Chapter 3 - Cleaners

Jay-Jay's POV

They went inside after finishing my food, and I was left outside with Felix. Even Keifer shoveled the shake here, but he was far away.

"Nothing that they... okay, you take out 'Lust,'" said Felix.

I did, and I took the Nova. That's why I haven't opened it yet.

Felix grabbed it again. "That's it. What right?! Snatcher, just?"

"Hey!"

"Oh, well!"

"Sorry... Favorite, I—this—eh!" Felix said and walked away while eating.

I was left alone. No one would take my food even if it was released. Hehe!

Finally!

I let go of that cheap thing. Maybe it was the lightning… I just held onto it more tightly.

Tears welled up in my hands as I grabbed it again.

"Arrrgggghhh! What is it?"

I glared at that animal who stole my food.

"Keifer?"

"What?"

"Right?! No begging here is trending, huh?! If you're hungry, go buy your own food!!"

He looked at me with a guilty expression. "No, we can't buy..." he whispered.

"What?!"

I ignored him as he entered the room while eating my chut chirya(name of snacks).

This sucks!

I returned to my table and chair, the same ones I had taken before. I also organized myself.

Upon entering, I was greeted by a flood of paper balls. The floor was completely covered, and with every step I took, I couldn't avoid kicking or stepping on them.

They didn't even clean up. Disgusting!

I sat down in my usual place, right in the middle of the U-shaped seating arrangement.

The silence around me was unsettling. When I turned back to look at them, a bad feeling crept over me.

There was no mercy from the heavens, no miracle behind me.

Felix and Keifer were still eating the chut chirya I had bought!

THICK SHITS!

They enjoyed every bite of my food. The weird part? My classmates stared at them, their eyes following every mouthful.

Had they not been fed?

Even I couldn't help but stare at their food, envious of the enjoyment they showed. That gung gong Keifer even had a satisfied expression!

Thick-skinned!

I turned my gaze forward again, fuming at their actions.

That was mine! That should have been mine!

Finally, the bell rang, and our teacher arrived.

The room was a mess, and I expected the teacher to be furious. Instead, she just kicked the trash aside with an uninterested expression.

"This room is your responsibility," she said in a bored tone.

I was about to zone out when I heard something that caught my attention.

"Why? A girl here?"

"A... transfer student," someone answered.

"Ahh... That Jasper Jean Mariano?"

I smiled. "Yes."

She gave me a neutral reaction before flipping through her book. Just like my previous teachers, he assigned lessons I couldn't catch up on.

While writing the lecture, the teacher approached me.

"Mrs. Zaragoza," she introduced herself. She looked to be in her mid-50s. Despite her age, she didn't seem strict.

"If you could choose, which section would you want to be in?" she asked.

I looked at her in surprise. "Huh?"

"You can't be here. You're the only girl."

Wow… So well thought out.

I assumed my classmates had just been absent.

"Are you serious? I was placed here because of a mistake in my records at the registrar's office."

Suddenly, I felt the room grow quiet.

Everyone was listening.

"It's not a problem. I will help you with Sir Alvin," Alvin, the student, spoke.

"Our previous female student was transferred to Section A", she added.

"I'll think about it..." I replied.

Honestly, a big part of me refused to move. I didn't feel like I belonged anywhere, but I could sense their concern.

I was the only girl here.

The class with Mrs. Zaragoza ended, followed by a few more. We were now on our last subject for the day.

"I don't want to teach you guys!" the teacher shouted angrily.

My classmates erupted in cheers, acting like wild dogs.

Wow!

I lowered my head, panicking because of them.

"Clean up your room first. I have a meeting," she added.

What the—?! She had a meeting, but she didn't want to teach either?

"Oh well, that's fine too," I muttered to myself.

"Listen up! When I come back and this classroom is still a mess... I'll teach! No one will escape, or I'll trample each of you one by one!" she threatened before storming out.

Ms. Cindy Smith—that was her name. She looked to be in her mid-20s and had a cool demeanor.

As soon as she left, the whole class stood up in a panic.

I thought they were going to clean up.

