"I heard he will return today from the training camp. Let's meet him tomorrow — I'm sure you'll like him."
Ike stared at Ashley's bright smile quietly, tilting his head to the side.
"Don't speak for me," he remarked, making her brows elevate. "Who I will like or dislike is mine to tell, not yours."
"Oh, right, sorry?" She raised her brows briefly, shrugging. "Anyway, since you dislike how I worded it, let me correct myself. Let's meet him tomorrow. I'm sure he'll like you."
"And why is that?"
"Because first, he likes people I like. Second, he needed popular people in the council since you know, the student council didn't have the best reputation. Some students think the council is quite nosy."
"Aren't you?"
"Of course not! We just care, alright?!"
"You're the reason that people think everyone in the council is nosy." This time, for the very first time, Bernis didn't pretend to be a statue Ashely was carrying around as he chimed in the conversation.
Bernis's comment made her gasp in disbelief while Ike chuckled, gazing at the man sitting beside him. Bernis simply glanced at her and he cast Ike a quick look before he continued his meal.
"See?" Ike smirked, setting his playful eyes back on her. "Bernis don't speak, but because you keep pushing the blame on others, he couldn't stop himself."
"Bernis, aren't we friends? How can you throw your friend under the bus."
"Look who's talking. Not only you are throwing everyone under, but you are pushing them off the tracks, knowing an incoming train would stop for no one." Ike pointed out, a bit surprised of himself that he was slightly enjoying teasing her. "Anyway, I don't recall accepting your invitation to think I should meet the president of the student council. Neither do I think I am popular enough to affect the reputation of the student council you Ashley Sinclair tarnished."
"Huh?" Ashley ignored everything which she deemed slander, tilting her head to the side. "What do you mean, you're not popular enough?"
"Literally."
"Uhmmm…"
Ike quirked a brow when a young female student approached their table. The three — Ike, Ashley, and Bernis — slowly turned their head to the source of the meek voice. There, a cute girl was fidgeting with her fingers while she couldn't maintain eye contact with Ike.
Ike furrowed his brows, assessing the student.
'From how her fingers trembled, and how she can only keep two seconds of eye contact, I can tell she was utterly nervous,' he assessed, observing every little movement the girl would make. 'This reminds me of a memory in the past. A young girl — a toddler, to be precise — also approached me.'
And that memory was etched in his mind because what happened next shook him to the core.
"Ah, right…" the girl cleared her throat and clumsily shove her trembling hand inside the pocket of her skirt. However, just as she fish her hand out, in Ike's perspective, time seemed to tick slower.
Before the girl could see what she had just taken out, Ike grabbed her fist to keep them close on instinct. The girl jolted in surprise, eyes shaking as they veered to the wonder of the big hand grabbing her fist.
"This is how it also played out in the past." Ike smiled until his eyes were mere slits. "I'm not falling for it the second time."
"Huh?" the girl blinked, confused.
"What are you doing?" Ashley's lazy voice followed, watching Ike look back at her. "She might misunderstand that you're accepting her confession."
'Confession?' Ike looked back at the girl, only to see her face turn red.
The girl lowered her head to hide her embarrassment from Ashley's remarks. Observing her mien, Ike had a moment of realization.
'Right… it doesn't seem like back then,' he thought, releasing the girl's hand carefully. 'That child already felt off from the beginning.'
"My bad." Ike threw his hands slightly. "My body reacted before I could even think about it."
Ashley shook her head in disbelief as if she couldn't believe Ike would assault a girl. Although he didn't assault her, her keen eyes knew what she saw. If this female student moved even the slightest that Ike deemed suspicious, he would break her hand for sure.
'What a monster,' she thought in dismay.
The poor girl, on the other hand, pressed her lips into a thin. Her body was still shaking from shock, mustering her courage to raise her eyes back to Ike. She slowly opened her hands, revealing a small wrapped candy.
"I — I…" Her lips were quivering and her tongue felt numb, unable to say the words she practiced all night. In the end, all they heard was a quick, "here! I hope you like it!" that sounded like a shriek whilst shoving the wrapped candy to Ike before running away as if her life depended on it.
Ike followed the girl as she fled with his gaze, confused. "What the hell just happened?"
"She probably baked chocolates for you," said Ashley, shaking her eyes as she also had her eyes in the direction where the young lady fled. "She still smelled like cocoa, so she probably did it all night. Based on how clumsy her hands were, she's probably not used to doing it and that one is the only success after making them all night."
She slowly shifted her eyes at Ike, scrunching her nose up in disappointment. "Men are truly dumb beings to be ever created. But anyway, see? Popular... and ungrateful."
"I don't mind the hate, but I didn't ask her to do anything for me." Ike slowly sat down, opening the wrapper which revealed a small chocolate inside. As a courtesy of the girl's hard work, she popped it inside his mouth even though he didn't have a sweet tooth.
"Bitter," was his only comment, warranting a look of disgust from Ashley. "This doesn't mean it's enough basis to claim I will be a good addition to the council. It's just one confession."
"Observe your day."
Deep lines resurfaced on Ike's forehead as he turned his head to Bernis when the latter spoke. Bernis cast him a quick side eye, saying, "girls in Laguna High easily fall for strong and handsome guys. It's almost outlandish."
"I doubt." Ike smiled reassuringly, certain that what Ashley and Bernis claimed was exaggerated until they came back to their classroom with Ike's desk full of boxes of gifts with different feminine scents permeating from each of them.