Chapter 4 C

[Chapter 3]

"Jackfruit for your meal again? You guys are so rich, yet that's all you can afford?" asked our flamboyant classmate, Tiller, who claims to be Taylor Swift at night. He used to be part of our circle of friends, but he moved away because of Lyra. Lyra can be so over-the-top.

The two of them loved to tease each other, but it sometimes reached a point where it hurt feelings. Tiller has a sharp tongue, and sometimes I just want to shove an apple down his throat to make him quiet.

But we knew that wasn't the only reason he left our group. There was something deeper. He told us he confessed his feelings to Lyra, but she insulted him, which left our Taylor-oops, I mean, Tiller-hurt.

"Tiller, maybe you're forgetting that we're investors? We put all our money into investments every month so it doesn't get wasted on nothing," I jokingly rolled my eyes at him and continued eating.

Tiller is bisexual, so we weren't surprised when he liked a girl too. But of all the girls, it had to be Lyra? She's like she's possessed by some demon whenever she's around Tiller.

It's like Tiller has a Bluetooth switch that triggers Lyra's anger issues whenever she sees him.

Or maybe it's one of those enemies-to-lovers things? But sometimes I notice something between them. I'm not sure if it's just me, but I've seen them together a few times.

"Stop meddling, Tiller," Lyra snapped at him. I heard Tiller laugh, and I knew what was coming next-he was going to tease her again.

"What if you two end up together?" Amber suddenly asked, making both Lyra and Tiller look at her.

"What the heck, Amber?!"

"Eww, gross!"

They both said at the same time, making Nathalie and me burst out laughing. Good thing we didn't have food in our mouths. But honestly, they kind of suit each other. Lyra's just being dramatic.

"Myl," Vin suddenly appeared and handed me a soda, a Royal. My favorite!

"Yieeee!" The four teased me, so I rolled my eyes and looked at Vin, furrowing my brows. Vin is another one-he already has a girlfriend but still flirts around. That's why I've given up on the idea of forever. He's been with his girlfriend for five years, yet he still flirts with our classmate Alyssa. He even admitted to it back when we were in grade 11. And Alyssa likes him back, the idiot.

Vin's relationship with his girlfriend is also a mess because she cheats too. I don't know what's up with their lives. I have a crush on Vin, but I wouldn't go for him. I only like him because he's good-looking.

"Where did this come from?" I asked. Yeah, I knew it wasn't from him. Why? My instincts told me so, and besides, he's not the type to give gifts. He's stingy, especially with people other than his girlfriend.

"How did you know it wasn't from me?" he asked as I took the Royal from his hand.

"Well, you're not exactly generous, Vin. You only give stuff to your girlfriend, tsk!"

He scratched the back of his head.

"Your bodyguard sent it. Impressive, huh? First time you've brought a bodyguard, and he's a foreigner," he grinned, so I just shook my head.

"By the way, Myl, why do you have a bodyguard? Did something happen?" Amber asked, so I shrugged while sipping my drink.

"Nothing really. I don't know what they're up to. They said it's dangerous now, so I just went with it. Besides, he's hot." I replied after drinking and shrugged.

We finished eating, and someone invited me to play Tower of Hanoi.

"I'm going to beat you this time, Myl, hahaha!"

"You're such an idiot, Steven." We prepared the two Hanoi sets. He wanted to challenge me because, no matter what he does, he can't beat me in this game-it's all about speed, and I'm the fastest at it.

"Okay, your time starts now!" Leni shouted while holding her phone's timer. We started, and I grinned as I quickly moved the disks to the other side.

"Done!" I announced, laughing as I looked at Steven, who was frowning while still working on his Tower.

"One minute and 25 seconds. Not bad," Leni said. She walked over to Steven and patted his shoulder.

"It's okay, Steven, you're smart. You're just not fast." She laughed, which annoyed Steven, and they started chasing each other again.

Shaking my head, I returned to my seat. My friends were gone, busy with their own activities. Amber and Vin were drawing, Lyra was outside the classroom on her phone, and Nathalie was at another table, joining our classmates in their afternoon nap.

So I was the only one left in this row. I grabbed my phone and started watching TikToks since I had nothing else to do.

By 2 PM, no teacher had arrived, and soon one of Ms. Aquino's students came to tell us there would be no class because the teachers had a meeting.

My classmates were overjoyed and started heading home, but the four of us decided to hang out instead.

Nathalie wanted to find her "apple of the eye." I don't know what's up with her.

"Hey, Myl, there's a cute guy," Amber nudged me, but I ignored her as I was looking for someone. Where is he? I wanted him to buy me a snack-I'm hungry. I'm too lazy to go to the cafeteria, especially since it's probably crowded.

"Who are you looking for, Myl?" Lyra asked, raising an eyebrow, but my eyes landed on my target behind her.

I didn't say anything and hurried toward my stalker bodyguard. He wasn't looking at me, but when I got closer, he finally turned his head.

He was wearing a mask? How ridiculous. It's a shame because I know this guy is handsome, but I haven't seen his full face. All I've seen are his blue eyes. I'm sure he's good-looking-his hair, forehead, and eyes alone are enough. Not to mention his tall, muscular build, like he's a regular at the gym!

"Juan, I'm hungry. Buy me a snack. I want crispy tacos and lemonade. Two tacos, okay? And don't argue with me. I'm not in the mood to go to the cafeteria, especially since there's no class, so it's probably packed. I'll wait for you here. We're going for a walk."

I rambled on and turned back to my friends, who were left gaping at me.

