Leading Risk

CHAPTER 2

It’s the first day of the week—Monday, the day Leyie and her classmates dreaded.

While waiting for their first subject professor, Leyie heard some mumbling on her right.

"When blossom meets cherry."

Huh? Leyie squinted at Rins’ forehead, comparing it to her own. Was she feverish? Rins looked puzzled by Leyie’s action.

“You’re not sick anymore, right? Feeling dizzy, or just plain dumb? Isn’t it supposed to be ‘when cherry meets blossom’?”

Rins gave Leyie a flat stare.

“I’m fine. Shut up. I’m talking about a book title I saw online.”

Rins replied while typing furiously on her phone like she was about to miss a bill deadline for the water company.

"i***t, you know I love books, right?" Leyie said, even though no one asked. She was the type of bookworm everyone assumed to be a nerd, even if the two things weren’t quite the same.

Leyie had poor eyesight, and her round glasses only added to her “nerdy” look. Rins wore glasses too, but hers were at a higher prescription. Naturally, this made it worse for people teasing Leyie about her "nerdy" vibe. Despite that image, Leyie was anything but weak—she was sharp and brave.

“You should’ve just asked me!” she rolled her eyes dramatically, but Rins, the fool, just smirked back at her as if she hadn’t been sick for a week.

“Who’s the book for anyway? Last I checked, you weren’t exactly into reading.” Leyie asked, munching on her sandwich.

"Secret. No clues," Rins said with a teasing grin.

Leyie grimaced at her answer, still chewing. While eating, she absentmindedly gazed out the classroom window. Just one glance at the handsome freshman walking by, and she was full.

“Leyie, are you done with the BL series I recommended?” Line asked as she joined them, fresh from the restroom but already thinking about boys' love.

Leyie smiled as she took another bite of her sandwich. “Good morning, Line. Praise be, we’re alive and waking up as pretty as ever.”

Line raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. Great, Leyie thought, here comes the sass.

She sat up straight and gave Line her sweetest smile. “Sorry, Line. I didn’t finish it yet. You know I had to finish our papers last night since it’s due today.”

Leyie wiped the mayo from her lips with a napkin. She was a messy eater, but hey, at least she was pretty. Messy but pretty, she laughed to herself at the thought.

“Crazy, why are you laughing? Have you finally lost it?” Mayue teased, just arriving.

“First of all, I’m not crazy. Second, I’m pretty. And lastly, lost it? With who?” Leyie answered confidently, but Mayue just laughed at her.

Wow, the audacity to laugh right in my face. Leyie glared at her.

“Who’d you lose it with? Your grandma?” Mayue teased, giving Leyie’s hair a playful tug. Leyie just glared harder and decided not to respond.

I might just lose it with you, seriously.

As she fixed her hair from Mayue’s playful mess, she suddenly turned to Rins.

"Omg! I found it! Finally, thank gosh!"

Leyie was startled when Rins suddenly jumped up like a maniac. She gave her friend a judgy stare. Maybe Rins was still sick. Between the two of them, Rins might be the one losing it.

“What the heck, Rins? Why are you jumping?” Line asked, eyeing her friend's sudden excitement, but Rins just grinned back.

“I just ordered the book, and guess what?”

Leyie, Mayue, and Line exchanged confused looks. “What?”

Rins squealed and showed them her phone. They stared blankly at her. Huh? That’s it?

“I got a discount and free shipping! I should buy lipstick too. Who wants? I’ve got a voucher.”

Line ignored Rins and continued scrolling through i********:. Meanwhile, Leyie and Mayue grabbed Rins’ phone to browse.

“Rins, I checked out two collars for cats. I’ll give you the money later,” Leyie said while cleaning up her sandwich mess. Mayue was still not done with her online shopping using Rins’ phone.

“I heard Focallure lipstick is good, so I bought one too. Same situation as Leyie, I’ll pay you later,” Mayue said, handing the phone back to Rins.

