Chapter 3: Who is she?

[Lexxeignne]

Since I woke up early today, I still have time to exercise. I went to my gym and started sweating. A little while later, Mother Fe went in with a box of bottled water, then put it in the chiller. I thanked her before she went out.

Around 5:30 am, I took a shower and did my morning routine. Afterward, I went downstairs to eat breakfast. This time, I didn’t forget to bring the lunch that Mother Fe packed for me.

At 6:30 am.

I left the house using my car. I didn’t drive my old motorbike today because of one reason—I didn’t need it anymore because I’m done hiding. On my way, I caught up with Sam, who was riding her motorbike. I honked the horn to get her attention. She just stared at my car like I’m some psycho, which made me chuckle. I lowered the car window and smiled at her.

"Hey! Sam!" I called her. Again, she just stared at me and didn’t respond. She drove past me while honking and I laughed. I guess she didn't recognize me.

When I arrived at school, I immediately parked my car and saw Sam parked her motorbike, too. After I locked the car, I approached her with a smile on my face.

"Hi, Sam! Let's go together." I told her, and she turned to face me with brows furrowed together.

"Excuse me? Do I know you?" she asked with a surprised look, and her eyes scanned my face in astonishment.

"It's me, Sam… Lex," I said with a smile. She stared at me as her eyes squinted.

"What?! Are we fooling around here, Miss I-don't-know-who-you-are?" she says, confused.

I fought the urge to laugh. Instead, I cleared my throat and said, "Samantha Aguilar, it's me, Lexxeignne Morales! The one and only ugly yesterday!"

Her eyes widened and looked at me incredulously.

"Hey, hey! You're kidding me, right? Is it April Fool's Day today?" She asked, puzzled.

"Hahaha! You're funny Sam! I'm really Lex. It's a long story, you know, but you have to believe me that I'm really Lexxeignne Morales. I'll explain to you later, okay?" I said with a smile. She nodded absentmindedly, but her forehead creased in confusion. I couldn’t help but laugh.

We walked inside the campus while I’m observing Sam’s reaction, who was still in a daze.

"How come you are Lex?" Sam uttered as we walked.

I let out a sigh. "Well, I have enough of my disguise because on my first day yesterday, I got into trouble just because I’m ugly. And I've been wearing that ugly get-up for two years, so I decided to get rid of them." I said. Her eyes widened as though a realization struck her.

"You really are Lexxeignne Morales! Wahhhh! You're so beautiful! Why did you hide such a face? For sure, your enemies will double!" My eyes widened at what she said.

"What?! Ugh, I should’ve not taken off my disguise if that's the case!" I said with a frown. But I don't care anymore. I can fight them, anyway.

"Yeah. But it’s better this way. I know you’ll gain more fans because of your beauty!"

We stopped talking when we heard blabbering as we passed by a crowd of students in the hallway. Suddenly, the noisy students fell silent. And soon they started blabbering again about me.

"Who is she? Why is she with Samantha?"

"She's so pretty!"

"Yeah! Seriously! She's like a celebrity!"

"She's so good-looking than those artists I've seen!"

"Wahhhh, is she an actress?!"

"Waahhh, she's really good-looking, but I’m the prettiest!"

"Idiot! Who said you have beauty? You gay! I’m even prettier than you!"

I smiled at what everyone was whispering. I'm sure it will surprise them that the one they looked down on yesterday was me. Hahaha.

I heard Sam suppressing her laughter.

When we reached the classroom, my classmates looked so surprised when they saw me and stared longer like I’m some sort of celebrity. I just went straight to my seat with Sam. Everyone was looking at me and I felt weird. Their stares creep me out. Who wouldn't look back when a goddess passed in front of them? Hahaha, am I too proud? Nah, just for today!

Suddenly, the door opened and Sir John Cruz, our Physics teacher, entered just as the bell rang.

"Good morning!" He greeted us and looked around until his gaze landed on me.

"Oh? There's a new student?" He asked in surprise while looking at me. Sam grinned.

And everyone wondered why Sam was laughing.

"I already introduced myself yesterday, didn't I?" I answered the teacher, and they were confused while looking at us or... at me.

"Hahaha sorry! I can't restrain myself anymore!" Sam uttered while still laughing. Hahaha! Their reaction looked priceless!

"What's funny, Miss Aguilar?" Sir Cruz asked with a creased forehead.

"Sorry, sir! Hmm, actually she doesn't need to introduce herself anymore because she introduced herself yesterday. She's Lexxeignne Morales!" Sam said proudly. Hahaha, if I know she also laughs at herself because she also didn't recognize me earlier. Pft.

"Excuse me?" Sir Cruz said unbelievably.

"Yes, Sir. I'm Lexxeignne Morales." I said and smiled. He was stunned for a second and then smiled at me to acknowledge my presence.

However, it seems like my classmates still look stunned.

"Okay. Let's now proceed to our discussion." Sir Cruz said.

Sometimes, everyone was still stealing glances in my direction, especially the boys.

"What is an atom? Anyone?" Sir Cruz asked, and someone raised his hand to answer.

