"Who wants to answer number seven?"
While the teacher is lecturing in front, Yeonica's mind is wandering somewhere. She's busy observing the whole class, not entirely listening to what the teacher is saying.
She never has a hard time observing her classmates, thanks to her seat at the back of the room. Although it seems like there's a lot of traffic in the information as she is not gaining any important information yet, even though days have passed, aside from the background of those four classmates whom she barely knows.
"Yes, Ms. Xiago," the teacher called Edem to solve and answer the question on the board. Yeonica's brain already gave up on studying again; Physics' her enemy anyway.
She stared at Edem's back as she was writing her solutions on the blackboard. Edem is an intelligent kid, based on her observations. She's academically smart. Yet her classmates, who barely know anything inside the classroom, have the audacity to bully her. Yeonica wonders why she never seems to fight back. On top of that, she's the principal's daughter, after all. That is one of the pieces of information she and Leana have discovered before. Edem Xiago is the daughter of Olkizia High School's principal, Henryll Xiago. But she seems powerless inside this room. It never makes sense to Yeonica.
The bell rings. Finally, the bloody class is over. Yeonica stares at Zaranaia, as she is obviously calling her, but she is not saying anything.
Zaranaia Watson is a 17-year-old student. Academics are not her thing, but she adapts well to her environment. There is no crucial information connected to Margareth Yamar. She's a normal student.
Zaranaia snapped her hands. "Hey, Yumi? You're zoning out."
No, I chose to zone out. "Oh? Sorry, are you saying something?"
Zaranaia pouted. "You're not listening!"
Yeonica chuckled. "I'm sorry, my brain got cooked in science earlier. Come on."
"Let's go eat somewhere today. Will you come with me?" Zaranaia asked.
"I actually have things to do. And why me?"
Zaranaia sighed. "You're literally the only one I'm truly comfortable with inside this room, and you're always busy after class. What really are you doing? Are you solving some crimes? Or are you Batman?" she ranted while stamping her feet. Yeonica smiled in her mind. Zaranaia's really a great kid.
Yeonica shrugged her shoulders. "What do you think I am, a savior? I can't even save my grades."
Zaranaia poked her repeatedly. "Oh, come on! Let's go eat just today. My treat!" she convinced her continuously. Yeonica has no other choice but to come with her.
Yeonica and Zaranaia walked together like kids. Yeonica couldn't believe her character as Yumi would get a friend. She just hopes for the best for this kid when she's gone.
Yeonica's mind shut off as she saw the new guard in front of the school gate. It made her remember the current condition of Alvirgo Yamar, who killed the school guard. If she never gets deeper into what happened to Yamar's daughter, she wants to at least know the reason why her previous client did that.
Knowing the truth will not lessen Yamar's wrongdoing, but it could at least deliver what is really happening inside this school. And also to answer the questions Mr. Protacio's family has been possibly asking themselves.
"Cool, right?" Zaranaia said, smiling. They are in a convenience store near the school. To Yeonica, it's just like the other convenience stores all over the city. Nothing special.
"Why? It's just normal for me," she answered.
Zaranaia laughed at her. "Right, right. I totally forgot you're new here."
They proceeded to the counter after Zaranaia quickly snatched what she badly wanted to eat. "This store is like the second home of Olkizia High School students. Look, our schoolmates are also here."
Yeonica roamed her eyes. Zaranaia isn't lying. The convenience store is so big that many students could fit in and eat inside. She continuously looked around until her eyes caught something outside the store.
It's Edem.
Yeonica saw Edem slowly walking past the store alone. "Does she really have no friends?" Yeonica said in her mind, as again, it doesn't make sense to her. Given that she's the principal's daughter, and typically, other students would befriend a girl like her just to get her good side in order to look good or save themselves.
Yeonica was about to just ignore her until she saw another person walking behind Edem.
Zarco?
They don't look like they are walking together. She can't tell if they just have the same way of going home, as she and Leana couldn't find any information about Zarco except that he is also a transfer student.
"Yiii, finally our turn—hey! Where are you going?!" Zaranaia loudly asked as Yeonica quickly walked away. She was not able to answer her, as she focused on following the two.
Yeonica successfully tailed them. She realized that Zarco was following Edem secretly.
"What is this kid doing?" she asked herself.
Zarco stayed a few meters behind Edem, making sure she didn't notice him. He doesn't do anything aside from observing her and following her around. Yeonica thought something might happen, so she continued following them.
They were like predators spying on their prey until Zarco's phone rang, which made both Zarco and Yeonica startled. Due to their shock, they unintentionally saw each other, both confused.
Edem heard the noise and quickly glanced behind her. Right on time, Yeonica and Zarco managed to hide behind a closed store wall. Zarco immediately turned his phone off and slightly pushed Yeonica to the other side so they wouldn't be seen by Edem.
Edem looked around. Nothing was there. She shrugged off the noise and continued walking until she reached the pedestrian lane to cross the road.
