HOLY NIGHT SEBASTIAN
A week has passed since Everiano Sarmiento joined our class. From what I've heard, he had a history of conflicts with his former classmates, which leading the administration to transfer him here in our class. And I wasn't wrong, he's indeed a new student at Destine University. Despite that, he's already managed to make plenty of enemies. He's the youngest son of Coach Rodrigo Sarmiento, our PE teacher. I knew they were related, but I didn't expect them to be father and son.
Up to now, Rhyme and Moryn have not mentioned to me what happened last week, which is why I have stopped badgering them about it. As time goes by, I notice that Moryn is not as anxious as she was on the first day Everiano joined our class. I'm pretty sure Everiano had something to do with their strange behavior back then.
Moryn might be fine now, but they both still avoid Everiano. In fact, it seems like everyone else in class avoids him too. He's always alone, no friends, no one even dares to approach him. Honestly, I feel sorry for him whenever I see him eating by himself in the food court. There are moments when I consider going up to him, but Rhyme always blocks my way.
I can't shake the feeling that Rhyme and Everiano already know each other. It seems like they've had some kind of bad experience in the past. The more I think about it, the more curious I get, but it's pointless to ask Rhyme about it. I know he wouldn't give me a straight answer anyway. And I don't want to bring it up with Moryn either, she looks practically traumatized whenever the topic of Everiano comes up, or even when his name is mentioned. This only fuels my suspicion that something serious happened between them before.
If they won't tell me, I'll just have to figure it out myself. Better that than letting my curiosity keep me up at night. But how am I supposed to do that when I can't even get close to Everiano? I guess my first step will be to observe him from a distance. I've never been the stalking type, but it seems I don't have a choice. I just hope Rhyme doesn't find out, he'd make sure I pay for it if he did. It's obvious he doesn't want me anywhere near Everiano, not even looking in his direction.
When lunch break came, we were eating in the food court as usual. I scarfed down my meal, barely chewing each bite. It's just because, I wanted to finish eating quickly in case he left before I could follow. I noticed Rhyme shaking his head at me out of the corner of my eye, but I ignored him, my focus was on Everiano. He is positioned alone at the table, which is placed extremely close to the glass wall. His earpods in, occasionally glancing outside.
As soon as he stood and walked out of the food court, I hurriedly chugged my water and wiped my mouth with my arm.
"I'm heading out, guys. I have something to do. Bye!" I said, quickly standing and running after Everiano without waiting for their response. I kept my eyes on Everiano the entire time, making sure not to lose sight of him.
I felt confident he wouldn't notice me following him since there were plenty of other people in the corridor anyway. But I stopped in my tracks when I saw him meet our first-period teacher this afternoon. They started talking, but I was too far to hear what they were saying. The teacher patted Everiano on the shoulder before walking away.
Everiano started moving again, and I quickly picked up my pace. I had a hunch he was heading to the gymnasium. This area was usually empty unless there was an event, so I was extra careful not to draw his attention. When we reached the gym, I saw him enter the men's locker room. I frowned. What could he be doing in there?
I waited for a few minutes until he emerged, now wearing a blue basketball jersey and holding a ball. He began dribbling around the three-point line, the sound echoing through the empty gym. I'll admit, I was impressed when he effortlessly sank the ball into the hoop. I had no idea he could play, let alone that he was this skilled. Not long after, a few other players arrived, all dressed in basketball uniforms. I discreetly hid in a corner of the bleachers, watching as they practiced under the guidance of a coach.
From their conversation, I gathered they had a game tomorrow at another university. That must've been what Everiano and our professor talked about earlier. Suddenly, my eyes widened in shock as I realized I had completely forgotten about class. Panicking, I slipped out of the gymnasium, careful not to let anyone notice me. Luckily, they were too focused on practice to realize someone else had been there. I sprinted back toward our classroom, glancing at my wristwatch mid-run. I couldn't believe it, I had skipped class just to stalk a guy.
I arrived at the classroom just in time to see our professor leaving, having already missed the first subject this afternoon. As I sat down, Moryn wouldn't stop asking me where I had been. I sighed, closing my eyes as I scrambled to think of an excuse. When I opened my eyes, I saw them turning their heads to look at me, their expressions serious as they were waiting for an answer.
Their expectant looks made me glance away nervously. I was in trouble. What excuse could I come up with? There was no way I could tell them I'd been following Everiano. It would only put them in a bad mood if I brought him up.
