SAVAGE

TRIGGER WARNING: Mention/usage of d/rugs.

***

"WHERE do you want to hang out later, Sol?" Quest asked her while they were on their way to the canteen after he picked her up from her classroom. "Since it will be our first date, I'll let you choose."

"I'll go on a date with you if you give me what I want," Sol said nonchalantly while browsing on her phone. She saw Quest put his hands inside his pockets when she made it clear that she didn't want to hold hands. "Can you?"

"What do you want?"

"Michelle and Nichole," she said bluntly. "I want to pay them back for giving me a fabulous haircut."

"Uh, they are Eloise's friends," he said hesitantly. "If you hurt them, Eloise will get her revenge against you. It will be an infinite loop. Of course, I'll protect you if that happens. But I want you to get along with my cousin."

"If Eloise says that she has nothing to do with Michelle and Nichole, then it should be fine," she said, then she finally turned to Quest. "If you care about her, she might feel the same. Meaning, she won't hurt her dear cousin's girlfriend."

Hesitation didn't leave Quest's face.

"Quest, please," she pleaded while giving him puppy dog eyes. She pressed her breasts nicely against his arm on purpose. Then she looked up at him and smiled. "I really want to get back at them, babe."

He looked smitten. Then he smiled and gently patted her head. "Alright, babe."

[Argh, how gullible.]

"Miss Fontana?"

She turned to her homeroom teacher called Aira Pagtalunan. As usual, the teacher looked gloomy, just like how depressing her tone was. But she saw an unfamiliar emotion in the teacher's eyes. "Yes, Ma'am Pagtalunan?"

"PDA isn't allowed in this school," Teacher Aira scolded her, but her voice was meek and she couldn't even look at her properly. "Please let go of Mr. Venosa's arm."

[How did she become a teacher with that weak personality?]

"I'm being scolded," she said, amazed that she was scolded by a person who wasn't Yule. As a part of her role as an excellent student, she obediently let go of Quest's arm and apologized to the teacher. "Sorry, Ma'am."

"Don't listen to that woman, Sol," Quest said rudely, then he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "She doesn't have the right to scold students. Only real teachers can do that."

Teacher Aira's face turned red, as if it humiliated her.

[Ohh.]

"A "teacher" who let her student die doesn't deserve to even step foot here," Quest continued, mocking the teacher who was already on the verge of crying. He even bumped into Aira on purpose while spewing out hurtful words. "But I guess there are thick-skinned people everywhere."

Rude.

Of course, she knew that a student there died recently. It was all over the news. And thanks to that sensationalized news, her brother picked that place as her new "territory." Hence, she was sent to that school.

"Quest?"

"Yes, babe?"

Sol looked up at him with sparkling eyes. "My school life is like a rip-off from a badly written teen fiction about "gangsters.""

"I don't get what you're saying but I'm happy that you're having fun," Quest said while laughing, then he kissed her forehead. "Stick to me and your life will never get boring."

***

"SOL, there's a new café around here," Kaia told her excitedly. "Would you like to check it out with me later?"

"Maybe next time," Sol said, while putting her things in the backpack. "But come with me. I have a surprise for you."

"What is it?"

She bounced out of the classroom and motioned Kaia to follow her. "Follow me."

Kaia followed her like an obedient dog.

While walking in the hallway, somebody tried to sneak behind her. Her reflex instantly kicked in. She was already on her "kill mode" when suddenly, she sniffed in a familiar manly scent. Thanks to that, she could stop her body from attacking in an instant.

She let Quest hug her from behind.

"Babe!" Quest greeted her cheerfully. "Found you!"

She looked up at him, realizing that Quest was uselessly tall. And boy, he was really handsome. "Hey, I received your message earlier. You're not pranking me, are you?"

"Of course not," he said, then he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and turned to Kaia with a frown. "You're bringing her with us?"

"Just until I'm done playing," she said, then she gently elbowed his side. "She's my friend. Don't scare her."