"He's the bodyguard you were talking about, right? The one from earlier at the gate?" Amber asked immediately, and I nodded.

"Uh-huh, I just asked him to buy a snack because I was hungry." They shook their heads and we continued walking around. Luckily, it wasn't too hot.

"Your bodyguard has a nice build, Myl. He's probably good-looking too," Nathalie teased, and I rolled my eyes and smirked at her comment.

"I don't know. I only noticed his blue eyes and sharp nose," I shrugged while holding onto Amber's arm.

But no matter how handsome that guy is, if he does anything bad to me, my family, or my friends, I don't know what would happen to him. Well, I'll think about it. For now, I haven't noticed anything bad, so I'll let him be. Still, I have a feeling there's something off about him.

As long as he behaves, we'll get along just fine.

After a few minutes, I spotted him in his earlier spot under the tree, so I excused myself from the group since I wanted to eat. I don't like eating while walking, and besides, the others were still enjoying their search for whatever knick-knacks they were looking for.

"Thanks," I said after he handed me the snack he bought. I sat down next to him and opened the taco.

"There's no poison in this, is there?" I asked, feeling him freeze beside me, but I just shrugged it off and quietly ate.

"Want some?" I offered, but all I got was a shake of his head. I nodded and continued eating.

I stared ahead as I ate, but I could feel his gaze on me from the side. I ignored it and focused on enjoying the crispy taco. It's my favorite, especially with lemonade.

"Oh, by the way, I used your money to buy this. I'll pay you back later," I said after finishing one taco and starting on the next.

"Myl! Let's head back to the classroom. Lyra and Nathalie are heading home!" Amber called out to me from a short distance, so I picked up the trash from my taco, stuffed it in my pocket, and got up. I didn't want to litter and risk getting scolded by the principal. He's scary.

"I'm heading off, bye!" I waved at my bodyguard without waiting for him to speak. Well, even if I waited, it didn't seem like he would talk anyway.

We reached the room, and the two grabbed their bags, saying goodbye as they left. I checked the time and saw that it was already three o'clock. A few minutes later, Amber also said her goodbyes, so I joined her as we headed down the building.

On our way down the stairs, I spotted Mang Juan standing at the bottom, leaning against the wall.

And all I could think was...

Oh my gosh! He looks hot!

"Looks like your bodyguard's here, Myl. Bye, take care!" Amber said as we reached the last step.

"You too," I waved at her before turning to face my bodyguard-slash-driver. I still don't know why we suddenly needed a bodyguard, but somehow, I ended up with this stalkerish guy as mine. He probably charmed grandpa or something.

"Let's go," I said, leading the way to the back gate.

"Give me your bag." See, my bodyguard is so fancy, speaking English and all. Premium service. I didn't hesitate and handed him my bag immediately. No second thoughts here.

Once inside the car, I settled into the back seat. While I was on my phone, a notification from our class group chat popped up, and I squealed in excitement at the announcement.

But my happy squeal quickly turned into a yelp when the car suddenly braked, making me lurch forward into the back of the seat in front of me.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned, but I shot him a glare as I lifted my head.

"I was fine a moment ago, but not anymore. Ugh! Just drive," I snapped, adjusting myself and finally buckling my seatbelt to be safe.

The announcement was that we wouldn't have any classes for the whole week, and we'd be given review materials for the exam. Finally, some rest! But I'd need to study hard to make sure I pass.

We arrived home, and after the car was parked, I got out and headed inside with a smile on my face. As soon as I entered, I saw grandpa and grandma in the living room, so I went over to greet them.

"By the way, grandpa, were you the one who assigned me a bodyguard?" I asked him.

"Yes, we need to be extra cautious, especially with some of the mayoral candidates keeping an eye on me," he explained, and I just nodded. Grandpa is strict but sweet in a subtle way, and very protective, especially since most of his grandchildren are girls.

"But grandpa, I can take care of myself."

"We can never predict what will happen, dear. Even if you can take care of yourself, you're still a girl," he said, making me nod in agreement.

"Okay, grandpa, thank you." He nodded, so I left the living room. I heard mom's voice coming from the kitchen, so I headed there.

"Mom," I called out, seeing her busy cooking with the helpers.

"Oh, you're home, Madeline. Come here, I want you to taste something," she said with a smile. I approached her, and she handed me a cupcake. I happily accepted it and took a bite, but my smile faded as soon as I tasted it.

"Mom, I love you, but I'm not one for lying."

"W-why?" she asked nervously, especially when she saw the serious look on my face.

"It's delicious," I said with a laugh, but yelped when she playfully smacked me.

"You little rascal. Go get changed so I can finish this and we can eat," she said, rolling her eyes at me, and I shrugged with a grin.

I stopped when I noticed my bodyguard standing by the kitchen door, still wearing his mask and holding my bag. I gasped, remembering that he was the one who carried it for me. I quickly went over and took my bag from him.

"Oh, sorry. Thank you," I said, seeing him nod before I left to head upstairs to my room.

Once there, I rested for a bit before grabbing clothes from my closet and heading to the bathroom for a quick shower.

After changing into a sweatshirt and shorts that reached just above my knees, I looked more like a tomboy. I only dressed like this at home; when I'm out, I'm all about fashion.

When I went back downstairs, everyone was in the living room having snacks, but I was still full, so I just grabbed some popcorn and joined them to watch the movie, even though it wasn't my type. Grandpa was in control of the remote, so the movie was about war. I ended up just scrolling through my phone while munching on popcorn.