Pursuance Four

Vesta tossed the tissue in the trash can before she opened the door of the comfort room. She looked in disbelief when Ashley left her. Ashley told her she will stay outside because Sean called. And now Ashley was not here. Vesta walked fast while looking at her surrounding until she walked to the stairs leading to the second floor.

 Then she saw Ashley in the middle of the hallway. 

Vesta approached Ashley, who was calling for someone. "Ash, why you left me in the comfort room?" she asked Ashley immediately. Vesta wanted to know the truth about why Ashley left her.

“Sad, he left,” Vesta heard what Ashley declared. The who? 

“Who left?” Vesta was wondering what Ashley said.

“The new handsome guy. I didn’t get his name and phone number. Gosh, Vesta, if you only see him, you going to fall in love with him. He is like a Greek god landed in this school,” Ashley mumbled dreamily. Vesta could see a heart shape in her cousin’s eyes. 

Vesta can’t help to roll her eyes. When her cousin saw a pretty guy, she acted like she did not have a boyfriend. The reason Sean was so jealous and the reason for the two quarrels.

“Ash, did you lose your memory? You had a boyfriend if you left your brain in that guy’s face.” Vesta pensively looked at Ashley with one of her eyebrow-raising upward.

 “Don’t tell me you left me because of that guy you told me?” 

“That’s too much, Vesta. I told you Sean called to me then…” The face of Ashley turned sad. “We fought. Is it my fault? I don’t know. I feel like there’s someone— “

Vesta yanked Ashley out of the middle of the hallway, on the sides, because she saw a group of students that will pass in their direction.

“It’s because of you why you had a fight because you always put negative thought to Sean, Ash. You need to say sorry for him. Sean did nothing about a false accusation. He won’t do that, trust me. He loves you,” Vesta breathed in deeply as if she can’t. Ashley gave Vesta a shook in the head. What was that?

“Ash?”

“Fine, fine. I’ll do what you said and make peace with him,” Ashley sarcastically meant that made vesta annoyed. 

Vesta tried to understand her cousin because she dislikes they will end up fighting. She has more important things to do than make herself right for Ashley. She looked at the schedule she’s holding while Ashley called her boyfriend again. Vesta's first subject started at eight. 

She glanced at her watch and saw that it was still seven in the morning. She sat on the side of the stairs that lead to the third floor while waiting for her cousin. Vesta roamed her gaze in her surrounding. The school was comprehensive inside. She saw the other building that was connected to a passage bridge. 

Despite the university being secluded, a lot of students in different places studied here. 

Vesta’s eyes stopped moving when she noticed a guy staring at her. She can’t read what the man thinking. The man had a plausible look, tall, fair skin, and dark, clean-cut hair. 

The man was standing in the opposite direction on the second floor, facing her. Vesta wondered if the guy was looking at her. She looked in her surrounding if there’s someone she’s with without her notice. But she can’t see a person who he looked at.

Vesta turned her sight to the man, but he was not there.

That’s weird. Who is that man?

Vesta's attention turned to Ashley, who was smiling widely. “Vesta, I and Sean were okay now. He says sorry to me even it’s my fault. You are right after all,” Ashley confided, clutching her phone in her chest.

“Good!” Vesta beamed with a smile on her face. 

Vesta told Ashley of the guy she saw earlier on the second floor, and Ashley told her it was Draze Ionnikov, one of the junior staff at the university.

“Who will be our proof of this subject? I hope he’s he and looks handsome,” Ashley retorted, which made the eyebrow of Vesta upward.

Why Ashley cannot help not to think of handsome guys. Ashley easily liked a guy if he’s well-pleasing in the eyes, the one thing that Vesta dislikes to her.

They entered the room with the number 304 in the annex building. They seated at the vacant chair in the back. Many of their classmates were inside the classroom, waiting for their professor. All eyes looked at the man entering the classroom who had a good posture and a nice-looking face. She saw her smiling widely at her side.

“I know it, it will be him,” Ashley whispered in Vesta.

Vesta noticed the gasped of some students, especially the female, the admiration in their eyes. Who was this professor?

“Good morning students, sorry if I was late because your professor in this subject got injured in a fishing incident, so I’ll be your new instructor in this subject. Cohen Andris at your service,” the man introduced himself, giving his students a pictorial smile. 

“He’s the son of the owner of this university,” Ashley explained with admiration.

Vesta simply shrugged her shoulder. She’s not interested. She had an important matter to do that, gawking with handsome guys like what her cousins did.

