Ridget/Tigress' POV:
"Trust me, they do teach normal subjects." Lani said as we entered a new classroom. Lulu's still with us, but Messi, Dellin and Luan have different schedule. They're replaced by the Glutton twins and Envy.
"What kind of normal subject?" I asked. Right after we sit in our own chairs, a professor entered our room.
"Settle down, nightmares." He said and faced us. He then looked at my direction. We made an eye contact for like a millisecond but I was quick to averted my gaze.
"Welcome to my class, Tigress." He said. I just nodded, still not looking at him. "I heard what happened. Sorry for your loss." He added. With that, I looked at him, but he wasn't looking at me anymore. Para rin walang narinig ang mga kasama ko dahil ganun parin ang mga ginagawa nila.
"We'll continue the topic we haven't finished yesterday, which is…algebra." My jaw almost dropped when I heard the word 'algebra'.
"Yow, you okay? You look pale?" The shifter twin asked.
"No." I answered, shaking my head as I stare at the back of our professor who's now writing equations on the board. "Looks like I don't need the ground to open up." They looked at me weirdly.
"What?" Envy asked, confused.
"Algebra ang papatay sakin pre." I whispered. Lani snorted. While Lulu, the twins and Envy looked at me confused.
"What did she say?" The twins asked.
"Any interesting topic you want to share with us, twins?" The professor turned around and looked at the ghost and shifter beside me. Both just shook their head.
This is going to be one hell of a sub.
---
"Be ready for a quiz tomorrow. That's all. You're dismissed." The professor said and left the room.
"Let's go—is she okay?" Envy asked and pointed at me.
"No. I hate algebra. It's my weakness." I whispered. I feel like my throat got dried because of the lesson. Yeah, they sure do teach normal subject. One hell of a normal subject.
"So, it's final? You hate our class?" Lani asked with a grin on his face.
"Not the whole class. The subject only. The professor's not included." I shrugged. His grin widened.
"Why? What does he look for you?" He asked.
"He looked…fine."
"You have to give us more than that!" Nagulat ako nang biglang magsalita si Messi sa gilid ko. Ikinawit din niya ang braso niya sa braso ko. Medyo matangkad lang siya ng kaunting-kaunti saakin.
"Well, he's…handsome." I said casually. The 4 of them squealed.
"Ayieee. So, crush mo?" tanong ni Dellin.
"No. That's a compliment, and a fact." I said and opened the cafeteria door.
"We'll wait for you here." Lulu said and smiled. I nodded and went straight to Glitch.
"Boo." I said and sat at the empty chair where I sat earlier. He stopped sketching and looked at me while raising one his eyebrow.
"What?" he asked in a serious voice. "Oh, right. Sorry I forgot." He then gave me a warm smile.
He placed my phone, unfixed, on the table.
"So uhm, I forgot to ask you something earlier so I haven't fixed it yet. Is there anything in this phone that you don't want me to see? Like photos or important files?" He asked. I shook my head no.
"It doesn't contain anything. Just…voicemails." I said. He nodded and took of his jacket.
"Well then, I shall fix it. Just don't freak out." He said. My eyes widened when I saw his body glitching. I thought something was wrong, but poof. He's gone. I looked around me to search for him.
"Down here!" I heard a small voice. I looked down at the table and almost scream when I saw his face inside my phone.
H-how did that—?!
"Hey! I told you don't freak out!" he said and laughed. I gulped and nodded.
"Hey Tig. Woah! How did he get in there?" Green asked, amazed by what she saw.
"Dunno." I answered. Glitch's face disappeared from the cracked screen. After a minute, the cracks are slowly disappearing too.
"Done." I looked at Glitch who glitched out of my new-looking phone.
"Thank." I said, still can't believe of what I saw. "H-how can I pay you?" I asked him.
"Nah you don't have to. It's for free." He replied. "I'll walk you out. We're going to the same way." He added and stood up. He kept his sketchbook in his bag.
"Are you sure?" I asked. He nodded and gave me a smile again.
Doesn't he get tired of smiling?
We both stopped walking when a bunch of shifters are standing on the door. As if they're waiting for us.
"This is not good." He whispered. We slowly walked backwards, but I stopped when I felt someone's body behind me. My breath hitched when I fell his rough hands at my nape. I saw how they grabbed Glitch when he was about to approach me.
