Chapter 5: Secret Letter

XINCERE CALLIOPE'S POINT OF VIEW

I used to have heavy menstrual cramping so, I decided to wear a mustard sweatshirt of Zac that I forgot to give back to him last month. Together with my black ripped jeans and my white sneakers.

"How do you feel? Do you feel better now?" Mom asked while hastily separating some papers on her desk and putting it in a long brown folder.

"Yeah, I'm okay, Mom. Where's Dad?" I asked while looking around to look for him.

"He was off early in the morning. I was waiting for you to wake up to check on your condition then, I'll go ahead to the office." I heard a sweet tone of her voice, which was obviously not one of the things I got from her.

"You should just come with Dad, Mom." She just smiled which made me see her tiny dimples in the lower part of her lips and gently shook her head. She was really the epitome of beauty and calmness that I really desired.

"By the way, I let Zachary come in. He was waiting for you for too long, he was currently in Xairo's room. I told him to go ahead of you, and I'll ask Mr. Gil to drop you off at the university instead, but he resisted and told me that he will wait for you." Mom smiled, full of teasing. She likes him even before we were young and used to call Zach her 'son-in-law' which irritated me somehow. But of course, I can't show it in front of them. What irritated me was when I saw Zach laughing along with them as if he liked that idea!

"Stop it, Mom! There were lots of girls on the campus, and I promise you'll be thankful for me for not giving you a monster son-in-law." I kissed her as I saw we were about seven minutes late for our first class this morning.

"We're going ahead, Mom." I waved at her and abruptly gripped the doorknob, I saw Zac outside seemed like he was also about to enter my Mom's office. He was wearing a black stated shirt and a jogger together with his white sneakers that made him look so neat. I could easily notice his concrete jaw.

"Zachary, sorry for waiting for this too long for Xincere. Don't worry, I will come back home early tonight. You should have your dinner here since your parents are still in Singapore for a business summit." His parents went to Singapore last Sunday night for their business matter, there he was alone at their huge house.

"Sure, Mrs. Monroe. I'll come here later." His smile looked so genuine. I just snorted before pulling his arms outside.

"I'll see you later, Mom. We need to make haste to not be absent on our first class." I heard my Mom chuckle a bit. He lightly bowed his head with respect to her. I let go of his hand when we reached downstairs.

"Bro, I'll send it to you later." Xairo, my younger brother, shouted while he was still knotting his shoelaces. I gave them a skeptical look.

"Yeah. I will check my email later." Zac threw his arms around my shoulder as he saw me staring at them, inquisitively. He has never been nice to me the way he was to my parents and especially to my brother, maybe because he's an only child.

"Let's go. That was nothing to do with you." I felt his warmth as he was casually pulling me closer to him while we were making our way to his car.

As usual, we were late for our first class, but the good thing was, I was with a guy who was able to captivate a lot of girls on the campus, including our professors.

"I forgot to get my book in my locker. You can go with Nathaniel, I'll come after you, guys." I told him after Miss Wright, our professor in Social Psychology, one of the courses we were taking up this semester. He was standing right next to me, seemed like waiting for me to pack up all of my stuff in my apricot backpack bag.

"Just make haste, Xincere!" He sounded so irritated. I just hissed. He acted as if I asked him to wait for me.

"Geli..." I waved at her as I saw her when we were about to walk toward the locker room. He was with her boyfriend, Justice Martin. He tapped Zac's shoulder and slightly nodded his head on me. He was a cousin of Nathaniel, so he was one of their sports buddies. So, I think, they already knew each other even before he met Geli.

"I'm sorry, I was not able to meet you yesterday." I apologized.

"It's okay. I understand. There were lots of students, so we weren't able to go where you were yesterday." She gave me a sweet smile. I heard Zac laughing with Justice while talking something about the game.

"Today is your anniversary, right?" I asked in a low tone of voice while wiping the excess lipstick on the lower part of her lip.

"Yeah, and good thing that the schedule of our class today was just half day, and he has no class, so we can have our date." I could see the excitement she was. Her eyes were wide open and seemed sparkling.

"I'm envious of you, guys. By the way, I am really happy for both of you." She took some steps between us to embrace me.

"Thank you, Xincere. And one thing, you do not have anything to be envious of. Many girls like that guy beside you, but he chose you out of all the girls that were cheering for her game, including that girl who was head over heels him," I saw a sudden change in her expression while her eyes turned on someone at my back. I followed her gaze and found out that it was Beatrix, she always acted as if we were closed, but actually, I did not often see her since we had different departments or the same building.

"Hello, Zachary!" She tried to get our attention. The tone of her voice made me cringe every time I heard her voice. I knew Zac had many admirers, but she was different. I did not like her, not that I was judging her or what, I just felt something weird in her presence. Honestly, I didn't put too much care on them, I mean, I was just cool about it though, most of them hated me. He just got my back all the time. Maybe he thought that he was a savior, but technically, that was really because of him that they hated me. But I couldn't blame them to think that there was something between us since Zac always entailing me, and had nothing to do but to annoy me.

