Following their previous encounter, Robert was constantly on alert, anxiously watching for any sign of the the ice monster's reappearance. Despite several days passing without any sign of Xolomon, Robert remained vigilant and observant of Oliver, both during classes and in their hostel. It was as if he was living in a state of constant tension, waiting for something bad to happen. The atmosphere was heavy with unease, and his heartbeat quickened whenever he caught sight of Oliver's face. He couldn't shake the feeling that something ominous was preparing to happen.
At the same time, tensions simmered between Dora and Vanessa, and it became increasingly evident that both girls harbored feelings for Robert. Dora appeared to be capturing more of his attention, sparking jealousy in Vanessa and creating an underlying conflict between the two girls. The love triangle was forming right before Robert's eyes, and he knew that it was only a matter of time before things came to a head. Whenever he was with either of them, he would often notice them exchanging mean glances, and he could feel the tension building. It was clear that there would eventually be a real conflict of interest.
In fact, Dora was surprisingly levelheaded, considering everything. Ever since Vanessa publicly rejected Jackson and compared him to Robert the other day, Dora had noticed she hung around Robert more often. It was no big deal since it was not too often an occurrence as Robert spent most of his time alone but as time went by, she seemed to always find Vanessa with him. Even though Dora expressed no displeasure whatsoever, she still felt heartbroken - greatly. But despite all levelheadedness, even she couldn't, for long, endure the sight of Robert conversing amicably with Vanessa, and much to her dismay, holding hands with her. Despite her displeasure, Dora elected to overlook the situation. While they hadn't made it official yet, Dora could sense that she and Robert were getting close on a romantic level and she wanted to maintain it. Seeing Vanessa constantly around Robert made her uneasy, and she hated how the other girl seemed to take every opportunity to be near him. The thought of them together was almost too much for her to bear.
Dora and Robert had formed a close friendship back in seventh grade when they met on the first day of school during a theatre play organized to welcome new students. The circumstances of their acquaintance wasn't extraordinary.
But here's how it went.
There Robert was, much smaller at that time, sitting in the third-to-last row of the theatre seats and missing home already, replaying his last memory with his mom from earlier that day, as he watched the other seventh-graders find their seats. Some were already well acquainted and chatting comfortably. Robert distinctly remembered spotting Tom and Zarie chattering as they strode to the front row like they owned the place. Both seats besides Robert remained empty at first, but soon, just as the theatre was almost full, the seat to his left got occupied by a plump seventh-grade boy, who was munching biscuits from a packet as if nothing else in the world mattered. The boy's name was Yonnesse, and Robert never really got to know him, just like he never really got to know the rest of his classmates.
The entire theatre was filled with little students donning the school's dark-blue casual wear. The seat to Robert's right stayed empty until, just as the play began and the curtains drew apart, someone began to make their way into his row. Robert wasn't looking, but he'd seen the person squeezing past Yonnesse's plump legs. As whoever it was passed him, Robert's nose was flooded by a strong wave of perfume. It was so heavy, Robert felt certain that the next breath he took had drawn no oxygen, only thick, sweet-scented chemicals. Just before the person took the empty seat beside him, Robert glimpsed the small bucket of ice-cream in their hand... and a skirt. It was a girl. He looked up, curious and was pleasantly surprised to behold the most beautiful red-haired girl he'd ever seen, which was a stark contrast to the fat, clumsy humanoid the bucket of ice-cream had made him expect.
Robert stared on until the girl, after making herself comfortable on the seat and setting the bucket of ice cream on her lap, caught his gaze, prompting him to look away immediately. Robert could feel her amazing green eyes linger on him for a moment before looking towards the stage. For the rest of the play, Robert was overwhelmed with flusters, he could barely focus on the performance, and he occasionally stole glimpses at the girl, especially every time the students burst into laughter. His peripheral vision never wavered from her, capturing every scoop of ice cream that went up to those red, cute lips.
