Chapter 4: Are you jealous?

Ginger’s POV

Where is that woman now? I've been looking for her  but no matter where I look in the school, she's not there. Where did she go?

I was even taking a walk to find my best friend, Heart, when I met Jersey talking to another woman.

The two of them were laughing and the woman he was talking to was slapping his arm while giggling. I glared at them.

“Oh, Ginger, it's you. What are you doing here?" Jersey asked me but I didn't answer and just left. I felt someone hold my hand and I saw  it was Jersey who did it.

"What do you need? I'm busy looking for Heart so let me go!” I shouted at him. His grip on me loosened slightly when he heard that.

“Why are you looking for Heart? Did something happen?" he asked.

I took out a deep breath before I answered. “Because Aika and Lovell flirted by her side. And I know how annoying that is. I was her, I will get annoyed if I see you with someone else --- I mean, if I'm Heart, I'll also be annoyed with Aika and Lovell,” I explained at length. I bit my tongue when I almost admitted that I like him too.

He shouldn't know that I like him too !!!

Jersey stared at me and touched me on the cheek which gave me a strange feeling. I couldn't breathe properly because of what he did and my heart was beating so fast like it was as if I had run too far.

"Are you jealous of what you saw earlier?" he asked which made me even more nervous.

"No! Why should I be jealous? Was there an ‘us’? Huh?!” I shouted at him then quickly left in front of him.

That was close!

***

Mirko’s POV

Where is Heart?

"So scary!"

"Maybe there's a ghost there,"

"I thought I am just the only one who heard that woman crying,"

"Let's not talk about it. It still gives me goosebumps!"

"Ah, Miss, where's the CR you're talking about?" I asked them when I got close to their place.

“There in the boys' old CR. I'm with my friend of mine and we got to pass in the old boy's CR thereafter we heard that. Seriously, it's really scary! ” she answered me.

“Maybe that's the ghost student here. I think she was the one who was raped in that CR! ” her friend added.

"I should've got out of here or maybe I'll hear her crying again," said another of her two friends and then left in front of me.

Isn’t that Heart?

I immediately went to the CR they were saying and even though I hadn’t even gotten close I could already hear her crying loudly.

I got in the CR and there I saw Heart sitting while bending on her knees. I sat next to her, leaned her head on my shoulder then caressed her back.

“All right, just cry. I'm just here next to you," I said while stroking her back. She cried even harder.

"It was very painful. He didn't vote for me earlier and what's worse is that he'll eat with Aika later! ”

“He is annoying! I don't want him anymore! ” She added.

Eventually, she settled down and wiped away her tears with her hand.

“Sorry. I don't have a handkerchief," I apologized to her. Next time I'll bring a handkerchief, promise.

"It's okay," she replied to me.

She picked up her phone and was stunned. She started crying again for reasons I don't know.

"Why are you crying?"

“I can't afford to not like him. I'm taking back what I said," she cried in response to my question. I just slapped my hand on my forehead because she answered me and later on, we both headed our way back to our room.

***

Heart’s POV

When I got back to the room, Ginger immediately hugged me. After she did that, she snapped my forehead with her finger so I complained of extreme pain.

“Ouch, Ginger. Why did you do that?!” I asked her with mixed pain while holding my forehead. She just snapped.

“Where did you go? Huh? Do you know that I didn't get into my favourite subject because I couldn't find you?! Where are you hiding? Huh?! ” she asked me one question after another. I just bowed down and apologized to her.

I didn't know she would look for me.

Mirko answered Ginger's questions for me. I shrank even more because of what Mirko said.

"I told you to just like someone else and not that stubborn Lovell but you didn't listen to me!"

“Why? I didn't stop you when you told me that you like J --- asdfghjkl,” I couldn't finish what I was going to say when she immediately pulled me and covered my mouth tightly.

“You must be hungry. Let’s eat, I’ll pay for our food.” she said laughing to Mirko who was immediately agreed to.

“Don't be loud, Heart! You are so talkative!" She whispered sounded annoyed at me.

"I'm just stating facts," I replied as we walked.

"Wait for me!" We heard Jersey shout so we ran away from him at the same time.

Jersey is very greedy when it comes to food.

***

I was walking to the girl's comfort room now when I saw I could meet Apple and Aika. I was about to turn around and come back but when I heard what they were talking about --- which they meant to raise so that I could hear --- I just continued walking.

“Really? You and Lovell went to recess together earlier?” Apple asked Aika loudly.

"Yes, and I think it will happen again in the next few days," she replied to Apple. Apple looked at my way.

“You know, Aika, you and Lovell matter. You are both smart so you click on each other," she said.

"So I hope for one of those who likes Lovell to just stop dreaming. Because it's impossible for Lovell to like them," she added while looking at me and smiling. She crossed her arms and stared at me.

"Don't bother Heart, Apple," Aika begged Apple. She smiled at me before they passed me.

“We know that is impossible. Besides, it's not bad to dream," she added before they finally walked away while laughing.

Because of what they said, I became even smaller. What they said was true. Compared to Aika, I have nothing in common with her. If Aika is beautiful from head to toe, my beauty has not yet reached the heel of my foot.

Argh. I feel so small.

