Chapter 65 - Assembly

Jay-jay's POV

"Hahahaha… Keifer actually did that?" Ci-N asked while laughing nonstop.

His unrelenting support had brought him to this moment. They also saw his black eye. I'm proud of that! I gave it to you! He deserved that—animal!

"Where did you get the stick from?" David asked.

I looked at Denzel, who seemed amazed by the situation. But I still couldn't tell them.

"I just saw it there. I was curious, so I took it."

"Don't take things like trash," Calix said while listening.

"It was early. You just threw it away," Ci-N added.

"Do I have a mattress to use, then?!" Calix questioned.

"Nothing… But Mica does," Ci-N replied, giving him a thumbs up.

"…Ouch."

"Mica and I had a conversation. I won't do that," he explained.

"She introduced you to her parents?" David asked.

Calix blushed slightly and nodded.

"You look like that?" I asked, facing him directly.

Mica and I were still together, but things remained the same.

"Is there something wrong with how I look?" he asked back.

David and Ci-N nodded together.

"Mica said it was okay," he replied and picked up his phone to check something.

"She just said that… But it's scary! Once you shave, a lot of people will start making claims early," Ci-N teased.

Calix's voice turned serious. But at least, he was handling it well.

"Guys! Assembly at 9 AM!" Yuri announced.

I had been staring at my phone for hours. It was 8:45 AM. Could I leave it here again?

Just as I was about to get up, they all stood and started walking outside, but I was still sitting.

"Let's go, Jay! How are you going to get there?!" Ci-N called out to me.

They stopped and looked at me. I don't know why, but I felt like they were waiting for me. Someone grabbed my head. I turned to see who it was. It was Yuri.

"It's early… You should come with us," he said with a smile.

I bit my lower lip. The word "friend" sounded simple, yet it meant a lot. I had lost my temper with Yuri before. But now, I got up and walked over to Ci-N and David.

"You're happy now, huh?" Kit greeted.

I knew they knew the reason.

We arrived at the gymnasium, where the other sections were already prepared. As we entered, a few people glanced our way. But I didn't care. My mood was steady.

The first row was for Section A, then B, and so on. We were at the back, of course—the last section. And since I was the only woman, I stood at the front of the queue next to Yuri. Keifer stood apart from us, in front but at a distance.

Really?

Our Guidance Counselor and Sir Alvin stepped onto the stage. Next was Ms. Laila Smith, along with others who were not teachers.

"Good morning!" Sir Alvin greeted.

"Let's begin the Fourth-Year Assembly. Starting with Section A."

I looked at Section A, which was a bit farther away. Freya was at the front of their queue, standing alone like Keifer.

"Section A, representative Freya Hidalgo. Students' report—zero suspensions, no violations. Homeroom report—a new air conditioner is needed. Suggestion—a new room for Section A," Freya stated without looking around.

They had already mentioned these requests before. Their classroom needed a new AC, and they wanted to move to a different room. What a luxury!

Section B followed, complaining about the restroom near their room. They had two violators.

Then came Section C. Rakki came forward, and started speaking sweetly.

"Section C, representative Rakki San Diego. Students' report—one suspension, no violations. Homeroom report—a new ceiling fan is needed. Suggestion—none," Rakki stated calmly.

The Section D representative was a male student. They had five suspensions and seven violations. They requested a new room and suggested moving some students.

I glanced at Yuri, who was focused ahead.

"Yuri…" I started.

"Hmm?"

"What's the difference between a homeroom report and a suggestion?"

"The homeroom report lists immediate needs. Suggestions are optional improvements," he explained.

I nodded in understanding.

Then it was Keifer's turn.

"Section E, representative Mark Keifer Watson. Students' report—two suspensions, four violations. Homeroom report—none. Suggestion—none," Keifer announced with clear boredom.

Wait, what? We had suspensions and violations? Who were they?

Why didn't Keifer mention the trash issue in front of our room? I glanced at him, and he met my gaze with his bruised eye.

"What?!" he asked, sounding disinterested.

"Why didn't you report the trash in front of our room?"

"You want to handle that? Then report it yourself," he replied, raising his hand to get the staff's attention.

"Yes, Mr. Watson?" Sir Alvin asked.

Keifer nodded at me, signaling me to speak.

"S-Sir… um… homeroom report. The trash in front of our room—"

I didn't even finish before the Guidance Counselor cut me off.

"Mrs. Mariano is no longer responsible for that area. The section is supposed to handle it."

The students laughed.

Great… I knew that already. I returned to my spot, feeling embarrassed.

Keifer. I swear I'll give him another black eye.

"Next topic… Festival!" the teacher announced, and the students cheered.

Here we go—festival time!

Sir Alvin called on each section.

"Section A!"

"Program organizers!" Freya answered.

Each section responded with their designated role.

Section B handled sports.

Section C was in charge of booths.

Section D took care of security.

Finally, it was our turn.

"Section E!"

We waited for Keifer to speak. We all knew we didn't want to do extra work. Previous meetings about it always ended in arguments.

Keifer turned to us. We all stared at him, waiting. He took a deep breath.

"Night security and garbage collection!"

We agreed immediately, laughing as the other students reacted.

No parties for us. Just go to the festival and enjoy!

"Can we leave now? We're done!" Keifer said.

"Aren't we supposed to wait until the assembly is over?" Yuri asked.

"Tss," Keifer scoffed.

Clearly, no one wanted to stay. But before we could sneak out, an announcement stopped us.

"We're making changes to the programs!" Ma'am Laila suddenly declared.

We turned to listen.

"The King and Queen of HVIS will be removed," she continued.

Students immediately reacted.

"What?"

"That's ridiculous!"

"What are they replacing it with?"

"SILENCE!" Ma'am Laila's voice echoed through the gym.

"It will now be replaced with 'Mr. Ganda and Ms. Pogi,' where women will dress as men and men will dress as women," she explained.

A wave of murmurs spread across the room.

"Every section must have a representative for the finals," she added.

Wait… I was the only woman in our section. That meant—

"We're not participating," Yuri whispered.

I let out a relieved sigh. But why weren't we included?

"Why?" I asked.

"The board members don't consider us anymore. They think we won't win," he explained.

I wasn't a fan of pageants anyway. It would've been embarrassing.

"I have a suggestion!" Freya suddenly raised her hand.

Why do I feel like I'm about to be punished for something?

"Every section should have a representative, right? Then Section E should, too!" she said, looking at us.

There it was! Freya just couldn't keep her mouth shut.

"But Section E—"

"Yes! I know! But I think it's time for Section E to prove themselves!" she insisted, smiling sweetly.

"Freya's crazy!"

"What are we supposed to do now?"

She wanted to humiliate us in front of everyone.

Just great.