By Me Pancreas

Chapter 2: The New Student (Pt2)

The Next Day

Jemjem

As I was walking in school hallway the next morning, I suddenly heard a loud thud ahead. I noticed a group of students gathering as if they were watching something. I moved closer to see what was happening.

When I got closer, I saw Kai glaring at a student, with Khirk and Shawn standing beside him. Fear was written all over the face of the student Kai was staring at, while the other students around them showed mixed emotions—some looked scared, others concerned, and some were just observing.

I stepped closer to get a better view. After a few moments, Kai spoke, his gaze sharp and cold.

"Pour it on your head," he ordered the male student holding a can of soft drinks.

The boy trembled and couldn’t move, the fear on his face obvious. Suddenly, Kai shouted,

"Hurry up!" his eyes piercing through the boy like a predator to its prey.

The boy quickly poured the soft drink over his head, his hands shaking, his head bowed.

Then, Khirk suddenly turned to the surrounding students.

"What are you all staring at? Get out of here!" he said harshly, and walked away with Kai and Shawn.

I quickly walked away too, passing by behind Kai. As I walked, I thought about what Beth and Emie had said yesterday—so this is what they meant by the Aces. This is who they really are.

Not far from them, I glanced back in their direction. They walked casually as if nothing had happened. None of the students even tried to stop or confront them. It seemed like no one wanted to get involved or be dragged into trouble.

When I entered the classroom, Kai and his friends followed shortly after. The three of them sat together at the back, on the opposite side of the room.

I glanced at Kai. He looked annoyed—I couldn’t tell if it was because of what happened earlier or if it was something else. But even with that scowl, his good looks still stood out.

Midway through class, I started feeling drowsy. I had woken up so early this morning to help at the store before school, so I was still pretty sleepy.

While I was drifting off, I suddenly heard my name being called.

"Ms. Mendes, can you stand up and answer my question?" said Mr. Uy, our history teacher.

I quickly stood up, but I didn’t know what to say. I hadn’t heard the question because I was too sleepy.

"Uh, s-sir, could you repeat the question?" I stammered nervously.

Suddenly, Kai stood up and spoke.

"Ferdinand Magellan is not Spanish. He was Portuguese. Ferdinand Magellan became a Spanish soldier instead of a Portuguese one because the King of Portugal rejected his proposal to sail west to reach the Spice Islands, while the Spanish King readily accepted his plan. This aligned with Spain’s desire to find a westward route to the lucrative spice trade, as dictated by the Treaty of Tordesillas. Essentially, Magellan was turned down by his home country and sought support from Spain instead," Kai answered, then sat back down, his eyes fixed on me.

"Very well said, Mr. Spectre," Mr. Uy remarked.

"You may sit down now, Ms. Mendes."

As I sat down, I glanced at Kai, and Emie noticed my reaction.

"Why do you look so surprised? Kai’s smart too, but he’s a bully. In fact, all three of them are intelligent, but their attitudes don’t match their grades and scores," Emie whispered to me.

I still couldn’t believe it. I thought they were just rich, arrogant troublemakers, but it turns out they’re not just wealthy and influential—they’re also academically gifted. Now, I’m starting to understand why they’re called the Aces on campus. Rich, handsome, influential, and smart. No wonder no one dares to stand up to them.

When I got home that evening, I still couldn’t get Kai out of my mind. I even felt a little embarrassed because after he answered in class, he looked straight at me. I let out a deep sigh.

What if they think I’m dumb and don’t deserve my scholarship?

Starting tomorrow, I’ll do better. I can’t afford to be sleepy in class anymore.

---

The Next Day

The next morning, I felt a new sense of confidence bubbling inside me. I won’t embarrass myself this time, I promised as I walked from the school gate toward the main building. I’ll pay attention to the lesson today. I convinced myself that yesterday’s mistake was just because I was sleepy. If I had been listening, I’m sure I could’ve answered that question too.

As I walked, a sleek black car suddenly pulled up beside me. The window rolled down, and there was Emie, flashing a bright smile from behind her stylish shades.

“Jemjem, do you wanna ride with us?” she called out.

“Oh, it’s okay. I’m almost there anyway,” I replied, smiling. “Besides, it’s nice to feel the morning sun.”

