Chapter 9

"Push, one, two!" Simultaneously, Iris and I pushed the sofa into its proper position. It had been a couple hours since we began cleaning, and we were finally finished. Because the house was not in disarray when we arrived, just minor arrangements were made.

"Ah! I'm completely spent! " Iris collapsed onto the sofa. I sat next to her with a smile. She leaned against the sofa's backrest and rested her head on my shoulder.

"Our house is complete." I looked around; the whole house was clean and well arranged, but the paint had not yet been altered. However, the wall paint was already rather excellent; we simply wanted to modify the hue.

"Iris?"

"Yeah?"

"I want to go to school." I felt her rapidly turned to face me. Perhaps she didn't expect that. Maybe she assumed I would be gone for the entire four months.

No, I wanted to attend school and be a cheerdancer. It was fine if I ran out of four months.

"All right, that's okay, but do you have any documentation with you?" she asked. I shook my head and shifted my gaze.

"What documents are required?"

The only item I brought was my ID. Maybe that could be done, right?

"Depending on the grade level in which you'll be enrolled. If you wish to attend high school, you must have a primary school diploma. Additionally, you'll need a birth certificate, proof of residency, proof of guardianship and custody, and proof of immunization. You must have all of those in order to enroll, Aurie. Do you have anything comparable?" I nearly lost hope because of what I heard. I was unfamiliar with any of the other paperwork; I was only familiar with the birth certificate.

"I only have my national ID; is that acceptable?" I asked, expecting for a resounding 'Yes.'

"No, girl. Which grade level are you planning to enroll in?"

"The same as your grade?" Even though I had no idea how diligently they studied, I couldn't care less. I could recall the last time we did multiplication in our class. I simply wanted to feel the pleasure of studying without being watched by a babysitter.

"This academic year, I am in the 12th grade. We can enroll together, Aurie. Alister's father is our school's dean; maybe he'll agree because Alister and I both know you. I'm not sure, though. Uncle is really harsh with his students." My chest immediately swelled with hope. Even if she said she wasn't sure yet, I was excited. I was sure Iris was a significant benefit, as she was Alister's father's niece.

"When will we be able to enroll?"

"Enrollment began last month and will continue through tomorrow. Classes will begin on Monday. As I have not yet enrolled, we can go there tomorrow. Don't worry, Aurie. The school isn't located in a city. Additionally, that school is just nearby." I fixed my eyes on her and raised a brow.

"I assumed you were a student in the city?" Because I met her in the city, I thought she was also a student there. Was that why she had a working knowledge of the roads here? The only thing she didn't know was the location of Alister's neighborhood.

"I only had a vacation in the city, which is where my father lives. As I already stated, my father is constantly on the go with work so he leaves me with my uncle. I spend the entire school year at Alister's place."

That made sense.

Ali's maid came home late since Iris invited her to join us for supper. I gave her a tip before she left because she was quite helpful to us.

Iris and I shared a room, as her room wasn't clean yet. Maybe we'd clean it the day after tomorrow since her belongings wasn't here yet. Iris had a lot of things that hadn't been sent here.

The following day, we awoke early. Iris stated that enrollment would close at 10:00am, so we needed to get there immediately. As this was the final enrollment period, we wouldn't be able to enroll again if we didn't enroll today.

"Let's go?" We piled into Iris' car and drove together to school. My feelings were conflicted as we were on the road. If they refused to accept me, the likelihood was that the other school would also refuse to accept me due to my lack of a connection. I hoped the dean would understand my situation. I would do everything they wanted just for them to accept me.

"We're here." The anxiety I felt earlier was replaced by excitement. I was looking forward to seeing how the school appeared. That was how delighted I was because I had never appreciated my school before.

Iris and I exited the car together. The university was enormous, even larger than my previous institution. I had no idea Iris' school was this large.

It was as if I was dreaming.

"EastWood University," I read. Many of the students were dispersed outside. Perhaps they were here to enroll since this was the final day.

