Girl Next Door

CHAPTER 8

Raising her head, Tifa's eyes met with that of a fair skinned girl with light brown wavy hair which draped over her shoulders.

"Here" The girl stretched the handkerchief further to Tifa's face.

After hesitating for a while, Tifa reached out and got the piece of white fabric.

"You know, you can use that on your face" The girl shrugged.

"Th…thank you" Tifa said, stuttering.

"It's nothing".

"I saw all that happened back there and I must say, it was nothing close to pleasant. The handkerchief is just my little way of saying sorry".

"Thanks again…" Tifa trailed off as she realized that she didn't know the girl's name.

"Maja. Maja Agbayani is the name" The girl said.

"Thanks again, Maja. This means a lot" Tifa said, sniffing into the handkerchief. She had already wiped her tears with it.

"Ohm, I'd just get you a new one" Tifa offered.

"Never mind, Tifa. It's just fine. You can keep it".

"I'm grateful" Tifa said and Maja smiled in response.

"You mind if I ask a question?" Tifa's asked.

"No, I don't".

"Your Surname…" Tifa began.

"And what about it?" Maja was now curious.

"It's Filipino, right?"

"Yeah, it is. I'm Filipino" Maja replied.

"Oh! Nice. At least, my guess was right".

"So, why didn't you go to school in The Philippines?".

"Well, my parents decided to find greener pastures here in the US. Good thing both of them hit jackpots, so here we are".

"Ahan! I see".

"Mind telling me about yours?"

"Well, I'm mixed" Tifa began, reminding herself not to make mention of her parents divorce.

"My Mom's a Nigerian while my Dad is American. Both met during my Mom's college days. My Mom was actually on scholarship. Both got married a year after Mom graduated and had me seven months later!"

"Mh-hmm".

"So, you got no sibling, I guess?" Maja asked.

"Not one. You?"

"Just a kid brother"

"Trouble much, yeah?"

"A handful" Maja sighed, making Tifa chuckle.

"Too bad we didn't realize we're way too late for our Chemistry class" Maja said, eyes on her wrist watch.

"10:27am".

"We're freaking late!" Tifa exclaimed.

"You sure the teacher will let us in?" She added, fear written all over her face.

"Well, we can't know except we try" Maja shrugged.

"But how do we get there? I'm not with my map" Tifa cried.

"Well, I'm with mine".

~

"Hey!" Tifa heard a voice behind her and couldn't help but turn around.

"But your name wasn't called," Maja, who was walking back with her to the classroom, said.

Before Tifa could even reply, the Queen Bee's gang, DARBI, had already surrounded them. Ivana and Ariel were present this time around.

"You wanted her to ignore us, huh?" Brandy, who was the one that had called out, asked Maja, her eyes raking the latter menacingly from top to bottom and from bottom to top.

Maja didn't reply. She simply looked away.

"I'm talking to you, b***h!" Brandy reached out and grabbed Maja's hair.

"Let go of my hair!" Maja fought back, flinging Brandy's hand off her hair, making the latter stagger backwards.

"Enough, Brandy!" Dominique chastised.

"That's not what we're here for," She continued.

Brandy swallowed hard as she eyed Maja. The latter returned Brandy's gesture with really dirty stares.

"So, Tifa Usnavi, or whatever the hell your name is, I got a teeny weeny job for ya" Dominique began, staring Tifa in the eye.

"Since you decided to show the whole class how much of a smart alec you can be back there in the Chemistry Laboratory, I'm demanding right here, right now, that you do my Chemistry assignment for me" Dominique rapped, before folding her arms.

"B-but I wasn't doing anything. I simply answered the questions the teacher threw to the class" Tifa said.

"And do I look like I care? Wasn't my message clear enough? f*****g do my chemistry assignment for me!" Dominique yelled, throwing her hands in the air.

"Such a drama queen," Maja muttered.

"Did you say something?" Dominique turned to Maja, eyebrows furrowed.

"She called you a drama queen," Ariel replied when Maja didn't say anything.

"You know, I feel like ripping your hair off their follicles! Nosy Parker!" Brandy spat, anger written all over her face.

"Try it! I'd return the favor!" Maja retorted.

"I'd just ignore you, because I wasn't talking to you in the first place. Keep your mouth outta my talk. That's my first and last warning" Dominique warned, before turning back to Tifa.

"As I was saying, before your roach of a friend interrupted…" Dominique began, causing Ivana and Raphaella to laugh.

"I wonder what's so amusing," Maja said. She wasn't heard this time though.

"I want you to do my Chemistry assignment for me," Dominique repeated.

"But Joel also answered questions the same way I did. Maybe you could ask him to do it for you instead" Tifa objected.

Joel was another nerd just like her. He wore round glasses and was an intelligentsia just like her.

"Seriously? Did I hear you right?" Raphaella butted in.

"I don't freaking care about Joel! I want you to be the one to do my assignment for me!" Dominique yelled once again.

"Or how do you want me to say it? Should I speak Spanish, French, German? Which one? Just do your pick and I'd switch!"

“Languages you obviously can't speak!” Maja said inwardly.

"You should even be grateful she gives a hoot about you" Ivana said, hissing afterwards.

"So? Are you doing my assignment or not?" Dominique folded her arms.

"And lest I forget, you won't only be doing my assignment but you'd also be doing my girls' assignment as well" She flipped her hair.

"What?" Maja's ears perked up.

"So, what do you say? I'm a very impatient person, so don't keep me waiting" Dominique flipped her hair again: a thing she used to doing, which she believed made her exude some kind of sassiness.

"You shouldn't be giving her that option, Dominique. She's doing the assignment. Whether she likes it or not, that's her own affair" That was Brandy.

"And I'm here to tell you that she's not going to do it," Maja spat, stepping in between Dominique and Tifa.

Well, s**t was about to go down.