Chapter 8 — Punished

She had been mentally counting each passing second, hoping that time would run faster. Ever since the shooting incident happened in Ormon City, she had been constantly feeling agitated. ‘It’s been two days and there’s still no sign of Yuan. What if he died and the Alpha’s could not protect him? Maybe I’ll ring Papa. Perhaps he knows something.’

“Miss Steffy Rivera!” Steffy snapped back to reality when she heard the sharp voice of her teacher. “What is it, Ma’am?”

“I’ve been calling your name, but you seemed lost in your thoughts,” the teacher strictly replied.

‘Right. I am. I have to get out of here and find him.’

“My apologies, Ma’am Amparo, but I have to go now.”

Her teacher’s eyes popped in surprise. Even her classmates were equally shocked by her actions. Ignoring them, Steffy gathered her things and stood up from her chair.

“Where are you going? You cannot just leave the class like that!” said the furious woman. “I’m warning you, Miss Rivera.”

“I have to go now,” she replied apologetically. “I’ll just inform the principal right away.”

She hastily walked out of the room and felt the intense gazes of her English teacher as she followed her to the door. “You will pay for your rude manners, young lady!”

‘Yeah, whatever.’

Steffy got away from their classroom and tried to search for Yolo’s familiar face in the Senior High School classes. But then she cursed herself when she realized something. ‘Fuck! I don’t know his full name in this school! And I don’t also know what strand he is enrolled in! How am I supposed to find him?’

Steffy continued to peep through the classrooms, avoiding suspicion. ‘Is he even enrolled? But he said he is the principal’s scholar, so maybe, he is. Damn it, Yuan. Where the hell are you?’ She passed by the Science Laboratory and by the clinic beside it. Despite that, there’s no sign of him. After some time, Steffy took a deep breath when she noticed that she already reached the end part of the school. Sighing to herself, she scanned the place and saw the library across from her. An idea immediately crossed her mind. ‘The rooftop! Geez, why did I even forget about that stupid Tambayan.’

Filled with a new spirit, she hastily walked toward the old library. But as her steps reached the place, someone was following her. She slowed down, sharpening her auditory impulses, and accurate enough, she could feel someone’s presence. She walked two more steps and hastily turned around. Then her heart froze when she saw Teacher Greg’s very serious face.

The teacher immediately brought Steffy to the principal’s office. It was the first time she stepped into that room. It was also the first time that she saw the face of the principal, Mr. Seson. He was a fat man with a questionable persona. He looked kind, but rotten on the inside. But at least he was not giving him goosebumps just like how Teacher Greg was doing to her.

Glaring at Teacher Greg, she quietly sat on the couch as he and the school principal interrogated her. Mrs. Amparo was also in the room and fuming with anger as Steffy looked at her with a blank face.

“So, tell us, Miss Rivera. Why did you ditch the class in the middle of your teacher’s discussion? That was a rude thing to do,” asked the principal in a kind voice. Steffy needed an alibi.

“Her class was boring,” she replied softly. “So, I got out of the room and tried to breathe some air. I was getting restless already.”

“What?” shouted the old woman. “You weren’t even listening!”

“I cannot focus on your discussion, Ma’am, because it was boring.”

“See, Mr. Seson? This girl from the city has no manners!” the teacher angrily said. “That attitude doesn’t sell in the province, girl.”

“The school will have to give you a punishment, Miss Rivera, for the inconvenience that you have done,” the principal said. Teacher Greg just stared at her in silence, making her feel a little awkward. “And as for you, Mrs. Amparo, I think it’s better if you make your classes a little more interactive now, yes? As you can see, the students prefer more on the modernization of teaching activities. If we remained less exciting, students like Miss Rivera, will surely get bored easily.”

Steffy could not help herself but smirk.

“Anyway, Mr. Lopez, as her adviser, what do you think should we give her as her punishment?” Teacher Greg cleared her throat and nodded at Mrs. Amparo.

“I think, Mrs. Amparo has better things to suggest.”

Rolling her eyes, Steffy crossed her arms underneath her chest. ‘Damn you, Sir Greg.’

TO GEORGE: FETCH ME AT AROUND SIX PM. SOMETHING CAME UP.

Steffy pressed send and immediately shoved her phone back into her bag. She had been arranging additional sets of books inside the library for almost an hour already, but she was still halfway through it. The librarian had already left and even Mrs. Amparo whose been supervising her earlier, had gone to the flag retreat at the school plaza. She was all alone in the library, but she still had to pay respect to the ceremony, even though no one was looking. As she stood up, she placed her right hand on her left chest and sang the national anthem in a very low voice, along with the echoing voices of her classmates and schoolmates outside.

“...Buhay ay langit sa piling mo; Aming ligaya na ‘pag may mang-aapi, Ang mamatay nang dahil sa iyo...” (Translation: “...The skies are alive in thy presence, our joy is when someone comes to oppress thee, is to die while protecting thee from them.)

She went back to her task when she heard the students dispersed. A few moments later, Mrs. Amparo was back, pestering her again with biblical lectures. “Aren’t you going home, Ma’am?” she asked in an irritated voice.

“The audacity! Move faster so we could go home now.”

‘Damn it,’ she cursed inside her brain.

“I’ll supervise her now, Ma’am Amparo. Your husband’s already waiting outside.” Both of them gazed at the approaching person. Steffy grumbled when she saw Teacher Greg walking towards them. Steffy rolled her eyes when Mrs. Amparo chuckled in delight. She then left the two of them alone and trotted outside to the library.

‘What a two-faced bitch you are, old woman!’

Steffy went back to her business and grumpily stacked the books on the shelf. Then she slowed down when she felt Teacher Greg observing her. “I’m tired now, Sir Greg,” she complained.

“But you’re not yet done,” the teacher replied mockingly.

“This is exploiting! I have my rights as a student. We both know that this isn’t fair. Do you want me to report you to the Department of Education?” Teacher Greg amusingly stared at her as she exploded.

“All right, that’s enough. Let’s go.”

Steffy’s eyes popped as he gestured for her to come out of the library.

“Really?” she asked, suddenly doubtful of her teacher’s behavior. “Unless you want to stay overnight in here. There are ghosts—”

“I’m not fucking afraid of ghosts!” she shouted and touched her teacher aside. Teacher Greg chuckled and walked behind her, stopping only to lock the door of the library.

“Hey, Steffy, wait up,” the teacher said in an amused tone.

“What?” she replied without stopping and looking at him. Teacher Greg fumbled with the lock. Then he jogged toward Steffy, his bag dangled at the side of his right shoulder.

“Why are you following me, Sir Greg?” she asked in an irritated voice. “Quit following me!”

“Wait, Steffy,” the teacher cradled her arm, the act made her flinch a little. “I want to ask you to come with me.”

Steffy eyeballed her teacher with a confused look.

“Are you kidding me? Why would I do that?”

“Because I asked you to?”

‘What the hell? Can’t he come out with a more creative excuse?’ Without a word, Steffy walked past him, but Greg took her hand and drag her to his motorcycle. “What the fuck! Are you kidnapping me?” she squealed, suddenly feeling the warmth that came from the teacher’s palm. In a blink of an eye, her teacher locked hands with her. She could suddenly feel her stomach flipping and her heart beating like crazy. ‘This is not what it’s supposed to be.’

“Th-this is kidnapping, Sir Greg! Let go of me.”

With a smirk, Teacher Greg replied in a soft voice, “This is not kidnapping, so just relax. I am just taking you out for a snack.”