Volume 1: Ch.3

How they save the princess.

It was a warm afternoon at the high school, and the students were waiting for their teacher to arrive. Some were chatting, others were lost in their own thoughts. But two best friends, Jill and April, had their attention focused on one person in particular - the young man near the window who was staring at the blue sky as if he was the main character in an anime.

Jill had a crush on the guy, and she would say that he was her first love. It was obvious from the way she acted around him - a short glance followed by a shy smile before returning to her conversation with April.

"Do you think he's cute?" Jill asked her friend.

"Definitely," April replied. "I know a few girls who have a crush on him, including Angela, Gina, and Sophie."

Jill sighed, "That's a lot."

"Yeah, but it's not surprising. He's smart, has good grades, and there's just something mysterious about him," April explained.

"Wow, sounds like you like him," Jill teased.

"No way, Jill," April exclaimed. "I'm just saying, it's easy to see why so many girls are attracted to him."

Jill wondered why she couldn't just talk to him. But as a born Filipina girl, she was taught that it wasn't proper to make the first move.

April suggested, "Why don't you talk to him after class today? You two are both cleaners, right?"

Jill rolled her eyes, "I hope it's that easy for you to say. How did you even start dating JM?"

April smiled as she reminisced, "We were childhood friends, and over time our feelings just grew. It was a mutual thing, and we just decided to take a chance."

Jill wished it was that easy for her. "I hope I can be brave enough to talk to him," she said with a sigh.

April patted her friend's back, "Just be yourself, Jill. He's bound to notice you eventually."

With that, the two friends continued to wait for their teacher, each lost in their own thoughts about the mysterious young man by the window.

April giggled and looked at her friend. "Obviously him, there's no way I would dare do that. It's too embarrassing."

"Wow, you're one lucky girl," Jill replied enviously.

But their plans were disrupted by the arrival of their teacher, five minutes late. The class began and time crawled by. A two pm class was always quiet with students attentively listening to the teacher and birds chirping outside. The eight-hour school day felt like an eternity. Unlike most students, Jill was focused on her studies, as her family relied on her to succeed. She sighed and stole a glance at the guy she liked.

"Jill? Jill? Wayne is leaving!" April shook her friend out of her daze. The class had ended and the room was being emptied. "I'll call him out, okay?"

"Wait for me!" Jill followed April as she called out to Wayne.

"WAYNE! WAIT UP! OI WAYNE!" April shouted, but he couldn't hear them.

"Maybe some other time," Jill said disappointedly.

"Or maybe now!" April grabbed her hand and the two chased after him, weaving through the crowds of students leaving the school.

The gates were opened, and students rushed out in a hurry. "Do you still see him?" April asked.

"Yes," Jill stuttered, watching Wayne surrounded by girls. "That girl is up to no good again..."

"What do you mean?" April asked.

"Look," Jill nervously pointed. "We have to follow them."

"Are you sure? You know her history. She's been suspended a couple of times," April warned.

"I know... but who knows what might happen to him," Jill said, unable to ignore the thought of Wayne being in danger.

The two followed the group outside the school compound and turned right into the forest beside the school. "Do you think they're going to harm him, Jill?" April whispered fearfully.

"Don't talk like that," Jill whispered in disgust. "Don't jinx it..."

"You're really serious when you're worried, Jill," April said.

They stood by and watched as Wayne was beaten mercilessly. Despite their urge to help, they knew that intervening would only make things worse. Anastasia's rage was palpable and even Jill was struggling to contain her anger at the sight of Wayne's suffering. April was the only one among them who had combat training, but her physique was not as tough as Anastasia's. April tried her best to hold back Jill from rushing in to save Wayne.

"This isn't our concern," April said. "I don't want to risk my life for someone I don't even consider important."

"But he's important to me," Jill replied, her eyes welling up with tears. "If anything happens to him, I'll be devastated."

April sighed. "That's a flawed argument," she said, but then stopped mid-sentence as she saw the extent of the beating Anastasia was giving Wayne. Jill was ready to charge in, but April grabbed her and pulled her close, covering her eyes. "This is just so wrong," April muttered under her breath.

April scanned the area for something to defend herself with. Her eyes landed on a broken armchair and she quickly decided it would be her weapon. She picked it up and checked for any dangerous edges or nails, then looked up at Jill. "This one is for you, Jill," she said, giving her a warm hug before rushing into the fray.

The scene was chaos. Wayne was being beaten by Anastasia and her friends, but April was determined to save him. She took advantage of their distraction and approached from behind. With a fierce shout, she swung the armchair at Kyna, landing a direct hit to the temple that knocked her down.

The two remaining attackers were momentarily stunned by Kyna's fall, giving April the opportunity to address them. "Fight someone your own size!" she challenged Anastasia.

April looked around for something she could use to fight. A branch, a broken armchair, or a stone were her options. She chose the armchair because it was lightweight, sturdy, and non-fatal. She examined it carefully to make sure there were no nails or sharp edges.

“Normally, I wouldn’t care. But this one is for you, Jill.” April turned to her friend, who gave her a warm hug before she rushed towards the scene.

In a time and place where danger was omnipresent, April was determined to save Wayne, the prince in distress. Although they outnumbered her, April had the element of surprise on her side. They were too distracted to notice her approaching from behind. Her first swing was aimed at Kyna, hitting her temple with enough force to knock her down. The two friends beside her were shocked to see Kyna fall.

“Fight someone your own size!” April shouted to Anastasia, who quickly reacted but was too late. April threw the broken armchair, which flew like a boomerang and hit Anastasia, knocking her down as well.

Pacia, who was on the ground, got up but froze when she saw what had happened. April rushed to Wayne and offered him her hand.

“Come on, let’s go!” she said, trying to lead him to safety.

He took her hand and they both fled from the danger. Anastasia wasn’t knocked out, and she quickly got up. Jill saw this from a distance and blew the whistle that had been given to them in 7th grade. It worked effectively, and they stopped chasing them.

“Why did you save me?” Wayne asked.

“We called you because you never showed up for the Tuesday cleaners. When we saw you in trouble, we followed you because that’s what good classmates do,” Jill explained.

“That’s a good point, but it still doesn’t make sense,” Wayne replied.

Jill simply giggled and walked past him. “Follow me, let’s go somewhere else!”