Chapter 8: Got Her, Always

ZACHARY FLYNN'S POINT OF VIEW

It was already 6:30 AM, Xairo had already gone to school, but Xincere was still sleeping in her room. Their parents got home, approximately 2:15 this morning, but went back to the office even before the sun rises earlier. He did not wake up the two. Just leaving a letter in the fridge for them. Mr. Monroe prepared food for us before they went to the office. I used to wake up early, I mean I was actually suffering from insomnia so that I was really struggling to fall asleep, it was hard for me to stay asleep, and the main reason why I wake up too early and not be able to get back to sleep. I was watching an anime series while waiting for her to wake up, but I actually finished three episodes after Xairo left, but I haven't heard anything from her room except the alarm clocks that buzzed countless times. I don't know if she was really tired or just did it on purpose to piss me off this morning. I hardly swallowed before closing my eyes and deciding to knock on her room to wake her up. We might probably be late again this morning for our 7:00 AM class.

"Why you didn't wake me up?" She was asking while putting on the necklace I handed to her last game. Her hair was flattened as it was still yet. She did not even comb her hair before she ran out of her room. She was wearing a fitted black crop-top together with her faded high-waisted ripped jeans and white sneakers.

"Let's go, we're already late." She was linking her arm around mine and pulled me outside as if I was the one who cause us to be late. She unzipped a maroon pouch as I started the engine. And as usual, she was carefully thinking about the right shade of lipstick that would be matched with her outfit.

"Zac, which one is better?" I just rolled my eyes after hearing those lines of her for the nth time.

"You're better off without it," I mumbled under my breath. But, I guess, she did not hear what I just said. She continued murmuring while putting something on her eyelid using her ring finger. I just shook my head thinking how she managed to do this every day despite the fact that we actually never attended our first class on time.

"I don't feel like attending classes today." She uttered as I stopped the car in the vast parking lot of our campus. She let me hear a voice recording sent by one of our block mates on our block's group chat. I smirked as I heard our terror professor shout, and seemed like looking for her.

"Mr. Paisley personally requesting Mr. Williams to do a specific task for the presentation of our department for this coming event, so he will be excused in my class this morning. But you, Ms. Monroe, do you really think that just having good records of exams and quizzes are enough to pass my subject?" She exclaimed, and that was enough reason to get the attention of the whole class while we were just about to enter the classroom. I gently held her elbow as I saw her about to say how sorry she was for being late for her class like she always does.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am. I just need a subject for the presentation I am currently working on. There were some changes regarding the subject and theme of the event. So I asked for Ms. Monroe's help. I just came to ask for your permission to let me excuse her in your class." I saw her deep sigh, seems like being got by my lame excuses. I saw the sudden change in her expression as she heard me explaining.

"Okay, but this is a warning for all of you. I do not want anyone to be late for my class! Is that clear?" She turned her attention back on our block mates, who were looked as if they were really focused on the discussion before we came here. She was able to send shivers down to anyone's spine just the way she looked.

Xincere also seemed intimidated by her presence. I gently held the back of her waist as she stepped back after our professor took a quick glance at us, not knowing that I was just standing too close right behind her. She abruptly stood up properly before she looked away. She linked her right arm around mine and pulled me in the direction of Mr. Paisley's office, but I grabbed the strap of her tiny backpack and led her on the other way.

"Where are we going?" She gave me an inquisitive look.

"In a place where we can't be caught," I smirked and grabbed her wrist, she just let me lead the way going up to the rooftop.

"Here is where you want to do it? By the way, what's about the presentation Mr. Paisley assigned to you?" She was running into the railings while getting her phone from the pocket of her pants at the back.

"I was just making up. I already finished it yesterday while waiting on you and Geli. It was too easy for me to take it a week, unlike what Mr. Paisley thought." I said with confidence and laughed a bit as I saw her rolling her eyes against me.

"You're too confident!" She turned her back after saying that line of hers against me. I was making me on where she was standing. I smell a familiar scent of her as her hair had been blown by the wind in my direction.

"I'm sorry." She immediately tucked her hair on the other side as she noticed that it was hitting me. She took a step or two on her left away from me.

"Then let me see the presentation. You already finished it yesterday, right? So it's not considered as a lie, let me check it." She laid her palm on me, seemed like waiting for me to give it to her.

"No need. It was just a piece of cake, Xincere! Even grade school students can do that activity. And that makes me wonder why the dean of our department needs to ask my help for those articles. Besides, I was not the right person to make it, but I guess it was a huge help for me to help you this morning." She gave me a quick smile before turning her attention back to the tall old church in front of our building department. Here was where I wrote those articles yesterday.

"Why? What does the article is all about?" She finally kept her gaze on me. I sighed and slightly shrugged before answering her question.

