CHAPTER II

Sunny

I turned the gas on to heat my dish. While waiting, I went beside my grandma and helped her fold our clothes. "How is your school?" Grandma asked.

"Busy, but I can still manage. My classmates and I are working together to pass this course and graduate in April." I answered.

"That's good to hear. Just tell me if you have things to buy or need some allowance," Grandma commented. "Grandma can help you a little." She added.

My grandma has lived with us since I was ten. My grandfather lives in the province while caring for my auntie's son.

"I heard from Fei that you got a job. Will you be okay?" I asked worriedly.

She is already a senior citizen and can get big discounts everywhere. We always save more money when we go out, just like being a senior citizen is a big privilege. We are very, very thankful for that too!

"I am still in my sixties and can still do chores. What do you think of me?" Grandma replied confidently.

"What is your work then?" I asked again.

"I am a housekeeper. I will go to the house every Monday and Thursday. It is a big, beautiful house." Grandma said, still amazed by the house she went to.

"Have you talked with the owner?" I wondered.

"Only two of them are living in that big house. I talked to the older one last week. He said that his younger brother was still at school at that time." Grandma shared.

"Is he good? Are they not picky? Tell me right away if they said anything bad to you." I told her.

I won't let them say bad things about my grandma. "Do not worry about me. They are good, and I think you should worry about your dishes." Grandma said that made me jump off the couch and run to the kitchen to turn the gas off.

"It does not have any soup left!" I yelled out of frustration after seeing the dish without soup now.

That is the dish I am most looking forward to when it comes to chicken adobo! And now it is gone, and I won't be able to have it.

The next day, we are busy doing what we need to accomplish today.

"Have you reviewed your notes for the quiz later?" our President asked.

"Yes!" we all answered and nodded at him.

"Have we finished the assignments for today's subjects?" Our President asked again. "Secretary?"

"We did the assignment for today. We can rest and have fun!" our Secretary said excitedly.

"Yeah!"

We do this every day. To make sure we have our assignments or projects. We even helped each other review for every exam or summative test.

With the help of our President and Secretary, they always made sure that we all had the information we needed. Our vice president helps us with our projects. While we, the other students, made sure to follow them and lessen their stress with their duties. We help them as much as possible because we promised each other that we must do it.

Having my classmates throughout these four years is fantastic and a blessing. We are not competing with each other. Instead, we do our best to help each other and graduate altogether.

I suddenly remember Steven. He is too quiet! Some of our classmates tried to talk with him a while ago, but they got only a short reply. That is why they did not bother him anymore. They find him scary too.

After our class, Jake fetched me from my room. "Oh, you are here. Are you not busy anymore? I missed you." I told him.

"I missed you too!" Jake answered. "Let's go and eat outside." he invited.

We went to a fast food chain where we always ate.

Jake has been busy with his school stuff as well. We are graduating, and we still have to pass our requirements. That is why I won't get mad if he needs to be busy and we won't be able to meet every day.

"Wait a minute." Jake suddenly said. He got his phone from his pocket and immediately answered the call. "Yes?" he said. "Oh! I am sorry, I forgot. I will be there in a minute. Wait for me." Jake added before ending the call.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"Ahh, my team. We have a meeting today, and I forgot about it. That is why they called me to remind me about it." he replied.

"Is that so? You should go now. It is important." I told him.

"Is it okay? Thank you!" he said, taking a quick peck on my cheeks. "I will promise to recuperate, okay? Take care on your way home." he said before running away.

"Take care too! I love you!" I yelled.

"Okay!"

Now, I can go home and do what I need to do. "Wait?" I said and halted walking. "Jake has a meeting with his team, yet it is already night?" I asked myself.

The project must be meeting the deadline already. I hope they can finish it soon. I could not walk away when I heard some noises near me.

"What is happening?"

I carefully followed the noise, leading me to a corner street—I did not see anything! Promise! Cross my heart hope not to die!

Run!

"What did I see? What did I see? Was it real? But he looks like someone I know. He looks like—"

"Hey." said a voice.

I halted. Am I dying? I slowly turn around. "I did not see anything, Steven," I told Steven, stuttering. "Why are you here?" I faked asking him, hiding the nervousness.

I am not mistaken. He is really my classmate! His face and his hands are covered in blood.

Blood?! Wait, blood?

"I did not see anything! Promise!" I told him and ran as fast as thunder.

I saw him eating the dog! Poor dog! What the hell is wrong with him? Is he crazy or what? Does he have a problem with his brain?

