ASHLY'S POINT OF VIEW (Universe 13)
 
"This is it." Without wasting any more time, I began walking toward the entrance of St. Lauren. I had been hesitating earlier, debating whether or not to proceed. I could still back out, but my reasons for being here weren’t solely school-related. I also needed to talk to Kion.
 
I noticed their eyes on me. They must be curious about my presence, probably realizing I’m not a transferee because of my different ID. Plus, they know a representative from Evergreen University is expected.
 
"I thought Seina was the representative? Who is she?"
 
"She's Ashly, right? Seina Miyazaki's friend."
 
I started to feel nervous when I overheard their conversations about me. You know why I'm so scared? Because it’s Phoebe and her gang gossiping about me—they’re the bullies in this school!
 
"Hey, miss, are you new here?" asked a guy lounging on a bench as I passed by.
 
"I-I'm the representative from Evergreen University," I replied curtly. He just nodded.
 
"So, you're the one." I couldn’t tell if he was being nice or not, kind of? "Be careful until he arrives." I raised an eyebrow at his words.
 
"Until he arrives? Who?" I asked, confused, but he just shook his head and walked away.
 
Okay, what was that? Is he a psycho?
 
I brushed off his words and walked down the hallway of building A, looking for the classroom where I would be observing.
 
Get ready, Kion, because I’m going to be your classmate today.
 
Yes, I'll be observing in Kion’s section. I couldn’t wait to see him and find out where Seina was.
 
---
 
"This is Ashly Jimenez, the representative from EU who will be observing here at St. Lauren."
 
The room fell silent, and no one spoke. I looked around and noticed that Kion wasn’t there. He's late?
 
Wait... what if he eloped with Seina—oh my gosh!
 
"Please take a seat over there by the window. It has a great view," Miss Rhea said. I was pleased because she seemed so kind and approachable. It looked like I might enjoy my time here, at least somewhat.
 
The instructors here were nice; it was just the students who were the problem.
 
I walked to the seat Miss Rhea indicated. She was right; from the window, you could see the garden and the huge soccer field.
 
"Oh Mr. Castañeda, you're late." I looked up because I finally heard Kion’s last name.
 
I sighed in relief. I thought... never mind.
 
I noticed the empty seat next to me and realized it was for Kion. Nice one, Ashly.
 
Since he didn’t know I was here at St. Lauren, I bent my head and pretended to write, hoping he wouldn’t see my face. I felt his presence beside me. Didn’t he notice a new classmate?
 
Should I tell him that the person sitting next to him is his girlfriend's best friend? It seemed like he had no intention of turning to look at me.
 
"Hi handsome, do you have a girlfriend?" I said to get his attention. I saw him stop what he was doing but still didn’t turn towards me.
 
"I do have a girlfriend, so back off—" He stopped mid-sentence, probably realizing I wasn’t a regular student and was new here.
 
I brushed the hair away from my face, making Kion’s eyes widen. "Ashly?!" he whispered, clearly shocked.
 
"What are you doing here?!" he whispered urgently.
 
"Ah Kion, Miss Ashly is the EU representative for this school year," Miss Rhea noticed the commotion. I just smiled at Kion.
 
Now I was sure that Kion was loyal to my friend. So Seina’s suspicions? She should put them to rest because her heart is safe with Kion.
 
Class started, signaling that it was time for me to begin my observations. It looked like I’d have good things to report because the people here were disciplined, or should I say, this section was. Of course, I was in the star section, but trust me, if you went to the lower sections, that’s where you’d see hell.
 
"Kion, that's wrong," I commented on what he was writing. He just looked at me.
 
What’s going on with him? He’s one of the top students here at St. Lauren, yet he can’t solve a simple equation correctly?
 
"Give me that," I said, forcefully taking his notebook. Fortunately, Miss Rhea had stepped out for a moment, so I managed to grab his paper.
 
"Do it like this, start with the left side to make it easier to solve, got it?"
 
"I k-know," he said, grabbing the paper back.
 
He's tense.
 
I decided to leave him alone for now. I’d talk to him later since the subject was almost over.
 
I looked around the room; surprisingly, no one was chatting or gossiping. They were probably really focused on academics. This is the kind of section I like—serious.
 
"Okay class, see you tomorrow. Goodbye."
 
Everyone started to stand up and head to the cafeteria. I began packing my things into my bag. "Kion, wait!" I called out to Kion, not realizing he had already left my side.
 
Even though I was still zipping up my bag, I stood up and ran out to catch up with Kion. Now I was sure Kion was avoiding me.
 
When I got to the hallway, I couldn’t see him anymore. Where did he go?
 
"Where could Kion be?" I wondered aloud as I looked down the building, spotting him on the ground floor heading somewhere. How did he get down so fast? This building has three floors!
 
I did everything I could to run without slipping or tripping, regretting that I wore high heels.
 
"Kion—"
 
"Who do you think you're looking for?" I stopped walking when three girls blocked my way.
 
Oh my, it’s Phoebe.
 
"I-I..." I couldn’t speak because their looks alone were enough to shut my mouth.
 
"You're the representative, right? What right do you have to attract Kion?"
 
"You're mistaken—" I was cut off when she pretended to slap me but only tried to scare me.
 
"Weak," Phoebe sneered.
 
"Tss, I already told Hadji to warn you." I was shocked when I felt someone put their arm around me. I turned to see the guy beside me.
 
Who’s Hadji? Was he talking to me?
 
I noticed the three girls in front of me turned pale. "P-president..."
 
"What did I tell you, Phoebe? This is your last warning, then you're out. Understand?" the guy next to me said with authority, keeping his left arm around my shoulders.
 
He seemed familiar...
 
Phoebe and her companions left without a word, clearly annoyed, and walked away angrily.
 
"Thank you for...saving me?" I said uncertainly, turning to face the guy, finally seeing his whole face.
 
The heck?