"Where is it?" I mumble to myself as my fingers fumble in the deep insides of my schoolbag, frantically probing every crevice.

I'm late.

"Better hurry up, Aly-cee. Three-dev is waiting," Wynsa chirrups from her seat next to mine. She grins as her tongue flicks in and out of her mouth. "Wouldn't want to give a terrible first impression now, would we?"

That smell...

"Wynsa." My voice rises in warning. "Are you eating my coconut candy?"

Lucifer's spawn nods gleefully in reply. She sticks out her tongue, proud of the oval-shaped candy on it. "And I was eating it the whole time you were searching. Poor Aly-cee, too much of a tempurung to notice."

I grit my teeth. Now how the hell am I supposed to face Sandev with my full-blown nerves?

"You're too dependent on coconut candy, Aly-cee. Doesn't even taste that good."

"Then why are you eating it?" I demand.

Wynsa only winks at me and cocks her head, words coming out in whispers. "Can you hear the ticking... ticking... ticking?"

I shift my gaze to the white clock on the classroom wall.

7.10am.

"Wynsa, I'm late!"

She shrugs. "Yeah, I know."

"He'll think I'm a terrible prefect!"

"Okay."

"And I don't know where to find him!"

"Cool."

Irritated, I storm out of the classroom to the sound of Wynsa's diabolical cackles.

♡♡♡

I run towards the Side Gate, my arms flailing freely in the air and my skirts flapping against the wind. I can see Jory standing there, mermaid braid and small frame. Hareet stands beside her, detailing everything she is saying in a small notebook. The two of them turn to face me as I slow to a stop.

Jory reacts first, laughing. "Where were you, Ali? Sandev's been asking all over for you."

I take a few moments to catch my breath. "Where is he?"

Jory points to the Front Gate, a few metres ahead of us. "I sent him there to wait."

"Thanks." I smile at her.

She winks and nudges me. "Go get him, Alley-Cat!" Hareet paws the air in agreement. "Meow." The two of them burst into chuckles.

I roll my eyes, failing miserably as my vision crosses instead. I brush it off and break into a sprint towards the Front Gate. It is not long before I spot him, his cocoa skin against the pale white of the school uniform.

Sandev merely arches an eyebrow, so different from the shy probate I had met yesterday.

I attempt to smooth my clothes down. "I was searching for something. Sorry."

His expression does not change as his gaze lowers from my face.

Is he staring at my chest? Should I try to conceal or enhance it, then?

His raspy voice snaps me to attention, features still nonchalant. "You forgot to bring your prefect accessories and book." Stunned, I stare at him, my mouth agape. Embarrassment burns red on my face. Sandev's face does not change, if not to arch his eyebrow higher.

Thankfully, I am saved by the national anthem which plays every morning. The two of us stand still, staring at each other as the drum beats of the anthem echo in the background.

His gaze is black and white and unflinching as he holds mine. Sandev's mouth curves into a smirk. I can feel the heat rushing up from my stomach to my face again, with no coconut candy to cool me down.

What is it with boys and smirking? And why oh why did Wynsa have to steal my candy today, of all days?

I break away from his stare the minute the anthem ends, walking closer. I try to sound confident and authoritative, like a high-ranking eighteenth-century aristocrat. "Since you're the one with the notebook, I suppose you know what you must do."

"No, I don't." His reply comes, flat and genuine.

This is why I should've brought my prefect book.

Exasperated, I grab one of the students coming our way, obviously late, and position her in front of Sandev. The girl, a first-year, was no doubt shocked at being pulled aside.

"Name?" Sandev asks professionally, cottoning on to the fact that it was time to write down others' names. His face softens into mild amusement at her.

The girl looks at him, shock melting into disdain. She swats him away. "You know what it is, anne."

My mouth drops open for the second time today. No first-year should disrespect a senior like that. Sure, she called him 'brother', but even I do that when I am politely requesting for the seniors to clear from the canteen. I move to reprimand the girl, but Sandev chuckles.

He freaking chuckled.

"Of course, of course. Sandhia, class 1B." He motions to jot down his words, grinning. "Why are you so late?"

The girl, Sandhia, throws him a dirty look. "Amma didn't wake me up." With that, she flounces off, pinafore skirt swishing.

I am still at a loss for words as Sandev turns to me. "My sister," he explains. "She sleeps in the car."

"Oh."

As Sandev continues to jot down the latecomers names, my eyes trail after his sister, making her way into her classroom block.

I have met Sandev Kumar's little sister.

A/N: Yo #AliDev shippers! A lot of the characters' acts might deviate from their real personas, and for that I apologise as I seriously do not know Tiga very well. Also, the people in the story are swapped left and right with their real-life identities, so uhhh, don't freak out. Okay, two more parts to go. Bye!