Running footsteps echoed out from the alley near our neighborhood as I slide through my way to the shortcuts going to school. Unexpectedly, this welcomed me when I decided to use my bicycle for exercise - nah, I'm just hurrying for school.
A bunch of crazy girls were chasing me as I sped away. I didn't know what exactly happened but I just saw them outside the block of our neighborhood and they started to throw things at me. I don't even know them aside from they were wearing the uniform of St. Merlin University.
Luckily, I was wearing shorts under my skirt as I could freely pedal for escape.
It was now 8 am as I slept late and woke up late as well. The gate would be closed at 8:30 am and I'm chasing for time and the securiry guard. I looked at the back in order to see those crazy group of girls as they didn't falter from my pace. They were a meter away from me, how did they do that?
I widened my eyes in surprise as I pedalled with all my might, I crossed another street and finally saw the closing gates of the university. The security guard was slowly closing it as I shouted, "GUARD! STOP!"
My loud voice surprised the security guard as he halted momentarily, and this was my chance. With ease, I passed through the gap of the gate effortlessly while those crazy girls were left due to the closed gate.
I smirked at those lunatics as the security guard reprimanded them from being late. Enjoying my success, I whistled throughout the way after parking my bicycle.
Ring! Ring!
Realizing that it was an alarm for the second period, I dashed to the classroom. I almost cursed myself when I finally came. Right, it's the intercultural festival next week. There's no classes for today as we were assigned to prepare our class for the booth.
Observing that not only our classroom was busy as the other section was also preparing, I asked our class mayor, "Are we not collaborating with them?"
The fine arts department had only two sections for the freshmen and it was natural to collaborate in order to have a more collective booth.
The class mayor shrugged as he responded, "Unknowingly, they decline our intention."
"Are they not doing a cafe or something?"
"They would, a Maid Cafe, though."
I frowned as it was just a similar booth, so why not collaborate? I was about to go and ask their class mayor when a hand held me.
"No. They're not into collaboration as they would be competing with us," Aria stated.
The class mayor nodded at my bestfriend's conjecture. The criteria was there would be one selected booth for every year level so it wasn't surprising to see their notion as competing with us.
I was about to go inside when a female voice shouted my name, it unfamiliarly familiar.
"RAIN! Rain Cabreza, right?" A beautiful female student asked me in a haughty tone as I looked at her, remembering her face. She was a bit familiar.
She leveled up her head as if looking down on me as she stated, "I am Yuri Chen. The one you met at the party of Auntie Eris."
Oh. She's that ex of that jerk. Unexpectedly, she's a student here, too.
I smiled at her in a friendly manner as I was about to greet her when a hard pinch on my side left me in pain. I felt my aching side as I glared at my bestfriend who was the culprit of the act.
She smiled at Yuri as she grabbed me and we turned away from the girl, "What are you doing? She's your rival."
I didn't get what she was referring as she looked at me in her warning expression. As if I got it, I nodded at Aria as I composed myself, preparing my right expression.
With my most arrogant voice that I could master, "And so what?!"
An alarm look etched on Yuri's face as she glared at me as she said in a threatening tone, "Rain… if you don't want to get your reputation sullied. I think you should stop."
What stop? Is she referring that we should stop making our booth as she would do something bad to us? No! I won't. This is for our grades.
"No, I won't," with my firm tone, I replied.
Yuri with raised pencilled brows smirked, "Let's see who will win at the end."
She flipped her straight smooth long hair as she gestured for her classmates to get back on their preparation and then she went inside their classroom.
Aria massaged my back and shoulders as if I was on a boxing ring as she gestured for the class mayor to get some water.
"That's the fighting spirit! You fought for Nilan's love!"
I almost choke with my bottle of water while I looked at her in confusion.
"Duh--- you're being courted by my cousin. It's natural to mark your territory."
I slapped her hand away from my back then I answered, "What territory?! I don't even know if I can answer him if he ask me to be his real girlfriend as it was just so fast. My parents will truly criticize me for it."
Truthfully, I wasn't clear-headed when I agreed to Nilan's courting. When it processed on my brain, it suddenly threw me into disarray. Honestly, Nilan wasn't bad in his ways as he bought me flowers or treats everyday and would usually fetch me but it's complicated.
My parents are complicated, literally my family is a bit not-so-sure case on this matter. They would prefer for me to finish my studies first before I date someone. That's one of the reason why am I single since birth. No boy ever dared to court me due to the Cabreza clan.
Nilan was just a lucky case as unexpectedly, my mother had no idea about him as she would usually knew about the boys that got contact with me. Even my father who was always out of town didn't rang my phone up for some reprimanding. And strangely, my older brother wasn't aware as well or is he pretending to be blind? As he would usually saw Nilan fetching me and he was relieved of his job as my personal driver because of it.
"Hello to earth, Rain?! Are you still there? Are you abducted now?" Aria pretended to looked up the ceiling as if I was truly caught by aliens.
"What?"
I didn't reply to her as I trudged inside our classroom, planning to help for the preparation.
----
After the crazy mob of girls, I planned to stealthily go home with my bicycle, free from bruises and dirt. Nilan isn't able to fetch me this week in or out due to his busy schedule as he was a member of a band in the university and they would be playing during the festival so they needed practice and he couldn't escape from it. Though, I was fine by it as to lessen our time and make him realize that I'm not worth it of his wooing.
That moment was just our emotions led us to make reckless decisions. I sighed at my thought as I drew near to the parking lot. I stopped at my tracks as fate didn't allow me to leave in peace.
"There is she!"
I shielded myself with my backpack due to their throwing at me then I ran away as they chased again. I was really tired from this cat and mouse game, though. What was their aim?
"Wait!" Unexpectedly, they stopped their movements.
I slowly turned around as I said, "Why are you doing this?"
The acknowledged leader of their group spoke out with her arrogant tone, "We don't allow you to be Nilan's girlfriend!"
"Yes! You're just a nerd!"
"You're not compatible with our Nilan!"
I frowned at their nonsense as I fixed my eyeglasses. So wearing eyeglasses now was classified to being nerd? Idiots.
They were about to continue with their throwing as I prepared myself to throw something back at them. They thought that they're the ones who could only throw things?! I could throw a million times better than them.
I picked some small pebbles on the ground as they started their act when a shadow halted me from picking pebbles.
I looked up to the poor appearance of the jerk as he blocked away the unknown materials that were thrown by his fans. It would be evil to say that he deserved the all of it - the 'love and care' of his fans?
"What are you doing?" I frowned at his heroic move which doesn't made me glad.
"Nilan?"
"W-we're sorry."
"We didn't mean to---"
"Leave. Leave now! Don't make me repeat it," with a sharp tone, he shouted at them. The almost crying girls bowed their heads as they left in a poor manner.
Even though we had almost got into 'bloodbath' due to our raging battles of throwing, I pitied them... for not tasting my prepared fist for them.
Nilan raised his hands as he arranged my disheveled hair while he softly asked, "Are you okay?"
I frowned from his strangeness due to his sudden gentle demeanor as even though his courting me, he wasn't this gentle.
"Yes," I grudgingly replied as I picked up my dropped bag. I went to my bicycle as I planned to go home now.
He stopped me when I was about to step on the pedal. I looked at him in question.
"Will you… be there at the last day of the festival?" He asked.
"Yes. I'll be watching your band play and see if you are really that charming when you play the drums as stated by your fans."
As if my reply was a mood booster, he smiled dazzlingly as his silver gray eyes slanted. He looked cute and handsome as I immediately adverted my eyes and said, "Bye!"
"Hmm. See you!"