The play was soon over, and as the students swarmed out, Robert made to look around for the red-haired girl and maybe break through his introverted restrictions and introduce himself, but he couldn't see her anywhere, just young boys and girls disorderly making their way to the entrance door. Just as he sighed in resignation, a hand tapped his shoulder, and he turned around to see a slender girl with long, perfectly straight, black hair politely asking him to move out of the way with a warm smile that accentuated her striking light-blue eyes and perfect teeth. Only then did Robert realize he was standing in the midst of a moving crowd. The black-haired girl gave him a nod of appreciation as he moved to the side, and that was the first time Robert met Vanessa.
Robert patiently stood at the side, scanning the moving crowd for the red-haired girl. Eventually, he spotted her ambling past just when the crowd had thinned away. She stormed past him without a glance, and Robert made to approach her and talk to her, but the frustrated expression on her face threw more chains on his introvert restrictions and he stopped dead in his tracks, only following after she'd left the theatre.
The girl trudged through the school grounds towards the white hostel building without saying a word to any of the students that littered about, and Robert followed six meters behind. The sun had nearly dipped into the horizon, creating a soft twilight that made the lush green grasses appear yellow, and everything else orangy.
The girl walked on, apparently oblivious of Robert stalking behind. Robert continued following until, just as the girl was walking past a Auo tree (A short tree with round leafs), she suddenly stopped. She appeared to be lost in thought for a second, but then she spun around, and her gaze landed squarely on... not the students chatting by the school's central fountain, not the female seniors seated under the tree chatting, not any of the students milling about, no one but Robert. At that moment, Robert was stunned to stillness; literally he just stood there, heart pounding as the girl narrowed her eyes as if she recognized him and began to walk over. Robert had wanted to turn and walk - sorry - run the other direction, but his courage failed him.
The girl stopped right in front of him and stared piercingly into his eyes. Stunned, Robert stared back, unable to move or say anything. The staring lasted for twenty tense seconds, until the girl's stare turned to a glare and she said,
"You! You sat beside me during the play. Tell me, did you pick up any gold coin-s that isn't yours?"
Robert had stared on in stunned silence, only managing to squeak out a stuttered, "Y-you lost some?"
"Yes!" The girl had exclaimed, "twelve!"
"Twelve?!" Something about the girl had made Robert's unease begin to lighten. Was it the naivity of her tiny voice? The innocence radiated by her petite person? Or maybe the way her bright cheeks outlined her adorable face and gave a touch of sweetness to her curled lips? In fact, despite the frustrated scowl on the girl's face, she seemed like a blank piece of paper begging for words, so welcoming was her person. "Why would you carry twelve gold coins to the theatre?" Robert had asked.
"Ice-cream!" The girl had retorted. "I wanted to get some after the play, but it's incredible that the theatre doen't even sell ice-cream, or popcorn, or anything! Can you believe that? Is it even supposed to be qualified as a theatre?!"
A subtle, good-natured grin crossed Robert's lips. "Something tells me you're more upset about the lack of ice-cream in the theatre than your lost money."
The girl flashed him a scowl. "What was your first thought? You can't imagine how annoyed that made me!"
Robert felt stupefied for a moment. "Well, It's a school theatre, you can't expect it to be conventional. And besides, ten gold coins could get you one max-cup in the canteen. Not sure you could finish it in one sitting..."
The girl's eyes had abruptly widened in excited relief. "Wait. This school has a canteen?"
"Yeah, over there," Robert had pointed at a small building painted in stripes with red, yellow and green, southeast of the classroom block. "Can't fault you for not knowing, though. Only discovered it because my mum had to buy some stationary after I got cleared today."
"Good old fresher's handicap, huh?" The girl had said with her eyes glued on the colourful building, where a bunch of seniors - evident from their heights - were walking out with juice boxes in hand, conversing in loud voices. The girl faced Robert again and said in the most gratifying voice, "Thank you so much!"
Robert had raised a brow. "For telling you about the canteen? Which you were bound to find out about eventually, most likely before midday tomorrow."
"Yeah," the girl didn't seem to have caught his sarcasm. "And for that, you deserve your own max-cup. Come with me."
"Hold on, but you just lost your money."
"Meh, I have lots more."
"Lots more?"
"Indeed. Way above the school's allowed maximum."
Before Robert could wonder what the girl meant by above the school 150 coins minimum, she stepped closer to him, saying, "I'm Isadora Lamberd by the way, but call me Dora."
