Chapter 2 Classroom and Cold Stares

Chapter 2: Classroom and Cold Stares

The following day, I awoke with the sunrise, my first thought to prepare breakfast.

I cooked hotdogs, eggs, and rice for my step-siblings.

I didn't linger to eat, my heart already thrumming with anticipation as I hurried to shower and dress for school.

Today, I was a college student.

"Let's head out together," Adrian said to me, his smile warm. I nodded, agreeing readily.

"Yes, children, go together. Here, this is your allowance for the day. Be careful," Mama said affectionately, handing us each our share.

"Thank you, Mama."

Adrian and I rushed out of the house after getting ready for school.

My heart pounded with pure excitement. I was finally going to college. I was a college student! My heart felt like it was doing joyful leaps within my chest.

The journey was slightly slowed by traffic, but it was swift enough as Adrian navigated the roads on his motorcycle to get us to school.

We immediately searched for our shared classroom. Thankfully, we were classmates.

I also glanced at my notes to check my class schedule.

A wave of nervousness washed over me as I entered the classroom.

So many eyes turned towards me. I couldn't decipher their thoughts.

I quietly looked for an empty seat when a group of female students suddenly blocked my path.

"What are you doing here? Who are you? Are you a transferee?" one of my classmates demanded.

"You don't seem to fit in here. Are you sure you're a college student and not a janitress?" another one sneered, her eyebrow arched disdainfully.

I saw Adrian begin to stride towards us, but I was taken by surprise when another girl suddenly appeared.

She was cute, with a noticeably full figure, short brown hair, and long, striking eyelashes.

"Leave her alone. She's a transferee student. Please be kind to her," she stated firmly.

"What business is it of yours, Yana?! You're already annoying, and now you're being a weirdo too!" one of the girls retorted angrily.

"You haven't changed a bit," Yana shot back, her voice laced with conviction.

"So immature, and so insecure. You try to elevate yourselves by stepping on others. You're all so pathetic." Even I was impressed by her boldness. I wished I could be that assertive.

"You're the pathetic one! You're a boyfriend snatcher! A flirt!" another girl yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Yana.

"This is nonsense. Come on, let's get out of here before the professor arrives late," Yana said to me with a reassuring smile.

I accepted her offer, and we headed to the library.

It was quiet there, with only a few people around. It was also pleasantly cool.

"Sorry about that, okay? Those harpies are just embarrassing with their behavior towards transferees. They're just insecure. Anyway, I'm Allyana, but you can call me Yana. And you are?" she said to me with a friendly smile.

"Rain," I replied simply.

"You're beautiful. Don't pay any mind to what those ugly creatures said. They're the ones who look like janitresses," she said matter-of-factly.

"Thank you so much," I said, smiling gratefully. "Thank you for defending me against them."

"Oh please, who else would help each other out if not us beautiful people?" she joked, followed by a laugh.

"Have you been studying here for a long time?" I asked her.

"Hmm, only four years since high school. I know those girls. They're just vile and brainless, completely classless, dear. So, they're not worth our time," she informed me.

"I wish I could be as brave as you," I said with a wry smile.

"You have to be, girl, especially with those kinds of people. They're not even our classmates; they just loiter in our classroom and have the audacity to bully transferees!" she said, her voice filled with irritation and anger.

"Really? They're not our classmates?"

"Yes, thank goodness, right? Otherwise, we'd probably be at war in class every day, hahaha. But I'll defend you anyway. I just can't stand seeing anyone left out or bullied," she said seriously.

"You're so kind. Thank you again," I said, smiling my gratitude.

"It's nothing. We're friends now, okay? Let's have lunch together, and oh my gosh, let's cut class! Let's go shopping and wander around! Just kidding, hahaha," she said playfully.

I noticed she had a cheerful and lighthearted personality. She was easy to be around.

"What about your friends?" I asked her.

"I don't have any friends anymore. Those girls who bullied you earlier, they used to be my friends, but they all cut me off. They got angry at me because they said I stole one of our friend's boyfriends, which isn't even true. They're liars and would do anything to ruin someone. Luckily, I didn't let those ugly people win," she explained.

A pang of sadness resonated within me at her words. Her friends had abandoned and slandered her. It must have been incredibly difficult for her, but she didn't show any signs of being burdened, radiating a strong and resilient aura.

"I developed trust issues with friends. Honestly, I don't want to get attached anymore. But I couldn't stand it earlier when I saw them ganging up on you. I couldn't bear not to intervene and defend you. I won't let them do what they did before again," she said seriously.

