Chapter 2 - Papers Ball

Jay-Jay's POV

I enrolled in class quite late, so I missed some lessons. Fortunately, Sir Alvin gave me a copy of the lessons I had missed. Their lecture went far, but that was just how it was—nothing more, nothing less.

Sir Alvin is the English teacher and also the advisor of Section E. I had a bit of a rough start in this section, but so far, it's been pretty quiet.

Tick Tock Tick Tock

I'm taking it back! I still can't calm down! Was that just a ghost?

A while ago, I was being pelted with paper here. It was just a small, round piece of paper, but when I looked back to see where it came from, I found only malice in the whole class. What?! Am I bothering you?!

As we moved on to the next subject, the scene repeated. More papers were scattered around me.

"Just stay calm, Jay. They're just trying to annoy you!" I reminded myself.

I tried to focus on the lecture again. Sir Alvin assured me that the next teacher would also provide a copy of the previous lessons.

I was busy writing when suddenly, I felt something hit my hair. I reached up and touched it. It was wet.

A wet paper ball had been thrown at me. There was no need to ask where the water came from—the fastest and easiest source was a person's mouth. The slimy, slightly sticky texture confirmed my suspicion.

"Yuck! Eeewww!"

I immediately grabbed a tissue and some alcohol from my bag. Good thing I always carry these with me—girl scout mode activated!

Our next classes continued, but the situation remained the same. Damn it!

As soon as the teacher left, I stood up and faced the whole class. I stared at them intently.

"WHO THREW THAT PAPER BALL AT ME?!" I shouted in anger.

No one moved. Just as I was about to speak again, I noticed that everyone was holding crumpled, rounded pieces of paper. Paper balls—circles as big as apples.

They were all grinning at me. Dead!

I saw Keifer smirking. He stood up, positioning himself as if he were about to throw a baseball.

My eyes widened at the sight. What had I gotten myself into, Jay-Jay?

I swallowed hard and shut my eyes as I saw the paper ball flying toward me. It hit my face, followed by more and more paper balls raining down on me.

"Aarrrggghhhh!" I screamed.

It didn't hurt, but there were so many of them. Along with the barrage of paper balls, laughter filled the room.

"Okay, more! Hahaha!"

"There are plenty more here! Hahaha!"

I knew there were only about fifteen of them, but it felt like a hundred were throwing at me.

"Aarrgghhhhh... What is this?!" I shouted, but of course, no one answered.

I had no choice. I grabbed my bag and ran out of the room as fast as I could. They kept throwing paper at me until I was finally out of sight.

I didn't stop running until I was far away from the building.

They're so annoying! I wish I hadn't responded to Keifer!

It was lunchtime, so I considered going straight to the cafeteria. I entered and got in line.

While waiting, I suddenly heard a familiar voice.

"That was hilarious! Hahaha..." It was Rakki and some of my classmates. I immediately turned my back on them.

Why is this line so long?!

"Hey, Rakki..." I heard someone call her. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help but listen.

"What's up, Michael?" Rakki replied.

"Have you heard the news about the transferee? What can you say about her?"

Wait—are they talking about me?

"Uhmmm... She's pretty, but a little noob."

Should I be happy? That was both a compliment and an insult at the same time!

Why is this queue so slow?!

"Hahaha... What do you mean?"

"She was placed in our section instead of Section E."

Suddenly, they all burst into laughter. It was humiliating!

"That's embarrassing..."

Say more! Move already! Finally, I reached the vendor. I bought two meals, knowing I'd need my energy. I also grabbed a large Piattos, Nova, and Cheappy.

I quickly took my food and walked toward the cafeteria door, but I was stopped when I ran into Aries—my cousin.

His brows furrowed when he saw me. I froze in place. I was exhausted!

"Hey, Aries! Over here!" Rakki shouted.

But Aries didn't move. Neither did I. I felt someone approaching us until...

"Jay-Jay! You're here!" Rakki greeted me. "Guys, this is the transferee."

Rakki suddenly hugged me and introduced me to everyone in the cafeteria. It was too late for me to resist.

"This is Jay-Jay, the one I was talking about earlier," Rakki said.

I just bowed my head. I didn't know if I should feel embarrassed because of the people around me or because of Aries.

Aries and I had a troubled past. We came from a broken family, which led me to rebel. My grandmother took me in, hoping I would change, but I disappointed her. She had a heart attack because of a fight I was involved in. My aunts were furious with me, except for Aunt Gema, Aries's mother. She took me in since she didn't have a daughter, and I agreed, promising my grandmother and everyone else that I would fix my life. When I arrived at their home, I thought things would get better, but Aries was still angry. He even threatened to leave if I stayed. Aunt Gema didn't stop him, so he left. And now, we had met again here.

"So, Jay-Jay... How's your experience with Section E?" Michael asked.

I didn't want to tell them how the entire section had humiliated me. And I didn't want Section E to think I was complaining either.

"It's okay... They're being nice to me," I replied, forcing a smile.

"I think that's a lie. Section E is full of barbarians. They have records both inside and outside of school," Rakki commented.

I frowned at her words. Seriously? Barbarians? Monsters? That was the past.

"No need to worry... Jay will fit in just fine with Section E," Aries said.

I looked at him. I couldn't tell if he was being sincere.

I already felt embarrassed enough. I slowly pulled away from Rakki's embrace.

"R-Rakki... I have to go now. I'm sorry."

I didn't wait for a response and immediately left the cafeteria. The atmosphere there was too strange.

I was also ashamed because of Aries.

Before I knew it, I had arrived at the Section E building. Wait!

I can't go in now. They'll just trip me again, and I won't even be able to eat properly.

I looked around and spotted a table and bench that seemed decent enough. I decided to sit there and eat.

I opened my first meal and took out my handkerchief, carefully placing it over my blouse. Expelling stains would be difficult.

Our uniform was a simple blouse with a black necktie and a skirt that was two inches above the knee. The necktie indicated our year level. Since I was in my fourth year, mine had four white stripes.

Just as I was about to open my second meal, someone snatched it away—faster than the Flash.

"Hey! That's mine!" I shouted.

The thief was gone. My classmates, like starving scavengers, fought over the food.

I saw Keifer leaning against the wall, just watching our classmate's bicker.

"Give it to me!"

"Beg for it!"

"This is mine!"

Were they really that hungry?

"Please understand, they're just starving," someone said beside me.

I turned to see Felix—the guy who had talked to me earlier with Keifer. He had brown hair.

"I'm Felix," he introduced himself, extending his hand.

But I ignored him. What luck he had, talking to me after everything they'd put me through earlier!

I reached into my bag and pulled out my big Piattos. Just as I was about to open it, someone snatched it away again.

"Hey!" I shouted.

The thief vanished into the chaos. Were my classmates vultures? Even eagles couldn't snatch food this fast!

"Hahaha... You shouldn't take out food so openly," Felix said, amused.

I glared at him. "What? Are your classmates just that greedy?!"

He laughed. "Hahaha... A little."

I sighed in frustration. I had just lost all my food to my classmates, and they had left nothing but wrappers on the floor.

Were they really starving?!