COMPLEX

"SOL!"

Sol stopped walking to face Dusk, who approached her in a hurry. "How did you know where to find me?" she asked, then she crossed her arms over her chest. "Do you know what your classmates did to me?"

"I can see," Dusk said in a cracked voice while his face looked devastated. "I was late. I'm so sorry, Sol."

He immediately took off his white polo and drape it on her shoulders. And now, he only wore a plain white V-necked shirt that made her realize he wasn't as skinny as she thought he was.

[He's lean, huh?]

Anyway, she didn't mind that he lent her his white polo because it was neat and it smelled good– just like him.

"How did you find me?" she asked again. "And why are you apologizing?"

"I heard it from Eloise and her friends," Dusk said hesitantly. "They were talking about how the new girl was about to get "lectured" by Michelle and Nichole– the two biggest bullies in this school. I forced Eloi to tell me where her friends brought you."

"And you're apologizing because…?"

His face turned red, then he avoided her gaze. "I know that Eloi is picking on you because of me."

"'Eloi,' huh?" she asked, amused to realize how close Dusk must be with Eloise. "How did you become friends with a bitch like her?"

He turned to her with widened eyes, as if her vulgar words surprised him. "S-Sol…"

[It's time to drop the innocent act since I already found my targets.]

"Eloise Venosa is an entitled bitch," she said bluntly. "It takes one to know one."

He looked shocked by her sudden change.

But she didn't change, though. She was simply showing him her true colors. This was the real her– an entitled bitch.

"Anyway, I just heard about you and Eloise today but I can already tell that you're partly to blame for her terrible personality," she said, although she felt bad for doing this to Dusk. "Why are you indulging the girl who bullies anyone who comes close to you?"

"Eloise already apologized to the people that she had hurt in the past," he said in a weak voice. "She also promised to apologize to you, and to ask her friends to stop picking on you…"

"What do Eloise and Quest Venosa used to blackmail you?"

He looked shocked by her question.

[Bull's eye.]

"You look like a decent guy, Dusk Quijano," she said. "That's why I can't wrap my head around the fact that you're connected to a bitch and a douchebag. Worse, it seems like you can't lay a finger on them. I wonder why."

He gulped, and it looked like he wouldn't give her the answer that she wanted from him.

[He's probably thinking that if he reveals his secret, I'll find him weak. And he might be too shy to show his vulnerability to the girl she likes.]

Yep, she was good at observing people because if she wasn't, she would have been killed a long time ago.

And yep again, she wasn't being delusional: she can tell that Dusk Quijano was smitten with her. Why wouldn't he be?

"Sol, I came from a poor family," Dusk admitted in a low voice. "But Eloise' family helps me and my parents have a comfortable life. If I go against her or Quest, they might cut off the financial support my parents enjoy–"

She suddenly covered his mouth with her hand.

"I get the gist of it so you don't have to say more," she scolded him. "And I don't want to hear your story. I'm sorry for asking."

He looked disappointed, but he nodded in the end.

Only then did she remove her hand from his mouth.

"I'm not good at listening to other people, especially if they talk about their problems," she confessed. "I can't relate, and maybe I don't have the heart to empathize. But I can act like I care if I want to."

He smiled sadly, then he shook his head. "I'd rather you be honest with me instead of pretending that you care about me."

"You're a coward, Dusk Quijano," she said bluntly, randomly. "In my book, you fall under the "normal" category."

Dusk's situation wasn't normal.

He was practically sold off by his family to Eloise Venosa who seemed to be obsessed with him. It was a pretty decent material for a stupid soap opera.

But the way Dusk handled it was both refreshing and pathetic.

She liked the fact that he wasn't trying to be a hero for anyone. There was nothing wrong with being a coward to have a quiet life. Just like how she was risking her identity that wasn't supposed to be exposed for a normal life that she had always longed for.

"It must have been hard for you to hold back every time Eloise or Quest bullies your schoolmates," she said. Then she patted his shoulder gently. "Hang in there."

"Are you not going to tell me to stand up against them and protect my schoolmates?"

"No," she said while laughing. "Why would you do that when you can't even protect yourself from the Venosa cousins?"

His face turned red, as if it embarrassed him

"I don't like guys with a savior complex," she assured him. "I like my guy to be as normal as the next person." "Normal" by her standards, that was. "Stay the way you are, Dusk Quijano. Soon, I'll come and pick you up."

He frowned but to her, it looked like he was pouting. "You talk as if you're talking to a puppy."

"Then you're my puppy now," she said, then she gently squeezed his cheeks. "I'll come to you one of these days. If you still want me when that time comes, I'll fight for you."

"Does it mean we can't be together right now?" he asked sadly. "If it's about Eloise, I'll talk to her–"

"It's not about that bitch," she cut him off, then she let go of his cheeks. "I just don't need you right now, Dusk Quijano."

