When Monday came and the school alarm echoed in the corridor, indicating for the afternoon break, the students broke into delighted screams. Everyone inside the lab immediately stopped whatever they were doing and went straight to the lab's doubled door, chattering and wobbling with each other as they removed their lab gowns and left the laboratory.
Everyone was out except for Ash who was transfixed in front of the lab counter, not minding he was all alone and the room was quiet. He was also dressed in his own lab gown; his eyes fixated at the laptop on top of the counter as he drew pipettes of fluid from one tiny tube and transferred them to others.
Moments later, he glanced down to his
watch, shortly, the lab's door opened behind him. A girl in basketball jersey appeared at the doorway. Her freckles and blonde hair—that is made in cornrows braid—clattered brilliantly against her white skin. Her brows and neck slick with sweat, as if she just came from a game.
"Wow, Schiller, you're last. Haven't you finished yours yet? That's unusual." The girl said goofily.
"I finished your project." Ash replied with an emphasis on his voice as he began to walk away from the counter, removing his white coat.
The girl's eyes instantly lit up, sparkling in delight. "Really?!" she sprinted excitedly towards the counter. When she saw everything was already complete, her mouth fell open. "For crying out loud, this is fabulous!" she remarked in amusement. "This was supposed to be a hellish, one week project and you just nailed it an hour? Are you even real?" She added cheerfully to Ash.
"Don't look at me lovingly, Ren; you'll pay me." Ash walked towards the sink to wash his hands.
"I'll give you my dad's Bugatti." Ren replied mindlessly as she busied herself scanning everything on the laptop.
"Nope, not what I need. I got my skateboard."
Ren didn't answer him. After a while, Ash went near her. "Btw," Ash said, crossing his arms casually over his chest as he leaned his back against the counter. "Is there anyone in here dubbed as Orange Fox?"
Ren turned his head to Ash. Her face confused. "There is. But how do you know that? I know that name's quite famous but you don't usually pay attention to some gibberish kind of things." Ren answered with a mockingly giggle.
"Where could I find her?" Ash asked.
"She's a tourism student; of course you can find her in the Tourism Department. What do you want from her?"
"Nothing. It's her who might want something from me."
Ren raised an eyebrow to Ash.
"Will you accompany me to Orange Fox?"
"You can't go to the Tourism Department." Ren replied instantly and put her attention back to her project.
"Why not?" Ash asked, wondering.
"You'll cause a ruckus there." Ren casually mumbled. She reached one of the test tubes to analyze it.
"I won't. Why would I?"
Ren put the tube back to the test tube rack as she sighed to look at Ash. "You know you can be stupid sometimes. We all know almost 85% of the populations in that department are all girls. " She said as a matter-of-fact.
"So?"
"So?" Ren tilted her head to Ash. "So, it's not everyday that they get to see tasteful gentlemen—more specifically—you."
"If you won't come, I can go alone." Ash insisted, not really paying attention to what Ren were saying. He pocketed his left hand and walked out of the room.
Ren let out a harsh breath as she rolled her eyes and run after Ash.
"Wait for me, Schiller!" Ren shouted even though she's just a few feet away from him. "I'll just go get my shotgun, a'right?"
Ash stopped and turned around to Ren who's attempting to run away. He grabbed her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder in one swift move. "What will you use it for?" He asked quietly, but he continued to walked, grabbing Ren with him.
Ren laughed, "Are you an idiot? Of course, so that no one would come near you. Honestly, it's so annoying being with you when those vixens are flocking near you." She said boyishly.
"No need for a shotgun. You yourself already look like a bazooka. The sight of you is enough for them to stay away." A very subtle grin curved on Ash's lips.
"You're an idiot." Ren sneered at him.
When they arrived at the Department of Tourism, every classroom they passed through has ongoing classes, but everyone's neck craned in awe whenever Ash and Ren walked passed their windows. There were others who run their butts to the windows to peek at them, others attempted to get out but the professors will scowled at them. Ren walked quietly beside Ash, who walked with both hands on his pocket, acting as if he was the only person on earth. Every step they took, Ren didn't get tired on glaring to everyone she spotted peeking at them in the most exaggerated way possible. There were murmurs and mild shrieking voices everywhere, but thankfully for the ongoing classes, no one dared to go near them.
After a while, they both reached the student council's office.
"She's a member of the student council. It's possible she's here." Ren said to Ash. Then she started to knock on the door, in an instant, it opened before them.
