Rumors

While Abbie was busy taking out books from her locker, she felt a few gazes land on her body. When she turned her head to look, she noticed a few girls looking at her. They were whispering and giggling as if they were talking about something funny.

Abbie didn't give it much thought. She headed to her classroom in a hurry since she had cleaning duty. Along the way, more girls looked in her direction. Some of them looked at her in pity, others in disdain, some with ridicule. Some even covered their lips and chuckled blatantly in front of her.

'What the fuck?' Abbie frowned but her feet didn't stop moving. Although he was used to being stared at because of her body size, this was the first time she experienced something like this. She knew that something was going on, but whatever it was, it had something to do with her.

When she reached her classroom, she hurriedly cleaned the blackboard and arranged the seats. After finishing these tasks, her cleaning partner, Samantha, arrived. The newcomer greeted Abbie with a "Good morning" and assisted her in their duty.

Samantha has long black hair tied in a ponytail. She was half a hand taller than Abbie and had a tomboyish personality. Nevertheless she was quite pretty and many boys from their class admired her outgoing personality. She was also a member of the track and field team and her performance ranked in the top three.

After the two finished their cleaning duty Abbie sat on her seat and looked outside the window. Samantha, on the other hand, went outside to throw the trash away.

'I wonder what Alex is doing right now?'

Abbie was worried about Alex. Although the boy easily got along with everyone, it was the first time they were separated like this. The chubby girl had gotten used to the cute boy following her around and calling her "Master".

While Abbie was deep in her thoughts, the classroom door opened and three girls entered the room. They all exchanged glances when they saw Abbie looking outside the window. A pretty girl with short light-brown hair and green eyes curled her lips as she walked to her seat. Her name was Britney.

Her companions, a skinny girl with long blonde-hair wearing spectacles, and a girl with shoulder length black hair snickered behind her.

(A/N: Let's refer to the blonde hair girl as Lackey A and the girl with shoulder length hair Lackey B.)

"Well, Well, Well," Britney said in a mocking tone. "Isn't this the chubby girl who got rejected last friday?"

"Her skin is really thick!" Lackey A exclaimed in disdain. "To think she would go after the prince of the University? Where did she get her courage?"

"Hah! She's really delusional," Lackey B commented. "If that were me, I'd rather jump off the roof and commit suicide."

Abbie and her classmates had given this trio the nickname "Red Alert Girls". The reason? When it came to gossip and the latest news, these three girls would always be the first to catch wind of it.

At first Abbie was planning to ignore them, but when she heard their disdainful remarks a realization came to her mind. The gazes filled with pity, disdain, and ridicule that were directed to her this morning was because of that?!

Abbie looked at the three girls in surprise. 'How did these bi*ches know about my confession?'

Britney saw Abbie's dumbfounded look and the smile on her face grew wider. "Yo~ Abbie, my girl, your face is really thick ah! For you to confess to the blurh--"

Britney wasn't able to finish her sentence because Abbie stood up from her seat and enclosed her in a bear hug.

"Tell me everything you know or I'll give you a nice warm hug~" Abbie said with a smile.

'Pei! Aren't you already hugging me?!' Britney thought as she felt Abbie's hold on her getting tighter. The pretty girl had forgotten that this chubby girl wasn't someone they could bully. Britney wanted to curse herself for opening her big mouth.

"Release Britney, you pig!" Lackey A stood up from her seat in order to help her leader.

"Yes, release her!" Lackey B supported her colleague. "Or else."

"Shut the fck up or I'll hug the two of you as well." Abbie glared at the two girls which made them take a step back. "Start talking, Britney."

"L-Let go! I c-can't br-eathe!" Britney said through gritted teeth.

"Alright, but if you don't tell me everything I'll sit on your buttocks." Abbie gave them an evil smile. "Let's see if you don't get crushed by my weight."

The three nodded their heads like hens pecking rice. These bunch of small fries were all talk and didn't have the strength to resist Abbie's intimidation. The three girls started to talk and told Abbie everything. In time, they forgot about their scuffle with Abbie and told her the rest of the juicy gossip that had circulated after her confession.

It seemed that the Prince of the University, Adam, bragged to his friends that the "Kung-fu Panda Girl" confessed to him.

This was a nickname that was given to Abbie because she usually got into fights in the University. Of course, these were all due to self-defense and she always held back on her strikes. The most she did was give the guys (and gals) a good beating without breaking their bones.

"Heh, so that bastard made me his trophy, huh?" Abbie snorted. "Adding ME to his achievements, eh?"

Abbie wanted to bash her head into a wall. She didn't regret the fact that she confessed. What she regretted was falling in love with a no-good-person who only had his looks going for him.

'This is the price for my shallowness,' Abbie could only smile wryly as she looked outside the window. 'This is what I get for looking at outside appearances.'

Abbie regretted it. If she only knew that the so-called Prince was a scumbag, she would not have encouraged the small flame that had appeared inside her heart.

"When did this news start to spread?" Abbie asked.

"Last Friday," Britney answered as she patted her uniform. There were slight wrinkles due to Abbie's bear hug, but that was only a minor problem. "Hmp! I'm sure that before this day is over, more than a quarter of the students in this university will know about your rejection. After all, Adam is everyone's Prince Charming."

'You can have that scum for all I care!' Abbie gritted her teeth in frustration. She wanted to beat the guy up, but she knew that she couldn't do that. Adam was the son of a wealthy family. Not only that, many girls had a crush on him. If she did something to their prince, all of them would become her enemy.

The chubby girl clicked her tongue and scratched her head. Since it already happened, there was nothing she could do. The only option that was available for her was to ignore the rumors until it died down.

While Abbie was feeling depressed inside her classroom, Alex was helping Aunt Zizi in the kitchen. Although the cafeteria was only busy during breakfast and dinner, some of the residents often asked Aunt Zizi to deliver their lunch orders to the university.

At first Aunt Zizi and the two other aunties inside the cafeteria were hesitant to let Alex hold a kitchen knife and help her chop the vegetables. However, when she saw how skilled the young boy was, her heart felt relief.

"You're very good with the knife, Alex," Aunt Zizi praised. "Do you also help your mother cook in your home?"

"N-Yes!" Alex replied. He almost said No but managed to stop himself in time. Although he didn't like to lie, it was necessary to protect his secret. "I help my mother chop the vegetables, but I am not good when it comes to cooking."

"Is that so? Well then, do you want to learn how to cook?"

"Will you teach me, Aunt Zizi?"

"Of course. But only if you are serious."

The thought of Abbie praising his cooking flashed briefly in Alex's mind and a sweet smile appeared on his face. Aunt Zizi was dazzled by this smile and she was unable to stop herself from lightly pinching Alex's chubby cheeks.

"Well, do you want to learn?"

"Yes! Please teach me, Aunt Zizi."

"Good," The older woman patted the boy's head. "You said that Abbie is your temporary guardian while your parents are away, right?"

"Yes." Alex beamed and his smile struck the hearts of the two Aunties who were quietly listening from the side.

"Zizi, why are you monopolizing Alex? We can teach him how to cook, too!"

"That's right! Alex, come here. I have candy. Do you want some candy?"

"I want~"

"Good boy. Here you go."

"Thanks, Auntie B!"

And so the four people happily worked inside the cafeteria to prepare lunch for the students. Alex put extra care in the way he prepared his Master's food. He was looking forward to her reaction and he hoped that Abbie would like the food he prepared for her.

(A/N: Yes! We are going to name the two extra Aunties, Auntie A and B! Don't thank me. I know I have an amazing naming sense. *smirk*)