Chapter 2

Horizon Cole's Point of View:

I applied my usual light make-up on, but still with subtle colors that were enough to accentuate my natural skin tone. I was not preferred to have a heavy one, since I did not have a night party to attend. The lighter shade of concealer that match my skin tone was the usual concealer I used to make it more looked natural. Then, a light brown shade of eyeshadow, a bit of eyeliner, and mascara. I was thinking of the shade of lipstick that will match my outfit for this day, but end up using my go-to peachy-natural-looking matte lipstick shade with a darker shade of red on my inner-lower lip.

I decided to wear a beige crop top. Since you could never go wrong with jeans, so I got the faded one with my white sneakers. I made sure to go to school as early as I could just to make sure that I would not be late this time. As I plugged my headset in, I could still barely heard the loud chitchat of students from our classroom. Why were they already here?

"Horizon." I heard a familiar voice called me. She was wearing darker shades of make-up this time with her maroon knitted dress. I was in a hurry to come in. A thick strand of my hair fell down on my forehead, I abruptly tucked a few strands of my hair behind my ears and made my way to my seat beside Jaim.

"What took you so long? I thought you'd gonna be late again today." She got a piece of paper that contained the list of names.

"Why? I thought 9 AM, " I gave her a perplexed look.

"Girl, check your schedule." She uttered while I was signing the attendance sheet that she handed over to me.

"Yzack, where's Thorn?" The girl with curly-bouncy hair with smokey make-up on looked back and asked. He simply shrugged.

After a while, someone came in, full of smugness. I rolled my eyes. He was wearing a white hoodie jacket underneath his black coat, paired up with his black jeans and sneakers. I looked around when the noise subsided. Then, Miss Leif came in. She was wearing an apricot knitted dress underneath her black coat with her black pointed heels. Good thing, I was not late.

"Listen up, class." She caught the attention of everyone in the class with an authoritative tone of voice. Up until now, no one dared to speak, not even one except to her.

"We will have our first activity. You're going to have your partners. That pair will be for the whole semester." But this time, I heard murmurings inside the classroom because of what our terror instructor announced just now. The gazes of almost everyone in the classroom were shifted to where these two guys were sitting.

"Hush! You're too noisy." Our professor shouted exasperatedly. I shifted my gaze to Jaim.

"We can be partners." Jaim conveyed a message voicelessly. I simply nodded as a response.

"Where is the attendance? I'll base your partners on this piece of paper." What she said could not subside the murmurs. She started to mention names. I looked at Jaim when I heard her name already mentioned. She just grimaced.

"It's okay," I said without making any noise. She smiled and nodded that we did not have a choice but to stick to her decision.

I shifted my gaze to the guys beside me. He was wearing a black sweatshirt that accentuated his pale skin, paired up with his faded jeans and sneakers.

"Do you have a partner?" He reluctantly looked at me before he shook his head.

"Did you came in early?" I asked him. His chin rested in his palm and smiled in response to my senseless question.

"You are next to me in the list of the attendance." He said as I heard what he said, a smile widely etched on my face.

"Really?" I asked him with full of excitement. I totally did not care who will be assigned as my partners, I was just praying that it was not that cruel-annoying guy.

"Why?" He faced me and asked half a laugh.

"I don't wanna have a partner like a monster. You know what I mean?" I looked at the guy next to me.

"Drake and Yzack. And the last pair is Horizon and Thorn-"

"What the-?" "Are you serious?" We said in chorus. She closed the attendance book. It was not intentional that my voice is as loud as that. I closed my eyes for a moment, it was a disaster for sure.

"You two stand up." She sternly commanded. I think, I just drag myself in trouble. I stood up as she commanded, he did likewise.

"You guys already forgot my 7th rule? What I said, I said, end of the story. Is that too hard to understand?" She asked with a great volume of voice.

"But Miss Leif please, that man has no manners," I complained.

"I don't want her as a partner either, she's trouble." He exclaimed and rolled his eyes.

