“Why would I freak out just because I gained weight? Why do you seem surprised?”
He knocked on my forehead as if trying to wake me up from something. I moved away from him and looked at him while wondering what he was doing.
“I know that you’re weird but I did not expect it to be to that extent. I think you need to wake up from something.” he said then knocked my forehead again
“Will you stop doing that? I am perfectly normal and there is nothing wrong with me. I will twist that hand of yours if you will knock on my head again. I am dead serious.” I said as I scowled at him
“What are you two doing? Didn’t I tell you to stand up straight and not lean against the wall?” the teacher said
We both stood straight and lowered our heads when the teacher stood in front of us. She stood there silently and stared at both of us before she looked at her watch to check the time.
“I hope you will behave yourself next time. You don’t have to disturb your classmate if you have some questions, Allyson. You can approach the teacher. Did you understand?” she said
“Yes ma’am.” he said
She was scolding us when I heard the seniors coming down and the class of my friends coming out of the library. I don’t really understand why freshmen have to make a commotion when coming out of the library or going back to their classroom. I could see them glancing at us and some of them were whispering.
“Stay there and go back inside once the bell rings.” she said before leaving us and going back to the teacher's office.
We still have three minutes before it rings but do we really have to stand there? Allyson, who doesn’t always comply, went back to the classroom after seeing that our teacher was out of sight. I stood there with my head down while thinking if I should follow him inside when I noticed someone standing in front of me. I slowly bit my lips when I identified whom the shoes belonged to. I swallowed hard as I looked up to the person in front of me.
“Errr… Hi.” I said
“I didn’t expect you to have an imperfect side. I find it fascinating to see you getting in trouble.” said Ace while looking at me with a poker face.
I raised an eyebrow because I don’t know if he was taunting me by making it obvious that he saw me getting punished. He had always been cold to me since the beginning of the school year and he even pretended that he didn't know me by ignoring me when our paths crossed. I am confused about why he was giving me attention when I got in trouble.
“I am always a fascinating subject to you so I am not surprised that your third eye is suddenly opened and you can now see my invisible self.” I said in a sarcastic tone
“I can see that you have grown up tougher than I thought but I am unsure if that was a good idea. You now have the nerve to answer me back.” he said smirking
“Be careful because I might bite you. Don’t be too confident just because you know that I admire you.” I said before I left him there
I admire him not because of his looks even if he is good-looking but because of his skills and passion. He has thick eyebrows which are always scowling so he always looks annoyed. He has red and thin lips which surprisingly complements his almond-shaped eyes. He is tanned due to staying under the sun for too long but that makes him look more masculine. I could say that he was my mentor in learning table tennis and the basics of drawing. His characteristics suddenly changed when he entered high school which could be related to him experiencing changes in adolescence.
“Are you okay? Shouldn’t you be happy that Ace talked to you again?” Allyson said as I sat down
“Do you know Ace?” Jackson said with interests
“Why are you so interested in knowing if we are acquainted with each other?” I asked him back
“Of course, I would be interested. He is the captain of the volleyball team and has been competing in the national games for three years already. I could say that he is a legend for us.” Jackson said
“Legend my ass.” I whispered so they cannot hear me
“I know him but we are not that close. Both of you are volleyball players anyway so you will know him as you go on with your training.” I told them to cut him off from asking a favor
“I cannot approach him that easily because he is a senior student and he doesn’t seem friendly.” he whispered because the teacher was already discussing in front
“We aren’t close so I cannot ask him a favor and don’t worry because he doesn’t bite. He may look cold but he is a warm-hearted person.” I said in an unconcerned voice
“How do you know that? I thought you weren't close. It looks like you know him very well depending on how you speak about him.”
“Is it your turn to get me in trouble? Why do you keep on asking me questions about an irrelevant person while the class is ongoing?” I whispered back to him
“Then you should have informed me that you know him. I haven’t seen you speaking to each other so I wasn’t aware.” he replied back
“Athena and Jackson! Would you mind sharing to us what you’re talking about?” the teacher called out attention
We shut our mouths when the teacher caught our attention by shouting our names. The teacher stared at us for some time to make sure that we were ready to move on with the lesson.
“I suppose you are both ready to listen to the lesson.” the teacher asked again
As if reading each other's minds we both nodded our heads at the same time without saying anything. Jackson kept on poking at me while the teacher was talking but I ignored him. He started to get impatient by my silence so he started writing a note on paper. I only stared at the note that he passed while smirking. I didn’t mind him during the whole duration of the class even though I saw him getting agitated.
“How could you ignore me when I was asking something important?” he said after the class.
“Umm sorry, but I need to go to the comfort room.” I said
He looked at me with annoyance but couldn't do anything since I mentioned the comfort room. I decided to go and use the comfort room outside our room for the reason that I don’t want to face him. I was glad that there wasn't a line when I got there so I took my time.
“You thought I was done dealing with you?” Ace said who was standing near the bathroom
“Are you talking to me?” I said looking around
“Stop being sarcastic with me.” he said
“Oh. I thought you cannot see me. Do we know each other?” I said
“Are you trying to get revenge because I ignored and acted cold to you?”
“How cocky can you be? I can easily break that confidence if I want to.”
“Don’t be a too disrespectful little brat. I don’t have to remind you that I am still and always will be your mentor.”
“Mentor your face! Don’t even think of talking to me again if you will just annoy me. I already have friends that have the same traits as you and I don’t need an additional one.” I said as I walked away from him
I could hear him laughing heartily as he watched me. I seriously can’t fathom his thoughts cause it looks like he decided to talk to me so that he can annoy me.
“Your Dad told me to call him as soon as you can. I think he needs to tell you something important.” Nana said as soon as I got home.
Since I don’t have a phone, I used the computer to call Dad. He answered the call but I could see him talking on the phone so I had to wait until he was done. He was still wearing his suit that explains he is still in the office. I didn't even say hi when he started scolding me.
“I heard that you got in trouble in school. Why? This was the first time I heard you being punished.” he said
I sighed after what he said because I already knew who told him. How dare he babbles about what he saw in school? He is the only person close to Dad and the only person who can talk about me without batting an eye.
“Who told you?” I asked even if I already have a clue
“Do you have to know who told me? I was asking you why you got in trouble.”
“It’s nothing serious. Students get punished for talking from time to time. I happened to be the one who got caught when I was being talkative.” I said