why would Xing Han asking someone out affect Sam so much? Unless the person was someone Sam liked?

Someone Sam liked?

When that thought came into her mind, Beatrice suddenly felt a bit unsettled.

Her fingers stopped in mid-typing, hovering over her keyboard. Her eyes glazed over a bit as she started thinking about it. There were a lot of girls in this year's intake so it wasn't a far stretch to say that someone must have caught Sam's eye.

It was like this every year. Seniors checking out the freshies for potential girlfriends, or just to fool around. Beatrice didn't think Sam was the type to actively check out the girls just to see who were potential 'hits' but it didn't mean that he wouldn't be interested at all if someone caught his interest, right?

Beatrice's fingers started tapping over the keyboard without really typing. It was more of her drumming her fingers on the keyboard as she thought over the matter. Sam liking someone wasn't unusual but what made her feel strange was why she was feeling weird about it.

Her mind wandered to the day when Sarah confessed about her feelings for Kyle. The way she described what she felt and how it grew. From mere admiration to something more. The feelings she felt when it blossomed into love.

The drummings of her fingers stilled.

It was as if a light bulb got switched on. When the realisation hit her, Beatrice gulped and she shook her head vehemently.

No. It couldn't be.

She couldn't be ...

The question Sarah had asked her then, about how she would feel if Sam confessed to her. She had felt shocked but it did plant a seed in her mind. She didn't, not for a minute, entertain him having any feelings for her but now - now, the thought was not what he felt for her, but what she felt for him.

How would she feel if Sam confessed to someone else?

If that had been the question Sarah asked, perhaps Beatrice's answer would have made her realise her feelings even sooner.

She did not like it. She did not like it one little bit.

Beatrice gripped her hands into fists.

This cannot be happening.

She now truly understood what Sarah had meant about wishing she could have remained oblivious. It would have been so much easier.

Suddenly, the reason behind her palpitations of the heart and nervousness whenever he was near was obvious. The fact that she would always smile when she thought of Sam. That every action of his in baring his heart - like telling her how much the Elite Five meant to him - had made her feel special in some way.

Beatrice groaned.

The day she realised how she felt, was also the day Sam started showing interest in another person. How cruel was Life? Nothing could be worse than this.

Nothing.

Little did Beatrice know how wrong she actually was in that regard.

?? Sam ??

Sam found himself uncharacteristically running at the corridor. Well, not running but walking extremely fast while his eyes were darting to the left and right.

He was cursing under his breath. He could not see Xing Han anywhere. Just how could that guy run so fast and disappear?!

Just as he rounded a corner, however, he saw Xing Han leaning against the wall and looking at him as he came into view.

"It's class time, you know," Xing Han said with a smile, "I couldn't barge in and demand to see someone now, can I? Yet, you were so flustered that you didn't even remember that basic thing?"

Sam stopped, his chest heaving as he had been walking so fast earlier. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, feeling like a fool. Xing Han was right. He had been deliberately provoked and he fell for it. Hook, line, and sinker.

His eyes opened when he heard footsteps approaching.

Xing Han walked over slowly, to the young man who was breathing slightly heavier and looking at him in a daze, and poked him in the chest.

"Are you now willing to admit something so obvious to the rest of us?" Xing Han asked.

Sam was quiet and looked away.

"Come on, let's go somewhere else to talk," Xing Han said, putting his arm around Sam's shoulders. Sam wriggled out of it and nodded, indicating with his head to go forward.

Xing Han smiled and walked beside Sam.

They walked on in silence at that time. Xing Han didn't say a word for he knew that Sam was thinking hard on what had just happened. This was not the time to push him. It was good enough that Sam was following beside him obediently.

Xing Han headed to the cafeteria.

Mrs. Ling was surprised to see them, "Class is over already? I didn't hear the bell ring."

"No, Mrs. Ling. It's still another hour before lunch break," Xing Han replied, "We're just here earlier before the crowd."

"Oh yes. You're from Sage Class," Mrs. Ling nodded, "You're lucky. Some of the dishes are already out."

Xing Han and Sam politely thanked her and she generously ladled some food on Sam's tray, "You're so skinny, young man. You need more meat on them bones."

Xing Han pouted at Mrs. Ling, "What about me?"

She smiled at him indulgently, "Fine, fine. Here."

Xing Han's face brightened up as he watched her slather more gravy on his roast chicken and added another piece.

"You're the best!" Xing Han exclaimed, blowing her kisses.

Mrs. Ling shook her head and laughed. They quickly paid and sat at a different table than usual. One that was near the window this time.

As they picked on their food, Xing Han asked Sam, "So? Have you thought about it properly now?"

"There's nothing much, really," Sam insisted stubbornly, twirling the pasta with his fork.

"Can you really handle seeing her with someone else?" Xing Han asked and smirked when he saw the flicker in Sam's eyes and how his twirling stopped for a second.

"She's unbelievably cute and bubbly, a magnet for anyone at all," Xing Han continued mercilessly, "You know how the single seniors are. First years are a gold mine, waiting to be tapped into. Sooner or later, she'll become someone's girlfriend. The way I see it, she's the type that likes to snuggle and hold on to people. So, can you handle seeing her doing PDAs with another guy?"

Sam's hands went into fists and he glared at Xing Han who didn't stop talking, saying, "Holding hands. Hugging. Snuggling close. Kiss-"

"Alright! I get it!" Sam growled, making Xing Han laugh. This was the first time he ever witnessed Sam lose it.

"I get it," Sam said in a more reserved tone, relinquishing his hold on the fork and leaning back on his chair as he looked out the window.

"Stop trying to analyse what you're feeling and just go for it," Xing Han said, cutting the roast chicken into smaller pieces, "I won't say that you're in love with her or whatnot, but there's no denying that you have strong feelings for her."

Sam didn't answer, as his gaze didn't waver as if there was something outside that piqued his interest. That didn't bother Xing Han as he continued talking.

"So man up, Sam," Xing Han said, putting a piece of chicken in his mouth, "Go and woo her. Get her. You won't achieve anything just by staying at the sidelines, writing down notes about things and trying to be logical about everything."

"Look. In the first place, love is illogical and not something you can reason with. Can you define or analyse what love is? You can know someone for years and feel nothing but when someone else comes, it's BAM," Xing Han said seriously, "If you think love can be reasoned with then you're not in love. It's a want for companionship. Love is based on feelings and not reason."*

"You just think too much. Go with what is in there," Xing Han said, pointing towards Sam's chest where his heart is, then at Sam's head, "Rather than there."

Sam took out his bunny notebook and placed it on the table, his thumb playing on the bunny sticker.

"You're right," Sam said, "I can't keep on trying to figure this out. I'll do it. It's a fact. I like her. So I will try and woo her."

"Good," Xing Han said, scopping up some gravy with his piece of chicken and eating it, "You may, or may not end up with her. After all, you may have strong feelings for her but it doesn't mean she does, right?"

"Is that supposed to be a pep talk? Cuz if it is, you suck at it," Sam said as he continued twirling that spaghetti.

Xing Han shrugged.

"By the way, your notebook should be about 'how to woo a bunny' and not a human. See what makes a bunny excited," Xing Han commented.

"Ha ha, very funny," Sam said.

Meanwhile, back at Sage Class, Beatrice found that she could not concentrate on her work anymore. She looked around and saw that the other Elite Five members seemed unperturbed at Xing Han and Sam's disappearance.

This made her feel that they had known what was going on and left it to Xing Han to deal with it.

That made her feel worse. With those behind Sam, would he fail in getting the girl?

Beatrice got up. She had to see Betty.