Dusk looked hurt by her remark. "Am I that useless?"

"You can say that for now," Sol said, then she shrugged to shake off Dusk's polo on her shoulders. When it fell to the ground, she walked backward while pointing to her face. "Don't worry, Dusk– a bitch like me is replaceable."

***

"WHERE do you think you're going dressed like that?"

After leaving a dumbfounded Dusk, now she met Quest Venosa. It seemed like that damned Cloud was right when he said she was good at attracting good-for-nothings.

"It's a good thing that the students here avoid this area, since this is Michelle and Nichole's territory," Quest said when he approached her. Then he removed his hoodie and threw it at her. "Wear that. I don't want anyone else to see you expose that much skin."

"Dusk has already seen me like this," she said, then she wore Quest's hoodie. "Just to be clear, you don't have the right to tell me what to wear. I only wore this because I don't want my reputation to plummet when it's only my first day here."

"You're a tough cookie, huh?" he said while shaking his head. "Sol–"

"Quest Venosa," she cut him off. "Do you like me?"

"I will always like the prettiest girl in school."

"And I will always choose the strongest and most powerful boy," she declared. "If I become your girl, will you lend me your authority here?"

He smirked at her. "My girl will automatically become the second strongest girl in the school, Sol Fontana."

[Eloise is probably the number one girl here, but I can overthrow her later. For now…]

"I'll take it," Sol said with a smile. "Starting today, I'm the bad boy's girl."

Quest smirked, then cupped her face and leaned down to capture her lips for a searing kiss. He devoured her mouth, made his tongue dance with hers, and kissed her until she was breathless and moaning in his mouth. This guy knows how to kiss, huh?

[Now let the hunting begin.]

***

"YOU look hot, baby doll."

Sol just rolled her eyes at Cloud's remark about her new haircut. "I know."

Right now, she was in her bedroom in her bathrobe while lazing around on her bed.

She was talking to Cloud using a video call app on her laptop placed on her lap.

"Where are you?" she asked curiously. "Why isn't your camera on?"

Aside from that, she also noticed that the background was too quiet.

<"I sneaked out of our operation," Cloud said playfully. "Baby doll, your kuya is on an overkill spree. Guess why?">

"He saw Quest Venosa drop me off at my apartment."

<"Bingo!">

"Quest Venosa is an exception to his stupid rule," she said in a frustrated voice. "I'm not dating him because I want to and he knows that."

<"As if logic works on your brother when he's jealous," he said while laughing. "But you're right. Deep down, he knows that you're just doing your job. Hence, Quest Venosa is still alive.">

"Tell him to just get rid of the CCTV on my door if he doesn't want to see me with Quest Venosa."

<"Uh, no. I don't want to get killed. Your brother is psycho, I tell you.">

"I'm the person who knows that best," she said with a smirk, then she changed the topic. "Why did you call?"

<"We have shipped your pets to your old place," he informed her in a serious voice. "What do you want me to do with them? Send them to you?">

"Depends on their behavior," she said vaguely. "If they're sober enough to do their job well, ship them to me."

Her "pets" weren't animals, but they did bite, so they had to be this careful.

<"Alright," he said. "Do you need anything else?">

"I'm good for now, thanks."

<"Okay. Oh, one more thing.">

"What?"

<"Yue got pissed when he saw the picture you sent me. He went batshit crazy!" he said in an amused voice. "I know how much he likes your long hair. But even for a psycho like him, going on a rampant is crazy!">

Her short hair would always elicit a bitter memory from their past. It wouldn't make sense for other people. But for her, Yue's violent reaction was natural.

[Kuya Yue isn't pissed at Quest– he's pissed that I cut my hair short.]

<"Your brother is fucking mourning the loss of your long hair," Cloud said in disbelief. "Pacify him or else, the adults will try to restrain him again.">

"Alright," she said, because she felt responsible for her brother's rampage this time. "Tell Kuya that I'll send him a present soon. Send one of our messengers to my hotel floor tomorrow. They're faster than couriers."

<"You're bringing your boy toy to our hotel?" Cloud asked, shocked. "Are you fucking crazy, Sol Fontana? If Yue finds out about it, he'll fucking murder your little boyfriend along with everyone who helped you book the suite!">

"I got your care package, so I'll be fine," she assured him. "Quest Venosa is a horny scumbag. I need to use it against him to gain the information I need."

<"I know that. But Yue will still lose it if he hears about this!">

"It's your job to keep Kuya Yue busy tomorrow," she said, passing the responsibility to Cloud swiftly. "We're all dead if we're busted, so you better make sure that the news won't reach his ears. Not until I'm done anyway."

[Translation: Don't make my job more difficult as it already is.]

"I know that very well," Sol said bluntly. "I grew up with that psycho, you know?"

[Translation: I don't have it easy either so don't complain.]

<"Always so cold," Cloud complained playfully. "Happy hunting, baby doll.">

***

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