Chapter 3 His True Identity

PRINCE POV

I went to school late, so the Dean, I mean Tito, sent me to the gym to squat for 30 minutes, and I found Althea there in a squat position, so I guess she was also late.

"Hi, good morning, Prince." she greeted me.

"I don't think Mitch is late?" I said.

"She woke me up earlier, but I let her go first to school instead of being late just because of me."

I just kept quiet and squatted.

"Prince, sorry if you're being annoyed by me, huh." she said

"Why do you always want me to talk? I don't want to talk to you, so shut your mouth." She bent down, and I saw her face suddenly saddened.

What does Althea have that she's making my heart so soft? Ha, what is this? I shouldn't feel this way.

Eventually, I noticed that Althea was sweating, and her knees were shaking. Maybe she was already tired.

" What's wrong with you? "I asked.

"I can't take the pain in my legs anymore..." she said.

"Sit down." I ordered, then I threw her my handkerchief.

"Wipe your sweat. "

" Thank you." She said.

Suddenly Dean entered the gym.

" MS. CERVANTES, WHY ARE YOU SITTING THERE? THE TIME I GAVE YOU IS NOT OVER YET."

I suddenly answered because I was the one who told her to sit down.

"Dean, I'm the one who told her to sit down first. She couldn't handle the punishment you gave her." I said.

"You? Prince, tell me, who told you to do that? Did anyone permit you to make Ms. Cervantes sit down? "

"Dean, the punishment you give to the students here at school is wrong." I replied.

"Prince, I'm the dean of this school, and not just because you're my nephew, you have the right to interfere with the way I manage here."

"Do what you want, uncle. "

"Ms. Cervantes, you can enter your class, and you, Mr. De la Questa, clean the whole area of ​​the gym. After that, you can go to your class."

I'm pissed right now. Why in the earth did I tell Althea to sit down in the first place? Here's the consequence, then. It turns out I'm the one punished more. After some hours, I heard the bell, and that means it's break time already. As I am cleaning continuously, I suddenly felt that I was hungry.

"PRINCE"

The voice sounds familiar. AS I looked behind, I saw Althea approaching me, carrying a burger and soft drinks.

"You again? What are you doing here, huh?"

"Uhm, it's break time already, and I know that you're still here at the gym, so I thought I could bring you snacks because I'm the reason why your punishment elevated. Sorry, huh."

"I don't need to hear your excuses. And why do you always come near me?"

"Alright, I'll be out then." she said goodbye. Then she left the gym.

I thought she would accompany me here, wait, wait, why do I even expect that she will stay with me? Hayy, I don't know. I'm bewildered right now.

I was surprised because, after our break, I was allowed to enter my class. I found out from Jake that Althea talked to Dean, that she'll be the one to continue my punishment. Why would she save me?

"Althea, can we talk?" I asked her.

" Of course, what is that? "

"Althea, did you take the punishment that wasn't yours? "

" I feel guilty because I should be the one punished more than you. "

"Don't worry, next time, I won't help you. "she just smiled at me then sat down. She was still smiling, so I was annoyed.

"Prince 9:40's the call time you'll meet Jasper later. " Diego said to me.

"Are you sure you don't want to include us? Maybe Jasper has friends later, and we don't know what will happen." Jake said.

" Don't worry. I can handle myself. "

"By the way, aren't you annoyed by Althea now? "Jake asked.

" I'm annoyed with her."

" Why? Is it because she's a Vasilia, Californian? "Diego also asked.

"Maybe, and she doesn't want to stop. She's always approaching. She's only bothering me."

" Really? Or are you just stubborn?" Jake added.

"You're angry because of Jae Sun, because she left you, and you see Jae with Althea, so you're getting mad at her. That's why you're annoyed." Diego said to me. I feel that Diego is somehow fitting. What did Althea do to me that I am so mad at her?

ALTHEA POV

Oh my! It's 8:50 in the evening, yet I'm still here at school, while Mitch is already at home by now.

I'm so tired. How in the world I got to clean the whole classroom of every department. Well, I have no choice but to do it.

While I was cleaning, I noticed Prince passed by. He is still here. He saw and approached me.

"What else are you doing here? It's already late, ah." He says.

"Uhm, this is in exchange for your punishment."

"Ah, really? So good luck then, it looks like you still have a lot to clean, so I have to go."

It was 10:40 in the evening when I finished cleaning. As I was walking home, I noticed Prince sitting on a bench in the park, so I approached him.

"PRINCE"

"You again? Why are you still here? It's late." Says Prince while in shock.

"I saw you. Are you waiting for someone?"

"Go home. It's too late."

"Are you waiting for someone?" I asked again.

"You know, you're annoying. Just go home." He told me.

"Sorry." I was about to leave when suddenly someone called Prince's name.

"PRINCE DE LA QUESTA"

Prince and I looked at where the voice came from, and we saw five men holding baseball bats. Who are they? They look like Prince's enemies.

"JASPER." said Prince.

"Are you with someone?" asked Jasper.

"I'm not with her, and I don't even know her." Prince replied.

"Oh, really?" There was a mixture of threats from the voice of Jasper.

"I came here because I want to negotiate. I'll agree with what you want."

"Really? But we don't!" Jasper's answer was serious. Oh my! I think he will catch a fight any time from now.

