CHAPTER XI: Nature's Swing

After a few days, we were all gathered in the auditorium for the announcement regarding the sports festival.

Although, I think only a few people actually know about it. By few, I meant the four of us plus the faculty staff and the student council.

I was planning to ditch it but Haru and Solar managed to capture me from the garden.

I don't even know how the two of them were allowed to sit beside me. Maybe Solar because we have some classes together but usually our seating arrangements are based on departments.

The room was slowly becoming crowded as time went by. I really hate this kind of gathering.

Ten minutes after we sat down, the lights began to dim.

I watched as the student council slowly went up the stage.

"Look! It's Ross!"

Solar whispered in my ear.

"Stop acting like a mother who was invited to her child's talent show." I hissed back.

Ross and his fellow council members were all wearing their semi-formal uniforms.

They were wearing a black long sleeve polo partnered with a white vest. They also paired it with white trousers and a pair of black formal shoes. They also have those little gold pins on the upper right side of their vests that allow the students to recognize them as members of the governing student council.

They all looked kinda plain but somehow, with Ross's physique and hair, all eyes are steadily drawn to him.

Solar and Haru were busy talking to each other which was rather inconvenient since I was sitting between the two of them.

I kept my eyes on the stage out of sheer boredom. Later on, I found out it was a mistake to do so. Ross, who was busy looking around the auditorium, caught my eye.

He smiled and waved his hand towards my direction.

I turned my head sideways and saw that my two companions were still minding their own business.

I looked back and he was already raising his eyebrows as if he knew what I was thinking.

I frowned at him but still gave a small wave. He looked at the side after he saw what I did.

The man had the audacity to laugh at me!

I glared at him from this distance. I don't know how he felt the heat of my gaze, but he met my eyes again. He clasped his hands together and looked at me with a teasing apologetic look.

I rolled my eyes at his childish manner.

That was cute though.

I shuddered at that. Nope. No way. Never.

The assembly began with the dean's opening remarks.

After that, the main agenda followed.

One of the council members, the president I think, went up to the podium and began the formal announcement for the sports festival.

"Good day to the entirety of the student body! We, along with the diligent professors, had decided to commence the academy's Annual Athletic Festival next month. Although, some of you may think that it is rather unusual to start at an earlier date, it's because we thought it was appropriate to kick it up a notch."

The students began to murmur among themselves. Some were excited, others were complaining, and the rest were plainly curious.

"Our very own student council chairman is here to clarify and expound on the aforementioned event."

The three of us were shocked when Ross confidently strode towards the podium.

He was the chairman?!

In this academy, to have a fair and equal judgement amongst the council members and the faculty, the chairman stands as the middleman. That position is actually a high honor to have in this academy.

"To our beloved students…"

...

Damn that voice sounds manly!

"The athletic sports festival will not only be prepared as such, it will also include two weeks worth of enjoyment. If you hadn't noticed yet or had totally forgotten about it, well except for the freshmen, the Foundation Day of the academy happens to be of similar date."

That made the students fuss louder than before.

"Therefore, the athletic fest will not only serve as a way for the students to engage in sports-related enthusiasm but it also acts as an interactive initiative for every department."

Now, everyone was going crazy. Usually we don't celebrate both events because of numerous circumstances. The year before, there was a sudden typhoon that lasted for a week, thus, the students were more focused on catching up for the lost school days.

The year before that, the sports festival was cancelled because it clashed with the schedule for the inter school competitions.

Then two years ago, the student council failed to organize a reliable event which made it impossible to actually celebrate anything.

"Calm down everyone! Settle down!" One of the professors was trying to silence the overwhelmed students. I was even shocked by what's happening.

Once the student body started to quieten, Ross once again took the microphone and began his interrupted speech.

"As a bonus, other contests that do not include athletic involvement may be considered as long as the proposal is submitted within this week. We can expect that this event will be nothing short of freedom and fun!"

A moment of silence took over inside the confined space. After a few seconds, everybody began to cheer loudly.

Before I can even further comprehend the situation, three consecutive beeps were heard.

When I reached out of my pocket I saw a text from Ross.

'Surprise…?'

I looked up and saw that both Solar and Haru were also holding their phones.

We all looked at each other and realized that Ross purposely hid this from all of us.

I looked back at my phone and began typing.

'Won't tell.'

Just after I sent it, a new message arrived.

'I know.'

I smirked. When I glanced at the stage, I saw his awaiting gaze. I was about to taunt him when he was disturbed by something on his phone.

At the same time, Solar and Haru pocketed their phones. I guess it was a message from the two of them.

I grasped my phone tightly on one hand and decided to do the same.

As the announcement came to an end, everyone eagerly moved out of the room.

This will certainly be the start of troublesome things.

The preparations for the Annual Athletic Festival, as well as the Foundation Day, was the topic of every student on campus. Well, aside from the nearing exams.

Good thing that we will be taking the midterm exams first before the actual celebration or else there won't be too much to look forward to if the whole student body focused on the exams.

There were also numerous competitions established the following week like singing, poetry writing, painting, dancing, and other similar contests.

It was chaotic to say the least.

People from here and there kept running around.

Loud noise can be heard in every corridor.

There were also scattered materials everywhere.

"No! I won't give it to you! My department needs it!"

"But it's only for a few minutes…"

"For the sake of my department's future success, I will not be lending a helping hand to the enemy!"

"But-"

I rubbed my throbbing temples and glared at the annoying species in front of me.

They were about to start another argument, I could feel it. If I don't stop this now, it won't end anytime soon.

I breathed in and gathered all the rage building up inside of me for the past four hours.

"For fuck's sake, shut up!"

The two of them looked at me with fright and silenced themselves immediately.

"It's just a freaking cutter!" I looked at Solar, "Your department won't burn down just because a cutter is missing!"

Then, I shifted my gaze towards Haru, "And you! Here!" I slammed my cutter onto the table, "Use this and the two of you get the hell away from each other!"

Both of them hurriedly nodded and dispersed from my sight.

As I was just beginning to calm myself down, I felt a cold substance touch my cheek.

When I looked at the culprit, I saw Ross holding a bottle of orange juice.

"You look kinda hot."

And my face literally heated up.

"Now, you're hotter." He smirked at me and grabbed my hand. I watched him with scrutinizing eyes to see what he was planning to do.

But he only placed the bottle in my grasp.

"You need a new career. Being a stand-up comedian does not suit you."

He laughed and sat beside me.

"Who said I was joking, my lady?"

I ignored him and just drank the juice he gave me.

I heard him chuckle which made me roll my eyes.

"What are you even doing here?" I asked him.

"Don't you like me here?" He purposely slid his seat closer to me.

"I don't even like you to begin with." I retorted.

He came even closer to me, "Really? But your face tells me otherwise."

I furrowed my eyebrows and picked up my phone. I looked at my reflection and saw nothing wrong with my face.

I turned back at him and gave him my deadliest glare.

He laughed so hard that he was even clutching his stomach.

I looked down and saw an opportunity.

Without waiting for him to recover, I swiftly kicked his chair. Since it was beginning to tilt backward, kicking it made him completely fall down with it.

Damn that was satisfying.

I peered at him from above.

"You okay there?" He looked at me.

"Yep, the view looks good here. You should try it sometimes." He said amidst the pain. I couldn't take it anymore. I laughed at him with every energy I could muster.

"Hey! That's unfair! Why are the two of you the only ones having fun?!" Solar shouted from a distance.

"Aren't you guys grounded?" Ross answered while still laying down on the grass.

"Are you my parents?!" She shouted back.

"Probably." Then, he laughed once again.

Last time, nature was calming. Is it still just that?