"Don't!" I stopped them.
"I see, you're protecting someone. Again." Wrath whispered behind me. I gulped hardly. His hot breath fanning my skin, his body close to mine, and those hands touching my nape are giving me a hard time breathing.
"What do you want again?" I asked. I saw Lulu and the others entered the cafeteria, panicked. Their eyes widened when they all saw who's the person standing behind me.
"I don't like it when you're being close to someone else." He said without answering my question. I scoffed.
"That's like restricting your girlfriend from wearing a certain type of cloth." I answered. I could feel his hand gathering all of my hair before gripping it, but gently.
"So, you admit you're my girlfriend?" he asked seductively.
"No. I'm not your girlfriend. And I will never be." I said, although I know, I can feel, that my answer can make him mad. But what I didn't expect is that he chuckled instead.
"You're going to have to be careful with that mouth of yours, sugar. Someone will get mad without you noticing." He whispered.
"And let me guess, that someone is you." I said and rolled my eyes.
"Correct, love bug." I flinched when I felt the tip of his nose on my neck, inhaling my scent.
I could feel my cheeks burning up because of what he's doing. Like we're in front of the whole f*cking school!
"Stop calling me nicknames. I have a name." I said and avoided my neck from his nose. I heard him groan. And to tell you, that groan sent a tingling feeling in my stomach.
"Oh, right. You do have your own name. Right? Ridget Montenegro." I froze. Even my breathing stopped.
He knows. He knows my name. He knows who I am…
"See you again, baby." His last words before walking away. My knees weakened as I process what he just said. Is it possible that he also knows what I am? Before I could fall Lani and Dellin held my arms.
Lulu gasped while looking at neck, horrified.
"Oh no man. This is bad."
"No sh*t man. No sh*t. That ain't good."
That's when I felt like something's choking me. I touched my neck, only to feel something, like a leather, wrapping around my neck.
"What…what is this?" I asked.
"He—He collared you." Lani answered. He too can't believe of what he's seeing in my neck right now.
"W-who collared me?" I asked, feeling not myself. Still stunned on what I have on my neck right now, and the fact that he knows who I am.
"Wrath." They all answered in unison. My blood boiled. Is it possible for a blood to boil like, literally boil?!
"Drag me." I said and extended my arm.
"What?" They asked confused as if I spoke a different language.
"Kindly drag me out of this place or you'll see a new student wrestling that d*mn alpha." I said. When none of them moved. I turned around and was about to attack Wrath, but they all held both of my arms and dragged me out of the cafeteria.
In the GH dorm…
"No, I want to go back! I'll skin him using a f*cking nail cutter!"
"Tigress calm down!"
"Calm down?! How can I calm the f*ck down if I have this…thing choking me!"
"Don't overreact, will you?"
"O-over react?! It's literally choking the hell out of me!"
Gusto kong maglupasay. I want to breakdown. I want to cry. And I want pastillas.
"Tigress, honey, calm down, okay? Sit down and breath deep." Lulu said. I crossed my arms and sat down.
"Can't you take this off me? You're a deadly king too, right?" I asked. He smiled sweetly at me and caressed my hair before shaking his head no.
"I'm sorry, love. But only he can take that off. Each deadly king has their own collars and only the owner can take it off or put it to someone." He explained.
"Well can't you at least adjust it? It's hard to breath." I said but he shook his head again.
"To avoid the loss of the collar, they have something in it. Only the owner and the person it gets attached to can hold it. The others, well, they'll receive and electric shock." Envy explained and used the Glutton shifter's finger to touch my collar. It immediately gave him an electric shock.
"Woah En what the f*ck?! That f*cking hurts!" The Glutton Shifter shouted and sucked his electrocuted finger.
"This sucks!" I shouted and covered my face. I inhaled deeply before composing myself. "We're going back to our dorm. Thanks for the help, Lu." I said. He nodded and smiled at me.
"You two be more careful, okay? If ever something happens, come here immediately." He said. Lani and I nodded before heading out.
"Nakaka-inspire mamatay bakla." Sabi ko.
"Kalmahan mo lang bakla. There's only one way to get that off or to at least adjust that." He said.
"And that is—" I cut off what Messi's going to say.
"Over my dead body! I won't come to him!" I swear, I will not come to him! Never!