"I'll try," he said, then he quickened his pace with the obvious intention of leaving Kaia behind. But Kaia was like a dog who quickly and quietly followed them. "Babe, I talked to Eloise. She said she has nothing to do with Michelle and Nichole. So I got them for you as a present."

"I can do anything with them, right?"

"Of course," he said, then he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Babe, give me a reward for being an obedient boyfriend."

"I've booked it."

"Hmm?"

"A hotel room," she explained teasingly. "In Manila. Do you have a car?"

Quest, who suddenly looked excited, grinned. "Yeah, but I don't have a professional license yet to drive one. But I'll call our driver later."

"Okay."

A few moments later and they finally arrived at the restroom where Kaia was bullied the other day.

About three students– male and female– gathered around the comfort room while smoking.

Michelle and Nichole's crying voices could be heard from there.

[Ah, it has started.]

"Go, babe," Quest said after he pulled away from her. Then, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one stick using a lighter. "Technically, those girls still belong to Eloise's faction," he explained, then he puffed a smoke before speaking again. "It doesn't feel right for me to watch."

[Faction, huh? Quest and Eloise have different factions, but they don't fight because the cousins get along well. Makes me want to destroy them even more.]

Because where she was from, factions weren't supposed to get along.

"Babe?"

"Alright," she said, then she turned to Kaia. "Let's go, girl."

Kaia, who beamed after getting her attention, nodded and quickly attached herself on her side. But after standing next to her, fear replaced the excitement on Kaia's face. "S-Sol, what are they doing to Michelle and Nichole…?"

"I prepared a gift for you," she said, then she ushered Kaia inside the restroom. "I'm pretty sure you already know what's happening to them."

When they arrived inside the comfort room, they saw Michelle and Nichole on the wet floor while crying. The two bitches were soaked wet, and their naked torsos were bruised. Two big and muscular girls were standing in front of Michelle and Nichole.

And between the tough-looking girls stood a female student who looked like a gentle and beautiful porcelain doll.

[Based on the color of their lanyards, they must be Grade 12 students– our senior.]

"Hi, Sol," the pretty doll-like girl greeted her. "I'm Eunice. Quest's ex-girlfriend and current fubu." She smiled brightly at her. "I volunteered to punish these girls as a reward to Quest for giving me a hot and unforgettable night."

Kaia softly gasped, as if she was scandalized by how the girl named Eunice introduced herself.

Eunice, on the other hand, let out an exaggerated gasp. "Oops, sorry."

[This bitch is obviously trying to provoke me.]

"I can make that 'ex-fubu,'" Sol said while smiling. "The fact that you're here proves that you're desperate to be relevant to Quest." She approached Eunice and gently tapped her shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll relieve you of your position soon. Once Quest gets to taste a premium wagyu beef, I doubt that he'll be satisfied with a cheap unli samgyupsal meat again."

Eunica's face turned red as if it humiliated her.

Thankfully, the bitch didn't give a retort.

The two muscular girls tried to approach and intimidate her.

But just one icy glare from Sol and the two froze on the spot.

"B-Be thankful that you're Quest's current girl," one of the muscular girls said, obviously making a lame excuse as to why they stopped attacking her.

"That's right," the other agreed. "If it wasn't for Quest, we would have smashed your face already."

She just smiled sweetly at the two's cute threat.

Then she walked past them to squat down in front of Michelle and Nichole. Would you look at that? The two trembled in fear at just the sight of her.

"I want to play with you more but I'm running out of time," she said, then she tugged Michelle's head back just what the bitch did to her before. "It's payback time, bitch."

Michelle could only groan in pain.

She, on the other hand, pulled out a pair of scissors from the pocket of her skirt. Then, she chop Michelle's hair the way her hair was cut. "Damn, short hair doesn't suit you," she said while shaking her head. "I should give you another haircut."

She stood up and faced Kaia, while pulling out a razor from her backpack. Then, she handed the razor to her meek friend. "Here."