"I hate school!" Iris lodged a complaint. I gently laughed before shrugging. She was already mad, even though the class hadn't started yet. What more on Monday? My brows raised as she abruptly donned sunglasses. It wasn't particularly hot and sunny; what was she thinking and why did she wear that?

"What's that for?" I asked, surprised, and pointed to the glass.

"There are numerous boys here who likes me. I need to conceal half of my face 'cause I don't want people to see my entire beauty. Let's go?" I sighed in response. I might be weird at times, but Iris was weirder.

When we entered, everybody glanced at us. I assumed they would stare at Iris, but I was mistaken; practically everyone looked at me. Maybe because I appeared unfamiliar to them?

"Don't worry about them; they're always like this when there's a transferee. The majority of students here graduated from the same high school so...when a new student arrives, that new student is the one who they'll talk about for the whole quarter," Iris spoke in hushed tones.

"It's all right. I'll get used to it once I'm officially a student here." We continued on our stroll till we arrived at the registration area. The teacher was going to hand me a paper when Iris intervened.

"She's not included," Iris stated emphatically. She raised an eyebrow and then turned away from us. She handed it over to the other students and walked away. I was perplexed as I looked at Iris as to why she said that. We were going to enroll together, right?

"If you register here without the required documentation, they won't accept you. My uncle will enroll you so they won't ask a thing," She murmured. My lips swung open as I nodded. Of course, they might want documents that I was unable to provide.

"All fine, I'll simply sit by the side and wait for you to answer that." I stepped away from her and sat on a bench. There were numerous students that were also sitting there; some of them were ignoring me, while others were staring at me.

"Hey." I shifted my gaze to the side, where a woman stood beside me. Her hair was blonde; a long and curl one. It was ponytailed with a pink scrunchie. She was dressed in a purple croptop and a miniskirt.

"Uh, hello." I locked my gaze on her. She appeared to be pleasant, so I would be as well. As far as possible, I wanted to avoid having enemies in school. 

"Do you know Iris Lopez?" she asked. I frowned and nodded slowly. She was one among those who stared at me earlier, so I was sure she also saw Iris' presence; why was she still asking?

"Yes. She's my closest friend. Why?" She raised an eyebrow and then gave me a phony smile. I'd just realized how distant the students were from Iris. While we were walking a while ago, the people we were about to passed by were walking away.

"Best of luck," she stated solemnly. I would have asked as to why, but she left me alone. My curiosity grew much stronger. Best of luck? Why? Was there some sort of contest or something? Should I be concerned about my friend? Those minutes flew by till Iris was finished. I plastered a grin on my face and greeted her once again.

"It's so hot!" she complained, obviously irritated by the weather.

"There are a lot of people at the registration area, so it'll be really hot. What are we going to do next?"

"Uncle's office. I already informed him of my intention to visit; he's waiting for us in the dean's office. Let's go." She grabbed my arm and yanked me away. We didn't have to use the stairs because the dean's office was also located in the lobby.

We came to a halt in front of a black door. Iris knocked twice and the door opened a few seconds later. A woman clutching a piece of paper in her hand welcomed my eyes. She was unquestionably the dean's secretary.

"He's been waiting for your arrival for some time," the woman stated solemnly. Iris ignored her and continued into the room. I wasn't sure what that meant, because the secretary's stare at her was perplexing. It appeared as though she wished to say something, but something was stopping her.

I followed her inside, and the secretary didn't even bother to look at me. She also seemed to have no intention of greeting me.

We entered and were greeted by a peaceful room. In the center, there was a table and a not-so-old looking man. He was reading a paper before looking up. Nervousness enveloped my chest as I saw his serious face.

"What do you need?" His voice was deep, and it showed that he was obviously strict. I sat on the visitor's chair in front of his desk with Iris. Iris' face was so relaxed, and there was no sign of nervousness in her expression while I felt like I was gonna pass out.

"She wants to enroll," Iris stated. I was curious as to why they talked like this. There appeared to be a barrier between them, and their eyes seemed to be saying something.

"The registration area isn't here."

