12.
chapter twelve:
what's up with
girls and secret
snickers?

"Guess that game worked perfectly!"

I craned my neck to look at Misty. The girl was smiling widely. I followed her gaze to find Drew visiting May in our class.

It was a fifteen-minute interval between classes. I loved them, especially since no teacher would show up, partly because of their meetings.

"Yeah. Lucky them."

Misty punched my shoulder, and I yelped as it stung. "Ouch, what the hell was that for?!"

"Stop sulking and be happy for them!"

I snorted. "I would be if that guy treated May right. You do realize how many girls are crazy for him, don't you?" I leaned on my desk and secretly took a peek at them.

May was ruffling the boy's hair, her face teasing. Drew, on the other hand, seemed to be masking his enjoyment. "Why wouldn't he? He's only had eyes for her, apparently. Dawn mentioned that."

I turned my eyes away from the pair, feeling that watching them would be a breach of the little privacy they could get in a crowded classroom. "I hope so. Or he'll have to taste my fist."

Misty let out a small scream. "Geez! You say the same thing about Gary—"

I turned on her sharply. "Of course I do. I don't like it when guys hurt a girl's feelings."

For some reason, the girl took on a softer look. "Is that because of your dad?"

I considered the question, doodling absentmindedly on my desk. Was that the reason?

Mom had always been a single mother. She never once discouraged me from doing anything. Sure, she made my ears throb whenever I did something reckless, but I couldn't exactly blame her.

I guess... If I had a kid of my own and that kid threw himself in front of a charging bull just so it wouldn't hurt his dog, I think I would be worried sick. Not to mention, I'd give him a piece of my mind, even if I were proud of him for wanting to protect his family.

But imagining raising one without a mother—that gave me shivers. As much as I liked kids, they could be a bit of a handful.

I chuckled softly, wondering how my mom even managed to tame my wild spirit when I was around her.

She had a partner who ran out on her for whatever reason. The loss of someone dear, the betrayal of that traitor, would still leave a scar deep down, even if she didn't show it. On top of that, there was this annoying, academic-bashing, reckless kid stuck at her hip. Maybe I should give her a call after school.

"Ash, I'm sor—"

"I guess that's the reason," I replied, cutting Misty off. "Even if Mom doesn't show how hurt she is, I can feel it. A child always feels it."

Misty smiled sympathetically and patted my back. "I get the feeling."

I shrugged, not meeting her eye. She was in a worse situation, with both her parents traveling all over the place and never visiting her or her sisters.

And her siblings were an awful lot, straight-up narcissistic just because they're the breadwinners. I wonder how she withstood their horrible treatment while here I was, about to end things when emotions flew out of hand. "I'm sorry."

Misty seemed to have caught on to my apology. "Don't be."

I gave a curt nod, and my eyes widened when I saw Gary approaching us. "Phew, I ain't getting on your soccer club, man!" he sighed as he plopped into a seat in front of us. I sat up straight, interested to hear what the boy had to offer. "That senior dude, Alain, has too many expectations from his candidates."

I couldn't control the laugh that escaped me. "I pretty much had that figured."

Gary shot me a nasty glare. "You could've told me."

"Wanted to see you suffer."

"Sadist!"

I snickered, then spotted Serena entering the classroom with Shauna and Lisia. She caught me looking and waved. I reciprocated the gesture sheepishly, embarrassed at being caught. "Alright!" I declared, bolting to my feet. Gary shot me a perplexed look.

"What?"

"He's going back to his place, you daft!" Misty supplied. The other boy narrowed his eyes at her.

"Who are you calling daft—"

"Guys," I interjected, taking a diplomatic stance. "Let me leave your sight before you begin bickering!"

"Then, shoot!" they said in unison, and I took it as a cue to run away from them. I slowed down upon reaching my desk and observed Serena chatting excitedly with the other girls.

"Oh, here comes Mister Ketchum!" Lisia exclaimed as I sat down.

"Good morning."

"Oh, you don't have to be so formal with us!"

Serena cocked her head to the right, as if to say, "You serious?" I shrugged in response.

"Well, I do tend to get a tad formal with those I'm not acquainted with."

"Let's get acquainted then!" The teal-haired girl finger-gunned and moved around to sit beside Shauna. "What, you waiting for the grass to grow, Serena?" She pointed her head to the vacant seat beside me, and I swear I caught the two girls snickering behind their hands.

Serena, however, rolled her eyes and looked at me. "May I sit here?"

It was my turn to smirk. "Say, Lisia, now who's being formal? Despite being well-acquainted, I mean."

Serena sighed. "That's called being polite."