“Come on,” she coaxed, tilting her head, trying to persuade me.

“No, I’m fine,” I insisted with a grin.

She finally gave in, laughing. “Alright then, see you later!” She waved before the car rolled away.

Truthfully, I was a bit shy to ride with them. I’d only just met them, and besides, the main building wasn’t far from the gate.

When I arrived at the building, I headed straight to our classroom. As I opened the door, I saw Khirk sitting at his desk, casually flipping through a book. It was just the two of us. The room felt oddly quiet and a little awkward. I sneaked a glance at him. He looked effortlessly handsome, leaning back in his chair with one leg draped over the other, his attention lost in whatever he was reading.

A few moments later, Emie arrived, bright and cheerful as always.

“Hello, Jemjem!” she greeted, stepping into the room. “You got here before me!” She set her things down on the desk.

“Where’d you come from?” I asked.

“I stopped by the store and grabbed some books from my locker,” she said as she organized her things.

Soon, more of our classmates began to trickle in, and the lesson started. I made sure to stay alert this time, determined not to repeat yesterday’s mistake.

After class, we headed down to the cafeteria for lunch. I waited near the entrance, watching as Emie and the others exited the VIP area, where they usually bought their food. The VIP menu was different from what was offered in the regular cafeteria, and I knew they preferred it there.

As they walked toward me, I noticed Emie carrying an extra tray of food. She smiled brightly and called out, “Jemjem! I bought food for you.”

I blinked in surprise, feeling my cheeks heat up. She bought food for me? I wasn’t expecting that.

Seeing her struggle with the trays, I rushed to help. “It’s okay, Jemjem. The waiter will bring it over,” she said, but I insisted.

“No, I can manage. But… you didn’t have to buy me food,” I mumbled, feeling shy.

Balancing the tray carefully, I turned to head toward our table—but in my rush, I didn’t see the person coming toward me. I collided with them, and in an instant, the food spilled all over their uniform.

I froze, horrified, and slowly looked up.

It was Kai Spectre.

The cafeteria went silent. I could feel dozens of eyes burning into us, waiting to see what would happen next.

“S-Sorry, I didn’t see you,” I stammered, my heart racing. The memory of Kai’s last day outburst in the hallway flashed through my mind, and panic set in.

I fumbled to pull a handkerchief from my pocket and tried to wipe his uniform, but he slapped my hand away with a force that made me flinch. His face twisted in annoyance, but he didn’t say a word. Instead, he walked straight into the VIP area, peeling off his stained uniform coat.

I stood there, frozen, my mind racing. The whole cafeteria was still watching. I could see Emie, Beth, and Sarah staring at me, their expressions tight with worry.

“I’ll buy you a new one,” Emie whispered, before hurrying after him.

I was about to kneel down and clean the mess on the floor when a waiter appeared.

“I’ll take care of it, ma’am. You can sit down now,” he said kindly.

Beth gently tugged me toward our table. My legs felt like lead as I sat down, still trying to process what had just happened.

When Emie returned, she brought a fresh tray of food. The three of them were unusually quiet as we ate, and I could feel the stares and whispers from the other students around us. Even in the hallways afterward, people kept glancing at me like I was some kind of ticking time bomb.

When I finally got home, the weight of the day pressed down on me like a heavy blanket. I couldn’t shake the memory of Kai’s glare or the sharp sting of his hand slapping mine away.

That night, sleep was impossible. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, my thoughts spinning. What if they do to me what they did to that boy in the hallway? The fear gnawed at me, refusing to let go.

I didn’t know what tomorrow would bring, but I was starting to realize just how dangerous being on the Aces' radar could be.

---

I woke up early the next morning—it was Friday, and today was vegetable delivery day from our supplier. They delivered to us every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. As soon as I got up, I started organizing the vegetables at the market and calculated what we owed.

After sorting everything out, I headed straight home. I still had to help my younger sibling get ready for school and prepare myself for the day.

When I arrived at school and walked down the hallway, I could still feel the stares of other students.

"Seriously? She's still coming to school after what happened yesterday?" I overheard some students whispering as I passed by.

My mind was a mess at that moment. Should I really stop coming to school just because I spilled food on Kai? That’s such a shallow reason to quit, I muttered to myself.

When I entered the classroom, I noticed a group of people gathered around my desk.

