“Lemon!”
Lemon quickly turned around when she heard that familiar voice. It was Rawbin, and he was sprinting at her. She looked at her, stared at her, and muttered a case.
“How did you know?” She asked, but instead of answering Lemon, he looked behind her. When Lemon turned around, she saw Drew.
‘How many times has he saved me today? He even told Rawbin about it, and I haven’t even thanked him, not once!
“You can go home now,” Kippler informed his cousin. She didn’t even notice that he’s joined them, along with Kellen. “Keep this, and you need to present this tomorrow to our teachers,” then she looked at the paper he gave her. It’s an excuse letter and a medical certificate from the school clinic.
“I’ll go to the studio. I can’t go home looking like this,” Lemon told her cousins.
“Much better. I’m pretty sure Tita Tori won’t let go of this,” Kellen agreed.
“How’s Tanya?” She asked, and they all looked at her like she was some clown. Although she’s mad at Tanya, she understands her issue and why she acted like that. She was hurt too.
“And you’re still asking about that ‘she devil’? I give up on you, Lem! I think we can already put up a statue for you,” Roj commented as he shook his head.
She nudged him and smiled lazily, “Calm down, I was just asking.”
“She went home after what happened. Her nose won’t stop bleeding, and parts of her head were swelling. Tanya’s uniform got ripped on the front too. So she has no choice,” Kevz informed her.
“You’re pretty scary, you know?” Roj told her. “You were against three, but you still got her hard,” and what he said made her pout.
“Congrats to her. At least that’s all she got! If I were Lem, I would’ve given her a taste of Judo!” Kale butted in while feasting on his food. He didn’t even bother looking at us as he said that. He just focused on his food.
“You did judo?” Roj asked, and Lemon nodded hesitantly.
“You’re a dead meat Llamansares if you don’t behave!” Kevz threatened, bursting into laughter and everyone joined in.
Everyone except Drew. He managed to maintain his usual poker face while staring at his hands clasped on top of the table. No one can read his expression. It was too blank.
Lemon let out a sigh then she stood up. “So, I’ll go to the studio. I’ll see you guys later or tomorrow.” She decided to leave as she was starting to feel dizzy. She wanted to rest too.
“Go with her, Rawbin,” Kellen told him, and he nodded immediately. He decided to buy her food first as she hadn’t eaten lunch yet.
“We’ll go there right after our classes,” Kevz added before they all turned to leave.
“I’ll just take her to the parking lot,” Rawbin told the guard, and he opened the gate for them.
When Gab, Lemon’s driver, saw them, his forehead immediately creased, “You’re going home now, ma’am?”
“Just call me Lemon, Gab,” she frowned, and he nodded as he scratched the back of his head. “Take me to the studio, I’m not feeling well, but I don’t wanna go home yet,” she told him before she turned to Rawbin. “You can go back. I’m fine here.”
“Are you sure? I can go to the studio with you,” he said while caressing her cheek.
Lemon shook her head and held onto his hand, “I’m fine. Don’t miss your classes because of me,” she pouted.
She feels guilty when she recalls how they’re all willing to miss their afternoon classes because of her. She could’ve avoided the incident. She could’ve just ignored Tanya.
“Okay then,” he agreed before kissing her forehead. “Don’t forget to eat your lunch,” he reminded me before opening the car’s door.
When she arrived at the studio, Lyra welcomed her, looking worried. Lemon explained everything to the woman and told her she’d just send a message to her mother.
As she sat on the couch, she checked her wristwatch. It was only thirty minutes past eleven in the morning. Since it’s still early, Lemon decided to go for a nap. She’s not yet hungry anyway.
Placing a pillow on one end of the couch, she lay down and forced herself to sleep. Her body and her wounds hurt.
In addition to that, her heart hurts for Tanya too. It’s wrong to get into a fight with her, especially if it’s because of a guy.
Lemon had no idea how long she slept. But she woke up to someone combing her hair. Rubbing her eyes, she turned to her side to see who it was.
She was expecting Lyra, but when her vision cleared, she saw a pair of sad, light-brown eyes. It was Drew, and she didn’t know why she automatically smiled at the sight of him.
“Lyra said you haven’t eaten yet. I prepared the food for you,” then he gestured to the dining table.
She looked at her watch, and it was fifteen minutes before two. She slept for almost three hours, but it didn’t change how she felt. She’s still in pain.
Lemon pushed herself up, but she fell back on the couch again. She got dizzy and Drew panicked when he saw that. “Hey, are you okay?
Nodding at him and smiling lazily, she tried standing up again. “I should have stood up slowly.”
He helped her to the dining table, and when she was seated, he turned to leave. “Drew…” Lemon called. Drew’s browns shot up when he turned to face her. “Can you please stay and eat with me?
She’s not used to eating alone as she finds it saddening. Drew hesitated for a moment, but then he pulled a chair after a while.
“Eat a lot. You look pale,” he said with authority, so Lemon looked at him.
“Drew…” her voice cracked, and she suddenly felt a lump in her throat. It felt weird.
‘I just wanted to thank him for everything he did for me, but why is it so hard to do? Is it because he’s so distant from me?’
Although they’re together often, as they’re in the same band, she still can’t call him her friend. They haven’t even talked for more than 10 minutes.
“Thanks for what you did earlier. I didn’t thank you right away because you suddenly left.”
Drew let out a sigh as he put his utensils down. “I didn’t do that to save you. I did that because I didn’t want to taint the band’s name. We don’t engage in brawls. As much as possible, we try to maintain a clean image in and out of the school, and I won’t let your dramas ruin that,” his voice was chilling.
Even if she wants to deny it, she can’t. Lemon was hurt by what he said. She knows he’s aware that it wasn’t her fault. He just defended herself.
Then again, Drew was right. She’d dragged the band to her troubles, especially if she paid more attention to Tanya.
Lemon let out a sigh. She wanted to reason out but chose not to. She nodded to let him know that she understood what he meant.
She continued eating quietly, and Drew did the same. The freezing aura radiating from him is still up in the air. She knew he wasn’t like that to the rest of their members, but to Lemon, he’s always been so cold, so distant.
After eating, Drew helped her back to the couch. Then Drew called Lyra to clean up the table before he headed upstairs.
Lemon can still feel the pain from his words, but she can’t pinpoint why she’s so affected. Is it because they’re bandmates, and she expects them to be friends? She doesn’t know.
As she lay down, Lemon tried figuring out the reason for his attitude toward her, but she simply couldn’t. So instead of getting stressed, she just listened to their song lineup with her eyes closed.
‘One day I’ll know why…’