She was smiling. Now, that was beauty right there; young Robert had subconsciously developed a crush. "And I'm Robert Shade Manuel."
"Okay, Robert. Max-cup?"
"It'll be stupid to say no."
And there you have it. Nothing remarkable, as stated.
Nevertheless, from that day onward, a close friendship was birthed; Robert and Dora - the gentle, introverted boy and super adorable girl who was obsessed with ice-cream and had super rich parents to feed the obsession. Over the years, Robert and Dora had grown to be extremely close, so close that she began to harbor strong feelings for him, and many signs suggested to her that he felt the same way as well. Dora wasn't ready to give up on that, especially not to the beautiful, stylish, and popular 'slay queen' of the science class, Vanessa.
What finally got on Dora's nerves was when she and Robert were studying together during an evening prep in the 11th-grade art class, and Vanessa interrupted, asking Robert to study with her alone in the laboratory, completely disregarding the fact that he was already with Dora. Robert was conflicted, but he ultimately apologized to Vanessa, explaining that he had already committed to studying with Dora that evening. Following that incident, Dora started perceiving Vanessa as a serious threat to her developing relationship with Robert, and the day following that, she decided to finally do something.
On a Saulday morning, just as the geography teacher - a dark and handsome man with a full beard - left the eleventh grade science class after teaching, Dora walked over to Vanessa's desk. She stood before her with a cold expression, but before Vanessa shifted her focus, Dora forced a smile onto her face, trying to appear friendly.
"I know this might not be news to you, Vanessa, but I think it's pretty obvious that Robert and I are practically a thing," she began, trying to sound as confident as possible. She didn't want to give the impression that she was unsure of her relationship with Robert, even though she knew that Vanessa could pose a real threat.
"Really?" came Vanessa's laconic reply, "cus from my point of view, you two are very, very far from being a thing." Her subtle smile expressed a mix of scorn and amusement.
Dora's anger flared at the response, but she forced herself to remain calm, saying, "You know you can't just suddenly start showing interest in him and expect him to be yours, all because you had to announce it to the entire school."
Vanessa let out a low chuckle, "It's funny you assume I've only just started paying attention to him, but what if I told you I've had my eyes on him long before you did?"
Dora's patience snapped. Her voice dropped to a low, ominous tone. "I'm only gonna say this once Delmouré," she growled, her voice suddenly cold and angry. "Stay away from Robert, if you don't, you'll regret it. I'll make you wish you'd never met him." She felt like a jealous, possessive girlfriend, but she couldn't help it. The thought of Vanessa getting close to Robert made her blood boil. Her eyes were filled with rage.
"Dora, whatever you're gonna say wouldn't change a thing," Vanessa replied, a smug smile on her face. "Cus you know it's only a matter of time before I claim him as mine. And when that happens, all you'll be able to do is stand by and watch, nothing else. And why should you do anything? You two, after all, aren't even dating."
"Just you wait and see," Dora snapped, then turned and stormed out of the classroom. As soon as she was gone, Oliver walked into the classroom and made his way over to Vanessa's desk, his expression as focused and impassive as ever, ignoring the stares of the girls, and the boys' glances.
He stopped beside Vanessa's chair. "Vanessa, may I ask you something?" he said, gently running his finger through her long, straight black hair.
"Please don't touch my hair. And if it's about being your girlfriend, I'm so sorry I'm not interested. I bet there are a lot of other girls that would love to..." Vanessa started to say, but Oliver placed a finger on her lips and shushed her. She wanted to shove his hand away from her face, but something made her hesitate. It was a feeling. It was fear but not all fear. There was also intimidation and some sort of peculiar vibe. And why the hell was his finger so cold?!
"It's not about that," Oliver whispered, and then added, "Who'd have time for that these days, anyway?" He paused for a moment, then continued, "But I did want to ask you something. Is your last name really Delmouré?"
At that moment, the feeling escaped Vanessa like it was never there, and she looked up at him as if he was the dumbest person she'd ever met. She let out a small scoff and said, "Of course it is. Why do you ask?" She turned away from him and looked at her desk, convinced that he was trying to ask her out in a roundabout way.
"Nothing, just curious, that's all," He replied with a grin and without waiting for a response, he turned and left the classroom.
