CHAPTER 3

“By the way, I’m Edith, I’m 1 year ahead of you,” she introduced as she twirled the end of her hair with her poinyed fnger.

“I’m not interested on you,” I answered boldly and looked straight at her.

“I like you, you’re brave and you’re showing us how to protect your friends against us. It’s rare to have someone like you and you impress me,” she said together and put her arms around me again but I pulled away which made her even more happy.

“Do you know Lucas?” she said with a serious face.

“Lucas? The sociopath? What do I have to do with that man?” I answered her directly.

“So? Did you catch Lucas’s personality early on?” she whispered in my ear as she approached me.

“I’ll have you do something,” this woman’s companion handed me a paper bag.

“What am I going to do here?” I asked with a wrinkled forehead as I accepted the paper bag.

“It’s simple, give that to Lucas. You have nothing else to say except that you can give that to him without mentioning anything about us. And make sure he accepts that and when he accepts it ftom you, your two friends will be safe from my group.” Edith explained to me.

“And what if he didn’t accept?” I asked again.

Edith smiled then sat down again. “We will only know that when my boss tells us what we are going to do with you,”

“Besides you, do you have a boss?” I laughed out loud when I heard that. I can’t believe they still have a boss they have to obey.

“What’s funny with what I said?” Edith said to me when she noticed my laughter.

“Nothing,” I suddenly became serious when I saw the people with me frowning.

“Oh, what are you waiting for? Get out!” Edith yelled at me, which surprised me. I stepped my foot back before I turned around and quickly left that garden.

I need to find that man to give what Edith’s group gave to me and needs to accept it because the safety of my friends depends on my hand not to bukky them again from group of that crazy Edith.

 Fortunately, at that time we have no subject so I was free to find where that man was.

I was annoyed because i was tired of walking just to find that sociopath man. Because I have no idea where his room is and where he is staying. I didn’t ask Edith that because i was dismissed right away and i also forgot to ask.

While I was looking for that Lucas in every room, I noticed the man i would meet while walking.

“Wait a minute,” i said to the man with the same uniform as Lucas who immediately stopped walking.

“What is that Miss?” he asked me before.

“Do you know Lucas? ‘The tall handsome one here on campus? The one that the women are making so much trouble that the man is almost drooling,” i gave a poker face to the man in front of me when I said that the women were making a mess.

The man I was talking to laughed at me and I grinned.

“I know that Lucas,” he said smiling. “And I know where he is now,”

“Really? Can you tell me where I can find him?” I smiled in relief because I was relieved to hear that the person I was talking to knew where the man I was looking for was.

“I’ll go with you so you can get close to him. It’s not easy to approach that, especially if it’s with Jenny.” He said.

“Ahh…that grumpy Jenny?” I said as I nodded.

“Have you met her yet?” he asked me with his eyes looking at the paper bag I was holding.

“Yes, guess who it is,” I said again.

“Looks like Jenny did something bad to you, huh?” at the same time.

I looked at the man I was talking to from head to toe. He was handsome and he estimated that he was as tall as the man he was looking for.

“Come with me because I might be late for our next subject.” I suddenly said that I did not answer his wuestion.

I was tired from walking from earlier and here I am again walking along the hallway of building B. Earlier I had circled building A and now I walk circle building B again.

I had been feeling the vibration of my phone and I knew it’s my friend calling me. But I decided to answer them later even though i knew they were already worried about me.

Luna hesitated when she was in front of Lucas. They are in a beautiful canteen that is exclusive only to people like them. Next him is Jenny who is still drinking juice. They were the only two there.

“Why are you with him Nicko?” Jenny immediately asked her companion.

They know each other so that the reason he knows where they are.

“I was just asked if I know Lucas who is tall and handsome and gets confused by drooling women? Am I correct?” he said to me when I suddenly looked at him because I didn’t expect him to say what I mentioned to him.

I kept grinning at him. Breathing in, I faced Lucas again who now frowned and looked at me intently. I didn’t know what I was going to say, especially since I could see the seriousness and sharpness in his face if he could look.

LUCAS

I was staring at the paper bag this woman was holding in front of me. I frowned and peeked to see her face but she was just bowing. Earlier she was boldly staring at me and she had the courage to tell my cousin that women who drool confuse me. At first I wanted to smile but it was different from the girl.

“What is that paper bag?” I asked her, which was immediately looked at by the woman in front of me.

“For you,” she said quickly without looking at me.

“For me?” I wondered because everyone who tried to give me something gave it gently, while the one in front of me seemed to be forced.

“Accept it, I’ll give it to you.” It’s a smiling but fake word again. Because its eyes I see it’s not smiling shining like other women give me. She was just forced and I didn’t know why.

“Why would you give him something like that?” It was Jenny’s flat words that I took away immediately because of the sudden change in the face of the woman in front of me.

I smiled for a moment. I don’t know why, but I suddenly smiled.

“Why do you have to give me something like that?” I asked again raising my eyebrows here.

“Take it, there’s nothing wrong with taking it from me? And my hand is shaking,” she slightly lifted the paper bag in front of me again.

The last thing she said was just a whisper but I heard it and suddenly I breathed a smile.

“Is it forced?” I asked again that I could see the change in her face.

“I don’t want to say this but I will be grateful from the bottom of my heart if you accept it. Because you can save someone,” this serious word surprised me.