"It was just like one of our homework way back then when we were still in grade school, it was like a position paper." Honestly, it was not really hard for me to make an article. Since I used to make some ever since I could remember. I was actually the president of the journalism club during my high school years. The only complicated thing was the subject, it was all about love. I don't really find it so cheesy, it was that I was not too confident regarding my insights about it. Maybe it was because that was the first time I wrote about it.

"I don't doubt, since nothing really difficult when it comes from you." I did not know if she really mean it since I saw her smirking before looking away.

"Is that the new way of insulting me?" I smiled before slightly shaking my head.

"Of course not, that was a compliment. You know what, whenever you're around, I felt like everything is possible. It seems like everything is just so simple. Maybe because you master the act of lying, tricking other people, and keeping it all naturally with your natural facial expression." I laughed before locking her head around my arms and messing up her hair hardly.

"How it becomes a compliment when you actually judge me the hard way? I was just protecting you. You must be grateful." She hardly hit me as she was trying to escape from my grip.

"If protecting me cause you trouble, just let me suffer and bear with my own punishment." She became serious as she looked directly at me and raised her brows as if waiting for me to agree with what she just said. But did not do as she wanted.

"But I bet you would prefer to have me suffer and shared with your punishment. I guess it sounds exciting somehow." I may not be as kind as others were to her, but I never wanted to see her struggling alone. At first, I thought it was because she was too weak and fragile, that she needs me to protect her and I found that thought so hassle. But as time passed by, I began to realize that she was probably one of the persons I must protect at all costs, as Dad always told me that, I should always choose to protect all those people I valued the most.

"Why are you so sweet to me now? Want me to cook again for our dinner?" I saw how the corner of her eyes wrinkled as she smiled as she teased me. I just smirked and grimaced before looking away.

"I thought you didn't want me to sleep at your house? Is that an invitation, isn't it?" I gave her a wry smile and raised my brows, trying to piss her off. And I bet I succeeded after seeing her side glances full of disgust before rolling her eyes out of irritation.

"By the way, by any chance, are you familiar with this mobile number?" She handed me her phone. I took a quick glance at her after seeing an unknown number from her inbox. I got my phone and tried to find if it was one of my contact lists.

"Whom did you give your number to? Did you put your mobile number on the organization where you signed up the last day?" I furrowed as she grabbed it back against me as she realized that I may read something on it that I should not.

"Of course not. At first, I thought it was just a wrong number, but I guess she knew me. Do you think it was one of your crazy admirers? She even mentioned your name in some text messages I have received last day." She asked as she was scrolling from her inbox. I even saw some unknown numbers that sent her messages, but it was a good thing that she did not reply to it.

"Let me have it again?" I laid my hand on her. But it took her a moment and looked at it as if thinking if she will give it to me before shifting back her gaze to me. I even saw a sudden change in her expression as that somehow convinced me that she was really hiding something from me as she held tightly on her phone and seemed like she was about to put it back in her pocket for me to not get it from her. I just remember how always answered a lot of unknown numbers that called her back then, which made her pissed off.

"No need, Zac. I just asked you if it is your girlfriend, of course, I don't want to be rude. Just inform me if there was a pathetic one, okay?" I just smiled and snorted before I ran my finger through my hair.

"Just change your number and stop giving your number to anyone." I just remember how she gave her number to a junior girl who was eating alone in the cafeteria as if offering a shoulder to cry on. I hate seeing her too friendly, most of the time that was to cause her trouble. I took off the strap of my backpack on my left shoulder and dug to get the letter I got from her. Actually, I know that it was from Louis Gan Gill. The junior guy from our department who just join the varsity. I saw him that day near her locker. I badly wanted to throw it, but I guess she must have it.

"Here." I handed it to her, but she just looked at it before she smiled. But not like what I expected, she did not even take it from me.

"Just throw it. I don't wanna read another threatening letter. I just read one this morning." She gave me a crooked grin. I just sighed as I remember how I found out she used to receive a lot of hateful messages because of me when she forgot to log out her account on my laptop and I accidentally saw a lot of threatening messages.

"Then let me just read it for you." I was watching her reaction as I pretended to open it. She abruptly took it away from me.

"Are you sure, you did not read it?" She smelled it before she clips it in between the pages of her book where she left her bookmark. I just hissed as she turned back her gaze to me.

"I just remember why your shirt looked so familiar, that was the same brand that was wearing by my new crush on the latest fashion magazine that was issued for this month." It made me look at my army green shirt that has tiny Hebrew characters printed on it. It was actually from my Mom. She bought it for me last week when she had her shopping with Mrs. Monroe.

We failed to notice how time goes by quickly while talking about nonsense topics that were really insignificant. We spent almost two hours there, waiting for our next class. Then she was abruptly linking her arms around mine and I just smiled while letting her pull me downstairs, seven minutes before our time for the next class, looked like she really didn't want to be late for our class again.