FRED IS RUMORED TO BE MENTALLY UNSTABLE.

It was finally Monday Morning. Mack had woken up as early as he could. His days here as a new teacher were somehow very accommodating. The teachers were nice to him and he had fun with them too yet he still couldn't stop thinking about the dream he had a few nights ago. He tried shrugging it off but like a deadly disease that crept into humanity, the thoughts slowly crawled in whenever he was less busy.

He wore his pair of glasses and made a circle with his thumb and index fingers. He wasn't short-sighted but he loved wearing his glasses as they gave him the appearance of a nerd and a professor at what he did best.

He picked up one or two books and headed out of his room.

"Good morning, Mack." A man greeted as he also came out of his apartment.

"Good morning, Eli. How was your night?" Mack replied.

"It was good, thank you. Let me accompany you." Eli ran closer to him and the two men finally left the teachers' arena.

Students were already roaming the campus.

"Now this is what a real university should be like. Sometimes I feel like I am still in high school." Eli complained. Mack pursed his lips but didn't say anything.

"I see no difference between a private school and this school." Eli kept talking regardless.

"Isn't this a private school?"

Eli chuckled awkwardly, "Yeah, it is."

"Hmm, since it's a private school with not many students unlike public ones then it's really good. Stella told me that the students are good academically so I have no complaints." Mack replied wisely.

Eli nodded and absolute silence befell them as they walked past the rows of classrooms before climbing the staircase.

"I will see you later then. My class is this way."

"Thank you for your time, Eli."

"Hey, no need to be polite with words. You are really stiff, man." Eli hits Mack's shoulders playfully before leaving. Mack smiled and turned in his direction. He didn't want to be late for his class as that would be a bad impression.

As he continued striding towards his class, he walked past a window but on getting to the front, he turned around and came closer to the window to take another look again.

Mack peeked into the classroom and saw what first caught his attention. There he was, the stranger he had met the other day in the music room. He quickly looked at the class he was in and noticed they were fourth-year students.

The stranger was wearing a black hoodie and a baseball cap that was also black. Was he in a cult or gang? Deep within, Mack wished to see his face one more time but then…it was cut off.

"Excuse me." A woman spoke from behind and Mack jumped up out of fright.

The woman grinned at his reaction.

"I am sorry, did I scare you?" She asked him.

"Uh, no, I was just…no, you didn't."

While Mack was communicating with the female teacher, Fred looked up from his book and watched him for a while before looking away.

"Do you have them?"

"No, I was curious that is all. I will excuse myself now." Mack waved and quickly dashed away.

The lady smiled. Well, she had heard about the cute and handsome teacher that the school had employed for his services and the rumors were not false. She entered the classroom afterward.

Her eyes darted towards Fred and she smirked, "It's good to see you here, Mister Fred."

"Same, Miss Mayor," Fred answered back.

*-*-*-*-*-*-

Mack was done with his classes for the morning. He really enjoyed the first-year students. Their intelligence was out of this world.

He encouraged Eli in the course of his walking.

"Hey, buddy." Eli waved at him.

"Eli, how was the class?"

"Stressful. I had to teach biology nonstop today and the students were naughty. Don't let me start talking, you would label me a sex teacher or a pervert." Eli rolled his eyes. Mack laughed heartily and this made Eli happy.

"You are being lazy," Mack commented.

"I don't think so." Eli yawned.

"Come with me, I have a friend to introduce you to. Have you had lunch yet? I guess not. Let's head to the general cafeteria." Eli hung his arm around Mack's neck. They were of the same height so it was easy for Eli.

As he pulled Mack along by the neck, Fred happened to walk past them. Mack glanced at him and their eyes met with each other, making Mack feel slightly nervous. Fred was the first to look away after that.

Mack looked behind to have a proper view of him.

*_*_*_*_*_*

"Mack, meet my buddy, the school's chef, Desmond. I call him Dessy for short." Eli introduced them to each other.

Mack smiled at Desmond and the latter did the same. He shook hands with Mack.

"Hey, man. Nice to meet you." Desmond replied.

"Same here. Are you really the school's chef?" Mack questioned.

"Lol. You'd better not mind Eli. His tongue is as sweet as honey. I am also a student here but part-time. My mum works in the cafeteria here so I decided to help out."

"Do you attend this university too?" Mack asked as he helped in carrying the few dishes to the table and the three men settled down to eat.

"Well, I was interested in coming here but then I changed my mind. I just didn't feel good about learning here. My school is on break till further notice because of a fire outbreak that destroyed most parts of the building and even harmed some students but I am taking the online lectures."

"Do you dislike the UNIVERSITY?"

"No, I don't. I just didn't want to start here. This school is one of the best with good qualities and sound teachers. How did you become a teacher? You look my age."

"Oh, my course actually took 4 years. I did some other studies as well, and maybe that was what guaranteed me of my teaching here because truthfully speaking when I went to teach the first-year students, I met those that were…you know, that I felt were older than me. So, teaching is fun though." Mack answered.

"Hey, you guys are leaving me out of the discussion. It isn't fair." Eli whined.

"Stop portraying like a kid." Desmond hit Eli's palm. The latter joined his palms together and placed them on his forehead.

"Oh, thou wise one, stop behaving like a fool!" Eli stuck out his tongue at him.

Mack chuckled and ate his meal. While his eyes were looking around randomly, they suddenly landed on the group of people who entered the cafeteria.

He paused in eating as his eyes lingered more on a particular person who had entered alongside them. Mack watched them sit down and make their orders. The guy was sitting with his back against him, preventing Mack from seeing his face.

He turned to his new friends.

"Guys, who are those people? Especially the one in overall black." He couldn't help but ask.

Desmond and Eli looked ahead at who he was talking about.

"Oh, those are the squads of the university. Over there is Sam and the one wearing black is Fred Edwards. I don't know about the rest." Eli replied.

"Same here. Fred is rumored to be mentally unstable."

Mack raised his eyebrows, seeking more explanation.

"What is that supposed to mean? He doesn't look like someone who is sick or as the rumor said." He denied.

"Yeah, he actually does speak but for a particular person, it could be once a month. He is somehow withdrawn even when with his friends in the cafeteria." Desmond spoke.

Mack looked over his shoulder again and managed to catch the attention of the female among them. Mack anxiously looked away.