CHAPTER 2

After Michelle announced to all our classmates that she and Kevin were officially dating, some of my classmates glanced at me with a sadden expressions. They were quiet and even seemed to feel sorry for me. What for? I noticed Michelle tightly clinging to Kevin's arm, as if she's telling everyone that Kevin belonged to her. Suddenly, I stood up and requested for their attention. "Guys, you don't have to look at like that. I am good," I informed them. "But Kevin is your boyfriend. How can you let Michelle to insult you like this, Jamie? Come on!" I raised an eyebrow at the woman speaking who was also Michelle's seatmate. "Ahhh...I'm sorry Kendra, I don't understand you. In what way is Michelle insulting me?" "By taking your boyfriend," Kendra replied. As I listened to Kendra, I realized that Kevin didn't lie about his claim this morning. Everyone assumed we were dating. When I glanced him, he couldn't meet my eyes. Was he embarrassed? Since Michelle and I were in our first year, there was competition between the two of us. From being the top one in the class, and making more friends. Once again, I looked at Kevin and I was disgusted at the way he stayed too close with Michelle. Kevin would have been smart, why didn't he use his brain and just fool Michelle? "Oh, I'm sorry if I haven't updated you on the events of my life. Yes, you're right. Once, I had a crush on Kevin, but it was a long time ago. I was just a kid that time. Apparently, the infatuation has faded and I moved on," I lied. "What?" Michelle asked in disbelief and when she snorted, I was convinced she was just using Kevin to get back at me. "I said, Kevin hasn't been my crush for a long time. It's just you guys making up your own story. You are so updated with my love life!" It looked like Michelle was taken aback by my answer because she glared at me. "Liar!" Michelle screamed. My ears rang when Michelle suddenly screamed. "And now I'm the liar out of the two of us? Be ashamed of what you are saying, Michelle." "I know you're just lying, Jamie. We all have crushes and we both know that Kevin is your crush!" The woman really insisted on her belief even though I denied it several times. "I don't know if you're really smart or deaf. Didn't you hear what I said? It's been a long time since I liked Kevin here at our school. Are neighbors not allowed to go to school at the same time? Besides, I already have a boyfriend, and his name is Brent." In an instant, everyone looked at the guy I implicated. Brent was unaware and unconscious. Literally, unconscious because he was sleeping on his desk. He's always sleeping while in the classroom, and we would just wake him up when classes were done. The teachers have already given up on him, and Brent's case was hopeless! In other words, the guy I claimed as my boyfriend was the most useless student in the Academy. "You and Brent? No, I don't think so," Michelle claimed and then her tone suddenly changed as she looked at Brent. "Wait, I think, you and Brent are a perfect match," she added before laughing evilly. "Thanks, Michelle. You and Kevin also look good as couple," I said. Wasn't it easy to move on? I just needed to replace something or someone I lost. It's that simple! And Kevin? He just became a history. Brent? I didn't have to worry about him. I could just make up a story later on, or I might just take back what I said. I thought it was over, and Michelle was convinced. I was mistaken. My eyes widened in fear when Michelle sauntered towards Brent and woke him up. I bit my bottom lip while observing Brent who behaved like he was at home. After stretching and wiping the saliva from the side of his mouth, he then faced Michelle. "Hello beautiful, am I in heaven?" Brent asked Michelle in a hoarse voice. "Unfortunately, not yet. But that's where you're going," Michelle told him. "Really?" "Yes. You must be so happy to become Jamie's boyfriend, aren't you, Brent? She's pretty and smart," Michelle added but her style of interrogating Brent was malicious and I didn't like it. Brent looked at me, and he kept staring for a few seconds. Then, he winked. I had to look away when he tried to seduce me with his eyes. Then, I realized it was my fault, so I mouthed my apology. "Jamie, I thought you wanted to keep our relationship a secret," Brent said in a low voice and I became speechless. "I'm sorry," was all I could say to him. "It's okay, my love. We will talk about this during lunch," Brent said, and his statement has put Michelle in an awkward situation. I was also surprised by what he said. When I looked at him again, he was smiling from ear to ear. He seemed to be enjoying! My classmates cheered in delight when Brent winked at me again, before falling back to sleep! Inwardly, I wished she would have nightmares! I was about to talk to Michelle when suddenly, our teacher arrived. To worsen the situation, our adviser seemed to be in a foul mood. The teacher frowned before sitting and then when she looked at us, her eyebrows were raised. "Good morning, students." "Good morning, Miss Chen!" "Prepare for the exam," she announced and we were all shocked by her announcement! However, when she's in a bad mood, we better keep our mouths shut and not make any noise. Just a little mistake, and the teacher would make the test questionnaires a little more difficult. I slowly opened my bag, took out the paper and pen, and then turned my attention back to the teacher. So were my classmates. When the exam started, I temporarily forgot about Brent and concentrated on writing my answers. But no matter what I did to focus, my eyes still caught the sleeping man at the other end in the other row. I scolded myself because I couldn't focus because of him. As a graduating student who wished to earn a scholarship grant, I need to get good grades. That would be my ticket to college. With my parent's financial status, it was impossible to afford my college tuition fees. I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I temporarily forgot about Brent. I didn't even realize it was almost our lunch break. When I checked my wristwatch, the bell would ring in fifteen minutes. I have already started putting my things away so that I would not be delayed in going home to for lunch. Ding!Dong!Ding!Dong! First, our teacher said goodbye and then we were allowed to go. When I looked at the main gate, it was terrible, as if the students were rioting who wanted to get out immediately. I chose to go through the back gate. I know a shortcut from the back-gate to us. I walked faster so I could get home as soon as possible. "Jamie!" When I heard someone calling my name, I turned around. Then, I saw Brent! "Brent, what do you want?" "I told you earlier that we will have lunch together today." I automatically raised an eyebrow because of what he said. "Ah…maybe some other time, Brent. They are waiting for me at home," I told him. "And you'll just walk?" He frowned as if he couldn't believe what I told him. "Is walking forbidden?" "It's not like that. It's just that your house is a bit far away." "I'm used to it. Let's talk later, okay? I really need to get home." "Then, I will go with you," he said. "Wait, I will just my motorbike." "What? Are you crazy? Do you want to give my father a heart attack?" I looked at the time from the watch I was wearing. Fifteen minutes have been wasted. "So? Come on, I'm hungry too." "Why are you doing this, Brent?" I asked him and he just grinned. "Because I am your boyfriend," he replied.