Chapter 7 New People, Good and Bad

"What is your problem?" Lemon asked Tanya, glaring at her and her minions.

Back in France, she could pull her hair and wipe her face on the floor, but she was in a different place. She can't be too aggressive.

"Nothing, but I can give you one if you want," Tanya sneered.

Lemon was holding her temper as she didn't want to hurt anyone. If she could use Judo for violence, she would have thrown her away without saying anything.

"As far as I know, I don't want any problem either, and I bet you wouldn't want to have a problem with me," Lemon smiled as she sent a warning.

Fear crossed the girl's face, but it only lasted for several seconds. It was immediately replaced by annoyance when she heard one of her minions chuckle.

"You can ask for trouble from us if you want broken bones," Kale added, crossing his arms over his chest.

Both of them took Judo classes in France. They also did swimming and gymnastics. That was how much free time they had back then.

"Stop trying to scare me. You're new here, yet you're already acting like you're somebody," Tanya almost yelled.

"Scare you? It's too early for Halloween, Miss. Besides, it's not our style to act like somebody because we are indeed somebody, whether you like it or not," Kale responded, eyeing the girl from head to toe. "You stop with the attitude. You're not even pretty!"

"Gay!" Tanya shouted, looking like she had already run out of things to say. She then turned around to leave.

"Since birth!" Kale yelled back, and those who heard it laughed. Kellen and Audrey then pulled them inside the cafeteria.

"The heck is wrong with her?" Kale asked, obviously annoyed, as he sat down near the entrance.

"She's always like that to all transferees. It's a disease she was born with," Audrey informed them.

"I understand if she's insecure, we're all beauties anyway. I think she sees us as a threat because she didn't even meet the standards," Kale ranted as he laughed out loud.

Lemon shook her head in disbelief. Disbelief in the reality that they encountered something like this on their first day. She saw this in teen flicks but not in real life.

Regardless, all she knew was that Kale got her back in situations like this, and so did she. They never left each other behind in words and acts.

"Hi to my beautiful partner!" Kevz greeted Lemon as he placed an arm on her shoulder. "We thought you headed to our hangout, so we headed there from the gym," he pouted as he sat beside her. Kevz was referring to the mango tree Kellen showed them earlier.

Sitting in front of Lemon were Kellen and Audrey. Both of them were blushing. Seeing that alone, she didn't have to turn around to know that Kip and the rest of the group had arrived.

"Your hand! Don't forget that's my cousin," Kip called Kevz out as he brushed his arm off his cousin's shoulder.

"She's your cousin, but she's my partner too. You're too dirty-minded!" Kevz rebutted with a chuckle.

"You can put your arm on my shoulder Kevz," Kale offered, causing everyone at the table to laugh.

"You can ask Drew to do that for you. He's next to you anyway," and the laughter grew louder.

However, Kale couldn't even turn his head to look at Drew. He knew the guy was a snob and was afraid to play jokes on him, especially when he was already frowning.

"Let's eat!" Homme invited, and everyone stood up.

"I'll buy your food, Partner! Since it's your first day here, it's my treat," Kevz told her, so she sat down again.

"Thanks, Partner!" Lemon yelled as Kevz walked towards the food counter.

"What about you, Kel? Aren't you going to eat yet?" Kip asked his twin.

"We're buying too. Let's go, Aud!"

Before Kip could walk away, Drew called him back, "Buy me some too. My feet hurt," he said, and Kip nodded in response.

When she turned to her side, Lemon realized it was just her and Drew on the table. He was humming to a song she was unfamiliar with, but when he noticed she was looking at him, he smiled unexpectedly.

"Is Kevz courting you?" he asked frankly. Lemon creased her forehead and shook her head. "I see! I thought he was already courting you."

"We're seatmates. Maybe Kevz was just trying to be comfortable," defending her new friend, and Drew just shrugged.

After a while, Kevz came back with a tray of food. "Beefsteak for my beautiful partner," he announced. "Kale told me that's your favorite," then he placed the plate on the table.

"Thanks!" she said as she helped him take the rest of the plates off the tray.

When Kellen, Audrey, and the other guys returned, they started eating and conversing. The table eventually overflowed with indistinct chatter and laughter.

It was the same back at the billiard hall, and Lemon couldn't help but enjoy the moment. If it was always like this, it was only a matter of time before she became as crazy as them.

"I wanted the crew's banana," Kale said, pursing his lips as he pointed at the guy behind the counter. "But it's too small, and it seemed pinched several times," and he let out a hearty laugh, causing the students inside the cafeteria to look at their table.

"Do you want my banana, Kale? It's big, and it looks fresh," Roj offered. He said it with innocence, so Lemon knew he had no idea Kale was being naughty.

"Really?" Kale exclaimed. "Are you really offering me your banana, Roj?" he tried to confirm, and it was only then that Roj realized what he was referring to, so he blushed.

"You silly! I'm talking about this banana!" Roj spat at him, pointing at the poor fruit on his tray.

Mika suddenly roared in laughter, "I'm referring to that banana," then he pointed at the one on the tray. "What banana were you thinking? Roj~ I didn't know~" he teased, and Roj turned tomato red out of embarrassment.

"I didn't know you had hidden desires towards Mika. Imagine, you're even offering him your banana!" Kevz teased, but Roj just scowled at him.

Lunch ended with nothing but laughter and teasing. They rested for a while, and then Kip bade everyone goodbye as they had basketball practice.

Lemon, Kellen, Audrey, and Kale went to their hangout spot. They continued resting before restarting their campus tour. They were even singing to let time pass.

After resting enough, Kellen pulled them toward the audio-visual room on the first floor. Then they headed to the library and then the auditorium.

And, of course, their last stop was the gym. There was an Olympic-sized pool that was used by college students, too. There is a college gym used for basketball and volleyball matches.

They entered the gym and headed straight to the bleachers behind the players. They were busy with their practice, and their coach even shushed them when Kale tried cheering for the team.

"Ten minutes break," said the basketball coach, and the players dispersed. Some went to sit on the bench, some lay down on the court, and others went to the comfort room.

"You skipped library period?" Kevz asked Lemon, but it was Kellen who responded to him.

"We asked to be excused. We're showing Lemon and Kale the campus," she explained, and Kevz nodded in understanding.

"Who are they?" one of their teammates asked Kevz.

"She's Kippler's sister," he quickly responded, and the guy frowned.

"I know Kellen, I mean her," he replied, pointing at Lemon. She felt Kale nudging her side and saw his teasing smile, but she ignored him.

"Oh, she's my partner. Why? Do you like her?" Kevz asked frankly.

"I was just asking!" the guy snapped.

"Fine! These are Lemon and Kale. They're transferees from France. My beautiful partner, meet the oldest player on our team, Rawbin," Kevz continued, and Rawbin smacked the back of his head.

He then faced them and extended his hand, "Rawbin Llamansares, Miss," introducing himself. Lemon was about to reach out for his hand when someone took it.

"Kale Felipe," her friend butted in, followed by a cutesy laugh.

"You can just call me Lemon," she responded timidly, reaching for the lad's hand to shake it.

Rawbin nodded, and it took him a while to let go. Thankfully, their coach called them back to continue with their practice.

But, of course, the pink can't settle down. If Kale had pompoms, he would have started cheering for the guy they met.