"Can you pass me the red paint?"
"Hey! Where should I put these curtains?"
"Should we include strawberry shortcake in our menu?"
Everyone is busy... including me, unfortunately. I really do not want to bother with this, sadly, I am one of the student representative. I have to do a good job and get my class to the top and win the first place. Yeah, yeah.. get the trophy alright, but do I really have to sew all these all by myself?
I am working on the second butler costume at the moment, thirteen more to go. Can I even make it? The festival would be in a week and I'm stuck on this corner of our classroom, with threads and needles and injured hands. As much as I love sewing, by hand is so much harder than the machine. Zeandro told me that I have to do it in school, so the teacher would know that we are putting efforts into this.
"Copley!" One student screamed for my name and I immediately raised up my head. He knelt one knee on the ground as he showed me a piece of paper, "I was thinking of adding blueberry cheesecake to our menu. Are you the one in charge for this?"
I aggressively shook my head. Scanning the room, there I found my partner standing by the door, watching the other students paint the cartons.
"That guy is in charge of the kitchen. You have to go to him if you have any suggestions in regards with the menu for the cafe. Zeandro will be the cook," I smiled.
"But that guy really never speak.."
I laughed. "Lie. He does, come with me."
Standing up from the ground, I can barely feel my legs. But I grabbed his wrist and made our way to the person who he needs to talk with.
"Zeandro!" I shouted and he looked at me, but quickly turned away, rolling his blue eyes. Jumping in front of him, I waved my hands at his face and that definitely angered him so he glared down to me.
"Great, now you are looking at me." I smirked, grabbing the guy with me and throwing an arm on his shoulders. "This man right here wanted to add blueberry cheesecake to our menu. Would that be alright with you, sir?"
Zeandro carefully eyed the guy with the suggestion as he crossed his arms on his chest. "Not possible. We already have strawberry shortcake."
I groaned. "Duh.. they're two different things! Why won't you consider the cheesecake?!"
"Donuts, cookies and cakes.. I will only allow us to sell one type of cake." Zeandro replied firmly, he obviously knows his place.
"Copley, it's fine.. you don't have-"
"What do you mean only one type of cake?! He genuinely suggested it and you're just going to throw it all out the window?!"
Zeandro sighed, looking away and then back to me. "Having more than one will be troublesome, Copley. Understand that."
"What would the struggle be?"
He gave out another breath. "Some people do not really like cakes, Copley. What will you do
about the ones that did not sell?"
"I'll eat them!"
"What?" He exclaimed.
"Sanara!" Vene and Yuna whispered from a distance. That was really not a smart answer, however.. I do not want to hurt the feelings of the student who personally came to talk to me and asked politely.
"You're serious?" Zeandro's lips now displayed a devilish smirk across his face. I swallowed my own saliva.. I am regretting that I said that. Thinking about how much cake I have to finish, already gives me a tooth and stomachache!
"Yes!" I did not back down. "If the cakes don't sell, I will seriously eat them!"
His eyes widened in shock, he must have thought that I would take my words back. Although I know that I am already being reckless, I still have some pride. I just cannot take it back when I said it confidently! That is so embarrassing...
Zeandro pushed half of his body to the left, smiling to the other guy as he told him, "Alright.. blueberry cheesecake would be added to our menu. Now go back to do your task!"
He is so full of authority.. he is really using his power as the student representative, the students cannot complain.
"What about you?"
"Eh?" I replied, pointing to myself as he nodded his head up and down. "What about me?"
Zeandro puckered his pink lips, his eyes are fixed on mine as blood has ran all the way up to my head. My face feels hot and I slapped his cheek with force.
"What the f-"
"What were you thinking of doing?!" I interrupted him. Face is still flushed, and now I couldn't look him in the eyes.
"Huh?!" He shouts. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Y-you were doing that and leaning forward to me... what-"
"Sanara," he called me by my name and my whole body froze. Completely glued to where I stand but I found my eyes making their own way to meet up with his blue ones.
"Did you think... I was going to kiss you?"
"Eh?" I looked away, down to my feet and added, "Were you not?"
He made a weird sound with his lips as he bursted out in laughter. Leaning his back against the wall as he looked up to me, as if I were something so funny that he couldn't help himself. Having that thought, I felt like an idiot. I want to vanish into thin air and never come back...
"Sto-stop laughing!"
"You thought that I was gonna kiss you?!" Zeandro exclaims, his voice was loud enough for the whole class to hear but they were too busy to even have the time to listen to this monkey!
"Shut up! It was your fault!" I shot back at him. "Why in the world were you doing that then?!"
"I was ordering you to go back to your work!" He replied, a hand on his stomach as he tried to compose himself again. Once he did, he softly pass a finger under his eye and smirked down at me. "You're unbelievable.."
"And you're a jerk!"
"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow at me. "Love calling men a jerk, I see.. is Seven that as well?"
Eh?
"Aren't you in love with him?"
Throwing my eyes to the rest of the students in this classroom, I was a little relieved when they didn't hear about it. Back to the guy who is clearly making a complete fool out of me, I warned him in gritted teeth.
"I'm not."
Zeandro shrugged, putting his big hands inside his pockets and leaned back against the wall. His blue eyes were still on me, hundred percent trying to get me admit it to him.
"You were at the roof deck at that time though, oh! And with a teacher, too." He mocked, "Are you into older men? Or are you a gold-digger?"
"Shut up!" I screamed, which again, made everyone look at us. "You don't know anything! Insulting me will do you no good! Why don't you just stick your nose in your Science textbook and mind your own business?!"
I felt really angry that I stormed out of the room. He went too far as to say those words to me.. if I say that it didn't hurt me, I would be lying. To be thought of being a gold-digger really is not good, but then.. it was not true. However, it is still something that I cannot accept.
Day by day.. I'm getting more and more scared. Does falling in love with somebody comes hand in hand with pain and fear? I'm afraid that Zeandro might spread my secret all around the school and tomorrow, I'll be greeted with disgusted eyes by people who do not even know my name. What is worse.. it might even come to Seven, whom I am deeply grateful and indebted to. I cannot even begin to imagine what our relationship will become after hearing about me.. liking him in secret.
"Sanara?"
A deep yet familiar voice called out to me, and I raised my head up from my knees. It was the person that I never want to become a stranger to me.
"Are you alright?" He asks, pulling his hands out from the pocket of his black slacks as he carefully crouched down beside me.
"Yes.." I whispered.
"Aren't you supposed to be in your class? The school festival is approaching.. you should be helping out."
He is not even happy to see me in school.. this fact alone -he does not like me- is the reason why I really do not want him to know about my feelings. Everything could go to waste if he did- the friendship and the bond. And I would not want that. I would like to stay friends with him forever, even if that means hiding away my emotions.
I like him, but I must not like him.