"You don't have to be polite with me—"

"I was raised to be polite!"

I opened my mouth to retort, but Lisia beat me to it. "Serena's extraordinarily polite to those she li—ouch! What was that for, Shauna?!"

"She means those she listens to!" Shauna interjected, wearing a troubled smile. I nodded, perplexed. What in the world was going on? Why would Shauna kick her own friend and look troubled?

Serena looked the least troubled as she repeated her question. "So, can I?" She pointed at the empty seat. I nodded.

"Of course."

She obliged, and I turned away as she straightened her clothes. I was greeted by Lisia staring at me. I backed away a little, nervous under the attention. "Huh? You definitely didn't strike me as the shy type!"

The hell? "Pardon?"

"You heard me."

"Lisia!" Serena shrieked from beside me, and I plunged my fingers into my ears as everything turned to a soft buzz. I felt her warm hands on mine and turned to look at her. She gestured, and I removed my fingers from my ears.

"What?"

Serena chuckled. "Nothing. Do you want to join us in a game?" I raised an eyebrow, urging her to continue. However, it was Lisia who answered.

"You've got two options, Ketchum: Truth or Dare, or Truth or Truth."

She did not help my confusion. "I'm afraid I haven't heard of a game called Truth or Truth."

"Geez, Serena! I never expected this guy not to know our game!"

Serena held her hands up in protest. "For one, you don't know him that well either."

Lisia shrugged and dove into an explanation. "There's no dare in that," she paused dramatically. "However, all the questions will be, ah, juicy!"

I cringed, then coughed to cover it up. "It won't be that bad," Shauna hurried to reassure.

"It's your choice, though."

I considered the options. As dangerous as the latter sounded, declining it might tarnish my image in Serena's mind.

I opened my mouth to reply when Professor Sycamore entered. "Good morning, class! I'm here on an emergency errand! I need a few artistic hands!" he proclaimed. The entire class fell silent before a few hands shot up, Lisia's being the first, followed by Shauna.

"Are you okay with me helping Professor Sycamore?" Serena asked, her hand halfway up. I nodded with an encouraging smile and watched as she volunteered cheerfully. Professor Sycamore clapped his hands, clearly satisfied.

"We're having an inter-school visit tomorrow." He dived into the details, taking the dais. "And our student council will be visiting Anistar High, while their students will be coming here. We need to make sure each classroom is unique, and I want my class to show their artistic talent.

"If you're part of the creative clubs, then you can put up your work—be it photos, essays, or anything you've baked—to display in our classroom. If not, you can create something and fill the soft board." He glanced at the blank board mounted on the wall beside the Alolan students. "Make sure the crafts don't take away from the emphasis of the club works!

"As for materials, everything will be provided in the stationery. You may even take a trip to the library for origami books and things of that sort. If you're not much into crafting, you can choose to either draw greeting cards or parting cards for the students. There's another option too!" He winked and scanned us. "Put a playlist together! We'll merge all of them, make sure they contain appropriate songs, and play them throughout the campus tomorrow."

At this, several students cheered, and I found myself giving Lisia a high-five. "So, who's up for this?" Professor Sycamore concluded, raising a note and a pen to take down names.

Serena glanced at me, and I nodded in silent agreement. She did the same with her friends, then turned to give a thumbs-up to someone. I followed her gaze and found Calem signaling to her. I felt a pang of jealousy and tried to push it away. This isn't the time!

A few minutes passed as everyone exchanged looks, then signaled to the boy. He rose from his seat and spoke, "I think I speak for the whole class when I say all of us want to take part, Professor."

The man was overjoyed. He clapped his hands and quickly jotted something down. "I am super proud of my children!" he declared, giving the class a warm smile. I couldn't help but feel happy. Looking at his genuine joy, I wondered if I could at least volunteer to make him smile tomorrow because of our collective efforts. "If anybody needs any help, you need only approach me!"

My eyes slid to my friends, who were all grinning. Then, in surprising unison, the entire class shouted, "Yes sir!"

When he left the classroom, a smile etched across his face, Lisia turned to us. "What are you all doing? I'm only in the dance club, so I can't provide my works."

"I think all four of us can agree on that matter," Serena spoke up, pointing at Shauna, me, and herself. Lisia nodded and considered the options.

I knew, deep down, that even if we couldn't contribute our works, we had to at least put in effort to create something. We couldn’t let Professor Sycamore down, after all.

— 💌 —

Hey guys!
Here starts another arc, so buckle up for the journey!

P.S. how's the covers for this and teenage dream?

Thank you for reading!

Miyoko x