"Althea, go." Prince ordered

"You're with this beautiful woman then."

Jasper then commands one of his companions to block me.

"Don't touch her." Prince said.

"Why is that Prince? What are you going to do then?" said Jasper.

Suddenly, Prince's eyesight instantly sharpened, and at the same time, he rushed at the four men! Is this true? He knocked down the four guys fearlessly.

"Prince, are you alright?" I asked him. He looked at me, and he looked angry.

"I want you to erase from your mind the things you saw today. If you want to report me to the Dean tomorrow, that's up to you."

Why is he like that? Is this the side he's hiding? Is this the reason why Mitch doesn't want me to be involved with him?

"I'm not going to report you. You're not the one who started the trouble. They're the ones looking for a fight." I said again.

"Go home and forget what you saw." He said seriously.

MITCH POV

I thought Althea had already no plans to go home when she arrived at precisely 10:15 in the evening.

"Oh Mitch, you still awake?" she said.

"Hey! Althea! Where on earth did you go? I've been waiting for you." I shouted at her.

"Ah, at the campus. I have a punishment. I just finished it."

Is this girl's saying valid? Or maybe she's with Diego again. Hay, when will I be able to tell my cousin.

"Alright, I'll sleep then. Goodnight."

Look at that. She didn't even eat dinner. Why on earth did Althea become friends with Diego? Does she not know that they belong to a well-known youth fraternity here? Especially Prince, Prince, who founded that fraternity. I need to do something; I don't want my cousin to be hurt just because of them.

ALTHEA POV

OMG! My head hurts so bad. I'm sure you know why it's because of Prince. He ran through my mind all night, and I still can't get over what happened last night. In fairness, even though he's rude and annoying, he's still handsome and cute. When Mitch and I arrived at school, Diego and Jake approached me.

"Althea!." Mitch looks at me with a sharpened eye.

"Mitch, we have no bad intentions with you or even Althea. We just want to be friends with you." Said Diego.

"Diego's right Mitch, we have no ill intentions with the both of you." Jake promised.

"Don't fool me," Mitch said firmly.

"Mitch, that's enough, okay?" I scolded my cousin.

"Althea, you don't know them."

"I already know them, Mitch."

"How?" she asked.

"I was with Prince last night."

"You were with Prince last night!?" Jake asked in shock.

"Yes"

"So you lied to me last night?"

"Jake, Diego, I know there's something you're not telling me, especially you, Diego. I've been with you from the start."

"Yes, Althea, I'm so sorry." Diego replied.

"Admit it already. Who is Prince, the real Prince?" I asked with a toned voice.

"Prince is the founder of every gang fraternity in the entire village of Sta. Ana. Especially the" Jake said.

I was surprised by what I heard because Prince doesn't look like a gang lord.

"So he has a lot of enemies?"

"Yes, many are annoyed by him." Diego replied.

"Did you got into a fight last night?" Mitch asked.

"Yes." the three of them were surprised by my answer.

"Althea, you're going to die on what you're doing."

"Die? What are you, Mitch? I'm not their enemy."

"Mitch has a point. You can be in danger for what you're doing. They can come back to you especially they knew that you are acquainted with Prince." Jake said with a worried tone.

"Why are you even scared?" I said.

"Althea, don't you understand? didn't you hear what Jake said?" Mitch asked angrily.

"Of course, I heard it. I'm not deaf. "

"So you must stay away from Prince, okay?? " Mitch repeated.

"No. I can't." OMG! What's my answer all about?? Is Prince that important to me? My response was shocking.

"Why should I stay away from Prince? He's a good person, and I feel that he has a problem. That's why he can't smile like anybody else." I told them seriously.

"Althea, you are stubborn." my cousin said, angrily.

"Wait, are you by chance interested with Prince?"

What's the matter with Jake? His sudden question surprised me. And I don't like Prince; we just met in three days.

"Of course not! Why should I like him? And I just want to be his friend, not his girlfriend or lover. "I replied angrily to him.

"It's up to you then, Althea. I don't know about how you feel."

"Don't worry, Mitch, we'll take care of your cousin, okay?" said Jake.

"Just make sure of that, because if something bad happens to her, I'll kill you." wow, is that a death threat?

"Mitch, sorry." Diego said.

"For what?"

"Because we're always putting you in trouble, so you don't want us to be friends."

"Fine. You don't kill people, do you? " I suddenly looked at Mitch badly.

"Hey! We can't do that. We're still afraid of God." Jake said.

I'm sure Prince isn't that kind of person either.

"Fine, we're friends now." Hays, Mitch also gave up at the end. It's fun having them, Diego and Jake.

Wait, I've been paying attention to them for a while.

"Ahem, won't Prince come?" I asked.

"We don't know. He didn't text us either." Diego replied.

"Ah, that's right."

"Althea, are you sure you're just friends with Prince?" Jake teasingly asked.

"Of course."

"We know you can change Prince." Diego said.

"Why is he constantly gets into fights?" I asked again.

"He's been like that since ..." Diego suddenly stopped talking.

"Since what, Diego?" I asked again

"Since... Ay, whatever, you'll eventually know, it's tough to speak right now. "

"Ah, okay." I replied.

It seems that the problem Prince got is severe. And I want to know what it is.