The class started with introducing the lesson in psychology and what will they learn at the end of the semester. Most of the students kept staring at the professor who does not care. He was enjoying his lesson. Vesta saw how the professor's calm reaction changed to irritation. She followed his eyes directly to the closed door of the classroom. 

Vesta absently tapped the pen on her chin, wondering he looked like Professor Andris. Then slowly the closed door was open. Everyone's eyes moved at the door. A man with a headset in his necked entered the room, saying nothing to the professor.

“So that’s how will you enter with my class, Emerson?” Professor Andris asserted, giving the guy an icy stare.

The guy stopped and turned toward Professor Andris, who was sitting at the table. Vesta saw the tension between the two.

“You could not believe this, Vesta. That guy is the one I am telling you about. See? He’s like a Greek god. Tall, handsome, a perfect body built, a—” Ashley stopped saying when Professor Andris laughed.

“You could sit now, Emerson. We will talk later,” professor Andris pressed his lips together.

The guy said nothing and simply walked to the empty chair beside Ashley. Vesta sees how Ashley smiled wickedly. She gave her a pinched in Ashley’s arm that made Ashley winced.

“What was that, Vesta?” Ashley glares at Vesta.

“Ashley, Sean,” Vesta whispered in a warning tone. 

Ashley's face fell and bit her lower lip at Vesta. “Oh, sorry, I always forget it.”

“So, class, I want you to open your book on page six. I’ll want your idea about prejudice and discrimination,” Professor Andris said while writing on the whiteboard the words he’s saying.

---

Vesta was the last one who got out of the room because she forgot her notebook in her armchair. She was biting her lips while absentmindedly walking. She was in deep thoughts of how well she got the key to his brother Xyrell locker. Vesta still new here and doesn’t know the route around the university. She could not find Ashley. Where was that cousin of hers?

She walked down to the third floor of the Annex building when she saw Ashley talking to a guy. Vesta noticed the headset around the neck of the guy. 

“Ashley...” Vesta whispered hopelessly in the air. 

She walked toward the two.

“Oh! Why you transferred here if you are from UP?” Ashley doubts staring intensively at the guy.

The guy turned his head in Vesta’s direction, which surprised her, for how could he know she going to them?

“Oh, that’s my cousin, Vesta Fades,” Vesta heard her cousins declared it.

The guy just stared at Vesta with a serious expression. She wonders what he’s thinking. She can’t read his facial expression. It was plain blank.

“Vesta, his name is Zaiden Emerson,” Ashley introduced the guy to Vesta. 

Vesta simple smile at the guy and glared at Ashley with a warning. 

“Nice to meet you, Vesta,” the guy's name Zaiden spoke.

Vests turned her head to Zaiden. “Nice to meet you too, won’t you mind if I’ll talk with my cousin for a minute?” 

“It’s fine, I’ll have my class now,” he let out and leave them without even saying goodbye.

“What’s the matter, Vesta?” Ashley innocently implored.

Vesta gave her cousin a phony smile. “Oh, nothing. You did nothing wrong. If you want to chase him. Go,” she sarcastically announced and retired Ashley.

Ashley snatched the hand off Vesta to interrupt her. “You are mad at me, tell me what’s the reason?” 

“You are flirting with that guy, Ashley. I’ll be fine if you are not with Sean. But I’m not. If you’re going to hurt Sean, I warned you before I will never acquit you,” Vesta asserted in a nasty tone.

Vesta was so protective of her friends. She has known Sean since she was a kid. Sean was like a little brother to her. 

“Maybe it’s nicer if we talk about this later. You have class now,” Vesta declared and left her cousin.

She was coming down the stairs when she saw a man reaching a room on the second floor. Vesta recognized the guy. 

Don’t tell me... 

Vesta strolled fast towards the room where the man entered. She was in front of the door. She opened the door enough to take a glimpse inside.

She cannot believe to see the man talking in front of the students clarifying the contract and obligations. She was a professor? As far as she remembered, a lawyer course was he taken in college.

“Excuse me, miss? You’re going to come in?”

“O will! Cheeze!” To Vesta’s astonishment when she saw a woman at her back.

A student who had a band-aid on her right cheek faced Vesta. The student’s face wondered, perhaps because Vesta didn’t even come into the room.

Vesta shook her head. “Sorry, you go in,” she mumbled, and effortlessly left.

She didn’t foresee seeing him here on her first day of school. Is this how fate directing her to what she wants? Tomorrow she will speak to him and she will ask him about a lot of aspects about what happened to her brother.