I hesitated to accept the paper bag but this girl really got my attention. I knew she was new to campus and I knew she didn’t know me. But why do the other new students recognize me immediately and I can see their affection for me. But the girl in front of me is different. Because for the first time, it was the only one who hurt him and resisted with words.

I don’t accept anything from my fellow students but I accepted this woman’s paper bag.

She smiled when I took the paper bag from her hand and at that moment I saw her true smile which made me stop. It was only then that I noticed that she had dimples on both cheeks and that she looked very beautiful with her real smile.

“Thank you,” she bowed and quickly disappeared from my sight because she ran and almost ran fast.

“You accepted?” the incredulous Jenny.

“Why not? Eh, that girl’s background is different.” Nicko joined me in the chair opposite me.

I put the paper bag I was holding on the glass table and stared at it.

“What is that?” Jenny was about to take it but I suddenly pulled her hand away.

“What’s wrong with you? You don’t just accept something like that,” she complained to me with a frown.

“Maybe it’s not bad if I receive a gift from a fan,” I said with a smile on my face as I held the string of the paper bag.

“Well, from what I can see, you seem to be interested in that girl?” Nicko said to me with an ear-to-ear smile.

“No, maybe it’s just a coincidence that I’m not in the mood to say no.”

But the truth is that I am really interested in that girl.

I smiled at myself. Girl, girl if I call her because I don’t know her name but she knows my name right away.

“Lucas, you’re smiling,” my cousin said mischievously. “You don’t just smile like that,”

I looked at Jenny who suddenly elbowed me. “Are you interested in her?” this is a straightforward question.

I just shook my head but kept a smile on my lips.

Our prof had just come out when Catherine, our president, approached me inside the room.

“What is that?” she pointed to a paper bag on my front desk.

Inside the room, this is the only person I talk to because I am his vice president

“Nothing,” I hide it under my desk.

“Don’t tell me you have now accepted the gift of your suitors?” she said smiling as she sat on top of my desk. “You didn’t accept before, ah, what did you eat—”

“Jenny gave that to me and one more thing, get off my desk,” I pushed, which immediately followed.

“Hey, oh my! Jenny is very lucky that you always accept only her. I just want to ask, is it you?” Catherine asked me seriously, bringing her face even closer.

I pushed her face with my hand, which in turn was tilted by Catherine.

“We don’t have any,” I answered briefly.

“But the talk here on campus is about you. That’s why the girls who approach you will be bullied because they like you and Jenny,” she said.

I was surprised by what Catherine said. It was new to my hearing.

“What did you say?” I asked her who immediately turned to me.

“You do not know? That when women approach you and give you something, Edith’s group bullies them.” she explained to me, which worried me.

“How did you know those things?” I asked again.

“Said around. Why? Don’t you get it?” she asked me with a frown and mixed with surprise.

I shook my head because I really don’t know what was going on. And most of all I was shocked.

Then the woman who gave her earlier is also in danger? And I am the reason for the bullying happening inside the campus?

I shook my head suddenly. “No, that’s not true because the last one I saw being bullied by Edith’s group didn’t come near me. So it’s unlikely that I’m the reason for everything,” I thought.

“What are you thinking?’ Catherine suddenly asked me as she patted my shoulder.

“Nothing,” I immediately answered.

“Oh, what are you waiting for? Come and let’s change our P.E. We might be late for Sir De Guzman.” It was the first to leave at the same time.

I was currently stretching my arm without losing my mind on what was inside the paper bag. I opened it before I went to the sports gym of our campus.

A home made biscuit and there was a small note on it that said meet me at aroma’s garden with a date and time. That’s it and it doesn’t have a name on it.

Just before that woman handed me the paper bag, it was as if she was forcing it because of her forced smile. And in my old age she said that she would be grateful with all his heart if i accepted it because I could save someone.

There I stopped, smiling to myself again.

That paper bag was not from the woman but was ordered to be given to me.

So it is not unlikely that the reaction he will see on the woman’s face is because he thinks she was threatened by someone.

And he needs to explore it.

His thoughts stopped when we started physical education. Our group of boys will play basketball in the half court while the group of girls will play volleyball in the other half court.

Our team is currently warming up with many cheering us on. As usual, the grade 11s are watching me, even the grade 12s that I’ve been seeing for a long time following me and just looking at them.

On the one hand I noticed while I was resting a group watching and smiling. The two of them cheered for us while the other one just sat and was busy scrolling on her phone. That woman was none other than the woman who handed him the paper bag. Besides, it was the only one that didn’t stand and watch that I liked.

“Lucas!” my partner yelled at me, which is why I returned to the trance that I was in the middle of playing.

In the long minute we were playing, she didn’t even glance at us playing basketball. While everyone is sighing and saying his name, she put the earphone of the woman in her ears that she liked so much.

“Lucas! What?!” my companion shouted at me again.

“Are you okay? You don’t seem to be in the mood,” one of my team said to me, which I immediately dismissed. I signaled to them that I was out first.

While I was heading to my seat to grab the hanging towel, my eyes didn’t leave the seat of the woman who didn’t even look at me. While others are thrilled by his presence.

I smirked to myself. One day it confused my brain and now he feels annoyed by what I see.

“The hell of this lady?” I sat down at the same time while my mind was occupied by that woman who was not watching me.