Kaia accepted the razor, even though she looked confused. "S-Sol, what am I supposed to do with this?"

"You can shave their heads if you want to," she said casually. "Don't be scared." She jabbed her thumb in Eunice's direction. "My boyfriend's bitches will protect you."

Eunice grimaced at her words. "What makes you think that I'll follow an order from you?"

"Because if you upset me, you'll lose your relevance to Quest," Sol said dully. "I'll make it so that he won't even glance at you. Trust me, just one night is enough for me to make him forget about your petty existence." She bumped into the bitch's shoulder on purpose when she walked past her. "If you don't want that to happen, know your place."

***

LA FANTASIA Hotel

It was a "non-star" hotel that offered services comparable to what five-star hotels provided.

But only a handful of elites could enter La Fantasia Hotel. It didn't matter how rich or powerful a person was. If they didn't have the right connections, they could never book a room. Walk-in guests were always shooed away with the excuse of the hotel being fully-booked.

Legally, the hotel existed. They paid taxes, too. But its existence was almost a myth.

The hotel practically didn't have social media presence and yet, they were always fully booked. Granted, it was relatively small compared to the other luxury hotels around. La Fantasia Hotel's selling point was its elusiveness, though.

"This is my first time here," Quest said while looking around the hotel's fancy lobby. He looked impressed. "I've been to a handful of five-star hotels in the metro, but I haven't heard of La Fantasia. But it's nice here."

"They're just like any other luxury hotel out there," Sol lied smoothly. [Everything here is ordinary except the people– be it the guests or the employees.]

How so?

Let's say she screamed for help later. If that happened, Quest Venosa would never make it out alive. His family would never find his remains, not even a piece of his DNA. Worst of all, his death wouldn't get justice. Even if his family spent their entire fortune, it would be impossible for them to find out that their garbage son had stepped foot in this hotel.

"You're making me ridiculously happy, babe," Quest continued with his bullshit. Then he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her on the top of her head. They were currently in the elevator headed to the 9th floor where their hotel suite was booked. "I didn't know that you like me this much."

"Well, your face is my style," Sol said, then she smiled at the hidden camera at the corner of the elevator. "Let's have tonight, Quest Venosa."

***

TO BE HONEST, she owned the entire 9th floor. It was a gift from her parents. The penthouse at La Fantasia Hotel belonged to Yue, though.

[Anyway…]

Since she owned the entire floor, no other guests could step foot in there.

"Wow," Quest said in an amused voice when they entered their hotel room. "This is fucking lit."

It was just a deluxe room for two. One king-size bed, a bathroom with a tub, a living room, and a mini-kitchen. Okay, it was like a condominium unit. But since she grew up in luxury, such things didn't impress her anymore.

"Let's have a drink first," Sol said, then she went straight to the counter bar. She squatted down and opened the ref. Then she turned around to find Quest already sitting comfortably on the bed. "Are you okay with beer?"

"Beer is fine," Quest said, then he smirked. "Plus, we're not here to drink, right?"

"Yep," she said teasingly. "I just need a boost to get rid of my jitters."

"You get jitters?"

"Rude," she said playfully, then she took two bottles of beer before heading to the mini kitchen to get the bottle opener. She had her back on Quest, but she could feel his intense gaze following her every move. "You can shower first, Quest."

When the foam from the beer overflowed, she wiped her hand on her skirt. But it was just a ploy to discreetly pull a pill from her pocket. Then she quickly dropped the pill in Quest's drink.

The pill was a gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB)– a common date dr/ug in the Philippines. In other clubs, they knew it as "G," "Liquid X," "Liquid E," "Juice," and "Fantasy. The last time she checked, it cost P10, 000 per 100 milliliters.

"Don't you want to join me in the shower?" Quest asked playfully. "I'll help you get rid of your jitters."

"That will make me more nervous," Sol lied, acting nervous. Then she handed the d/rugged beer to Quest. "Here– one bottle each will suffice."

***

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