CHAPTER XVII: Surge of Unpleasantries

Last day of the exam week. Few more days to go before the opening of the festival.

Damn, the exams were hellish.

It's making me sluggish and that's something I am not. But I can't control my body anymore.

I want to sleep.

I want to eat.

I want to curse the person who invented these disastrous examinations. To think I'll have to go through this again, and again, and again.

Looking down at my hands, the hideous state it has made me cringe.

The sides of my hands were almost black and bruised from all the writing and sketching.

My fingers have small blisters and aching spots all over.

Why did I choose to be an architecture student? I guess I was half-asleep during the times I was supposed to choose my career path.

Taking a deep breath, I glanced at Haru and Solar beside me.

Haru was busy reading his notes while Solar had dropped dead beside him.

It was currently our break time. We have at least an hour left before we go back to our dreaded tests.

Thinking of that made my eyes droop. I mean, who doesn't?

No matter how much I fought it off, my eyelids felt like there were heavy weights dragging them down.

I was literally about to doze off when all of a sudden Solar shot up from her seat and yelled.

"Haru! Take off your glasses!" Haru and I looked at her in confusion from her unexpected outburst.

"Weren't you asleep?" I asked.

"I think so. I dreamt of Haru so maybe that's enough proof that I was in la la land?" She said while holding her chin, making her look like she was deep in thought even though we all know she's just exaggerating.

But Haru looked like he was the one who's over the top with his reactions.

Because…

"W-What are you t-talking about?!" That boy was actually blushing!

Now, that's not something you see everyday!

Hmm…

"Haru, you look good today." His eyes widened and his blush deepened its color.

He was like a human color palette with only one color option.

"Compliments faze you, don't they?" I placed my elbow on the table and used it to support my head.

He looked down and nodded timidly.

"Hey, Haru, we've been friends for a few months now. What do you look like without those glasses?" Solar asked curiously.

"N-normal…" He tried to answer.

I doubt that. His glasses were so thick that you can't see his eyes clearly. Making it impossible to actually know what he looked like. But that also makes him look a little cute so I never bothered with it.

However, I don't think that'll remain the same for today.

"Oh, don't give me that! I bet you're hiding more of your freaking looks behind those frames!" Solar began to reach for his eyeglasses.

"What? W-wait!"

Haru stood up hurriedly and tried to divert from her grasping hands.

I remained seated as the two tried to run off in the horizon. Like some couple in a romcom film.

Ross, whose presence I forgot, was busy laughing his ass off at the two wild children.

"S-stop it!" He looked like he was about to run out of gas any moment now.

Which puts him, of course, in an obvious disadvantage.

"Gotcha!" Both of them stood in front of us. Haru who was struggling to wriggle out of Solar's clasp and the said girl was continuously aiming to remove the mysterious glasses.

To which she successfully did.

If I had known, I wouldn't have done it.

The garden immediately became quiet. No laughter nor sound was being emitted.

When I couldn't take it anymore, I marched towards Solar and grabbed the glasses in her hand.

I wiped it clean with the ends of my sweater and placed it back on Haru's face.

"You better keep your glasses on."

Without looking back, I picked up my book and began to read again.

No words were uttered for a few short moments but was eventually broken as Haru whispered quiveringly, "Uhm…I-I…Sor-"

"What the heck?! You're not hiding your good looks! You were hiding your over the top aesthetics! I-I… Huh?!" I heard Solar blabber from the sides.

From what I'm guessing, she can't look at Haru either.

Frick! My cheeks feel hot.

You wouldn't really expect what was behind those deceiving frames.

Behind the thick book I'm holding was a face that I cannot date let anyone see.

Who knew novel-like scenarios can really happen?

"Wow, my lady, I'm feeling quite jealous with your reaction. Why don't you blush like that whenever you see me?" Ross annoyingly shoved his face in my field of vision.

I felt intense heat crawl further into my skin.

"Shut up. You eventually lose interest in something you encounter on a daily basis." I replied.

"So, you did find me attractive before?"

He just wouldn't shut up.

"Who said I did?"

"You didn't deny it."

"Doesn't mean it's true."

"Doesn't mean it's false."

"Argh, you abominable being!" I gripped the book tighter and used it to shield his face from my sight.

That didn't stop him from laughing at me though.

Since he wouldn't leave me alone, I smacked him with the book instead.

Damn, I feel accomplished.

As he was going over the newfound pain he recently discovered.

I decided to peek at my phone, which was blaring uncontrollably.

