Eunice's POV
Weeks have passed, and I continue to secretly bring food to Arcus. I just don't know if he's actually eating what I give him. It's been weeks since we last spoke; I was hurt by what he said, but that doesn't change the fact that I still like him.
I don't even know what's going on in my heart and why I'm not getting tired of Arcus despite being hurt so many times.
"You've lost weight, Eunice," my dad said to me when he saw me coming out of the kitchen. He had just returned from London after taking care of some matters and had been away for weeks.
"Come on, Dad," I replied as I walked over to hug him.
"I'm not joking, Eunice. Are you neglecting yourself?" he asked seriously while still hugging me.
"She's not eating, Dad," I heard Ulysses say as he came down the stairs from his room.
"Eunice, I told you not to neglect your meals. You need energy, especially since you're only 18. Your body can't handle a diet. It's in your mom's genes, and you inherited it. You shouldn't change yourself like that," he advised me. I pulled away from the hug and looked at him.
"I've just been busy with finals approaching, and I forgot to eat," I answered with a laugh, but he looked at me seriously.
"Eunice, don't let it happen again next time. I'll be mad at you," he said. I nodded in agreement as he excused himself to go to Mom's room since she still hadn't woken up.
"Diet, huh," Ulysses teased me. He was sitting in the living room, clearly chatting with Lily, as he had a huge smile on his face. I didn't respond and went to take a shower since I needed to go to school for the preparations for the competition tomorrow.
Our school was chosen to host because it was spacious, and we had a wide gymnasium. I invited Ulysses to come along, but he said he'd go later, so I just let him be.
"Eunice!" I heard Lily call out as I got out of the car that dropped me off. She was eating again while waving at me.
I walked over to her and grabbed her arm so we could enter the school together. As we walked, I noticed Arcus looking at us. I hadn't seen him in a while, so I felt a bit awkward under his gaze.
"I haven't seen you getting close to Arcus lately," Lily remarked. I turned to her and just laughed.
She didn't know that I brought him food in the classroom every lunchtime. Sometimes, I also asked his classmate Mia to help me out because she was nice to me; in return, I would give her some money. She was a scholar at our school and didn't get enough allowance, so we made a deal.
"Don't laugh at me, Eunice. Have you moved on?" she asked while chewing.
"Why do you ask that?" I replied.
"I just saw Arcus—" But before she could finish, Arcus suddenly appeared in front of us. He looked annoyed again, as if he were angry at the world.
"Where's the thing I asked yesterday?" he asked Lily. She smiled knowingly and handed him a hairpin. A hairpin? What would he do with a hairpin?
"What do you need the hairpin for?" I asked, confused and feeling shy to look at him.
"B-ecause the SIM card from his cellphone won't come out. R-right?" Lily replied nervously while playfully hitting Arcus on the arm.
"Yes," Arcus replied, glaring at Lily. I wasn't sure if my instincts were right, but it felt like there was a secret between the two of them.
"Well, I'll head out ahead," I said to them. Even though I didn't want to leave and wanted to keep staring at Arcus, I chose to walk away. What if my suspicions were true? What about me, and what about Ulysses?
I trust Lily, but fate can be treacherous. What if she decides to play with our feelings?
As I entered the classroom, I immediately organized my things, and then Lily rushed in, out of breath.
"Why did you leave, Eunice?" she asked, confused, while catching her breath.
"Um, maybe because you still have something important to discuss," I replied. She looked at me and slightly squinted her eyes as if she was thinking of something.
"Are you jealous?" she said and even laughed.
"Huh? Why would I be?" I asked her. She just shrugged and placed her bag on her chair.
"Are you just going to stay here?" she asked me again. I nodded, so she left with some of our classmates.
After a few minutes, I decided to go outside. As I walked down the hallway towards the gymnasium, I heard some voices talking. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but their voices sounded familiar.
"Eunice is jealous of me; just tell her the truth already. I'm hurting, Arcus," Lily said, her voice trembling with tears. It was definitely Lily, talking to Arcus.
"Stop crying, Lily. Just a little bit longer. I'll tell her the truth soon," Arcus reassured her.