The day after tomorrow comes, and I am secretly entering the university.

Yes! Secretly! As if I am not a student here and need to enter the school without them knowing. I need to!

I do not even want to meet Steven. I need to avoid him. This is his first week at our university, yet I am learning his secret this early! How could that be? Like why this early? Why not next week or month? Or I shouldn't have seen that at all. I am suffering already huhu.

I hope my classmates are already in our room, or he has not arrived.

"Sunny."

"Oh, hey? Hi. Hello. I didn't see anything!" I answered immediately.

I was just hoping that he was not here yet a while ago!

"Can we talk for a minute?" Steven added.

I do not want to talk to you!

"If you don't—"

Will he eat me too? Like, what did he do to the dog?! Waaah! No, I don't want to die yet.

"You sure are overthinking." Can he read my mind? What a talent! "I cannot read your mind. You are just too readable." he added again.

Am I? I don't, right? Maybe he can read my mind?

"Where do you want to talk?" I asked, stuttering. "Can we talk where there are many people? You are okay with that, right?" I added, almost rapping.

He nodded. "Lead me then." he answered calmly.

How can he answer me calmly when I know his secret? Will he kill me later on? Like, what is happening to the movies? I do not want to die this early!

Oh my gosh! I still want to graduate and become a teacher. I still want to have experience teaching my future students. Is it possible? Should I just beg him to keep me alive? Or he won't let me and just kill me already?

Maybe I should text my family to say I love them.

"When will you stop making things inside your head and lead me to the place where we can talk peacefully?" he asked again.

"Sorry." I replied and started to walk towards our canteen.

Many people are in our canteen, and I am sure I will be safe there. He can't do anything that will harm me when it is broad daylight, and many students can see us.

We sat quietly in the available seats. How could this new handsome transfer student with a deep voice be a dog eater?

"Will you stop overthinking first?" he suddenly asked.

"I am not overthinking," I defended myself. "Perhaps a little." I added when I noticed him sighing.

It feels like he really can tell what I am thinking. The moment he sighed, it meant he knew. Well, I could not help but think and be worried about my state. Who would not be?!

"Let me get a few things straight first," he started. "What you see the other night—"

"I told you that I did not see anything," I replied, cutting him off.

He sighed again. "Nothing. Promise!" I added.

"You can't fool me. I am not stupid to think that you really did not see me and that thing that night." he replied.

"How can you eat the dog alive? Don't you know that eating dogs can make you pay a fine and be in prison for months for killing the dog?" I asked.

I have been wondering since I saw that the other night. He was eating the dog alive. I can even remember that I caught the dog's eye. If they are going to eat dog meat, they should cook it first, right? Oh no! That was wrong thinking. No dogs should be eaten. Why is he biting the dog's back too?

I am not saying that he should cook it first, it is not allowed in our country to eat it. They will face the law if someone catches them and tells the pet rescuer or something. And it is not correct to kill a dog. Dogs, cats, or any animals are adorable—aside from wild animals, though.

"That dog is very dangerous," he answered. "While I am walking home, the dog suddenly runs towards me. That is why I ran too at first. On that street corner, the dog caught me and started to bite me. I just saved myself from the dog." he added, explaining what happened last night.

Ahh, he was chased by the dog. That dog must be bad and wild for it to bite someone.

"Then why are your hands full of blood that night?" I asked again, still not convinced by his explanation.

I should have had doubts and asked him everything.

"I told you already that the dog bit me. The dog bit me a few times already before you saw me. Who would not bleed in that state," he mocked. "I bit him because I watched a video that said you should clip their back to make the dog or cat freeze. So, I bit him. While I am trying to lock his arms and feet into my body. I can't clip its back if he can still move. That is why I did that. I have no other choice but to do it." he added.

That was the moment when I saw him biting the dog.

I sighed in relief, holding my chest feeling light after knowing the truth. "I thought you were a cannibal or something." I told him.

"Cannibalism is for those individuals who are consuming another individual of the same species as food," he retorted, his eyebrows arching. "Do I look like a dog because you saw me biting him? I am trying to be smart at that time to save my life."

Coming from a brainy student, only Steven.

"I also reported what happened that night to the police and animal rescuer. They brought the dog with them," he also explained. "I even spent an hour going to the nearest hospital to get checked." He added.

"Good thing you're okay." I said.

It is a good thing that he was not something I thought that night. After what happened, I searched for it, and no good results came up. I thought there was really something that we do not know in this world.