"She possesses neither documents nor a diploma. National ID—"

"Then she can't be here. You know our policy, you can't study here without the documents needed. You may leave; I still have a great deal to do." My chest trembled; I never imagined her uncle would be this stern and cold. This was in contrast to Alister's character.

"We will pay regardless of whether we—"

"There's the door, Iris." He directed our attention to the door without looking at us. He maintained his gaze on the paper he was previously reading.

"Please, Uncle—"

"Iris, do you want me to call the guards? You know me; being blood related to you made no difference. When we are in school together, you are a student and I am the dean." Iris appeared to have lost hope because of what she had heard. My palm was already sweating because of my nervousness. What a shame, Aurie. I assumed you would go to any length to gain acceptance?

"Four months," I mumbled. When Iris and the man heard me speak, they both stared at me. I saw the dean's eyebrow rose. His face was expressionless as he gazed at me.

"Sir, four months. After that, I'm leaving and will never return." His brows furrowed even more in response to what I said. He looked at me as if I was the most illiterate person he had ever encountered. Who in their right mind would want a student who would leave after four months, anyway?

"Still, you can't—"

"That is the only time I have left, sir. Please, kindly allow me to spend the remainder of my days studying."

"Aurora," Iris addressed me, keeping me from saying whatever I was planning to say. My lips trembled in nervousness. I didn't want many people to be aware of my illness, but if it was necessary for them to know just to accept me, I'd disclose it.

"I spent nearly eleven years in a coma. I only awoke last month, yet my body is unable to keep up. I'm going to die shortly, sir. I flee because my mother will lock me in my room and utilize those machines to keep me alive. Kindly allow me to study here. I never got to enjoy my youth because I spent years in a coma." I gazed at him urgently; his emotions remained unaffected by what I said. That was my final ace; if they didn't accept me, I would lose hope.

He sighed and reclined on his chair. My remarks seemed to be sinking in now because he had shown a reaction.

"I will continue to pay tuition, even if I am required to pay for the entire year. I won't disturb your students here; I simply wish to experience what I missed while sleeping. Kindly, sir. Accept me as your student."

"What are your parents' names? We need to know. What if something unfortunate happens to you while you are at school?"

"Uncle, I'll be her guardian," Iris stated. The dean cocked an eyebrow at her, but Iris remained steadfast in her stance.

"I am already 18 years old; therefore, I am qualified to act as a guardian. We share a house, uncle." The dean remained silent and locked his gaze on me.

"We still need information on your biological parents. So that we can contact someone if your condition gets critical. By the way, what's your name?" he asked, a little relaxed.

"My name is Aurora Jenkins. Atty. Aliana Jenkins is my mother, and Captain Arthur Jenkins is my father," I responded. I could detect a shift in the dean's expression. If he had been serious previously, he was clearly taken aback at learning my parents' identities. I felt unexpectedly proud because of his reaction. Of course, he was aware of their identities. My mother was the most recognized lawyer in this country. While my father was once a chief of police.

"I'll think about it." That immediately relieved me. Even though I was not sure I'd be accepted, there was still a chance.

"Thanks a lot, sir! If you accept me, could you simply pretend you're unaware of my condition? I'm not interested in the students here, treating me differently," I pleaded. He nodded without hesitation. He gave me a peice of paper and a pen. I began filling out the form before returning it to him.

"Simply send the letter to my email address, uncle. She doesn't have a cellphone yet," I looked at Iris. She looked relieved.

"Thank you, we're going," I bid farewell. I walked away with a smile. We even passed by the dean's secretary near the door but I paid her no heed. I was too happy to talk to anyone; I might even hug her because of my overjoy. Iris and I exchanged glances as we exited the dean's office.

"AHHHHHHH!" We screamed simultaneously. Fortunately, the hallway was not too crowded, allowing us to shout freely. I was not sure if we were heard inside the dean's office due to our closeness to the door. However, no one punished us, so perhaps not.

"Girl, you have a chance!" she remarked, beaming. I couldn't help but smile as well; I was so fortunate to meet Iris.

"I know! I'm so happy!"