Leyie glanced at Line, who was still scrolling through i********:, drooling over topless BL actors. Ugh, this girl.

“Even here, in class?” Leyie teased. She remembered the time Line was scrolling i********: during their NSTP class, and their instructor appeared behind her. She giggled at the memory of their teacher’s shocked face.

“i***t, you might get caught by Sir Phaul again and get teased,” she warned while staring out the window. Their classroom was on the second floor, and being the first day of school, there were plenty of fresh faces outside to admire.

“i***t, you’re the lookout! And don’t you remember? We don’t have class today, just orientation and attendance,” Line shot back.

Leyie glanced around. Most of their classmates were already there, even though it was just orientation. She couldn’t help but grimace at the couples flirting openly. Ugh, there should be a school policy banning couples in classrooms. I mean, what about us singles?

“So many fresh faces! Let’s see if your sunscreen still works by the second semester,” she muttered, sneaking another glance out the window at the new students.

Bored, Leyie pulled out her phone. No load, but thankfully, their school had free Wi-Fi—thanks, Mayor! Only an hour though, so it’s not much.

“Where are we having lunch later? I’m starving. I haven’t even had breakfast,” Mayue whined, holding her stomach.

Leyie checked the time. She was also getting hungry, even though she just ate. Bread is for breakfast, but lunch is different.

“How about Mcdo? It’s just in front of the school. What do y’all think?” Line suggested.

Leyie nodded. It’s close, affordable, perfect for someone as thrifty as her.

“G!” They all agreed instantly when it came to food. Their motto was always “spend now, cry later,” but they believed it was worth it for the memories and bonding time.

“Leyie, did you submit our research paper? I heard Ma’am called you yesterday.”

She looked up at the class brown-noser, who only seemed to show up when everything was done.

She gave him a fake smile, trying to appear happy he even asked. Wow, now you’re interested?

“Yup, I submitted it last night through email, so don’t worry, you’ve got your points with Ma’am.” Leyie responded calmly, though internally, her blood was boiling. She couldn’t snap at him since she had to keep her “soft girl” persona in the classroom. Well, you’ve got your points—now be scared.

"Great! Sir Phaul just announced in the group chat that we can go for lunch, so I’m heading out," he said, quickly leaving. Leyie just nodded and turned back to the gossip around her.

Not finding anything useful from their conversation, she stared out the window at the freshmen again. Time really flew. Second year already? Wow, speed mode.

“Ouch!” She glared at Line, who had flicked her forehead.

“You’ve been spacing out again. You’ll get possessed by some evil spirit at this rate,” Line teased.

“Huh? Hotdog? Chill, Line. I’m just admiring the fresh faces,” Leyie muttered.

There were groups of friends, some loners, and plenty of cute guys—but none of them were her type. Where’s the baby-faced Adonis?

“Let’s go eat, I’m starving!” Mayue urged. Leyie glanced at Rins, who was packing her things, and at Line, who was applying powder to her face.

“Hey, pass me some powder. I might meet a cute guy at McDonald’s,” Leyie said, grabbing her bag and leading the way downstairs.

“Line, there’s barely any ice cream in this Coke float,” she grumbled, sipping on the half-empty dessert.

“True! What is this? Did they skimp on it because we got the mix-and-match deal? Unfair!” Mayue complained, and Rins chimed in.

“WHERE’S THE ICE CREAM?!” Rins whispered dramatically, mimicking the way Baron Geisler used to shout about soup in his old roles.

They all laughed as they continued eating.

“At least the burger steak is good. I’d give it a 9 out of 10,” Leyie said, savoring her food. The others barely listened, too busy with their phones. Typical. But she had a point—aside from the Coke float, the meal was solid.

As she finished eating, Rins pointed excitedly toward the counter.

"Omg! Leyie, look! Your ‘Architect’!"

Leyie’s eyes widened as she followed Rins’ finger, spotting the guy she had been secretly admiring from afar. He was right there, ordering food.