She had been mentally counting each passing second, hoping that time would speed up. Ever since the shooting incident in Ormon City, she had been feeling constantly agitated. It had been two days, and there was still no sign of Yolo—or Yuan.
What if he died, and the Alphas couldn't protect him? She kept asking herself. Maybe I'll call Papa. Perhaps he knows something.
"Miss Steffy Rivera!"
Steffy snapped back to reality at the sharp voice of her teacher. "Yes, Ma'am?"
"I've been calling your name, but you seem lost in thought," the teacher replied sternly.
Right, I am. I have to get out of here and find him, she resolved, focusing on finding Yuan instead of finishing the class.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am Amparo, but I have to go now."
Her teacher's eyes widened in surprise. Even her classmates looked equally shocked by her sudden actions. Ignoring them, Steffy hastily gathered her things and stood up from her chair.
"Where are you going? You can't just leave the class like that!" the furious teacher exclaimed. "I'm warning you, Miss Rivera."
"I really have to go now, Ma'am," she replied apologetically. "I'll inform the principal right away." She quickly walked out of the room, feeling the intense gaze of her English teacher as she followed her to the door.
"You will pay for your rudeness, young lady!"
"Yeah, whatever," she muttered to herself.
Steffy finally escaped the classroom and immediately tried to search for Yolo's familiar face among the Senior High School classes. Cursing herself, she realized that she didn't know Yolo's full name in this school, nor which strand he was enrolled in. "Fuck! How am I supposed to find him?"
Steffy continued to peek into classrooms, trying to avoid suspicion. "Is he even enrolled? But he said he's the principal's scholar boy, so maybe he is. Damn it, Yuan, where the hell are you?"
She passed by the Science Laboratory and the clinic beside it, but still, there was no sign of him. After some time, Steffy took a deep breath when she noticed she had reached the end of the school. Sighing to herself, she scanned the area and saw the library across from her. An idea immediately crossed her mind.
"The rooftop! Gosh, why did I forget about that stupid place?"
Filled with renewed determination, she hurried toward the old library. But as her steps carried her closer, she noticed someone following her.
Slowing down and sharpening her senses, she braced herself for what was coming. When she turned around, Steffy froze upon seeing Teacher Greg's serious face.
***
The teacher immediately brought Steffy to the principal's office. Mr. Seson, the principal of LNHS, was a huge man exuding a questionable persona tinged with a hint of charisma. He looked kind, but Steffy could sense something rotten inside him. The only solace she had was that this smiling man didn't give her goosebumps—unlike Teacher Greg.
Glaring at her adviser, she quietly sat on the couch as he and the school principal interrogated her. Mrs. Amparo was also in the room, fuming with anger as Steffy looked at her with a blank expression.
"So, tell us, Miss Rivera, why did you ditch class in the middle of your teacher's discussion? That was rude and considered a grave offense in this school," the principal explained in a kind voice. Steffy quickly realized she needed an alibi.
"Her class was boring," she replied softly. "And I don't mean this negatively. Mrs. Amparo needs to level up her teaching methods because I always feel restless in her class. Even my classmates feel the same way. Earlier, I just needed a breather. I'm sorry, Ma'am, for causing so much trouble. I should have explained it to you in person."
"What? How dare you question my methods, young lady?" shouted the older woman. "See, Mr. Seson? This girl from the city has no manners!"
"The school will have to punish you, Miss Rivera, for the inconvenience you've caused me and your teachers," the principal said. Meanwhile, Teacher Greg only stared at her in silence, making Steffy feel awkward in her seat. "And as for you, Mrs. Amparo, I think you should also consider this carefully. Perhaps there's some truth in Miss Rivera's suggestion. You need to make your classes more interactive. As you can see, students prefer modernized teaching activities. If you remain less exciting, gifted students like Miss Rivera will surely get bored."
Steffy felt a twinge of sympathy for Mrs. Amparo, but she decided not to dwell on that. After all, her only goal right now was to get out of that office as soon as possible.
"Anyway," the principal continued, "Mr. Lopez, as her adviser, what do you think we should give your student as punishment?"
Teacher Greg cleared his throat and nodded at Mrs. Amparo. "I think Mrs. Amparo has better suggestions."
Rolling her eyes, Steffy crossed her arms over her chest. "Damn you, Sir Greg," she muttered.
Later that day, Steffy made sure to inform George about her current situation.
TO GEORGE: FETCH ME AT AROUND 6 PM. SOMETHING CAME UP.
She pressed send and quickly shoved her phone back into her bag. She had been arranging additional sets of books in the library for almost an hour, and she was still only halfway through it. The librarian had already left, and even Mrs. Amparo, who had been supervising her earlier, had gone to the flag retreat at the school plaza.
She was all alone in the library, but she understood that she still had to pay respect to the ceremony being held, even without anyone watching. As she stood up, she placed her right hand over her heart and sang the national anthem softly, blending with the echoing voices of her classmates and schoolmates outside.
"…buhay ay langit sa piling mo,
Aming ligaya na 'pag may mang-aapi,
Ang mamatay ng dahil sa'yo…"
Then she returned to her task upon hearing the students disperse. A few moments later, Mrs. Amparo was back, pestering her again with biblical lectures.
"Aren't you going home, Ma'am?" Steffy asked, concealing her irritation with politeness.
"The audacity of this girl. Hurry up so both of us can finally go home."
Damn it! She cursed in her mind. How do I get rid of this irritating lady?
"I will supervise her now, Ma'am Amparo," a voice rang out, echoing through the old library. "Your husband is already waiting for you outside."
Both of them turned to see the approaching person. Steffy could only grumble upon seeing Teacher Greg walking toward them and was even more furious when Mrs. Amparo chuckled in delight at his suggestion. She then left the two of them alone and trotted outside the library.
"What a two-faced bitch you are, woman," she said to herself, referring to her departing teacher. Steffy went back to her task and grumpily stacked the remaining books on the shelf. "I'm tired now, Sir Greg," she complained as she felt him intently staring at her back.
"I know," he said with a smirk. "But you're still not finished."
"This is exploitation! I have rights as a student. Do you want me to report you to the Department of Education?"
Teacher Greg only stared at her, clearly amused. "All right," he said, still wearing his annoyingly gorgeous smile. "Let's go now."
Steffy's eyes widened as her teacher gestured for her to come out of the library. "Really?" she asked, suddenly doubtful of her teacher's behavior.
"Unless you want to stay overnight in here. You know, I've heard a lot of stories about ghosts and…"
"I'm not fucking afraid of ghosts—or anything!" she exclaimed, walking past her irritating teacher. Teacher Greg chuckled as he walked behind her, stopping only to lock the library door.
"Hey, kid, wait up!" he said, still in his jovial tone.
But Steffy continued walking.
Finally, the teacher caught up with her swift strides, his bag dangling at his right shoulder. "Why are you following me? Quit following me, or I'll report harassment."
"Harassment?" the teacher said softly, cradling her in his arm. The act made her flinch a little. "Come with me first."
Steffy eyed her teacher, confusion evident on her face. "Are you kidding me? Why would I do that?"
"Because I asked you to?"
"Seriously?" she said, trying to walk past him and escape. "You could have at least come up with a more creative response."
But what surprised her more was when the teacher gently took her hand and led her to his motorcycle. "What now, Sir Greg? Are you trying to kidnap me?"
Yet, she couldn't help but notice the warmth of his palm, easing her tension and actually making her heart skip a bit.
Wait… she thought. What the fuck is happening?