Flashback

The junior staff's little stunt caught Monika's attention the most, and she tilted her head to see Sam just sitting there, his face contorted and, most of all, confused. She stared at him too, and just like everyone else, she was waiting for his next move. Sam knew he couldn't escape this situation, so he took a deep breath before putting down his cup of cold soda. He stood up and nervously pulled on his clothes before walking towards the crowd where his friends were. His friends parted and cleared the path for him, and without them on the way, he could now perfectly see the face of the woman who had been taunting his daydreams and was visiting his mind once in a while. Once he was a few feet away from the woman, he shifted his eyes to his friends. He was afraid to meet the pair of black eyes that were already looking at him, but he needed to. "Hi," Sam croaked, his voice a little bit pitchy and high. He cleared his throat before trying again. "Hi," he said once more. "Hello, Sam," Mon