Instead, they ran out of the room!

"Hey! What about you guys?!" I shouted.

I tried to follow them, but when I reached the door, they slammed it shut.

"Open this!" I yelled, banging on the door.

Through the window, I saw Keifer peeking inside. I rushed over.

"Hey! What kind of prank is this?!"

"Clean the room," he replied in a bored tone.

"I don't want to! Why should I? You guys made this mess!"

"Tsk. You're the reason it got messy!"

"What if I refuse?!"

"Then we won't open the door. Not even if Ma'am Sexy comes back."

I heard my classmates talking on the other side.

"Let her clean it up!"

"Come on, she should do it!"

Wow! The audacity!

"You thick-faced idiots! After eating the food I bought, now you're ordering me to clean?!"

"Tsk. Why did you even bring food for us?"

OH MY GOD.

"You're all jerks!!"

They just laughed.

I was beyond furious!

"Just clean the room. We're bored and want to go home. Besides, Ma'am Sexy might not even check up on us. We have the key."

Shit!

"Hey!!! FESTIVAL!!" I screamed.

Those thick-faced bastards!

What else could I do? I had no choice but to clean this filthy room.

Crossing my arms, I looked around.

It was a normal classroom, except there were piles of plywood, corrugated iron, and cardboard in the back. A cabinet stood nearby, most likely holding the brooms.

I walked over and opened it.

Dust exploded into the air like it hadn't been opened in a decade!

I almost choked.

"What the hell?!"

I searched for the broom and dustpan, noting how old everything looked.

The ceiling was covered in cobwebs, and the windows were coated in dust.

I planned to clean only the floor.

Fast-forward—I finished clearing the floor, throwing the trash into a bag.

While sweeping, I accidentally bumped into a pile of cardboard near Keifer's seat.

Ugh! The dust flew everywhere.

A rice cooker appeared from under the pile?!

I removed the cardboard and saw it was still in its box—brand new.

The shoe shelves looked like lockers but without locks.

Each section had a name.

Keifer's name caught my eye.

"Mark Keifer Watson."

I scanned further. Felix's name was there too.

"John Felix Collins."

But one name stood out the most.

Next to Keifer's name, a heart was glued to the divider. The name beside it?

"Ella Dianne Hyun."

So, this was the previous girl Madam mentioned—the one who transferred? I heard rattling at the door.

"Are you done yet?!" they asked.

"Not yet!!" I shouted.

I put everything back and leaned against the desk. Weird section. Too many secrets.

I heard the rattling of the door as they knocked and asked if I was done.

"Not yet!" I shouted back.

I leaned against the box, sighing, then turned my attention to the other covered items—those hidden under corrugated iron sheets and plywood.

Wait… do they have an electric frying pan? And a water dispenser? Small saucepans too? Is this… a kitchen?

Speaking of kitchens, there's even a small sink. And an empty bottle of dishwashing soap.

What is this? Are they camping here?

I shook my head and put everything back in its place. This section is so strange. No wonder it always looks messy.

Finally, I finished cleaning and slammed the door shut with force.

"There! Done!"

The door flew open, and those shameless people waltzed in as if they had done nothing wrong. But before I could step out, Keifer blocked my way.

"Where exactly did you clean?" he asked, looking around.

I crossed my arms and pointed at the floor. "I won't clean up your mess!"

His gaze scanned the room before his brows furrowed. "That's all?!"

"What?!" I shot back. "Why should I have done more? I already did your job for you!"

Keifer raised an eyebrow, clearly annoyed. "Don't make me yell at you!"

I scoffed. "One more word, and I'll gag your mouth shut!"

"Oh yeah? Go ahead and try," I mimicked him mockingly. His mouth fell open in shock, his eyes widening.

Then, out of nowhere, laughter erupted. The whole class was watching us, their amused expressions making me even more irritated.

"Hahaha… You two sound like a married couple!" Felix teased, earning a loud cheer from the others.

I turned to glare at Keifer in disgust. Ugh. That's exactly how I felt too.

Married couple? Really? No way. I can't even imagine being married to Keifer!