"What's going on? Why are they there?" I wondered silently.

Suddenly, Emie turned to me, worry etched on her face.

“Jemjem,” she called out and pointed to a red card on my desk.

I quickly walked over and picked up the card.

ACE WARNING.

“What is this?” I asked, puzzled, looking at Emie.

“You’re a target of the Aces, Jemjem,” she said, her voice filled with concern.

I glanced toward where Kai and his group were sitting. Kai's piercing eyes met mine as he leaned back in his chair.

I didn’t understand. I didn’t mean to spill food on him. Maybe he’s mad because I haven’t properly apologized yet, I thought.

Throughout class, I noticed how unusually quiet Emie was, as if there was an invisible wall between us. Beth and Sarah were silent too. But I caught Emie sneaking glances at me now and then.

I couldn’t focus on anything except what Emie had said—I was a *target* of the Aces. What does that mean? What are they going to do to me? I kept asking myself.

After class, Emie and the others left before me. They didn’t invite me to join them, but Emie glanced back at me like she wanted to say something but couldn’t.

I decided to approach Kai and apologize. Once most of the students had left the room, Kai stood up from his seat, ready to leave.

I quickly got to my feet and faced him.

“Um… I’m sorry about what happened yesterday,” I said, bowing my head and stammering.

He just stared at me with cold, sharp eyes. He didn’t even need to speak—I could tell he wasn’t accepting my apology. My heart was pounding in my chest.

As they walked past me, Kai deliberately bumped my shoulder, nearly knocking me over. I had to grab onto a desk to keep from falling. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kai briefly pause—but then he kept walking.

Khirk and Shawn followed him out, casting indifferent looks my way.

While I was waiting for the bus to go home, a familiar car pulled up in front of me. It was Emie’s. The window rolled down, and I saw her.

“Jemjem, I’ll call you later,” she said quickly, then drove off.

When I got home, my mom noticed how quiet I was.

“Jemjem, eat your food before it gets cold,” she said gently.

“Yes, Mom,” I replied. “I’ll wash the dishes after I eat.”

“Alright, but go to bed early after,” she reminded me.

After washing the dishes, I lay in bed. Emie’s words kept replaying in my head: *You’re a target of the Aces.* I couldn’t shake the memory of Kai’s sharp, cold stare.

A little while later, my phone suddenly rang. It was Emie.

I quickly answered.

“Hello, Jemjem,” she greeted.

“What were you going to say earlier, Emie?” I asked right away.

“Ah… I’m sorry we didn’t invite you to lunch today,” she stammered. “We… we can’t be seen talking to you, or we might get dragged into this too.”

“Why?” I asked, confused.

“That red card on your desk—it means you’re a target of the Aces. They’re going to bully you and make your life hard. Almost everyone who’s been targeted by the Aces has either dropped out or transferred schools,” Emie explained, and I could hear the worry in her voice.

“But don’t worry, you’re still our friend. We can still hang out and talk, but only *outside* of campus. I’m really sorry, Jemjem, but we don’t want to get caught up in what the Aces are planning.”

“It’s okay, Emie. Don’t worry—I can handle this,” I assured her.

After Emie hung up, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, the weight of her words pressing down on my chest like a boulder. The room felt colder, emptier, like her voice had been the last bit of warmth holding me together.

They’re going to bully you and make your life hard.

Her warning echoed in my head over and over, louder each time, until it felt like it was screaming inside me. I wanted to believe I was strong enough, that I could brush it off like it was nothing—but the truth was, I was scared.

I had never felt so alone.

The friends I had just made—the ones who made school feel a little less overwhelming—were now stepping back, afraid to even be seen with me. I couldn’t blame them, but it hurt more than I thought it would. It was like I was already being erased from the world I was just starting to belong to.

But as I lay there, staring at the cracked paint on the ceiling, something inside me hardened.

I can’t leave this school.

I gripped the edge of my blanket tightly, my knuckles turning white. I needed to finish my studies. I needed to hold onto my scholarship. I couldn’t let them—him—take this away from me.

I swallowed hard, pushing back the sting in my eyes.

I’ll handle this.

Even if my heart was pounding with fear, even if I felt like crying, I knew one thing for sure—I wasn’t going to give up. Not now. Not ever.