Chapter 7

I was taken aback, gripping the tissue tightly.

"Wipe it..." Sir Cace softly instructed, leaving me stunned.

"Huh?" I almost whispered my question to Sir Cace.

"Wipe the blood on my lips, Dalha."

I suddenly felt nervous. What was Sir Cace asking me to do?!

"Why would I do—."

"Never mind, give me that," he said coldly, so I quickly handed him the tissue.

I fell silent. I turned my gaze out the window. The nighttime view somewhat eased the awkwardness I was feeling.

The journey was still long as our destination was in the mountains. There were no mountains in the city, and the nearest one was a four-hour drive away.

I glanced to the front where the digital clock was hanging. It was almost seven in the evening, and I was starting to feel hungry.

I wanted to turn on the lights because I was slowly feeling a tightness in my chest. The bus was dark, and it felt like the space around me was getting smaller and smaller.

I purposefully took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I was starting to sweat, unsure if I should tell Sir Cace about how I was feeling.

"Excuse me, can you turn on the lights?" I heard Sir Cace ask the driver's replacement.

"Come on, Sir! It's more romantic in the dark. People won't see me cuddling with my babe," Rusty jokingly said before making a sound effect. He was probably teasing his seatmate, Dylan. Some of my classmates laughed, but I remained quiet.

I quickly reached for my water bottle in my bag, taking a sip without saying a word. I was about to reach for my bag overhead to get my workbook and use it as a fan when the bus suddenly swerved. I lost my balance and felt Sir Cace grab my waist, accidentally causing me to sit on his lap. I didn't pay attention to that as my chest started to ache.

"Damn it, Dalha," Sir Cace muttered irritably as he took a folder from his bag and handed it to me. It brought me some relief.

"When are you going to ask for help?" His question burned into the corners of my eyes. I wanted to cry, but my anger towards Sir Cace held me back.

I slowly stood up from his lap.

"I'm sorry," I whispered softly as I took my seat.

"Does your aunt know about this?"

I shook my head firmly. I wasn't sure if he saw my response in that manner, but Sir didn't ask further, so I assumed he noticed my gesture.

I closed my eyes tightly. Sir Cace continued to fan me.

"I don't want to tell them. They don't care about me," I said after a moment.

I felt Sir Cace's gaze on me. He sighed briefly before resuming fanning me.

"Who will take care of you if you don't inform them—."

"I can take care of myself, Sir. I've been through this several times before and I managed. So it's okay if Aunt doesn't know," I said with my eyes still closed. I couldn't meet Sir Cace's gaze.

"Then, let me—."

"I can take care of myself, Sir Cace. I don't want to be pitied." I cut him off with a bitter smile.

Ever since my parents passed away, I had ingrained in my mind that no one would waste their time on me. I had friends, but I didn't want to take advantage of their kindness. I could stand on my own feet. I didn't need help.

Sir Cace fell silent. I tried to sleep to make him stop fanning me. I was starting to feel a sense of ease, so it was fine if he stopped.

I didn't know how many hours I slept. When I woke up, the surroundings were quiet. My noisy classmates were gone. Even the driver and his companion were no longer there. Sir Cace, my seatmate, was also gone.

I looked around and saw that the bus was brightly lit. All the lights were on, and the window beside me was open.

I noticed that our bus was parked at the end of a bus stop parking lot, surrounded by trees on one side and adjacent to another bus on the opposite side.

I was about to get off to grab a meal when the door opened, and Sir Cace entered. Our eyes met.

"Where are you going?" he asked seriously.

"Uh, to buy some food—."

"Don't get off, I already have something," he replied as he handed me a paper bag. Of course, it didn't come from the nearby diner. Maybe he went to Elliott.

"That's yours, Sir. I'll just buy something for—."

"We don't know if the food here is clean."

I was taken aback. I didn't realize he had such thoughts about places like these.

"Everyone's eating out—."

"Just take it and eat," Sir said, causing me to swallow my words.

I had no choice but to take the paper bag. When I looked inside, it was filled with food. A food pack, a box of chocolate cupcakes, mineral water, sparkling water, and juice. There were also some junk foods and candies.

"There's so much in here, Sir."

"Did I say you're the only one eating?" he retorted. I couldn't help but give him a disapproving look. I felt a bit embarrassed about that.

"Then, I'll just eat a cupca—."

I didn't finish what I was going to say as Sir Cace took the paper bag from me. He quickly grabbed the food pack inside and handed it to me.

"A cupcake isn't suitable for dinner, Dalha."

I stared at the food in front of me. Inside the food pack were rice and two pieces of fried chicken. It reminded me of the food Kuya Al handed to me at the convenience store.

I glanced briefly at Sir Cace sitting across from me. I quickly averted my gaze back to the food when he looked at me.

I was confused. I was afraid of Sir Cace's actions. I was afraid of what my classmates might think. I was afraid that it might jeopardize my dreams.

I couldn't help but bite my lip, followed by tears streaming down my face.

"Dalha?"

I cleared my throat to get rid of the lump forming. I quickly wiped the tears that flowed down my eyes. Then I quietly ate my meal.

"I had my car sent here," Sir Cace said, causing me to pause chewing.

I furrowed my brow as I glanced at him. "Why?"

Sir Cace fell silent momentarily as some of my classmates entered, making noise in the bus.

"You'll ride with me," he replied after Jimmy passed by.

"Sir, it's okay if—."

"Dalha, we heard you struggling to breathe earlier. Obviously, it's hard for you to breathe in the dark. The majority of our classmates want the lights off, not because they're up to anything shady, but because they're used to sleeping with the lights off. So, it's better for you to go with Sir Cace," Sammy, our class President, explained at length.

When I turned to Sir Cace, he was just looking at me, making me even more nervous.

"Don't worry, Dalha. The Principal has already approved for you to ride with Sir. We all agreed that you should go with him in his car. It's for your safety," added Glen, our Vice President.

I sighed quietly. I couldn't do anything about it. My other classmates might get mad if I insisted on staying on the bus.

"Finish your meal. I'll just take your things to the car," Sir Cace said before taking my bag from overhead.

As Sir Cace left, the girls in my class began to squeal.

"Gosh! If Sir wasn't our teacher, I'd definitely think he likes Dalha! Isn't it exciting? Two guys, Sir Cace and Elliott, vying for the same girl?" Janine exclaimed with a big smile.

I just shook my head and continued eating. I ignored the conversation of my enthusiastic classmates, even as the boys joined in. They were saying I suited Sir Cace better than Elliott.