"I wasn't feeling well earlier, guys. My stomach hurt so much I had to run to the restroom," I explained, rubbing my stomach for added effect. Moryn's face immediately showed concern, and guilt crept in as I realized I was lying.
"What? Do you want me to take you to the clinic?" Moryn offered.
"Oh, no need! I've already been there, and I'm feeling much better now," I added quickly. I glanced at Rhyme, who had a slight frown as he observed me intently. It felt like he was analyzing every word I said, making me wonder if he doubted my story.
Rhyme eventually shifted his gaze back to the whiteboard and leaned against his chair, but Moryn continued asking if I was okay. I nodded and smiled weakly, occasionally sneaking glances at Rhyme's back. I couldn't stop myself from wondering what had happened between him, Moryn, and Everiano. The curiosity was eating away at me. I wanted to know the truth, but another part of me hesitated. What if I was just overthinking things? After all, it was clear that Everiano didn't have any friends. Even during his basketball practice earlier, his teammates didn't seem to interact with him much.
After school, I told them I had to leave early. I just said that Aunt Penny and I had somewhere to be tonight, even though it wasn't true. I hurried to the bike racks, grabbed my bike, and pedaled toward the main gate. Before leaving, I stopped by the security booth where Mr. Reynoldo Flores was stationed. I know him because he has been working here for a long time since I was just in kindergarten. I think Mr. Reynaldo knows him because he's probably one of the guards who witnessed Everiano beating up a student.
"Has Everiano passed by here?" I asked. Mr. Reynoldo furrowed his brows, shook his head, and remained silent. I just thanked him. So I assumed Everiano hadn't left the university yet. I was about to pedal away, but I stopped when he suddenly spoke.
"Miss, if I may, avoid crossing paths with that boy. If you have any misunderstandings with him, let it go," he warned in a grave tone before I left. His tone carried a warning that sent a chill down my spine. Was Everiano really that troublesome for Mr. Reynaldo to caution me like this?
I exited the main gate and crossed to the other side of the street, where I could better observe the students coming and going from Destine University. My heart skipped a beat when I finally saw Everiano exiting the main gate, now back in his senior high school uniform. I hesitated, unsure if I should follow him all the way home. Was I crossing a line? I walked my bike along the pedestrian lane back main gate, blending into the crowd of students. After all, I continued following Everiano as he entered a nearby convenience store, so I stopped outside and waited.
When he came out, he was sipping strawberry milk through a straw, a sandwich in his other hand. Then a stray dog wagged its tail and circled him. Everiano paused, broke the sandwich in half, and handed a piece to the dog. My jaw dropped. Maybe he wasn't as bad as everyone thought.
I decided not to follow him any further since it was getting dark. Aunt Penny would worry if I stayed out too late again. Instead, I entered the convenience store and bought my own strawberry milk. Watching him drink it made me crave one too. I took a sip. It was surprisingly good, he had great taste. I couldn't help but smile to myself, he didn't seem like the type to enjoy sweet stuffs. The brand he chose was delicious, though, and I felt like I'd just found a new favorite alongside my beloved ice cream.
After finishing my strawberry milk, I got back on my bike and headed home. Maybe Everiano wasn't such a bad person. But should I continue keeping tabs on him? My curiosity wouldn't let me ignore the situation. I needed to know the connection between Rhyme, Moryn, and Everiano.
Was there even a connection? Or was I just overthinking it? Maybe Rhyme simply didn't want me near Everiano because of how unruly he seemed. But now that I'd started, I think there was no backing out, not until I found the truth, even if it turned out to be nothing
Lost in thought, I failed to notice the man walking ahead of me on the bike lane. By the time I realized, it was too late to brake.
"Step aside!" I shouted. convinced I'd crash into him. To my surprise, he stopped my bike with his left hand. My eyes widened in shock, my jaw dropping. It all happened so fast. I looked at his hand, firmly gripping the center of the handlebar, and felt my chest tighten. He was wearing Destine University's senior high school uniform. Even before I looked up, I already had an idea of who he was. And I was right.
My heart nearly leaped out of my chest as Everiano looked at me with a serious expression.
"I'm sorry," I stammered, my voice trembling. He let go of my bike without a word and walked away, leaving me watching his back as he disappeared into the distance. It wasn't my fault, though. Who in their right mind walks in the bike lane? That guy was so weird. Out of all the people I almost bumped into, why did it have to be him?