Chapter 13 — Appointment Under the Stars

As expected, Thuy Trang officially transferred to study at Binh Minh High School just two weeks after the first meeting at the club. She was placed in class 12A5, not in the same class as Ngoc Han and Nhat Quang, but still regularly stopped by the Astronomy Club to help with event preparations, reasoning that experience from her old school could be useful.

Thuy Trang also quickly adapted to new subjects, clearly demonstrating her excellent learning ability honed in an international educational environment, causing teachers at the school to also begin to pay attention and appreciate her. She quickly became a familiar face, loved by many classmates because of her open and sociable personality.

Thuy Trang's frequent appearances gradually became a familiar part of the club's daily routine. She is sociable, energetic, always ready to give suggestions and support, making other members increasingly like her. With Nhat Quang, she is especially close, often chatting and joking in the way that only long-time close friends can have.

Ngoc Han tried not to let her feelings of jealousy take over, reminding herself that she needed to trust the relationship between her and Nhat Quang. But there are moments, no matter how small, that still make her heart ache.

Thanh Ha, a keen observer, also noticed the subtle change in the atmosphere between the three people. "Are you okay?" She quietly asked Ngoc Han in a meeting, when she saw Nhat Quang and Thuy Trang passionately discussing a technical detail in the corner of the room.

"I'm fine," Ngoc Han replied, trying to smile as naturally as possible. "Just a little tired."

"If you need to talk, I'm always ready to listen," Thanh Ha said, her eyes full of understanding, as if she also somehow realized what was going on in her friend's heart without having to say it out loud.

One afternoon, when Ngoc Han arrived at the club room earlier than usual to prepare documents, she saw Nhat Quang and Thuy Trang sitting next to each other at the long table, their heads bowed close to each other, looking at the same old notebook.

"Here it is, I remember correctly," Thuy Trang said, her voice full of excitement, her finger pointing to a page in the notebook. "That mini observatory design we drew in seventh grade. Do you still have it?"

"Yes, I keep everything related to my old plans," Nhat Quang replied, his voice also full of nostalgia. "Who knows, maybe one day we can finish it."

Ngoc Han stopped at the door, not knowing whether to enter or quietly leave. The sight of two people sitting close together, sharing a memory that she had absolutely no part in, made her feel like an outsider in the story of the person she cared about, even if only for that brief fleeting moment.

"Ngoc Han!" Thuy Trang was the first person to notice her standing at the door, waving with a completely natural expression, without any intention of hiding. "Come in here, we're reviewing some old ideas that can be applied to the upcoming event."

Ngoc Han walked in, tried to smile as naturally as possible, sat down and listened to the two explain the old design. In fact, some of the ideas were quite useful, and she also contributed a few suggestions for improvements to suit the actual conditions of this event.

"This is a good idea," Thuy Trang nodded at Ngoc Han's suggestion to arrange an additional souvenir photo area for attendees. "You're really well organized."

"Thank you," Ngoc Han replied, trying to keep her voice friendly, even though her heart was still a little awkward.

"I think the three of us cooperate well," Nhat Quang said, smiling at the two, completely unaware of the underlying tension that existed. "With Thuy Trang's perspective from experience abroad, combined with Ngoc Han's meticulousness, this event will certainly be much more perfect."

Ngoc Han nodded and smiled in agreement, although inside he couldn't help but wonder if Nhat Quang really didn't notice the insecurity that was silently growing inside her, or if he was simply too busy with the preparations to pay attention to those subtle emotions.

But even though the meeting went smoothly, the feeling of being lost still lingered in Ngoc Han's heart all afternoon. She realized that, no matter how hard she tried to integrate, she still couldn't share the profound childhood memories that Nhat Quang and Thuy Trang had built together, an invisible gap that she didn't know how to fill.

That night, when she got home, she called Yen Nhi, her voice unable to hide her fatigue.

"I feel like I'm competing with a past that I can't keep up with," she confided, her voice undisguisedly choked. "Nhat Quang and Thuy Trang have so many memories in common, so many things that only the two of them can understand."

"But you have things that Thuy Trang doesn't have," Yen Nhi reassured, her voice resolute and full of certainty. "You are his companion in the present, in what he is actually living and experiencing every day. The past is important, but the present and future are what truly define a relationship."

"I hope so," Ngoc Han said, although she was still not completely convinced.

"Do you remember the day of the experimental observation?" Yen Nhi repeated. "You stood in front of hundreds of people, telling stories about the sky with confidence and emotion. That's something only you can do, not Thuy Trang, not anyone else. Nhat Quang definitely saw that."

"Maybe you're right," Ngoc Han admitted, feeling somewhat comforted by that sincere encouragement.

"Besides," Yen Nhi added, her voice somewhat joking to lighten the atmosphere, "if Thuy Trang really had something in mind, I believe he wouldn't bother drawing a diagram of the exhibition booth to help the club. People would focus all their attention on winning Nhat Quang's heart, not worrying about event logistics."

Ngoc Han laughed at that humorous reasoning, feeling a little lighter after the conversation.

That night, before going to sleep, she took out her father's old star map to look at it, a new habit she had formed since the emotional call last week. She thought about her own journey — from a girl who once hated everything related to the night sky, to someone who now finds comfort in the stars when she feels uneasy.

Perhaps, she thought, love is like learning to love the sky again after a long time apart — it takes time, it takes trust, and it takes courage to not let old fears control current decisions. She told herself that she would try to believe in Nhat Quang, in what the two of them had built together over the past few months, instead of letting a past that she had no part in shake that foundation.

"Have you talked frankly with Nhat Quang about this feeling?" Yen Nhi asked, her voice much more serious than before.

"No," Ngoc Han admitted, her voice fading. "I'm afraid if I say it, I'll look selfish and childish."

"Emotions are not wrong, it's just the way to express them that requires skill," Yen Nhi advised, her voice sincere. "You should find the right opportunity to share, don't let it smolder forever and then explode when no one wants it."

Ngoc Han nodded, although she wasn't sure when she would have the courage to speak up about the insecurity that was silently growing inside her, especially when everything was still going smoothly on the surface, with nothing clear enough for her to point to as a specific problem that needed to be resolved.

In the following days, she tried to focus more on event preparation, seeing it as a way to dispel the negative thoughts lingering in her head. She took on more tasks - drafting detailed scripts for each performance, contacting local newspaper reporters to confirm the interview schedule, and even voluntarily staying later to assist the technical team in checking the entire sound and lighting system for the event.

"You work so hard," Thanh Ha commented once, when she saw Ngoc Han still working hard even though it was long past the end of school. "Get some rest, don't let yourself be exhausted before the event."

"I'm fine," Ngoc Han replied, trying to smile, even though she knew clearly that burying her head in work was partly a way for her to avoid having to directly face the complex emotions swirling in her heart.