Aila and Reese went to their next class, as they settled down and chose the seats closest to the door when one of their classmates approached Aila.
"Hi, Aila! I'm Noel, do you want to go out with me?
Noel was confidently standing in front of Aila, while his friends seemed like back up dancers cheering him on.
Noel was a good looking guy, tall and nice tanned skin, but Aila is Aila...
"Sorry Noel, I am currently not interested in dating anyone" Aila's simple and direct answer to Noel.
She smiled at him and stood up to leave the classroom.
She did not want to see how he would react or how his friends would make fun of him.
"Ouch man, you just got dumped!" Kenneth laughed at his friend Noel.
As Aila left, she remembered that guy, he was the guy who went up to her earlier in the cafeteria.
His name is Kenneth he is a campus crush, he has an uncanny resemblance to the actor Vaness Wu. He is well known for being a Casanova, exactly opposite of Aila's type.
Aila hurriedly went to the women's washroom.
She can't help but think "Are they making fun of me? Is this a joke for a transfer student? Are they making a bet?"
Aila was still inside the cubicle when she overheard the conversation of two students.
The two are in front of the mirror retouching their makeup.
"Rachelle, have you heard of the latest gossip?"
"Is it about the new girl again?" Rachelle replied to Tracy.
"Yes sis, Noel was dumped in front of the class"
"The nerve of that woman! She thinks she's too beautiful" Rachelle was obviously furious with Aila, as she felt that Aila was stealing the spotlight from her.
"In fairness to her, she is simple but, there is something about her that makes her stand out... I can't figure it out myself"
Rachelle angrily stared at her friend
"Excuse me? Who is your friend here?"
Tracy laughed at Rachelle
"Are you afraid that Kenneth might like her too?"
Rachelle pouted her lips and confidently flicked her hair.
"Why should I be scared though? I'm much more beautiful and sexy than her".
Tracy raised her hand in support of her friend.
"That's the spirit girl! First, you should be able to capture the heart of Kenneth before he notices her"
Aila can't believe how fast gossip spreads in this new school. "I should be wary of these two girls, they hate me already, It's just my first day here."
Aila waited until she was sure that the girls have left. "Such a nuisance on my first day!"
As Aila arrived in their classroom, her teacher was already there.
"Okay, class in my subject your seating arrangement is in alphabetical order, now go move!"
Their English teacher Mrs. Martinez is also their class adviser.
"Aila Rodriguez right? I'm Vince Ramirez, you are my seatmate for sure."
Vince offered help to Aila with her bag. "May I?"
Aila can't help notice how nice and gentlemanly Vince is.
"Yes, it's Aila, and thanks for the help brother Vince"
Aila's deep dimples came out as she smiled at Vince.
Vince blushed, seeing her smile.
Aila and Vince have already reached their seats when their other seatmate waved at Aila.
"Hi, I'm Kenneth Sacramento! I hope you still remember me, we've met earlier in the cafeteria"
Aila took her seat and nodded to Kenneth.
"I remember," she answered indifferently as she did not bother to look at Kenneth again.
Seated between the two guys, Aila compared her impressions of them; what else can she do when she's stuck with them until the end of the school year.
Vince has this aura of a proper gentleman opposite to Ken with a perverted bad boy image.
Observing them for a few days now she noticed that at break time, Vince will be reading for the next subject or go out to buy food and share it with her. Aila feels like she found an older brother with Vince.
Ken, on the other hand, will definitely leave the campus to hang out and smoke with his friends.
Aila would usually chat with Reese or doodle on her notebook while waiting for her break time to end. She feels much safer in the classroom; she doesn't want to have an encounter with Rachelle and Tracy.
She always felt their hostility towards her, and considering that she is graduating from high school, she does not plan on transferring again because of them, that's why she's trying her best to stay away from trouble.
Aila does not want her powerful family to get involved and solve petty things for her.
"You know how rude you are? Why are you just turning down everyone who wants to woo you?"
Ken suddenly confronted Aila, who was busy doodling.
Aila raised her head and faced Ken.
" I don't want to be in a relationship, why should I keep them hoping, when I am not really interested with them?".
This is the first time Aila stared at Ken, she frequently avoided eye contact to appear indifferent to everyone except Reese.
Ken was caught off guard by Aila's stare... He truly did not expect it.
He figured a smile and said...
"Now I know why... Why so many guys want to win you over, your eyes are so beautiful..."
Aila was surprised by what Ken said
"Huh?! Are you high?" Aila laughed at the same time to cover up the shock at what Ken said.
Ken chuckled at Aila's answer.
"But seriously... Just now when you stared at me, I felt like I was completely mesmerized".
Aila sat up straight and turned her head away to avoid looking at him.
"Ok. I won't look at you again, ever". She said with a straight face.
"You're avoiding me now? I think you're feeling giddy" Ken said to Aila as he let out a flirtatious laughter.
Aila could not refute instantly because Vince suddenly came and handed a snack to her.
"Thanks, brother Vince," Aila said with a smile.
"Hahaha! She just called you brother... Sh*t Bro, just like the others you're turned down, what's worse is... You have yet to admit that you like her!"
Ken burst into laughter, holding his belly.
"Stop it, Ken, Vince isn't flirting, he's just like an older brother to me" Aila felt sorry for Vince because he was quite embarrassed.
Aila lightly touched Vince's arm as if apologizing for what Ken had said.
Vince took Aila's hand.
"How is that bro? You should already abort mission... hahaha,"
Ken continued to tease Vince...
Ken leaned against the side of Aila's chair, but Aila faced Vince to try and comfort him since he was always so nice to her.
Aila would try to stop Ken, who was still mocking Vince, so she looked at Ken's direction.
She was surprised that their faces were only a few inches away from each other; she was completely unaware that Ken was sitting too close to her all this time.
She tried to keep her composure, said sorry, and moved away.
"Sh * t! She smells so alluring!" Screaming in Ken's mind who acted cool all the time.