Even though I was too lazy to go to the comfort room because of what I heard, I still went and was forced to urinate because otherwise, I might have a UTI or a urinary tract infection.

I caught up with Ginger when she came back to the room when she was also going to the comfort room and since she was my best friend, I immediately told her what happened.

"They really said those!?" She asked after telling her what had happened recently. I nodded in response.

She lifted both sleeves of her blouse and prepared as if she was going to throw something.

"Get that woman ready for me and I'll shave her hair!" She shuddered as she snapped her fingers on her hand.

"Don't do what you're planning,"

"Because what they said is true, isn't it?" I forced a smile on Ginger. She calmed down when she saw how I looked and hugged me immediately.

"Oh! You're here, there's ---" Jersey couldn't continue what he was going to say when Ginger suddenly let go of my hug and entered the room. I was amazed at how she behaved so I looked at Jersey with a look full of questioning.

“I don't know that. She also ran away from me earlier when she saw me with a woman --- Ouch! "

"I haven't done anything to you yet!" I shouted at Jersey after I snapped him on the forehead and entered our room.

"What's wrong with those two friends?!" I even heard his complaint before I sat down in my chair.

---

“Heart… Heart, wake up. Heart,"

"What is it? I'm sleeping here, eh,”

"Wake up or you'll repent,"

"Another scratch, Jersey, I'm going to kick you," Isaid.

I immediately sat up straight when someone beat my head with a piece of paper.

“Ouch ---! Hi, Sir Lloyd,” I smiled awkwardly at him.

He took a deep breath before shouting.

“GET OUT OF THE ROOM. NOW!”

***

“We will have a fundraiser to prepare for upcoming events at the School like Mr and Ms Nutri-fashion that will be held last week of July and others. Just in case we have the funds for that, ” Ms Gen explained to the class.

“And the two Class President nominees, Heart and Aika, will be assigned to collect the money. Give as much as you can," Ms Gen added to us. She even discussed a few things before sending us home.

"I'll collect money tomorrow," I said while waiting for Ginger to finish fixing things.

"Oh, what about now?"

"I just thought, will someone give?" I ask. I stood up because Ginger had finished what she was doing and packed up the bag behind me.

“Don't be a negative thinker there! Of course, someone will give you money!” she encouraged me.

“Besides, you're too advanced to think about that. You think very well,” she added. I agreed with what she said and we talked as we walked out of the school gate.

"I gotta go my own way, bye!" Ginger bid her goodbye. The path we will take is different. I raised my palm and waved it. “Bye! Take care!" I shouted.

And I was alone again.

I took a deep breath. Eventually, someone came up to me. I smiled because just by smelling the perfume, I already knew who it was.

“Lov --- Mirko? Oh! It's you,” I said disappointedly when I saw that Lovell wasn't the one who accompanied me. Maybe, I'm too assuming really.

“You’re disappointed,ah? Are you waiting for someone?"

“Huh? No. Why?”

“Come on, let's eat there! I saw a newly opened restaurant, The Food Hive. So, are you going with me?" he asked happily.

I would have refused but because food is what we were talking about, I agreed with him.

"All right, let's go!"

***

"The taste of the food there is so delicious!" I told him a happy story while jumping around walking home. Mirko was still with me and he thought of taking me to our house because someone might be rude to me. At first, I didn't agree with what he wanted but when I remembered that it was dark in some places I was going to pass, I eventually agreed.

"I know that you'll like it there! It's a good thing I took you with me,”

"Let's go back there next time, but I want to treat you,"

"Sure!" he replied. I stopped walking and thanked him for taking me home. 

“Thank you! Be careful when you go home, bye!” I say goodbye to him.

"Let's see each other tomorrow again. Bye! Goodnight!” I also said goodbye to him. I waited for him to leave before I entered our cluster.

The houses we live in are by cluster because we are not that rich.

While singing while walking. I noticed Lovell also coming in,8 carrying a familiar pouch with me.

"You also went to The Food Hive?" I asked him. He avoided looking at me.

“Yes. Why?”

"Why didn't I see you there?" I asked him but he did not answer my question.

"Wait, who's with you?" I asked him again. The Food Hive is hidden so it is not easy to find especially since there is a narrow road before going there.

"Aika," he simply replied which caused me to lose my mood. I was about to enter the house but I suddenly stopped when he asked me another question.

"You, why did it take you to get home at night? And who was with you at The Food Hive?" He asked.

Suddenly, tip #7 entered my brain: Make him jealous

“Mirko. He invited me there, e. It seemed like a friendly date because it reached us at night. Oh! I didn't notice that it took so long that we have been together!” I can't believe what I just said. I noticed that he was no longer in front of me and the gate was locked so I approached him there..

"Are you jealous?" smiling, I asked him.

His forehead furrowed.

“Huh? In your dreams," he replied coldly then squeezed my cheek and smiled. After he did that he finally entered his house.

Is what I saw true? Is what he did true?

I was statued because of that. I'm not ready. Only then did my mind come to my senses when Mama shouted at me.

“Heart! What kind of child are you, come in here and talk to your Dad! ” she shouted. In my fear, I entered our house.

But the smile could not be erased from my lips.