"I baked cupcakes earlier. I personally made it for you." She was laying a transparent box of cupcakes and based on its looked, it was a chocolate flavor. Justice tapped Zac's shoulder and slightly lean to whisper something before he chuckled. Zac smiled and gave him a soft shoulder punch.

"Well, go ahead, man." Geli threw him her indignant stare at looked like she did not have a plan to go now, but, Justice grabbed her hand and gently pulled her.

"Xincere, we'll go ahead." Justice turned his eyes on me and lightly bowed his head and flashed a quick smile.

"Sure. You, guys, take care. Enjoy your date." I smiled as I saw Geli's reaction, who looked like wanted to stay. I just waved at them.

"Hello, Xincere!" She really looked like a brat, but I knew how she was trying to look nice, especially that Zac was here. She was really crazy over him. I faked a smile, and I knew that Zac saw it.

"I'll go ahead," I whispered to him, but he pulled my bag to stop me.

"I'm sorry, I'm not fond of sweets." He directly uttered and did not show any affection.

"Even just a bite. These are really for you. Besides, I made it so special. Please do try even one." I heard a sudden change in tone of her voice as if trying to sound cute, annoying! I could not contain it, so I turned my back on them, but even before I took a step, Zac held my hand that made me stop.

"Stop wasting your time on me. I am not worthy of your time." I failed to see her reaction since I already turned my back against them, I did not want to draw a different meaning to Zac that I cared since I am not. I mean, trying not to. It was cringed to hear her cheesy lines. What a heartless guy!

"Don't you really like her?" I asked after we got into the locker room.

"Why are you asking? Are you that curious?" I pulled back my hand on him as I saw him smirking and flashing a wry smile, which seemed like teasing me. I was just carried away to the point that I forgot that he was still holding my hand. I was a bit conscious since my palms had uncontrollably sweated, one of the reasons why I always had a handkerchief.

"You know my answer." I just took a glance at him after hearing his serious tone.

I saw a faded blue envelope that seemed to have a letter inside as I opened my locker, I tried to look if there was a name on it, but I did not find anything written on it, just the letters L.G., probably an initial of someone. Zac abruptly got it from me.

"Don't waste your time for this." He got my books from me and walked ahead. I walked faster to reach him.

"Zac, just give it back to me. I am about to read it." I tried to get it from him, but I failed. I nagged him for almost a day just to give back the letter. This was not the first time I received a letter. But most of the time, I knew whom it was coming from, not like this one. Maybe that was the reason why I got so curious about whom this letter came from. It was better and presentable compared to all of those threatening letters that I usually received from Zac's admirer.

Our class was dismissed earlier than we had expected, after giving us an individual task which was to observe the different behavior from different age brackets, she announced that she had an immediate meeting.

"Zac, I have something to buy in the convenience store. You can drop me off there." I said while putting the thin straps of my bag on my shoulders when we were almost at the first convenient store on our way from the university.

"You can go home now. Thanks for the ride." He held my wrist as I was about to hop out as he stopped the car in front of the convenience store.

"What will you about to buy? I'll buy it for you." I looked outside as I saw him frowning while looking at a bunch of guys in front of the convenience store. Some of them were smoking. As I saw their uniforms, they were like minors since they were still in high school.

"No need, You can go ahead of me." I was supposed to buy an extra sanitary pad since I almost used up all of the pads I bought last month.

"Stubborn!" He murmured as he saw me opening the door of his car. I noticed him following me. I heard the murmuring of some of the high school students after a tumultuous laugh made by them had subsided. He gently pulled me on the other side as we were about to enter the transparent glass door of this convenience store. He effortlessly pulled it and let me in first and walk ahead of him.

He was walking behind me. I saw how he looked away as he saw what I was going to get. I just smirked.

"As I told you, Zac, you can go ahead go me," I muttered and slightly shook my head. He just snorted and rolled his eyes against me. He just let out a deep sigh before he grabbed it from me and went to the counter.

"Here." He handed me the paper bag after we walked back to his car. He threw his bag on me as he started the engine. I smiled and abruptly rummaged in his bag, hoping that I might see the letter earlier.

"Where's the letter?" He looked at me, reluctantly.

"I already threw it earlier." He answered deadpanned. But I continue digging in his bag and I smiled as I saw a large pack of marshmallows on his bag.

"I bet that one is better!" I saw a curve in his lips. As of now, I actually could not trade it for anything. I mean, I would rather be working out every day than not be able to eat at least one marshmallow every day. He really knows my favorite.

"Maybe you're right!" I just sighed and gave him a nonchalant shrug.

"Don't worry, I'll write a bunch of love letters for you. If that's what you really want." I rolled my eyes against him and gave him a side glance of disgust before staring straight ahead on the road.

"No need, Zac. Just annoy me verbally, don't need to put much effort into writing it down." He burst into laughter and got a marshmallow and put it in my mouth. I just realized that I have never been comfortable with any other guy than I was with him.