"An atom is the smallest unit of ordinary matter that forms a chemical element..."

I looked out the window and was lost in deep thoughts. Classes like this really bored me to death. I’d rather study about the company’s affairs because lately, I've noticed some problems. I sighed.

The boring discussion continued. Sometimes he asked questions and someone answered quickly. This class seems energetic.

The bell rang, signaling for recess time. After Sir Cruz came out, my classmates started whispering about me as they kept stealing glances from me.

"You know what Lex? I still can't believe that it's really you! I didn't even notice you were disguising! I almost don't recognize you." Sam said, while staring at my face intently.

"Hahaha! You didn't really recognize me! You even thought I was fooling around." I told her while laughing.

"Waahhh! You're bad! Eh! No one really recognizes you! I can say you’ve done a good job disguising yourself!" she said, laughing. After a while, she stood up.

"Where to?" I ask her.

"Restroom. Are you coming?" She said, and I nodded. I got up and walked with her.

When we were walking out of the classroom, eyes were still following my every move. I don't care though.

Sam and I entered the restroom and went straight to the cubicles. After a while, I heard footsteps coming in. It looked like there were many of them and I already knew who they were when I heard their voices.

"Is it really true that the ugly b*tch yesterday have her transformation?"

"I don't know, girl! We haven't seen her yet, you know?"

"Yeah! And you know what? They say she's like a celebrity?"

"Maybe the witch did plastic surgery. Bwahaha."

"Yes! I heard that she has shares in Amor's company."

"Yeah—" suddenly a noise interrupted them when the cubicle next to mine suddenly opened. I guess it's Sam.

"What plastic surgery? Maybe you all are! That face is the correct definition of plastic surgery! With that thick makeup on your face, you look like a clown!" I heard Sam say in an irritated voice.

"How dare you insult us!"

"You nerd!"

Before Sam could argue more, I went out of the cubicle. When I came out, a girl was about to slap Sam.

"Lay a hand to her. And I'll make sure my beautiful hands can taste the blood of your faces." I threatened them and the girl’s hand stopped in the air that was going to slap Sam's face. Sam smiled when she saw me.

The mean girl's eyes widened upon seeing me. They are the bullies who tried to bully me yesterday. They look at me up and down. They were dumbfounded as their gaze settled on my face. I smirked.

While they were still stunned, I dragged Sam to wash our hands and then out of the restroom. Those witches couldn’t even say a word when they saw my face. Sam was laughing when we left.

"Hahaha, their reaction is epic! That was hilarious!" She was still laughing until we entered the classroom. I laughed along with her. We sat in our seats while chatting. Suddenly, three of our classmates approached us.

"Hi, Lexxeignne! Hi, Samantha! I'm Camila Torres!"

"I'm Andrea Cortez!"

"And I'm Mara Soledad!" The girls introduce themselves while smiling. We just looked at them in surprise.

"Uh? Hi?" Sam said awkwardly.

"What do you need?" I asked them and they looked at me, perplexed. I didn’t mean to sound so aloof. It just happened.

"Ahm, we just want to be friends with you!" They said in unison. Sam and I looked at each other knowingly.

"It’s alright if you don't agree. We understand," they said sadly in unison again. Do they have the same thought?

We were about to answer them when our English teacher, Ms. Sharon Reyes, had already entered. They quickly walked back to their seats. Sam and I just looked at each other and just shrugged our shoulders.

Ms. Reyes also asked about me and after knowing I’m the new student yesterday, she started her discussion right away in a daze, and surprisingly, it went well because I didn’t feel bored. Ms. Reyes asked me some questions throughout the discussion and I gladly answered her. She seemed to enjoy asking me questions because I’m the only one she always called. How about the others then?

Ms. Reyes’ discussion ended well with me being the only student she always called. I felt like she deliberately did it on purpose. Or perhaps she forgets to ask the others because I’m good? Pft. Here I am again.

The bell rang. It's now lunchtime.

Sam and I quickly walked out of the classroom and walked to the cafeteria. I just hope the idiot from yesterday wasn’t there. When we entered the cafeteria, all eyes were on us. Since I brought lunch, Sam went to the counter to order her food. I just waited for her until she got her order and then we looked for a seat.

There are no vacant tables except for the table in the corner, which was only occupied by three girls. It was Camila, Andrea, and Mara. We headed to their table while eyes were on us except for the three girls in the corner who were busy chatting and eating. Sam and I looked at each other and nodded.

When we reached their table, Andrea and Mara saw us, and their eyes widened. Camila’s back is on us and she is busy eating. She didn't notice us yet.

"Ehem." Sam faked a cough. She turned around and her eyes widened slightly.

"Y-you..." Camila stammered.

"Uhm, can we share your table?" I ask with a smile.

"Y-yeah, sure!" They said in unison again, and I sat beside Camila and Sam sat beside me. Across from us, Andrea and Mara were silent.

"Thanks." Sam and I said. And they smiled. I put my lunch box on the table and opened it.

"It’s nothing..." they said, still sounded awkward, and then continued eating.