By that time, the two sighed, and both were relieved. They stare at each other with a questioning face.
"You're Yumi, right? What are you doing here?" Zarco asked her first.
Yeonica was stunned at first, as she didn't know what to say. She's obviously following them. "I was on my way to Zaranaia, and I saw you following Edem," she answered innocently.
"So you're following me?"
"Why won't I? You look like a pervert spying on our classmate. How about you? Why are you following Edem?" she asked him back, throwing back some stones and silently hoping he wouldn't get suspicious of her intention.
"Now you're questioning me?"
Yeonica raised her eyebrow. "Why? You have dirty intentions, don't you?"
Zarco sighed. "I'm just making sure no bully will come to her as she goes home. I know you already know Mezily."
Yeonica squinted her eyes. "Then why are you hiding?"
"What will you think of me if you're in Edem's position? Following her until she's safe to go home?" Zarco asked.
"I will think you're some piece of shit, a pervert, or a creep."
Zarco crossed his arms. "See?"
This kid is unbelievable.
"Whatever. Stop spying. You look like a weirdo," Yeonica dropped a glance at Zarco and walked away.
"Wait."
Yeonica stopped and turned around. Zarco pulled something from his pockets and handed it to her. "Is this yours? I found it below your table."
Yeonica was shocked. It's her wallet. She didn't even notice that it was missing earlier. "I'm dead," she whispered to herself.
"What?"
"I said thanks. Are you sure you didn't steal something inside here?"
"Tsk. Why would I open your wallet? Even the design of it is not eye-catching. I might just throw it if I didn't get to see you today."
Mr. Felmor, would I be in jail if I punched a high school kid?
Yeonica couldn't help but to roll her eyes. She then checked her wallet to see if there were IDs inside. Thankfully, fortunately, gratefully, and all the good words that have -ly, none of her original IDs were there. Just her fake ID as Yumi Amuelga.
"Yumi!"
Yeonica and Zarco turned around. Zaranaia ran to them. "Hey, you're cruel. Why did you just leave—?"
"I'm really sorry I didn't get on time, Zaranaia. Let's go to the store. Come on," Yeonica cut her and immediately pulled her on their way back to the convenience store. "Is that Zarco? That's our classmate, right?"
"Huh? Ah, yeah. We just bumped into each other. Let's go, I'm hungry!"
Zaranaia, who has no idea what's happening, confusingly followed Yeonica. "Anyway, look at what I bought. Let's eat these. You'll like these!" she said while walking, quickly forgetting what just happened. Yeonica faked her smile and laugh.
—
"Delicious, right?" Zaranaia excitedly asked while eating the instant noodles and hot sandwich she bought earlier.
Yeonica nodded. "Right."
It's not her first time eating these foods, as these were her comfort foods back when she was still in college.
"What a miracle! You went to class today?"
"Hey! You're hurting me! I started going to school last week. Turns out you didn't see me at all."
"Hahaha. My bad! What's with the change of heart? You love school now?"
"Duh. No reason to hide anymore. Margareth is gone now. I might've killed that girl before if I was in school."
"Or she might've killed you first. You surely get into her nerves!"
"Stop it! I hate hearing that bitch's name. Let's go to karaoke. My treat!"
"Damn, girlie has so much money now. No one's going to take it from her again."
"Shut up! Hahaha. Let's go!"
Yeonica looked at the students who were just talking about Margareth earlier. Zaranaia, who is busy conquering her food, didn't hear anything.
"Hey, I'm curious. Has Margareth had any friends before other than Mezily?"
Zaranaia looked at her. "Margareth? Hmm. I don't know. I actually don't mind other people's businesses. Why have you asked?"
Yeonica shrugged her shoulders. "Just because. I just heard some students talking about her before. Until now, actually."
"Hays. The topics about her never go away. Other students might be relieved that the girl whom they said was a monster is already dead. Edem still has a problem though. Mezily, that girl," Zaranaia said, continuing to devour her food.
Yeonica was stunned for a minute.
Mezily Cuanco is a 17-year-old student at Olkizia High School. Her school character and image are bad, and she almost got expelled after slapping a teacher before. Mezily was friends with Margareth Yamar.
Margareth Yamar was a 17-year-old student at Olkizia. Together with Mezily, she also almost got expelled after bullying a classmate and locking her up inside the fire exit. She took her own life due to some personal reasons, as the investigators said. These are the things that they have discovered while digging up the backgrounds of Yeonica's classmates. Honestly, it made her really confused.
She is sure that Alvirgo Yamar was aiming for somebody else that night. Not too long after the last verdict, she got the idea that probably Mr. Yamar was doing something for her daughter, Margareth, as he repeatedly murmured her name in jail. Margareth, who turned out to be dead because of suicide, was actually the greatest bully inside the school. Yamar seemed to be avenging her daughter's death. But, why? If Margareth's death was concluded as suicide, then what's the point of Mr. Yamar?
Is Yeonica getting all of these wrong? Or is there really something that is going on?