Chapter 5
1239 Words
"Alright, that's all for today's discussion. Just a quick reminder: the deadline for your reflection paper is on Thursday. Also, please study in advance for our next lesson because I'll be giving a pre-test."
The students began to leave the classroom, probably because it was lunchtime, and everyone must have been hungry.
I quickly stuffed my belongings into my bag so I could join Merry and the others for lunch.
"Ms. Da Silva."
I looked up to see Dr. Sico calling me. Uh-oh, it looked like I might be delayed.
"Can you accompany me to the faculty room? I need help carrying some stuff. Are you in a hurry?"
Reluctantly, I nodded. I hoped she wouldn’t ask me to do anything else. I followed her to her faculty desk, assuming that was all she needed.
"Oh, Ms. Da Silva, I almost forgot! I need to give this document to Prof. Magsigay. Could you do me a favor and deliver it to him?"
"Yes, Doc, no problem!"
I used the elevator to reach the 4th floor where Prof. Magsigay’s office was. After delivering the document, I quickly excused myself. On the way back, the elevator was full, so I opted for the stairs and headed straight to the cafeteria.
At the cafeteria, I was greeted by a crowd of students chatting and eating lunch. Scanning the room, I couldn’t find my friends, so I messaged Merry.
She had sent me a message earlier asking where I was. I replied, asking for their exact location. Seconds later, she responded.
I walked to the other side of the cafeteria and finally spotted them.
"Bebs, you’re so late! We’ve already started eating," Merry teased.
I set my bag down and sat for a moment.
"Well, it’s good you started without me. Dr. Sico asked me to run some errands."
"Go get your lunch now; too bad you missed the earlier commotion," she added.
I lined up and picked out my lunch at the counter. Lunch at DSU is free, and you can choose whatever dishes you like.
Honestly, it’s one of the things I like about this school. They prioritize students’ health by serving only nutritious meals.
I grabbed some salad and broccoli, piling on extra rice because our Business Math class had left me starving.
When I returned to our table, Merry was still rambling about something.
"Oh my gosh! He looks like a Greek god. I thought I’d only see someone that handsome on social media!"
"Merry Christina, you’ve been saying that over and over again. Let it go already!" Lorena scolded her, making me chuckle.
"I know, but I can’t get his face out of my mind. Gosh, there’s a new addition to my crush collection. I never thought anyone could top Massimo on my list."
Lorena shook her head in exasperation.
"Who are you talking about?" I asked after swallowing a bite of food.
"Oh, right! You don’t know yet. Bebs, you won’t believe this—Crixx was here earlier!"
I nodded, waiting for her to finish squealing. Lorena rolled her eyes and muttered something about Merry being crazy.
"If only you’d been here earlier, you’d have been speechless, too. Honestly, we girls almost drooled. The boys? Completely silent while eating. He’s that gorgeous. Hazel-brown hunter eyes, a jawline that could make your jaw drop—"
She paused to take a sip of her apple juice before continuing.
"And when he walked past us, I dropped my spoon! I thought my panty was going to fall off next. And he smells divine—dangerous, even..." She fanned herself dramatically. "...dangerous in bed—ouch! What the heck, Lorena!"
"Your mouth, Merry, could echo all the way outside DSU," Lorena snapped, flicking her forehead. Merry looked around, noticing the other students staring at her. She gave them a sheepish peace sign.
"Anyway, he just passed by. Too bad you missed it."
After eating and chatting, Lorena and I went to our next class together—Business Ethics.
"You know, Bri, I admire your patience with Merry," Lorena remarked as we walked.
I laughed. "Why do you say that? Aren’t you her best friend since kindergarten? Your patience must be superhuman."
"Honestly, there are times I want to disown her. But I can’t, or she’ll end up crashing at my house forever. I can’t have a permanent headache."
"HA! And she’d probably follow you to afterlife."
---
By the time my class ended at nearly 3 p.m., I was ready to head home. But then I remembered I needed to return some books to the library. I had borrowed them as references for an upcoming research project.
I walked out of the college building, heading to the library, which had its own building. The library was massive, housing millions of books.
After returning the books to the librarian, I left. As I walked, I took a moment to appreciate the breezy afternoon. The wind played with my hair, forcing me to fix it repeatedly.
I spotted a bench under the trees and decided to sit for a moment. It was still early, and my private driver hadn’t arrived yet.
I closed my eyes, enjoying the wind, until—
"Ahhh, Rex, faster!"
My eyes flew open at the sound of a woman’s voice from behind the library building. That area was quiet and overgrown with shrubs.
"Ahh, baby, you feel so good," came a man’s voice.
What on earth? Were they doing what I thought they were doing? Oh my gosh, were they actually having s*x here?
"Rex, someone might—ahhh!"
Wait a minute. That voice sounded familiar. Slowly, I crept toward the side of the building like a cat sneaking up on prey.
I knew it was wrong to snoop, but my curiosity was insatiable. As I peeked around the corner, I saw two people pressed against each other.
The woman was pinned to the wall while the man moved behind her.
I gasped softly as recognition hit me. Julie?! Our student council president?! And Rex, the infamous playboy from the Criminology Department?!
There was something going on between them? I couldn’t believe it. Julie and Rex? Seriously?
I backed away cautiously, but as I moved, I accidentally stepped on a twig.
"Dammit!"
I froze when I heard the two of them scrambling.
"Rex, there’s someone here!"
Panic surged through me as I turned and bolted back to the bench.
"Who’s there?" Rex shouted.
Shit! What do I do? Where can I hide? My eyes darted around until I spotted a guy smoking nearby. Without thinking, I ran to him and threw my arms around his neck, angling my face close to his as though we were kissing.
"Who’s that—oh, f**k," I heard Rex laugh.
"Looks like we’re not the only ones having fun here. Let’s go, babe. Let them be."
I didn’t dare look at their faces, keeping my eyes tightly shut. Lord, I swear I’ll never eavesdrop again.
The guy I clung to smelled divine—an intoxicating blend of spices, wood, and amber that made my head spin.
"I think you’ve used me enough, lady," he said, his deep, husky voice snapping me out of my daze. "Can’t have you sniffing me like I’m some damn inhaler."
Reluctantly, I opened my eyes—and regretted it instantly. His piercing hazel gaze locked onto mine, and I felt my knees weaken under his hypnotic stare.
- Writer