I heard Mara cleared her throat and I guess she couldn't stop herself from speaking. Looking at her, I could guess that she wasn’t used to being awkward or silent.

"Hmm. Samantha, Lexxeignne, will you mind me asking?" Mara asked, and we looked at her. Andrea, who was next to her, elbowed her. But she did not budge.

"Of course. What is it?" Sam said.

"Why don't you want to be friends with us? Honestly, we didn’t approach you because of your popularity. We just really want to be friends with you because we know you're not like everyone else. We saw that you were kind and brave, especially you, Lexxeignne, because of what you did yesterday. I really admire your bravery! Sorry! I just can't really stop my mouth. Hehe." Mara said and Sam chuckled. Camila, Andrea, and I also chuckled.

“Who told you that we didn’t agree to be your friends?” Sam said, and their eyes widened.

"Why not?" Andrea asked.

"No. Actually, if Ms. Reyes hadn't entered, Lex and I would have answered but you returned to your seats immediately without hearing our answer." Sam explained.

"Really?! So we're friends?! Waahhh!" they said in unison again. Are they triplets?

Sam and I nodded while smiling at them.

"Don’t take it back, okay?" Mara said like a child. We laughed and nodded.

We resumed eating while chatting a little. It looks like I found genuine friends.

After eating, we happily walked towards our classroom. Halfway through the classroom, we stopped walking because a crowd blocked the hallway. Someone was bullying a student. We broke through the crowd and when they saw me; they let us pass.

I saw a student on the ground and the witches from earlier standing all mighty in front of a girl. I didn’t know who the girl was because her back was on us.

"What's happening here?" I asked indifferently as I crossed my arms over my chest. They looked at me and the witches’ faces turned pale when they saw me. The girl turned around and looked at me. I was stunned. What is she doing here? She also looked surprised to see me. I turned my gaze to the witches and ignored her.

"I said, what's happening here? It's you again? Aren't you tired of bullying others?" I told the witches coldly.

"Hmph! Who do you think you are? Me? Christine Vladimir? Scared of you? Haha! Dream on b*tch!" the girl in the center said with a wicked smile. I guess she's the leader of the witches.

"Vladimir? Is your father's name Rodulfo Vladimir?" I asked while smirking.

"Oh? Do you know my father?! My father was very famous then!" she said proudly.

"Stupid! Yes, I know your father very well. And just one call away... I can make your father’s company... bankrupt!" I told her and smirked. Her face turned pale.

"W-who are you scaring b*tch?! And you can make our company bankrupt? How? Who are you?" she asked and pursed her lips. The crowd fell silent, waiting for me to answer. Even ‘her’ was looking at me with questioning eyes. I looked away from her.

I sighed. "Simple. You heard about Crisostomo Group of Companies, right?" she nodded reluctantly.

"Of course! How could I not know?! That is the number one company in the Philippines!" she said with a raised eyebrow.

"Exactly what you said. Number one. Do you know who is the owner of that company?" I asked, and she shook her head no while frowning.

I smile playfully and said, "I do, b*tch! Because she is my friend and like what I said, just one call away? Boom! Bankrupt!" The crowd gasped as well as 'her' and my new friends.

"Y-you're kidding!" she stammered, and now her face turned paler.

"I'm not. And one more thing, if I caught you bullied someone again. I won't think twice about getting your family out of the business industry. Got that?" They nodded absentmindedly. Well, I just scared them out of their wits. Because I don’t want to see someone being bullied again, especially ‘her’. I don’t know what she’s doing here in high school department because as far as I know, she’s now in college. I didn’t expect to see her in this school. I walked past the crowd with my friends, who were still stunned.

When we entered our classroom, I sat down in my seat silently. Camila, Andrea, and Mara were stealing glances at me, and I just gave them a small smile.

"We don't really know you yet, Lex," Sam uttered.

“That was... well, kinda awesome! How did you make friends with the owner of the number one company in the Philippines?” She asked with excitement.

I let out a sigh. "Hmm. By the way, Sam, that is confidential, but if you promise me that you will keep it as our secret, then I will tell you the truth. Will you promise?" I said. I'm willing to tell her that I'm the new owner of the company if she promises not to tell anyone.

I saw her thinking. Then she smiled at me. Suddenly, her expression became serious.

"Even if we only knew each other yesterday. Lex, I can say you're a true friend. You're not fake like others. You showed me the real you. Honestly, I trust you, Lex. I've never had any friends before except you. Even if you didn’t consider me as your best friend, in my heart and mind you're my best friend. It's easy to like you, Lex. In fact, I felt comfortable with you. And I promise you can trust me!" she said sincerely.

I smiled at her and hugged her. I feel overwhelmed because I never thought that she would trust me so easily. Her words really mean a lot.

"Thank you, Sam! I didn't even know you until yesterday, but I consider you as my best friend now." I told her and pulled away from the hug. And we smiled at each other.

"After class, in my house?" I offered, and she nodded with excitement.

"Ok!"

Our attention averted to the front when our TLE teacher arrived. And he just discussed and discussed. And I’m bored to death because the topic didn’t interest me at all.