"You two are unreasonable. If you can't follow my rules, drop my subject." She said exasperatedly. He sighed and sat down, knowing we did not have a choice but to deal with each other.

"I'm sorry," I uttered before I sat. She gave us our first activity that will be passed on the other day. I looked at the guy next to me.

"I thought that you're gonna be my partner," I muttered to him. He looked back to check on me.

"I didn't know that our numbers wouldn't match. That's fine, Thorn is harmless." He cracked a grin. That cruel-annoying guy behind him nudged him.

"Stop it, man." He interfered. I barely heard Yzack teased him. I could see the anger in his eyes.

"Bro, you didn't inform me that you have your new nickname?" Yzack asked him, a half-laugh.

"Shut up, Yzack." He uttered and shifted his gaze to me. He furrowed his eyebrow as our eyes met, I immediately rolled my eyes.

"Stop acting as if you were the victim." He hissed after saying that.

"So you're telling me that you are the victim, huh?" I asked him back, but he simply shrugged his shoulder.

"That's coming from you." He shrugged his shoulders, I grabbed the peach notebook on my table and threw it to him.

"What's your problem?" He snorted habang pinupulot yung notebook.

"How ironic that you keep on accusing me as a bully, but you are hitting me this time." He hissed and his tired-round-eyes rolled against me. I could not imagine this sem, him as my partner. I can't even!

"You're such a monster," I mumbled and rolled my eyes. Alam ko naman na wala na kong choice. And now I knew that the eyes of almost all the girls in the classroom were on me if they only knew.

"You've talked a lot." He hissed. I packed up my stuff and made my way outside the classroom.

"Horizon, let's go first to the comfort room then, to the Cafeteria." Jaim linked her arm to mine, came to me. I nodded and rummaged my hand in my bag to get my phone.

"Is she serious that the submission of our output will be this coming Thursday? That was too soon." Jaim complained while browsing one of the online shopping sites that she was telling me earlier. I nodded while curling my eyelashes. Jaim got a maroon-red lipstick shade on her make-up kit and gave it to me.

"I saw you wearing this kind of shade in an event when we were in high school, and it suits you. It shows your fair skin." I got it from her and showed a genuine smile to her.

"Thanks for this, Jaim." I slightly lifted it up, and she nodded as a response.

"Anyway, Horizon. Where's Sage?" I looked at her from her reflection in the mirror. And rolled my eyes in the air as I was just reminded that I should treat Sage at the coffee shop we used to hang out, whenever we felt like going since he won the last round of our favorite video games last night, which broke the tied of our scores.

"He texted me that he wanted to sleep in the middle of his class." She shot me with her suspicious stare. I exhaled half a laugh. Many people think that there was something between us, but maybe we were just used to the company of each other that made me more comfortable when he was around.

"Girl, drop that already." She laughed and applied glittery eyeshadow while still pushing Sage and I thing. I simply shook my head in response.

"I was just curious, you know, you guys had been together for quite too long, and you are too close-" She looked at me before she continued. Jami knew that Sage and I were just friends, but she was always intrigued about our relationship and her source? Her gut feeling.

"That will never gonna happen, Jaim. We've been together for a long time. You know us, we're like dudes." I defended myself. She raised her eyebrow and seemed like she was not satisfied by my answer. She wrapped her arm around my waist.

"Okay, fine. I'll drop that subject." She said, as a sign of giving up.

"How about your partner?" She asked. I gave her an inquisitive look while I was zipping my sling bag.

"Disaster." I simply responded and clamped my hair on the other side. Maybe I should not talk to him while we are making our output, I disregarded the idea that was not possible, a change of plan. Maybe I should try to be nice to him? I immediately cringed, that was no way.

"We cannot deny that he's good-looking. You found him one, didn't you?" Jaim asked, half teasing. Yeah, but I could not admit that to her, for sure Jaim will keep on teasing me to him, no way.

"Jaim, stop talking nonsense." She burst into laughter.

