Chapter 10.5: Foundation Festival 5, Going Further (continuation)

-Sin Estate-

While taking a bath, Winter finds herself thinking about Glenn as the warm waters calm her. She gently touched her lips and slowly led down to her neck which Glenn had kissed. 

I didn't peg him for the dominant type, he looked more of a... follower, I guess? Looks can be quite deceiving. He looks passive but is actually quite aggressive when need be.

Still, the way he touches is really gentle, it was like a mother's touch, not that I would know. He caresses slowly but intimately. He doesn't close his eyes and looks at me directly. 

I think he is someone I can fall in love with. This is a pretty late conclusion seeing as I almost gave him my first. He gets an 8 out of 10. 

I have never really intimately liked men. As a child, I was always forced to go on parties with crowds of men because of my parents' job. My hand was often asked by older men in marriage. 

My parents actually liked the idea of me getting a fiancé at an early age. So they didn't mind the flock of teens and young adults asking an elementary schooler about marriage.

It even got to a point where I was sexually harassed by these men and made me hate myself even more for not being able to do anything for myself and that's when I decided to never attend those parties again. 

At home, it was my siblings who caused me problems, I was often locked in my bedroom with the lights turned off while the dolls my parents bought for me made me feel surrounded and I felt as if they were giving me creepy gazes.

My parents let this behavior of my siblings slide as they saw it as a simple way of showing sibling love and light pranks. But to me, it gave me nightmares and traumas. I was unable to speak clearly for a while. I always feel shackled, wanting to tell them that I had feelings too but I felt pity in their eyes and it made me feel disgusted. 

I was about 7 at that time and it felt as if I was always being watched. The lifeless eyes of the dolls were enough to terrify me. I've been afraid of dolls ever since. Those creepy miniature imitations of human girls. The family I so loved is the same family I bare hatred for til now. 

School wasn't any better, the girls at school found out about the marriage proposals I got and they branded me a whore. My friend, or someone who I thought was my friend left me after the rumors spread. 

My so-called friend didn't even try to protect me because they were scared that it might damage their reputation. It's not like I can blame her, cowardness is a part of human nature. 

The boys on the other hand believed the girl's false claims and harassed me that even got the teachers involved when I was in my second year of middle school. I stopped coming to school in my third year of middle school because of some problems, but that is a story for another day. 

These kinds of harassment went on for the rest of my school years even now. The records I carry from my past schools still haunt me to this day but I've learned to ignore them all and to keep a low profile.

I've never wanted anything else in life other than peace, peace that would finally make my heart stop feeling numb all the time. I never wanted pity from anyone, I never liked those gazes, I never liked those admiration I received from men because of my beauty because at the end of the day, nobody really understood me or made me feel at ease, until... Glenn arrived.

His inability to hide his emotions, the way he looks when playing sports, the concern he has for me was enough to motivate him to study, despite saying that he dislikes studying. He even showed compassion when he saw me crying. 

Aside from the fact that he flirted with another girl which was partly my fault for ignoring him, so I'll let it pass. I think he's someone I can depend on. Someone who can be a life-long partner. 

-Foundation Festival Day 2

-Dane residence - 

*yawns*

It's today huh? The day I lose my dignity. I sure hope Yarah's training comes around for me. 

*cell phone beep*

Glenn received a text from Winter that read, "Hey, need to go to a meeting. I will make it just on time. Tell the teachers. Thanks." 

Glenn kept blinking while unable to comprehend the situation since he just woke up. ".....Huh?!"

What is she thinking going somewhere on this day, the competition is at 10:00 AM and why the hell didn't she give me or the teachers any warnings last night. 

Guess I'll have to tell the teachers and the others later. I need to get ready for now. 

-School-

"What?! Winter will be arriving later?! That brat." The math teacher angrily said. 

-Class 1-A-

*knock*

"Uhm hello, is Glenn here?" Yarah enters the classroom in search of Glenn while holding a lunchbox. 

She asks for Glenn for them to speak outside. "Here, I made you lunch." Yarah said as she hands out the lunchbox to Glenn. 

Glenn is hesitant at first but thinks about the effort it took to make the food. After seeing the bandages, he hesitantly takes the food and says thanks. 

All the guys that saw the scene had spite in their eyes and were out to get me. I went into hiding inside my class where Astrio stood with a condescending smirk. I think I know he's up to something. 

"Hehe, I'll have you know Glenn, this was all part of my plan. I thought hard on this plan and what she'd cook for you. Go on, call me a genius if you'd like."

Astrio went on and on about praising himself and calling himself nicknames like genius, God, tactician, and whatnot. 

All of the first years were finalizing their props and costumes for the competition. The representatives of each class monitored their respective classes. The auras that they are giving were filled with both thrill and nervousness as they were cramming and stressing. 

It was 9:30 AM and still no sign of Winter. We were given a break and asked to go on stage at the call time. I am starting to get worried that she might not make it in time. 

I decided to go to the school backyard and brought Yarah's lunchbox to eat while no one was watching . I opened the lunchbox Yarah gave me and was about to eat it when Winter suddenly appeared . "Oh, what's this? This isn't your usual lunchbox?" 

Glenn stays silent as Winter constantly questions him and scares him. "Are you by chance cheating on me?"

While tension started filling the air around both of us I was about to reply when,

"N-"Glenn tried to defend himself but ended up in failure. 

"Don't even try to say this is from your mom because it says right there in ketchup that it's from that Yarah chick." She said it while looking so terrifying and was ready to punch me as she has her hand clenched. 

"Yes ma'am. " Glenn quickly replied

Winter loosens her fists, "Sigh. You're way too kind." Not that I dislike that about you but you should learn to stop at some point."

Winter suddenly rests her head on Glenn's shoulders as he eats. Glenn was all nervous and shaking as he didn't understand the motive behind her move. 

"Hold still, I wasn't able to sleep a lot last night to prepare for the meeting I attended earlier. Let me rest even for just a while."

-Assembly hall-

It's 10:00AM and all of us first years were gonna perform first because of the draw lots, honestly whoever picked the numbers had bad luck. We were all sweating buckets but my partner, which was Yarah remained calm and was in her zen mode and even helped me stay calm. 

"I'm really sorry Yarah... for all that's happened."

"Don't worry about it, I'm not one to give up so easily. I think I can win against Winter. After all...."

Yarah covers Glenn's mouth with her left hand and goes in for a kiss with only her hand as the divider. The distance of their lips were less than one inch apart. 

Winter saw this and started emitting a murderous aura while Yarah kept smiling. Astrio on the other hand felt both proud and some other emotion which he still didn't understand. 

"The Fuyumizu High Foundation Festival Cheer Dance Competition between the 1st to second years shall now commence. To start off, we have the first years with their theme, calisthenics."