I spent several days at Mang Selyo’s house. Japen was there to assist me, and still, I didn’t know what was up with Dad. He hadn’t sent me back to the mansion for three days, and it had been four days since I first arrived here in San Fernando. Thankfully, Dad had sent over the necessary items I needed for university.
“It’s six o’clock,” Japen said. He pulled open the driver’s door and steered the car out of the driveway. A few minutes later, the car was cruising down the highway towards Cebu City.
“That’s okay. My class starts at eight o’clock.”
“Hmm…”
I just glanced out the window. I was sitting in the passenger seat as Japen had requested. He said he felt more like a driver when I was in the backseat. Ironically, he was indeed my driver.
“When are you going back to Naga?” Japen asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
I felt him glance at me briefly. “Would you like to visit the mansion?”
“You think I want that? Just drive straight to Cebu City.”
I didn’t hear another word from Japen after that. I sighed inwardly. I considered asking him questions, especially since we still had hours of driving ahead.
I smiled. “You attend classes?”
“It’s semestral break right now.”
I raised an eyebrow at that. Semestral break? That was odd. According to what Mang Selyo had said, Japen was attending a community college in San Fernando. And it was mid-October that day. My university classes had started back in August, and we were scheduled for semestral break in December to January. Perhaps his community college followed different academic calendars, running from June to March.
The car fell silent again. I entertained myself by looking out at the scenery passing by the window. We drove along the coastal south road and eventually hit traffic as we entered Cebu City. After all, Cebu City was the most urbanized city in the entire Cebu.
I got out of the car once we reached the university’s gates. I bid Japen farewell, and he just smiled before driving back to San Fernando. He said he would pick me up later in the afternoon.
I checked my watch. It was seven-thirty in the morning. I straightened myself up and took long strides towards the university entrance.
There was a long line at the entrance, so I waited my turn to get inside. Luckily, I hadn’t forgotten my ID, so I got through faster than the other students who had forgotten theirs. Then, I embarked on the long journey through the hallways teeming with rooms and students.
My first class that day was Logic Design, and I couldn’t remember which classroom the professor used. On the fourth floor of the Dalgona Building, there were numerous identical doors that I struggled to differentiate. I couldn’t recall where exactly my professor’s classroom was.
It was only our third meeting, even though it had been nearly three months since the class had started. He was the department chair in Computer Engineering, so our schedules didn’t align well, especially with his many meetings. Our class mayor would text if the Logic Design professor was available at the time. That’s when my batchmates and I would rush to his classroom. It was tough not being able to attend Professor’s class even once. Thankfully, the mayor handed out notes, but I still hadn’t read them, so they remained useless to me. Maybe I’d read them when midterm exams approached.
“Azora, do you still not know where Sir’s classroom is?”
I turned to the speaker. It was Skylar, one of my Logic Design classmates. I smiled at him and glanced at the watch on my wrist. “It’s almost time.” I looked back up at him. “Do you know where it is?”
He chuckled and playfully pinched my nose. “Follow me.”
So I did as he said, following him to the end of the hallway. There, I finally spotted a room that looked different from the rest. Ah… why hadn’t I noticed this one before?
Skylar opened the door and gestured for me to enter first. I gave him a slight smile and stepped inside. I saw that there were already many students inside. Luckily, the room wasn’t full yet, so there were still seats available for me and Skylar. We settled at the farthest back row. Most students preferred sitting at the front, but I preferred the back.
“Where are you headed later?” Skylar suddenly asked.
I turned to him. He was looking straight ahead with his arms crossed. Professor hadn’t arrived yet, so we were still free to chat. I shrugged. “Just going to buy some stuff. Why?”
He glanced at me, our eyes meeting. “I heard you like having lunch with Anthony Clasiso.”
My breath caught at the mention of Anthony’s name. Just when I thought no one would dare bring up his name after the incident. I cleared my throat and looked away. “I prefer to eat alone,” I said coldly, crossing my arms.
I felt my mood sour that morning. I sat there, feeling slightly annoyed with Skylar. I didn’t want to hear anything about Anthony. I mean, I wasn’t the one who caused his death. Why were they asking me so much about Anthony? And after that incident, shouldn’t they have at least respected the memory of Anthony by keeping quiet?
A few hours later, we were dismissed. I quickly packed up my things. I wanted to get out of the classroom immediately because I felt suffocated. Especially when I sensed Skylar staring at me suspiciously. Ugh, I hated being watched by someone.
I hurried out and let out a sigh of relief as I felt the fresh air outside the classroom. Skylar was still inside, and I hoped he wouldn’t follow me. But then I realized he probably wouldn’t, especially since we weren’t really friends, just batchmates who happened to have one class together. At least we wouldn’t see each other for a few days.
As I walked down the hallway, I could feel some students’ gazes on my back. I stopped and glanced behind me. Hmm, no one was staring at me. They were all busy reading notes, and some were briskly entering and exiting classrooms.
I swallowed hard and shook off the feeling. I hurried down the stairs. I almost tripped but thankfully, a tall guy caught my arm.
“Careful, Miss. No one’s chasing after you,” he said.
I gave him a fake smile and thanked him before descending the stairs.
Contrary to what the guy said, I had a strong feeling that someone was staring at me-or rather, people were staring at me. Goosebumps rose on my neck as I waited for the students in front of me to descend the stairs fully. I didn’t know who it was, but I felt like someone was there, watching me!
Lost in thought, I bumped into a solid body.
“Hey, watch your step!” a tall guy yelled. I thought he was a senior student.
I apologized and hurried away. I was sweating profusely as I ran towards the canteen. I figured I was just hungry, which was why I was feeling all sorts of things.
I ordered a variety of foods and drinks. I finished them all. This time, I noticed several students staring at me. Most of them were my classmates. I sighed in relief. At least I knew they were actually staring at me.
I even felt a bit bewildered by how happy I was that they were staring. Well, feeling like someone was watching me when no one was there was worse than actually being stared at. At least I could see them.
After finishing lunch, I searched for the classroom for my next class. A few hours later, the clock struck four in the afternoon. The professor dismissed us, so I packed my things into my bag and walked out of the classroom, exhausted.
All I wanted at that moment was to see Japen outside. After such a long and exhausting day, all I wanted was to lie down in my bed.