"How do things with Tito?" I asked her while combing my hair using my fingers. She shook her head, I barely saw the sadness in her eyes.

"Don't worry, I'll pray for him. He listens." I pinpointed Above. She smiled and nodded. Her dad went through several operations due to his heart disease.

We were walking on the narrow path to the cafeteria. The cafeteria of this university seemed like a sophisticated restaurant I used to see in the city. I think it was able to accommodate a lot of students because it was really huge. This university is totally different from the others. All the students were seemingly informed about the proper actions and behavior inside the cafeteria. To be honest, it looked like we were in the library because of the tranquility, except for the chit-chats of some students at the other table. They were offering vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. There are still a lot of vacant tables and Jaim pinned point one of those. We were on our way to a vacant table at the corner for the two of us, but I bumped into someone wearing his yellow hoodie jacket underneath his black coat.

"I'm sorry," I uttered and looked up to check whom I bumped into. I smelled the familiar scent, and I was not mistaken, it was really that 'cruel-annoying guy'.

"Did you do that intentionally?" We caught the attention of some students because of his voice, which annoyed me a lot.

"If that was intentional, believe me, I do more than that," I said sarcastically and as expected, there were murmurs from the students who were occupying the table near the entrance of the cafeteria.

"Bro, spare her this time. I really wanna eat." Yzack who was with him stopped this guy. Then, I rolled my eyes as he hissed. I intentionally bumped into him when we were on our way to the counter to pay for our food. Letting out a deep sigh, barely help me to release my anger, Jaim slightly tapped my back. Someone nudged me. Someone wore his usual jeans and plain black shirt outfit. His tan color made him looked so manly.

"'Sup?" Sage has casually thrown a question at me.

"You really know whenever I need you." I came close to him and smelled a familiar scent of him. He never changed his perfume since the day I complimented it.

"What's the matter?" I could hear his serious voice just now. I shook my head in response.

"Not that serious." I looked at the girl in her mid-40s wearing her blue-checkered-apron who was in charge at the counter.

"He is my friend." I tilted my head in Sage's direction.

"Um, please do charge my food to the handsome guy next to me, Miss." She nodded. I winked at Sage before I went out at the counter.

"Thanks, man." I bumped into him. He hissed, half laughing. He knew the real deal for being my best friend.

I walked ahead of them and sat at the vacant table near the wall. I felt the presence of Sage and Jaim in my back.

"Are you guys talking behind my back?" Sage laughed in response.

After lunch, we have three hours straight class and that was tedious since it was just our first meeting. As I went to the comfort room. I heard that there were a bunch of girls who were talking about the guy I fought with earlier.

"He's still cool anyway." I sighed before walking out. I sat in my seat.

"Horizon!" Jaim called me. She showed me my notes as I came closer to her. Someone's foot blocked my way. He was wearing white sneakers. I shoot him with my indignant stare, which was close.

"Did you do that intentionally?" I accused him while I was distorted with rage. It was obviously, intentional. I was just waiting if he will be honest.

"If that was intentional, believe me, I do more than that." He defended himself. I just hissed and rolled my eyes out of frustration, realizing that he just stole my line. Annoying!

We have one hour vacant. I made my way to the rooftop. I just felt that I need to release my anger because if not, I think I will burst at any moment.

"That cruel-annoying guy!" I shouted, hoping to release my anger.

"Shut up! You're such a nuisance." I didn't need to check who it was as I heard his voice for sure, that was Thorn. He casually folded his arms across his chest.

"You don't even know how to show respect? Try that one time, it cannot kill a rude human being like you." He tested the distance between us and gripped my hand.

"What are you gonna do? Hey!" I tried to stop him, but he came closer to me. I was leaning on the handrails on the rooftop.

"I have standards, so stop what you are thinking. That's a gross, stubborn." He uttered and looked away.

"Then let go of me." I pushed him, but he didn't even move. There was a tranquil moment for a minute.

"I'm just checking if you are able to shut your mouth, even just for a moment." He uttered and let me go, I swallowed.