Zein's Point of View
I woke up with a smile on my face, and the feeling lasted through the next few classes. For some reason, everything felt so light today. Not sure I even understand it myself.
"Look who's here?" I stopped in my tracks on the way to the SSG office when Roxane blocked my path, flanked by her two minions. I let out a sigh. Great, a mood killer has arrived. "What do you want, Queen Roxane?"
The sneer on her face instantly turned into a smug grin just from hearing "queen." But if that was all it took to stop whatever drama she was about to start, I'd give it to her. Besides, I wanted to avoid trouble.
"Since you mentioned, go get me some juice at the cafeteria," she ordered, crossing her arms.
"I want a sandwich," the girl on the left added.
"And I want pizza," said the one on the right.
I wouldn't have a problem if that was all they wanted, but the cafeteria was so far from where we were. And with the sun blazing, I might just faint. "I have a class." I moved to walk past them, but they grabbed both of my arms. Fuck. Not again!
I squeezed my eyes shut before roughly shaking their hands off. "Fine!" The sound of their laughter followed me past where I thought it would. Just be thankful I'm not in the mood for chaos, bitches.
I ran to the cafeteria just to get it over with. The sun felt like it was burning my skin. I just took a shower, but I was already starting to feel all sticky again. If I weren't so worried about the consequences of fighting back, they'd probably be sprawled on the ground right now. Running that far left me leaning on my knees, gasping. Out of the corner of my eye, something moved behind me, so I whipped around.
"It's too hot to be walking under the sun," Liam said, shielding me with his umbrella.
"And so what, Liam?"
He shook his head. "Where are you going anyway? You seem like you're in a rush."
I snatched his umbrella and started walking away. Liam seemed friendly, but Hell University had enough familiar faces already. Having too many acquaintances wasn't always a good thing.
"Wait!" he called out, chasing after me, then huddled under the umbrella. I didn't bother complaining since it was his umbrella anyway. The moment we reached the cafeteria, I dropped the umbrella and headed straight to the counter to order the food the bitches made me get.
"That's a lot. You're eating all that?" I ignored Liam and just waited silently for the order. "You're so cranky."
I sighed and turned to him. He was smiling. Then suddenly, a realization hit me. I'd never seen Liam with anyone. He was always alone. "Where are your friends?" I asked.
"I don't have friends."
"Impossible. I see girls checking you out all the time," I replied. Was he pretending? For what? For the sake of being humble?
"But they don't actually approach me."
"And why? Are you rude to them?"
"I'm unlike you and Vanessa," he said with a laugh before looking away. "They just simply don't want to be friends with me."
Just as I was about to ask more, my order arrived. I left without saying goodbye to Liam, carrying no umbrella. He didn't follow me, either.
Roxane and her minions almost lunged at the food like they were starving. I had to hold back a laugh. They seriously looked like my pets. "You guys have been hungry and thirsty this whole time, but you suffered through it just because you were too lazy to walk to the cafeteria, right?" I asked.
"Just leave. You're annoying," Roxane snapped.
"Huh! Whatever you say!" As I turned to leave, I shot one last look at them and raised my middle finger. "Fuck you."
The SSG office was nearby, but it felt miles away because I'd been walking so much. I was thirsty too. I should have taken a sip of that juice I gave those rats. When I finally reached the office, Supremo immediately stood up and helped me to a seat. I thought I was about to pass out.
"Hey! Are you okay?" he asked worriedly before closing the door and cranking up the air conditioning.
"W-water," I managed to say, parched. Supremo grabbed a bottle of mineral water from his table and handed it to me.
"Is this half-empty?"
"Of course! You think you're the only one allowed to be thirsty? Just drink it before you die."
I chugged the water. Once satisfied, I jokingly spat some of it at Ace. "Ms. Shion!" He irritably wiped the water off his face and glared at me before taking the empty bottle and lightly bonking me on the head with it. I rubbed the spot, even though it didn't really hurt.
"What were you doing outside at this hour? It's scorching hot! Do you want to burn your skin—"
"And get ugly so no one likes me but you?" I teased.
As usual, he got awkward again. I'd been teasing him for days about him liking me, and it never failed to get a reaction. If ever, I'd probably be his first girlfriend, while he'd be my... twenty-fourth, maybe? Not official, though.
"Get it together!" he barked at me, heading back to his table. I was so focused on Supremo that I only just realized we weren't alone in the office. Vice Ty was busy writing, while Teacher Kath was leaning her chin on her hand, watching us.
"I'll be honest," Teacher Kath suddenly spoke up. "I don't appreciate what I've just... watched." She sounded genuinely disgusted. I looked down, pretending to organize some papers.