I had been planning to ignore it since earlier. But it wouldn't stop buzzing inside the pocket of my large hoodie.

It felt like there was a vibrating massager in my belly.

Which triggered my desire to puke.

Ew.

One more reason I didn't want to open the group chat was because I already know it's content.

They were practically begging everyone to help.

But I guess, no one wanted to volunteer after what happened the week before.

From what I read recently, apparently there were some brave souls who tried to be of assistance but I probably got a gist of what transpired after.

As a hint, let's just say the number of the sexist haters rose up for every second that you can count.

Who would have known? Note the sarcasm.

There were some people from the department that wanted me to help but I don't trust their fake ass.

After how aloof they were towards me, when in times of crisis, they think they can suddenly approach me as if though nothing was amiss?

Well, fuck that.

We should just stick with not liking each other.

Convenient and easy. One hundred percent guaranteed.

But, of course, nothing was going my way since the beginning, so it doesn't surprise me anymore that I find myself in the middle of another problem in the middle of another freaking day.

I am currently situated parallel to the classroom where I last saw Gioffer painting.

And looking at it now, it was definitely a mess.

The guy mentioned was standing at the center of the room panting.

There were numerous canvases surrounding him, all of which were mindlessly thrown everywhere.

He looked disheveled. The sling in his arm was covered in paint.

Maybe even egoistic people can become tormented.

I just recently heard that one of the grizzlies broke his arm. Unfortunately, it was his right hand that was now uselessly slinging, which anyone could guess was his dominant hand.

Poor soul.

I was trying to busy myself by sipping my chocolate milk drink but I couldn't help but watch the struggling young man across from me.

What he was doing was so familiar that it made me want to squeeze the carton container of my drink.

There I saw a girl, kneeling. That young girl was shouting at the heavens for God knows what.

She looked desperate yet also pitiful.

Broken paintbrushes grazed her disorganized room.

Papers with blank markings flooded the floor.

Paint of varying colors tainted the marbled tiles.

And salty tears splashed on the cold, dirtied carpet.

When I opened my eyes, Gioffer was now sitting at one of the visible chairs inside the room.

He looked extremely troubled.

What he didn't know was that there were people watching him breakdown.

Some students from our department were standing just outside the classroom. You could tell from here what they were thinking about.

'It's a shame that there's nothing we can do anymore.'

Apparently, there were multiple attempts to provide help but as always, nothing pleased Gioffer.

I did see a couple of their works but nothing could compare to what that boisterous man created.

Such valuable talent for such an asshole.

But…it's not something I could really judge.

Just as I was about to finish my drink, the girl who organized the meeting before entered my field of vision.

Hmm, Gwenne was it?

She also looked like an unmotivated zombie sharing terror on earth.

I mean, she was being looked at with curiosity and a few weird glances. She wasn't even bothering to look at where she was going.

When I heard the noisy sound of my straw slurping the carton's emptiness, I immediately crumpled it and stood up with it gripped tightly in my hand.

However, I wasn't able to take a single step away from my table when Gwenne ran up to me.

I looked at her blankly. Waiting for her explanation as to why she was standing so close to me.

"You have to help us!" She held onto my arms as she shouted those words.

"What nonsense are you spouting?" I shrugged her hold on me and stepped away.

But damn she was persistent.

She took a step forward and held onto my hand this time.

"I've seen your work before! I know you can help us!" Her voice was smeared with desperation.

"Girl, I don't even know you." The only information I have about her is that she's named Gwenne for Pete's sake!

"But I know you! I went to the same highschool as you did!"

I froze.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I seethed.

"You went to…"

My ears began to ring as she spoke of the name from my buried past.

"…right?"

Unknowingly, my glare turned deadlier. "Shut up."

"Please, I, no, we need your help!" She began to plead.

But I didn't care.

My mood began to worsen.

With an icy glare, I looked her straight in the eyes.

"I said I don't know you, so just fucking drop it already!"

She was obviously startled. I can already feel onlookers staring at us.

Fucking great! Another show!

"I'll say this once, I don't have anything to do with you and your obsession with that shitass competition so don't you dare disturb me again, got it?"

I turned my back and angrily walked away.

But that annoying girl just wouldn't back down.

"I know you're an amazing artist, so please help us out just this once!"

Her words echoed everywhere. But that didn't phase me for a single bit.

My mind was constantly wandering towards what she said.

This can't be a coincidence! How does someone from that place exist in the same university?!

I clutched my head as memories began to flood my mind. Shit!

For the last time, please give me a break!