Ike headed straight to the canteen for a reason he didn't know. His feet simply took him to the canteen when, at the back of his head, he planned to return to the classroom.
"Hmm?" his brows rose, looking around the canteen.
The school canteen was big and full of students holding snacks or trays that contained lunch prepared by the school. But aside from that similarity, most students were looking in his direction.
Why?
"Ikey~!" Ike slowly scanned the canteen to look for the owner of the voice. "Here~!"
There, across the canteen, were Ashley and Bernis. She waved to get Ike's attention, but her action also garnered some students' attention. Seeing that Ashley was calling Ike sweetly, some students murmured among themselves.
'Hah…' Ike mentally rocked his head before marching to his classmate's table. 'It seemed my classmate was quite popular. Given. Considering she's part of the district rank, and ranks here holds quite a reputation.'
"Hehe. I thought you will ditch us because of that girl." Ashley giggled the second Ike sat down beside Bernis and across from her.
"I was hungry." Ike's eyes fell on the extra tray on the table.
"That's for you." He lifted his eyes to Ashley when she spoke. "Bernis got it for you."
"How?"
"You left your food stamp with me."
Ike took a deliberate pause, recalling if he did what she claimed. Earlier, when she was nagging him to go to lunch with them, he remembered Ashley secretly taking his food stamp. He just didn't bother calling her out.
"Well." He shrugged. "At least I didn't need to wait in line."
"Having friends is great, see?"
He raised his eyes at Ashley, and somehow, he couldn't disagree. So far, Ashley and Bernis only brought convenience to him. Take this situation, for example.
Ike shrugged, sliding the tray near him. As he picked up his cutlery, Ashley excitedly cupped her cheek. Her beaming smile made Ike pause, lifting his eyes to the young lady across from him.
"What?" he asked, deep lines apparent in between his brows. "Why are you smiling like that?"
"I'm just curious. You went with the school bell and the way she acted looked like she was establishing her territory. Considering you beat up her ex-crazy boyfriend, are you going to date her?"
"First of all, I didn't beat up her lover. I punched him."
"And he passed out after one punch, which makes it even more interesting."
"We had an interesting past." He shrugged, glancing at Bernis before shoving a spoonful of soup into his mouth. "But it's nothing special."
"So it's true?" She cocked her head to the side, watching him look back at her. "That you used to be their friend?"
'Friends?' Ike arched a brow at her question. 'Was she trying to prevent bringing up my role in that group before?'
"If you hadn't noticed, your duel with Larza yesterday spread like wildfire in the school. You're quite popular now, you see?" she tipped her head to the side, signaling him to look around them. "But because of that, many rumors also rose. Some say you were once Larza's friend, but because of a love triangle, things went south."
"Others say you betrayed the group, so they sent you to the hospital. You can guess different versions of the story." She continued with a tinge of curiosity. "You are supposed to be our senior, but you had to stop because you got into an accident and had to stay in the hospital. Bernis and I were transferees last year, so we didn't know about you until now. That's why Bernis and I are curious about what sort of trouble you got yourself involved in."
Seeing that Ike wasn't responding, Ashley quickly clarified. "I'm asking because as part of the student council, we need to have an idea of our members' background and situation."
"You should stop using the student council as an excuse. You're starting to make it look nosy."
"I'm not using the student council as an excuse." She pouted, frowning deeper when Bernis cast her a look. "Fine. It's just one of the reasons —"
Ashley rolled her eyes as Bernis fixed his dismal gaze on her. "I'm nosy, I get it. You don't have to judge me like that, Bernis."
"They're not my friends," Ike explained indifferently as he found no shame in being a victim of bullying. "I used to be with them all the time, but they're not my friends."
He paused, locking eyes with her. "You can say I'm the mascot. An outlet to unload their personal dilemma."
"Oh…" Ashley blinked, a bit caught off guard. "Sorry."
"Don't be. I'm not even sorry for myself." Ike shrugged. "That's already in the past. The accident opened my eyes and made me realize how short and fragile this life is and that being a subject of entertainment wasn't the passion I thought was for me."
The corner of his lips curled up. "More than the shame of going through what Ike Lobo had gone through, I am quite proud of him."
"Why are you talking about yourself in the third person's perspective?"
"Haha. I consider the old me dead." His smile stretched until his eyes looked like mere slits. "I don't want to dwell in the past since the new me learned from the old one. That way, I'd live a much more peaceful and comfortable life."
Ashley assessed his face before smacking her lips. "Sometimes, even when you're saying all the right things, I find you strange." She hummed, still cupping her face while Ike ate his food.
"I just can't point it out, but well, it's good that you come to terms with that part of your past," she added. "Bullying was really a problem in this school years ago until Yama kicked his way into the student council."
"Yama?"
"Mhm. The president of the student council." Her eyes shone with slight admiration and respect that didn't go unnoticed by Ike's keen eyes. "I heard he will return today from the training camp. Let's meet him tomorrow — I'm sure you'll like him."