The next morning, Rosendo and Vanessa were chatting happily in the classroom when they were interrupted. The door of Class 8 was kicked open by someone. Monroe walked in with his hands in his pockets and followed by five students who looked like delinquents based on their demeanor and expressions.
Monroe suddenly raised his hand high and slapped the podium loudly, as if he was swatting a fly. "Listen up! If anyone dares to bully Rosendo again, don't blame me for being ruthless because Rosendo is my brother!" Monroe shouted arrogantly.
No one answered or spoke up. There were several notorious gangsters at New Mountain University, including Monroe's lackeys who may not be as numerous as Richard's but all belonged to the karate club where one could easily take on multiple opponents at once. Even Richard would have to speak humbly before Monroe.
After finishing his speech, Monroe led his followers towards Rosendo and sat down beside him while patting him on the shoulder with a smile. "Good morning bro!"
Rosendo couldn't help but laugh bitterly and said: "Don't do this anymore! You can embarrass yourself but don't drag me into it."
"Brother, you're wrong about this! I did it just to protect you," replied Monroe seriously. "Don't worry; I've already warned everyone in your class not to mess with you from now on."
"Okay okay! You've said enough already; you can go back now," said Rosendo.
"Why should I go back? Let's attend class together today so we can bond more!" insisted Monroe before turning around to dismiss his followers: "You guys can leave now!"
After they left, Monroe asked curiously: "Brother, doesn't Johanna like you? Why don't you go sit with her? She looks lonely over there."
Rosendo knew that Monroe was trying to pry into his relationship with Johanna. "I don't like her, so why should I sit with her? If you feel sorry for her, why don't you go keep her company? Who knows, she might even fall for you," Rosendo replied.
"If she likes me, I'd be willing to die for her! She's such a rare beauty. Brother, listen to me and cherish what's in front of you!" sighed Monroe.
Monroe was right; Johanna looked really pitiful sitting alone at the back of the classroom while Rosendo and his friends sat on the left side discussing things among themselves. At least they had each other to talk to but Johanna had no one around her.
Johanna has a problem. She came to the classroom and sat in her seat from yesterday, only to find a drawer full of lollipops. At first, she thought they were from Rosendo, but when she opened the envelope on top of them, her smile disappeared. They weren't from Rosendo; they were from her admirers.
There were so many envelopes in the drawer that maybe one was from Rosendo. With great anticipation, Johanna opened each envelope without reading its contents and checked for his name at the end of each letter. After going through all of them without finding anything from him, she felt disappointed.
What should she do with all these lollipops? Throw them away or give them away? "Forget it," Johanna muttered to herself as she decided to throw them into the trash can outside the classroom door.
As Harold overheard Johanna's complaints about throwing away such good lollipops he had given her some too, he couldn't help but speak up: "Johanna, don't you like lollipops? Why are you throwing away such good ones?"
"When did I say I liked lollipops?" Johanna retorted irritably.
"Yesterday when Rosendo gave you one," Harold replied skeptically.
"He gave me a thousand for that one! Of course it tasted good! Besides, I like Rosendo so much that no matter what he gives me to eat, I'll think it's delicious. As for what you guys gave me... hmph! Cheap stuff!" When talking about Rosendo, Johanna smiled sweetly; but when talking about Harold and others' gifts, anger flashed across her face - this is just how different people can be!
Rosendo and Vanessa knew what really happened and laughed quietly at their desks while Monroe asked curiously: "What are you laughing at?"
"I'll tell you if you promise not to tell anyone," Rosendo said with a smile. He didn't think it was an important secret, so he didn't mind telling Monroe.
"Actually, the lollipop I gave her yesterday only cost fifty cents. I lied and told her it was worth1000, but she actually believed me! Hahaha..." Rosendo laughed as he spoke.
"Hahaha... Brother, now I finally see through you! You're a master of love affairs who hides his true colors well. Even Johanna fell for your trick!" Monroe joked.
"The lollipops Harold and others gave her were all expensive ones; it's a shame to throw them away. Wait here; I'll go get them." After saying that, Rosendo stood up and walked towards Johanna.
Johanna was still chatting with the girl when suddenly she heard someone call out her name from behind: "Johanna."
She turned around and accidentally bumped into Rosendo's arms. To prevent her from falling down, he quickly hugged her waist tightly - their posture looked very intimate. "Are you okay?" Rosendo asked with a smile.
"I'm fine," Johanna replied shyly while blushing red in the face. She felt his warmth in his embrace - it was an unusual feeling for her.