Chapter 2

I watched the waiter as he served me the food that I ordered.

"Enjoy your meal, Miss," he said and bowed. I just let out a slight smile at him.

That substitute teacher of ours made me hungry so I'm gonna take my lunch here at a Chinese restaurant down the school alley. My tongue craves for xiaolongbao, some mooncakes, and green tea. I'm not Chinese or what. I began loving those dishes because of being a Chinese drama fan, especially with their historical dramas.

Also, the food that our cafeteria offers makes me a little bit unhappy. I want to eat a fresh one. I'm so sick of some food processed every day at school.

I picked out the pocketbook in my backpack because I wanna read while devouring these dishes. The ambiance of the restau is quite relieving with the composure of performers who are currently playing the traditional instruments of China.

Seeing the couples around me somehow made me bitter. They're in their own world when they kiss, hug, smile, and feed each other. On the other hand, I'm the only one who doesn't have any acquaintances or what but I really don't give a damn about it as long as I get full.

My phone vibrated and saw the notification that Aisie texted me so bedor to it, I sip on my tea and read her message.

Aisie: Where are you?

I put down the phone. Well, if I told her I'm eating in a Chinese diner, she would not be pleased by it. That girl doesn't appreciate anything about Chinese because her last boyfriend is Chinese, and a manipulative bastard.

Glancing at the pocketbook I have while eating is kinda tough. It's either I'll keep reading or concentrate on eating, so I decided to put it back in my bag. I'll read it later when I get home.

So we have two more subjects to go; science and literature before the day's classes ended.

Classes start at two. I glanced at my wristwatch to check the time; it was already 12:30 PM. As soon as I finished my meal, I fixed myself and left the restaurant. I have 30 minutes left before the classes start so I started to walk. It's a good thing that our campus is near to coffee shops, restaurants, and fast food. There's nothing to worry about commuting or calling our driver.

As I reached the main building, the hallway greeted me with disturbance and whispers. We still have 15 minutes, yet the students are still everywhere.

"Hi, Lushiane!"

I turned my back just to see Halieyah, the queen bee. She's already in senior year, probably a batch mate of the sub earlier. As usual, her hair is fixed in two braids, she even wears thick cosmetics on her face. I often contend with her at sports, let's say tennis, but she never beats me. Her eyes screamed of disliking me, but here she is, entertaining me as if we were best buddies.

Girls like her only approach someone if they want to discover something that will tarnish one's existence. But sad to say, I don't interact with the person whom I hate the most.

Consuming my time and effort to befriend someone against my will isn't worth it. Why bother if all of this is just synthetic?

The annoyance is written all over her face as I pass to her. Her minions even came out of nowhere simply to stop her from pulling my hair. Well, it's fine for me if she initiated a war, I know some karate moves.

"Lushiane!"

Another species called me. Why do they even know my name? I took a deep breath and darted my eyes at the guy who called me. His name is Drailen, and a year older than me. He always tries to pursue me. However, he doesn't have any effect on me so I refused him, and dating isn't in my vocabulary. I don't have time for some cheesy temporary relationships.

And I know Drailen very well. He's not the serious type of person, he's a playboy. And concluding about it, maybe I became their prey in their gambling game.

"Flower for you, Madame. The sun shines radiantly when you and I get together. Isn't it amazing?" he arrogantly proclaimed and gave me a red rose.

"It is not. So stop pestering me, Mister. I don't have any time for this stupid stuff of yours. If you'll excuse me, I have a class to attend to."

He just scratched his nape and gave way to me.

"But, Lushiane, can you just accept—"

"I said no."

He's handsome but I always see him as having an ordinary complexion. However, if I'm with Aisie right now, she'll surely get into this man, Drailen is one of her crushes tho.

Before heading to the class, I held the straps of the bag and turned the way to the comfort room. I forgot to pee before leaving the restaurant earlier.

"Girls, Xalent is gonna perform later. Should we skip our class?"

"We have a test, Melanie."

"Aww. That's sad."

"Besides, we'll not be able to enter. They put barricades in the field, no ID no entry. And even if we have, we can't pass it because we're not seniors."

My brows furrowed to the little chitchats I heard outside the cubicle. Who are they talking about?

I flashed the toilet and fixed myself before going to the classroom. The girls who are talking about someone are still there, making up their minds.

If I were them, I'd go back to the class and take the test.

As I entered the room, it was noisy. Chatters in every corner of the room while some are taking a nap or reading some kind of pocketbook. I slumped on my chair and realized that my friend isn't here.

Where is she? The class is about to start. Don't tell me she's in the college building again, chasing some guy? Her openness affects my innocence.

I took out my phone and plugged in my earphones to listen to my favorite playlist while waiting for our teacher. Time seems so fast, and next week will be our semester's break. I'm excited to spend my whole week sleeping. Or maybe go to Manhattan and hang around at Aunt Adleyie's house. My cousin Deylia can drag me out of everywhere, she's a cool one.

However, Deylia is truly a partygoer compared to me because I spend my time reading books.

My thoughts got interrupted when someone pulled my earphones. Irritated, I glanced at my friend who had this excitement written all over her face.

Confirmed. The sightseeing she did was look for hotties.

"What?"

She nips my arm which makes me groan a little. "Oh my goodness!" Her high-pitched voice caught the attention of everyone in the room.

Aisie has gone mad! Just what happened when I left? She seemed possessed by something.

"Xa—" she didn't finish her words when the teacher entered the room with a stoic expression and greeted her the same way we greeted her.

In the middle of the discussion, Aisie kicked my foot under the desk. I squinted my eyes at her to warn her. What's happening with this girl? She didn't stop disturbing me, either she kept on stepping on my foot or poking my waist.

"Xalent," she whispered, not minding my hand on her waist, squeezing it tightly.

My brows furrowed. "The who?"