Jay-jay's POV
I came in late. I was avoiding Aries. He and Ella had an argument just outside the house. When Aries came back, he immediately asked the maids where I was.
I was already in my room, locked inside. I made sure to secure the door properly. He might throw me around out of anger.
When I entered Section E's classroom, I saw Calix with his head down on his desk. Mica's stories suddenly came to mind.
I turned to my seat and saw Ci-N smiling at me. I quickly smiled back and—
"Hi, Baby!" I greeted Ci-N.
Immediately, my classmates turned to look at us like a bunch of nosy snakes. Because Ci-N is naturally eccentric...
"Hello, Bey-by!" he greeted back with an exaggerated smile.
I was actually teasing Calix with this little act. Ci-N was the one who told me that "Baby" was Mica and Calix's endearment for each other. So, of course, a mischievous idea popped into my head.
It was effective—Calix was already giving me a nasty look. I saw David focused on his phone.
"Hi, David... Baby!" I greeted him.
David suddenly blushed and looked away.
Hahaha...
I glanced at Yuri and Keifer, who were both staring at me. Expressionless. Complete poker faces.
What's their problem?!
I just rolled my eyes at them and sat back down on my throne—right between my two knights. After all, only the three of us sat in the middle, while everyone else was either at the back or along the sides.
At least it was an improvement. I used to sit alone.
I was messing around with Ci-N when suddenly, the entire room fell silent. Like, literally dead silent, as if an angel had passed by.
I scanned the room, wondering if something happened that I didn't notice.
The ones standing by the door playing Pokémon Go slowly stepped aside. Then, a girl cautiously entered the room.
Ella.
She stopped near me. Even though she didn't say anything, I could sense her fear. I just didn't know what or who she was afraid of.
She smiled at me. "C-can I talk to you outside?" she asked.
I glanced at Keifer and Yuri. They were both looking at us—or more accurately, Keifer was looking at Ella, while Yuri was staring at me.
I turned back to Ella, smiled, and nodded.
She stepped outside first, and I followed. We walked a little farther from the classroom because, obviously, those nosy people inside would eavesdrop.
"I just wanted to thank you," she said with a smile. "For what you did for Mica." She continued, "She told me everything."
I smiled and rubbed the back of my neck. I had to admit, I felt a little shy. "I-it was nothing. Those little devils were just being jerks."
"I also talked to Aries."
"Ahh… so he's not going to come after me anymore?" I asked.
Who knows what kind of conversation they had?
"He won't..."
I just nodded. Silence fell between us for a few seconds. This was getting awkward.
"Uhm, Jay..." she finally broke the silence. "...I have a favor to ask."
"What is it?"
"I hope you'll continue looking out for Mica when I'm not around. And also..." She bit her lower lip. "...please... don't let Calix get close to Mica."
I was stunned by what she said. Don't let them get close? Was she telling me not to help them fix things?
"Huh? W-why?"
She glanced towards our classroom before looking back at me.
"Mica was really hurt by what happened—by what Calix did. I can't bear to see her like that again. Once was enough. She's finally starting to move on."
"B-but what if they really want to make up?"
"Mica doesn't want to anymore."
"How do you—"
"Jay!" she suddenly raised her voice. "...Just do this favor for me. I'm begging you."
Are they really friends? Why does she sound like that?
I get that she's concerned about Mica and doesn't want her to get hurt again. But she has no right to stop them.
"I can do the first favor... but the second one, I can't promise."
She forced a smile and nodded before walking away without saying anything else.
Whatever. I'm not going to stop them. In fact, I'll support them in whatever conversation they have. It's their lives, after all.
When I returned to the classroom, it really felt like an angel was inside. They were all silent, staring at me.
"W-what did you guys talk about?" Ci-N broke the silence.
"She thanked me for what I did for Mica and asked for a favor."
"About what?" Keifer asked.
Oh? Someone's intrigued!
"Nothing… that's between us," I replied dryly and sat down.
Sigh! What should I do about Calix and Mica?
It's not like I'm meddling, but I guess I am now.
I feel bad for Calix. He's starting to look like a mess. Seriously, Mica showed me an old picture of him—he was actually handsome.
