CHAPTER 2

My classmates continue to gossip about me.

"She never regretted what happened to her last year?"

"I think so."

"Hey, what happened to her last year!?"

"Arien!!!"

While looking out of the window and ignoring all the rumors they were talking about, I suddenly gasped and turned my head through the door to look at who was calling me.

"Cassy? What are you doing here?" I asked her.

"Are you stupid? Why didn't you react?" Cassy asked me with fury on her face.

"React on what? I asked.

"Are you the legendary stupid friend? Aren't you aware of the rumors spreading around the campus?" It pissed Cassy off.

"I know about it, and that's why I'm ignoring it now." I lied to Cassy that it did not affect me at all, to calm her down.

"Just ignore them, Cas. It's not true anyway," I added.

While she was slamming my desk, she shouted, "All of you! Back to your seat, and mind your own business.

The bell was ringing and Cassy went back to her room.

Cassy picked me up in my classroom after finishing some classes because she was still worried about me because of the gossip.

"Arien, are you OK now?" Cassy asked me.

"Dave was already at the gate, and we were heading towards him," Cassy stated.

"OK. Hmmm... Cassy, about the gossip. Let's forget about it and ignore the people. I don't want to get you involved. Because I don't want them to target you." I suggested it while walking through the gate to pick her cousin.

Cassy introduced us after meeting her cousin.

"Dave, this is Arien, my best friend. Arien, this is Dave, my cousin."

After the introduction, we went straight to the canteen to eat lunch.

"Cas, why didn't Arien order food?" Dave wondered.

"Because she brought food from this morning's leftovers. And she didn't want me to buy her anything." Cassy explained.

"Her parents don't give her an allowance?" Dave asked, because he was curious.

"No! Her parents died 12 years ago. She stayed with her aunt and never give her an allowance ever since. That's why she need work." Cassy told Dave about Arien's situation.

After that, Cassy and Dave got their order. They headed to our table. And Dave started asking me a random question.

"Arien, is your food enough for you? Would you like me to buy some extra ones?" He asked me.

"I'm fine, Dave. It's a waste of food if I don't bring the leftovers from this morning. My family will tell me to throw it, anyway. So, I brought them to school." I informed him.

The students murmured again while we were eating.

"Who is he?"

"Maybe a transfer student?"

"He's so handsome."

"I want to get his number and name."

"But why is he with Arien and Cassy? Do they know one another?"

"I believed Arien had seduced him in the same way she had the others."

Cassy looks at me with pitiful eyes because she knows that I never seduce no one.

"Arien is very popular in our school because of her pretty and innocent look. All the boys approached her, but the girls mistook her for seducing them. And jealousy caused her accident last year. "Cassy suddenly remembered what happened in the past.

Now that I stared at him , it's true that Dave is handsome. "He's the ideal man for every girl's fantasy." I simply stated my opinion in my mind.

And now that Dave has heard the rumors about me, I'm afraid he will cancel our agreement regarding my work. I lowered my head as a sign that I was embarrassed.

"Arien, now I am here. When can you work with me?" Dave inquired.

It surprised me to hear what Dave asked me. I never thought that he was such a very considerate person. And I'm grateful to have learned that about him.

"If it's fine with you, can you start tomorrow?" He asked me.

"Sure, but my free time is only after school," I told him.

"No problem! Since we are still looking for players, we are not busy yet. Dave stated.

Thank you, Dave! You and Cassy are a big help to me. I smiled with excitement.To show my gratitude to them I bowed my head.

In the meantime,

"Rhea, is that Arien in the corner?" Rhea's classmates informed her.

"Hahaha! Serves her right!! I bet she had heard the rumors already. That's why she chose the corner at the end. Hehehe!" Rhea giggled.

"Rhea, look, she's with a man, and he's handsome, and Cassy is with them. I believe they are familiar with him." Her classmates whispered.

Rhea stunned when she heard that Arien and Cassy were eating with a handsome man.

"What!?" Rhea frowned.

"I heard the students said he's a transferee." Her classmates informed her of this.

"Hee... he's my type." With a smirk on Rhea's face, she started walking to our table.

"Excuse me, are you new to our school?" Rhea asked Dave with romantic excitement on her face.

"What are you doing here? As far as I recall, I never invited you to join us." Cassy reacted.

And I stopped her since Dave was with us. I didn't want Rhea to create a commotion in the canteen.

Rhea glared at Cassy with one brow raised, and Rhea smiled.

"What is she up to now?" I look at Rhea and wonder what trouble she will cause us.