"Yes?" A girl in ponytail greeted them from inside the door, but her jaw dropped when her eyes marveled to Ash. She cleared her throat and tried to stand politely in front of them.
"Is Miles Fletcher there?" Ren asked.
"Oh, yes, she's here." The girl replied in the most sugary smile Ren had ever seen. "Please, come in." she moved to open the door for them. "Miles, someone's looking for you." The girl sweetly called out for Miles with a faint grin on her lips.
There were actually four people inside the room. It's quite messy inside, the tables were plainly scattered everywhere, there are crumpled papers and pens and paints on the floor. The girls inside widened their eyes in surprise when Ash and Ren entered, one of them looked like she wants to run to Ash, then her face reddened, and decided against it.
"She's over there." The girl behind them held out her hand to the other end of the room.
Ren and Ash walked towards the direction of the girl who's crouched against the floor, in her right hand was a big paintbrush, she's writing something on a piece of a huge cardboard.
"Is that her?" Ash asked in a quiet voice and Ren nodded back to him. "Why is she called the Orange Fox?"
"Exactly my question, too. Why is she called the orange fox when she actually looks like a green frog?" Ren whispered back.
"Why do you love mocking others when you yourself look like a pink hippo? Tsk." Ash answered savagely.
Ren balled her fist to punch Ash who just quickened his pace from her. "Dumbass." Ren murmured bitterly.
"You shouldn't waste your time with littering paint on a cheap cardboard, Orange Fox." Ash stood in front of Miles while Ren followed behind him. "Someone else must be littering your own precious dignity and image by now." He added.
Miles turned her head upwards. "Excuse me?" she shot him a confused look. "Wait, I know who you are." The confusion on her face muffled as she looked at Ash.
"Good. Then maybe you also know what I do." Ash replied and he bent down to put something in front of Miles.
It's a mini voice recorder.
Miles darted her eyes on the device and Ash turned it on.
"Orange Fox will definitely turn white." Said a female voice in the recorder.
Miles eyes instantly widened, "That voice, it's my twin sister, Meghan." She said, half surprised.
Ash gave him a look that he's aware of that.
"Let us watch for the video later." Said another voice. "How's Vaughn, anyway? Was he good?"
There was a short paused from the recorder, "Good, but, would've been better if he was as wild as I'd expected him to be." Whispered back by Meghan's voice, then they all giggled in a sinister way.
"Vaughn is my boyfriend." Miles mumbled. Her voice was low and quiet. Her eyes were getting moist as she continued to listen at the recorder.
"So, where do you plan on releasing it, Meg?"
"I thought to release it on social media, but, I also thought the university stadium would be marvelous. On Monday at our afternoon break there will be a tour guiding event by the tourism. Wouldn't it be perfect?"
Miles immediately looked at Ash, panic flushed her eyes. "W-What is she trying to do? What are they planning? What are they releasing?"
But Ash wasn't able to answer her because the alarm in their department already resonated outside.
"I think it's this time. You should watch their show so that you'll know." Ash said to Miles.
Miles quickly grabbed the recorder, but, Ash was quicker. He held it away from her. Miles confusedly looked at him, then a second later she realized something.
"I'll pay." She muttered in a hard voice to Ash.
Just like a magic word, Ash handed her the recorder with a vague smirk.
Miles immediately seized it from Ash's hand and moved rapidly out of the room.
"I will never get used to this, Schiller." It was Ren. Her face looked dumbfounded as she glued her eyes to the door where Miles just went out.
Ash just glanced at her.
"You're a living sidekick of God, you know! How in the hell did you pull that?" Ren asked, her face glistening with admiration.
Ash pulled out his pen from his chest pocket. "It isn't just for writing," he said.
Ren held a flabbergasted breath at that, then she covered her mouth with her both hands to stop herself from giggling out loud. "You just saved another pitiful soul again, you know? If Miles is an orange fox, her twin sister is a sly fox, with a tail of a bitch, and a voice of a whore." Ren started to walk away from Ash. "Bye, Schiller! I'll gonna watch the tour guiding. I know you're not coming!" Then, Ren vanished from the door.
Ash was left alone inside the student council's office since everybody already went outside when the alarm broke out. He was about to make his way into the door when his phone suddenly rang. He fished in inside his pocket and pulled out his phone, an unknown number flashed at the screen, but he answered it right away.
"Hello, Mr. Schiller?" a pleasant voice of a woman came from the other line. "Ms. Catalina Haytham would like to meet with you."