"Then you should have left—"
"Supremo Ace Craige!" Teacher Kath slammed her hands on the table, the noise ringing through the room.
The atmosphere suddenly turned heavy. If I'd known they were here, I wouldn't have played along with Supremo's teasing. But Ace knew they were here. And he didn't care. I don't think he ever does. But I do.
I swallowed hard. "I'm sorry—"
"Don't speak," Supremo cut me off. "You didn't do anything wrong."
"Oh, really?" Teacher Kath asked mockingly before turning to me. "I won't beat around the bush, Ms. Shion. You and Supremo can't be together—"
"Crap it!"
But Teacher Kath wasn't swayed. "If you keep this up and Madame Violet finds out—"
"Don't listen." Supremo stepped toward me and stood by my side, covering my ears with his hands.
"It's not just you who'll be in danger. Even Supremo!"
"Let's go," Supremo said, grabbing my arm and leading me out of there.
We finally got away, but Teacher Kath's words kept playing in my head like a broken record. Because of what we were doing, Supremo could get hurt... He took me to what I call the "Secret Garden" because students rarely go there. It was quiet. It felt free. Far from the hellish reality.
I pulled my arm back from his grip and sat on the root of a large tree. Exhausted, I looked up at Supremo, who was just standing in front of me. "I... I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."
"Hey..." He sat beside me. "I won't be in danger, okay? Don't think about what Teacher Kath said."
Won't you? I tried to look away, but he quickly caught my head and turned it back toward him. "Don't listen to them. Can you do that, Zein?"
I swallowed hard. "How can I not, when they keep screaming it at me?"
"Then I'll make myself louder for you."
I frowned, confused. He took a deep breath and suddenly shouted, "I don't want to lose you, Zein—"
"Supremo!" I covered his mouth.
I felt his lips stretch into a smile against my hand. I glared at him before letting go.
"Was that loud enough for you?" He leaned his face closer to mine. "Louder than the voices around us?"
I sighed. He just wouldn't take anything seriously. Ace blew air onto my face, making me blink. "You're overthinking again. Is my voice still not loud enough for you to know I don't want to lose you?"
I couldn't help but laugh. Was this really the same guy who gave me a warning mark on my arm? The guy who almost took my arm off just for being late to class? "Why me?" I asked without thinking.
He chuckled. "Where did that random question come from?"
"I'm sure there are prettier girls out there. Girls you've known longer. Like... Angel."
"Angelica?" He seemed to think for a moment. "I mean, no one can deny she's attractive. She's the total opposite of me. Gentle. Caring. Soft."
Asking got me hurt, huh? "Are those your ideal traits?" I asked. Damn it, Zein. You really had to ask a follow-up? He seemed hesitant to answer. "Just be honest," I added.
"Yes."
I looked away. "I mean..." Facing him again, my voice steadied. "I can be gentle sometimes. I even care for people more than I probably should. I'm also 'soft' because I cry easily—"
"Hey!" He placed a finger over my lips. "Haven't I told you to just be yourself? You don't have to pretend to be someone else for me to like you."
I shook my head. He wasn't getting away with that. "I'm not your type. Why are you still with me?" I asked with a pout.
He laughed. "I don't like seeing you pout, but if it's because you're jealous, then maybe I do like it."
I gave him a small pinch. Traitor. He managed to make me smile with something that simple. "You're smiling."
"Shut up! I hate you!" When his smile fell, I stiffened and added with a wince, "I mean, I don't hate you... Not like that."
Still, he didn't say a word. "Sorry..." I whispered.
He suddenly stood up and walked away, so I quickly followed. I tugged at his clothes, making him stop, but he kept his back to me. "Come on, Supremo. I was just joking."
My eyes widened in shock when he suddenly turned around. Time seemed to stop as I realized that, if I made even one wrong move, I'd end up kissing him. A smirk spread across his lips before he pulled his face back a little. "That's why. I'm really trying to hold back. Because if I don't, I might just claim your lips."
He moved away, but I stayed quiet. He had been so close just now that our noses were almost touching. I felt bad. I should have moved.
"I'm serious, Zein. Please. Don't listen to them. If you have to stay away just so you don't hear what they have to say, can you just do that?"
I swallowed. "Is that an order? Don't listen to them?"
He straightened up, standing tall and clearing his throat. "Listen, Zein Shion," he said in his formal, president's voice. "You must not obey orders from anyone. You should only follow me. This is an order from the highest Supreme Student Government..."
Then he slowly cupped my cheeks in his palms. I closed my eyes as he kissed my forehead. "And you cannot do anything about it," he whispered.