Chapter 3

“You are the ninth person looking for that book. Sorry but everything’s used now.”

“What? There’s no more Advance Philosophy Fundamentals book? But Mrs. Fructouso, I badly need it. The deadline for our research is suddenly changed to tomorrow! ”

The old lady librarian didn't even bother to look at Say.

When a few students inside the library looked in her direction, Say bowed slightly. She didn't realize her voice grew louder when she called the librarian's name out of frustration.

She seldom goes to the library. Not because she doesn't like to study but because the De Plaza Mansion has a library, and she usually does research there, besides the use of the internet. The problem was that she really could not do the research later because tonight her cheer squad still has an evening practice, so she will run out of time. She may be the Governor’s daughter, but she still does not want to be embarrassed if she is said to have failed in her Philosophy class.

“Mrs. Fructouso, please...please can you do something about this?”

“Yes. Tell you to wait until everyone’s done using it, Miss De Plaza.”

“Come on Ma'am. Please...pretty please, let me just borrow one, so I can at least just have it photocopied."

"I don't know where the other borrower is, but the last borrower was that guy, the one sitting at the end ... the one with his back turned."

“A guy?"

Say's eyes followed the direction pointed by the librarian. She saw a guy sitting alone, with his back turned, three feet from where she was standing. "Oh alright, I will just approach him and for sure he will lend that book to me.“ She left the librarian smiling.

Oh, sure that boy will definitely lend that book to me… No one can say no to me….

She confidently puts on her sweetest smile as she struts her legs walking near the guy’s table. When she got near the book-user, she quickly placed her Louis Vuitton purse on its table and then spoke.

“Hi! I need that book. If you were so sweet and understanding, may I have it now?”

Say prepared to see someone who’d look at her delightfully, but when the man raised his head, she saw a less than happy face. And then she recognized, it was the nameless janitor guy from last night in the gym.

He just glared at her beautiful face as if waiting for plants to grow on her head.

“Oh, it’s you from last night. I didn’t think a non-student can actually get in-- oh, forget it, can I use that book first? I’ve been trying to get that Advance Philosophy Fundamentals for like 30 minutes ago. I badly need it. Like right now.” Say impatiently looks at her gold Jaeger-LeCoultre watch to check the time. She only has about 2 hours to do the research before her last subject and then her cheer practice.

“I am still using it,” was all Say heard, and then she saw the guy turned his eyes back to what he was reading and seemed to want to get rid of her. The guy didn’t even bother to return a smile.

Didn’t he see my beautiful smiles?

Say changed her tactic when it looked like her smiles, which normally melt the hearts of boys, don’t work at this stoic guy. She crosses her arms and talks again.

“But I told you...I NEED IT.” Say repeats her word authoritatively. Just in case the Janitor-guy didn’t hear and understand how impatient she is right now.

She brought her face close to the guy's face as it seemed like he wasn’t smitten by her beauty or popularity just like most guys do. Heck, he even looked annoyed. Last night, he was also like this - he deliberately ignored her. And no one... she meant no one had ever ignored her like this before. Does this janitor-guy even know that 60% of the university belongs to her family?

"If you did not understand what I just told you, I said - I am still using the book, Miss."

“Don’t you know me? I am –

“...Samantha Yvette De Plaza. That’s your name, right? “ He completes her name without any pause. He squints then his eyes, and looked at her mockingly, “Well, It doesn’t say in the book that you own it - so back off.”

Say heard someone laughing behind her and some clapping delightfully.

What this nameless janitor-guy has rudely said to her grabbed the attention of other students inside the library. She normally doesn’t need to use any of her authoritative power because she knows with just her pretty smiles, anyone will do and give whatever she asks for.

But the guy must’ve lived somewhere out of Planet Samantha that he doesn’t care even though she is already embarrassed now. She quickly grabbed the seat next to him and sat very close to the nameless guy. Because she did not want to speak out loud and be humiliated again, Say just brought her face inches closer and whispered furiously to him.

“Whoever you are, for sure you knew about ladies ' first philosophy. Don’t you know how to be a gentleman? You probably don't know that in the Medieval European rule in Philosophy, it defines who had the right to precede others and –“

“...higher rank before lower rank, clergy before laity, old before young, male before female? But men allows women to be first just to be gentlemen?”

Say stopped for a moment when she heard that he easily added the words from the books she researched. He knows? He seems to be smart for a janitor ... Is he a former student who knows a little about -

Say forgot what she was thinking when she saw the nameless guy getting his face close to her also. He was so close she can actually smell him. And he smelled pleasant, earthy - this guy’s perfume is something she doesn’t recognize from some expensive men's fragrances her other rich boy cousins buy. Wait, why do I have to think about his smell and his perfume when he is furiously debating with me now?!

“If you were really studying medieval philosophy, you should know that by heart those men only gave up their right to precedence only because they wanted to be nice. It has become a courtesy rather than a nicety. But this isn’t a medieval period, my Queen, this is 2008. And if you can see, I was busy reading this book when you came. If you need it, I need it too. If I waited for an hour for this book to be available, you should wait too. Now if you still can’t understand what I meant by that - it means to be patient. Don’t act as if you’re that important and your whims and caprices are all that matters. You get it?”

He folded the book and left her.

Say was so furious that she wanted to follow the rude janitor-guy, but she was alone today. All of her friends are in their respective classes.

You! Annoying janitor! Why is he so mad? Is it still because of what happened last night at the gym?