But now, he's one step away from looking like a homeless guy. If he goes two weeks without showering and wanders around aimlessly, he'll get there.
Too lazy to shave, wrinkled clothes, long hair, dark eye bags. He always looks sleep-deprived—like he's on drugs.
Roast him some more!
I was solving a math problem when a thought hit me.
Why do life problems have solutions... but this one doesn't?
"Jay... Do you have an answer now?" Ci-N asked.
I just shook my head. I really had nothing to say. Good thing our Math teacher was lazy and left us alone.
"The periodical exams are coming up," I said.
"Yeah... Another embarrassment for Section E," Ci-N replied.
I looked at her in confusion. "Embarrassment?"
"When the final grades for the periodical exams come out, instead of giving them to us individually, they post them on the Main Building."
What the... What if someone failed? Everyone would see it. That's so embarrassing! Now I feel nervous.
"That's so messed up..."
"Exactly... They say it's to motivate students to study harder."
"It won't work," I muttered.
That would just crush someone's self-esteem. Not only would they be humiliated in front of the entire school, but they'd also become a target for teasing.
I went back to solving the frustrating Math problem. The class was relatively quiet until Calix suddenly stood up, holding his phone. He looked confused and on the verge of tears.
Was the Math problem that hard?
Then, out of nowhere, he ran out of the room. Everyone was confused.
"Follow Calix!" Keifer suddenly shouted, also holding his phone.
Even though we were puzzled, we all got up and walked out, including me, Ci-N, and David.
We found him standing in front of the Main Building, watching something happening in the middle of the crowd. The students were gathering around, making a fuss.
We tried to see what was going on, but it was difficult with so many people. So, I pushed my way through the crowd, with my classmates following behind me.
At the center, Mykel was kneeling in front of Mica, holding a bouquet of flowers. Behind him was a huge tarp that read, "Can you be my girlfriend?"
Next to Mica was Ella, beaming with joy for her friend.
Meanwhile, Mica looked hesitant.
"Say yes..."
"Yeah, say yes!"
"Mykel's good-looking, after all."
She can't say yes to Mykel.
Mica automatically looked in our direction.
"Mica..." Calix whispered beside me.
Tears started to well up in Mica's eyes. Ella whispered something to her, and she slowly reached out to take the flowers from Mykel.
But before she could grab them, my hand instinctively shot out, snatching the bouquet away.
Sorry, but I really have to meddle in this.
"Is this really what you want?!" I asked Mica.
"Stay out of this!" Mykel snapped at me.
I ignored him. Mica was the one I needed to talk to.
"Answer me! Do you not feel anything for Calix anymore?!"
"Jay... It's just that—" Mica started, but Ella cut her off. "She doesn't love Calix anymore!"
But I kept my gaze on Mica.
"I want to hear it from you!"
"Jay! Stay out of this!" Aries ordered.
I had no intention of listening to them. My focus was on Mica.
"Answer me!"
She stayed silent, just looking at Calix, who stood behind me.
"Stop interfering! Get out of here!" Mykel yelled, reaching out to take back the flowers.
Instead of handing them over, I threw them somewhere, scattering the petals.
"JAY!" Aries shouted.
Suddenly, Mykel grabbed my collar and glared at me. "WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?!"
Even though I couldn't see them, I could feel the heavy aura of Section E. Even the students from Section A suddenly changed their demeanor.
I kept my eyes on Mica, even as my feet were lifted off the ground. Mykel was really tall.
"Let go of Jay!" Ci-N shouted.
"Is that the guy you're choosing over Calix? Someone who hurts girls?" someone said from behind me.
Mykel flinched at the words and immediately let me go. Someone tapped my arm.
It was Calix. He smiled at me, as if saying, "Thank you."
Then he turned to Mica. "Mica... Just give me a chance to talk to you. Even just 30—20 minutes. That's all I ask, and I'll leave you alone," he pleaded.
Mica glanced at Ella before answering.
"S-sure... But not here," she said.
Calix let out a relieved sigh. I felt relieved, too—except now Mykel and Aries were glaring at me, and Ella was looking at me like she was cursing me in her head.
I'm doomed!