credits: trpplr_c

Picaro cleared his throat as Namee continued staring at him like he’s some divine apparition. They were standing on the hallway in front of the line of lockers, earning curious glances from other students.

“How do I erase this?” He asked, showing her his palm where her phone number is written. Namee giggled after realizing his predicament, making Picaro frown.

“Why do you want to erase it?” She asked, tilting her head in amusement. Why? She’s asking him why? Here’s why….

Errr… Why indeed. If you think about it, having the scribble on his palm doesn’t affect his life at all. His punching power is the same, judging from the level of ‘Ouch!’ that Bonsai exclaims. No, wait. When he recently hit Bonsai, he said ‘Aw!’, not ‘Ouch!’ That must mean something. Is his strength declining? Is he unconsciously aware of the scribble in his palm, making him distracted? Interesting. The scribble has powers!

“Come here, I’ll erase it for you”, Namee said while walking towards her locker. “Why are you not texting me?”

“I don’t have anything to say.”

“You can send me pictures of your drawing! I know you love to draw.” She glanced at him and smiled before entering the number combination to her locker.

Picaro furrowed his eyebrows, wondering why she knew that. “I was seated behind you during freshman year”, she offered. “I had short hair before.”

He stayed silent as he tried to recall his freshman classes. But how is he supposed to remember her? Freshman year is supposed to be forgotten because it was the most awkward part of every student’s life. Just thinking about his hairstyle during that time makes him want to crawl in a hole somewhere.

“Namee Cheng…” He mumbled to himself, watching her open her locker. Then, he finally remembered. Yes, she was seated behind him during Literature class. She was the one who asked for one of his doodles that he already crumpled and was about to throw away. And she’s-…

“Oh”, he exclaimed in recollection. “You are the-…” He cut himself off, knowing that it’s a sensitive topic.

“Hooker?” Namee continued where he left off while staring at her open locker with a letter dangling on the slot. The paper slid down on the floor and Picaro saw what was written there.

‘Hey Cheng. How much do you cost for a night?’

“Yes, that’s me”, she mumbled nonchalantly, but Picaro knew better. The girl picked up the letter and crumpled it, throwing it unceremoniously inside her locker. She then retrieved a small pouch and pulled out a cotton and a liquid container, pouring the liquid on the cotton. Picaro shifted his gaze and saw his crumpled drawing pasted at the side of her locker.

“Give me your hand”, Namee said, and he complied silently. He watched her as she rubs the ink off his palm, noticing her somber expression.

“Why are you keeping my drawing?” He asked, trying to divert the topic.

“I like it.”

“I’ll text you pictures of my other doodles. Pick one and I’ll give it to you”, he said. Namee lifted her gaze and stared at him. “Really?”

“Yep.”

Just like that, her smile appeared once again. She then went on and about their freshman year; the class that they both attended; and how she admired her talent since she saw him scribbling doodles on his notebook. He doesn’t know why but seeing her cheerful self made him feel relieved.

“By the way, I’m not a hooker. I’m an assistant cook to that club”, he heard her say.

“I see. Rumors got you”, Picaro said quietly.

“Yeah. It .”

“Have you been receiving that kind of letter since then?” He asked when Namee put away her things and closed her locker.

“It was worse before. It was a pile”, she chuckled bitterly. “But because I became friends with Dara, it was reduced to one letter. This one is persistent.”

“Do you know who sent that to you? I can challenge him in the InterSAT bonfire and when I win, I can ask him to stop bothering you.”

“Y-You will do that for me?”

Picaro shrugged his shoulders in response. “I can use a little exercise.”

Namee’s expression softened as she stared at him, grateful at his offer. “It’s okay, forget it. Besides, even if you win, there’s no guarantee that this person will stop.”

“Oh, he will”, he said. “If that guy is a gang member and if I win our duel, he better stop. The InterSAT bonfire this year is different. Those who will have a duel will write what he wants his opponent to do for him if he wins. They will give the paper to the overseer and the duel will only be possible if the two agrees on each other’s demand. Of course, things like money and other ridiculous requests are not accepted. The overseer will make sure of that, otherwise, he will deem the duel invalid and the fight will not commence.”

 “I didn’t know that”, Namee said in awe.

“Yeah. The gangs decided to spice things up for this year’s InterSAT bonfire. Your friend, that Fire 39 leader, better prepare himself.”

“What? Bullet? Did you challenge him?”

“Not me. I think Ice Lord did.”

***

Dara placed the beaker on the sink and faced her classmates. Since she has a vacant hour before her last class, she volunteered to tidy up the lab equipments that they used.

“Go ahead. You’ll be late for your next class. I’ll take care of this”, she said.

“Thanks Dara!” Her classmates headed out of the lab, leaving her behind. She proceeded with what she’s doing while her mind is preoccupied with many things. After their heated row last night and after Jiro left, she felt quite guilty. Avoiding Jiro and getting riled up because of his past relationship is a bit childish. But her logical thinking is muddled up because of her emotions, so what can she do? Knowing that Riko holds a place in his heart even if it’s in the past and seeing the two together pains her tremendously.

Dara sighed and pushed the unwanted thoughts off her mind, pouring her concentration on finishing the task at hand before the next class comes in. She was almost done washing the lab equipments when she heard someone entering the room

“I’m almost finished. I’m sorry”, she said without glancing at whoever it is; probably a student from the next Chemistry class. Why they have a Chem 101 subject in their curriculum is beyond her. Sure, it’s one of the general subjects together with History and Math but-…

Dara jerked back in surprise when someone suddenly rested his left hand on the edge of the sink while his right hand turned off the faucet. Seeing the dragon tattoo on that hand though, she didn’t feel alarmed. Dara dried her hand with the towel and turned around to face Jiro. With both his hands resting at the edge of the sink, she was trapped between his arms. She dragged her gaze towards his face and their eyes locked. Her eyebrows furrowed seeing how tired he looks. Didn’t he get a good sleep? Is it because of their fight?

“I’ll walk you home later. No more excuses”, Jiro mut