"You're so kind. I wish I had your courage," I said.

She chuckled.

"What 'I wish I had' are you saying? Hahahaha. Just don't let those people bully you, don't let them trample on you. You have to be strong, girl," she advised me with a smile.

"I'll try," I said earnestly.

"That's my girl! Oh my gosh, our class is about to start soon. Let's go back to the classroom," she said hurriedly, and we quickly walked back.

We rushed into our classroom and looked for seats, settling in the third row, side by side.

A few minutes later, the professor arrived.

Unlike high school, there were no lengthy introductions for everyone; only the transferee students introduced themselves.

We transferees stood up and introduced ourselves.

"Good morning. My name is Rainzelle Vaness Claudia," I said simply and sat down.

The other transferees introduced themselves as well; there were quite a few of us.

The last transferee to introduce himself was a fair-skinned and tall guy with dark brown hair, gentle features, a prominent nose, good looks, and he wears glasses.

"Hello, good morning. My name is Devan Elijah Shih," he said with a smile.

An inexplicable feeling stirred within me. I found myself gazing at him, a strange and unfamiliar sensation taking root. I dismissed it as nothing.

On our very first day, we were immediately assigned a group activity to do in pairs, and my partner was Devan.

The task was simply to converse and interview each other. Since our course was Psychology, this was supposedly to enhance our listening, communication, and questioning skills.

It was also a great way for classmates to get to know each other better, especially with so many transferee students.

"Hello, my name is Devan. What's yours?" he asked me.

"Rain," I replied simply.

"Rain? Hmmm, when's your birthday? And what's your favorite color?" he inquired.

"July 7th. My favorite color is blue. How about you?" I asked him.

"January 12th. I'm a Capricorn. My favorite color is black. By the way, was psychology your first choice of course?" he asked me.

"Definitely. It's always been my dream to become a psychologist someday, to help those with mental health illnesses. I'm a good listener and have empathy. I'll do everything to make that dream come true," I said, sharing my aspirations with a smile.

"Wow, good luck with your dreams. Same here, I really like this too. I actually went through an existential crisis and depression before. It was incredibly tough, but here I am now, studying Psychology. My first client was myself, haha," he said with a smile. He was easy and cheerful to talk to.

"Good luck to you too," I said, smiling.

"Hey, that's anime! You watch anime too?" he asked, staring at my phone wallpaper.

I had accidentally pressed my phone, revealing my Miyamura from Horimiya wallpaper.

"Yes, I love anime. Do you too?" I asked him.

"Wow, really? That's amazing! I'm already on episode 733 of One Piece. It's a true masterpiece! And your wallpaper is beautiful too, Horimiya. What anime have you been watching recently?" he asked me excitedly.

"Demon Slayer... I have a crush on Inosuke..." I confessed. He suddenly burst out laughing.

"You're awesome! Good thing you're an otaku too. Inosuke is solid! My crush is Mitsuri, she's so cute, and Kanao, hays, I'm in love, haha," he said, still chuckling.

"What other hobbies do you have?" I asked him.

"Hmm, I love playing online games, I also enjoy listening to music, and I'm a big collector of anime merchandise. Want to join me? There's an anime fan meeting on Saturday, it's going to be awesome!" he invited me excitedly, his face lighting up.

I couldn't help but smile; he looked like an adorable kid.

"I'd love to, but I have a lot of household chores to finish. I need to do laundry, clean... so many things at home," I said.

"That's sad. You're like Cinderella, but you're really hardworking! It's okay, maybe when you're free. What's your Facebook name, by the way? I'll add you," he asked, handing me his phone.

I typed my Facebook name and showed it to him.

"Whoa, your profile pic is so cute! It's Miku Nakano. Pfftt, you guys kind of have the same vibe, haha," he said, laughing as he looked at my profile picture.

My cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and I avoided his gaze.

I decided to change the subject.

"How's your family, by the way? Where are you in the sibling order?" I asked him curiously.

"Second, I'm a middle child, but I don't have middle child syndrome, I'm a good boy, I think, hehe. Things are okay at home, my parents' work is quiet, and my siblings are in their own worlds. How about you?" he asked in return.

"My parents are gone. I don't have many memories of them. The only family I have now is my stepmother and my step-siblings," I said somberly.

"Oh, man, you really are like Cinderella. Is it okay to talk about that? I'm a little worried you might cry, and damn, I'm not good at comforting people," he said with concern.

I couldn't help but chuckle at his way of speaking; it was endearing.

"It's okay with me," I said with a small smile.

"Still feels scary though, it's a sensitive topic. Let's change the subject. What's your type in a guy?" he asked, his curiosity and interest evident.

I swallowed hard at his question. It felt even more uncomfortable to answer than our previous topic. I pondered my response.

"Maybe someone with green flags like Tanjiro, as kind as Kazehaya, and as cool as Miyamura," I replied with a smile.

"Wow, high standards, but that's okay. I'm even greener than those guys, haha," he joked, grinning at me.

"What about you? What's your type in a girl?" I asked him in return.

"Hmm, maybe someone as cute as Nezuko, as beautiful as Itsuki Nakano, as sexy as Boa Hancock, and as kind as Hinata Hyuga," he said with a smile.

"Our answers are so out there, haha, so far from reality," I said, laughing.

"That's how it is, but who knows, right? Maybe someone like that actually exists," he said hopefully.

"You're so delusional, enough already," I said, giggling, and he pouted. Cute!

"Delusional, huh? Oh, I have something to give you. Here, I have a Gojo keychain I just won at the arcade. You can have it if you want?" he offered, showing me the Gojo keychain.

My face lit up as he placed it in my hand.

"Whoa, it's so cute! Really, it's for me?" I asked him.

"Nope, never mind, I'm taking it back," he said. "Just kidding, haha, just teasing. It's really yours."

"You're so kind, thank you for this, thank you!" I said happily, gazing at the keychain with delight.

"Okay class, go back to your respective seats and please answer the questions I wrote on the whiteboard regarding your interview with your partner."

I smiled.

Talking to Devan felt so easy and light.

You wouldn't immediately think he was so friendly and approachable because he looked serious, though his features were gentle.

At first, I thought he was quiet. I never imagined we had quite similar vibes, especially with anime. He was so easy to talk to, and I wished we could have talked longer.

Our conversation earlier felt cut short.

A little while later, the professor announced that it was lunch break.

Yana and Devan immediately approached me.

"Come on, sis, let's have lunch together," Yana said to me with a bright smile.

"Nah-uh, Rain's having lunch with me. We're best friends. Back off, girl," Devan declared playfully.

"Huh? I was her first friend since this morning! Right, Rain? We're having lunch together, right?" Yana insisted, looking at me.

"She's going to choose me. We have the same vibes, and we both love anime. We still have so much to talk about, right, Rain?" Devan countered.

"She's not choosing either of you because she's eating with me," Adrian suddenly said, having appeared silently beside me.

"And who are you?" Yana asked with a sharp tone.

"I'm Rain's brother," Adrian replied, his voice serious and cold.

"Hays, don't fight. Let's all have lunch together, okay? We only have 20 minutes for lunch, we might not even get to eat if we keep this up. Let's go," I said, pulling the three of them towards the cafeteria.

The four of us sat down after buying our lunches. An awkward silence hung in the air between the three of them, with only Yana chattering away. Adrian was engrossed in his phone while eating.

I noticed Devan seemed to be subtly glancing at me, or was I just imagining things?

"Wait a moment, I'm just going to get some water," I excused myself to get a drink.

As I was walking, someone suddenly bumped into me, and a full cup of iced tea spilled all over my uniform.

The iced tea was still full of ice. The girls who bumped into me burst into laughter.

"Oh, sorry, girl. Sorry if we spilled iced tea on you. We didn't know you were so clumsy and careless. My bad," one of them said with a sneer, rolling her eyes.

Her companions joined in her laughter. There were six of them.

I just looked down, staring at my uniform now soaked in iced tea and ice.

I heard other students laughing and making insulting remarks.

The next thing I knew, Adrian, Devan, and Yana had confronted the girls who had bumped into me.

I saw Yana grabbing the hair of the girls who had spilled the drink on me. Adrian had the other girls by their collars.

Meanwhile, Devan approached me, his face etched with concern, and handed me his blue handkerchief, helping me clean myself up.

The commotion between Yana, Adrian, and the iced-tea-spilling girls continued.

Suddenly, a bald man in glasses and formal attire appeared, his face contorted in anger, and bellowed:

"What's this commotion all about?! YOU! YOU! YOU! YOU! YOU! AND YOU! GO TO THE GUIDANCE OFFICE! NOW!!!"