Moments later, Dora walked into the 11th grade art class and headed straight for Robert's desk. She stood in front of him, glaring, but he just gave her a blank stare, clearly confused. This lasted for ten perplexing seconds. Finally, Dora pulled a chair over and sat down facing him, her eyes still fixed on his.
"Robert? Robert! Has that girl enchanted you?" Poison called from within his mind, but Robert sent a telepathic response to him.
"Don't worry, it's just a staring contest," he said, "actually it's a game we love playing." Before he could finish his thoughts, Dora suddenly whacked him on the knee, causing him to yelp in surprise.
"What was that for?!" He asked, rubbing his knee even though the pain had instantly dissipated, thanks to Poison's rapid regeneration ability.
Dora's eyes began to fill with tears as she spoke. "Robert, I need you to be honest with me," she said, her voice quavering.
"I will, I promise," Robert replied, his voice gentle and reassuring. "Please don't cry, Dora. You know I hate to see you so upset." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, then tenderly wiped away the tears from her cheek.
"Robert," she started softly, "we've been friends for a long time, and I know you're not the most outspoken person. I feel like it's time for me to just ask you directly: do you have feelings for me?"
Robert froze for a moment, his hand still holding the handkerchief against her cheek. He slowly leaned back in his chair as he took a deep breath, trying to collect his thoughts. Her question had hit him like a sledgehammer. Robert undoubtedly had feelings for her, but the thought of confessing them or even having a girlfriend felt too intimidating to him. He couldn't shake the nagging feeling that expressing love wasn't worth the risk, that it would make him seem weak, and that a relationship would only complicate the already chaotic future he saw ahead of him. As he tried to come up with an appropriate response, he looked around the classroom and saw everyone scrambling to their desks. It was clear that a teacher was approaching.
"Dora, you should probably head back to your classroom," Robert said without looking at her, "Miss Greene is going to be here soon."
He stood up and started straightening his desk, pointedly ignoring the confused and hurt expression on Dora's face. It was easier to pretend that nothing had happened, that he hadn't just been asked a question that threatened to upend his entire world, or so he thought.
"Dora, please that's my seat," Aspiere, the class representative for 11th grade art class said, "Miss Greene will be here any second."
Dora slowly stood up. She glared at Robert for a moment, but he was already absorbed in organizing his desk, as if nothing of significance had happened. The disappointment in her eyes was clear as she turned away and left the classroom.
"Robert, what did you just do?" Poison's concerned and confused voice broke into his thoughts. "You've been infatuated with that girl for so long, and she finally came over to talk to you about it, but you just ignored her. Are you crazy? That was your chance to tell her how you feel!"
Robert cut him off with a sigh. "I know you think I'm nuts, Poison, but given our current situation, don't you think this is the worst possible time to start a relationship? Please, I don't want to talk about this, okay?" he said, sounding exhausted. "Just let it go."
"Kid, just because Xolomon is after you, doesn't mean you should modify your life to suit his ambitions," Poison said. "He wants to ruin your... our life and make you feel miserable and alone. Maybe our current situation is all the more reason to be in a relationship, to help get your mind off things. And not just with anyone, but your dream girl, Dora." He tried to sound convincing, but he wasn't sure how much of an impact his words were having.
"You seriously think I have a dream girl, Poison?" Robert asked, and at that moment his eyes drifted over to Miss Greene as she walked into the classroom, her movements smooth and fluid.
"Think about it, there's never a day you fail to mention how beautiful she is, or how soft her cheeks are, or how sweet her voice is, or how crazy her scent drives you. What do you think that means, mere admiration? Think about this Robert, you just broke her heart and I'm sure she wouldn't have come here to ask that question if it wasn't important. Just think about it Robert, think!" Poison said and fell silent.
For the rest of Miss Greene's lesson, Robert couldn't stop thinking about what Poison had said. Maybe there was more to his feelings for Dora than he had realized. Was it possible that he actually had strong feelings for her, a feeling beyond friendship? If a relationship was something he really wanted, why allow the fear of Xolomon or the uncertainty of his future hinder him? Maybe it was worth taking a chance. Maybe it was time to stop being afraid and just go for it.
Meanwhile, Dora walked slowly to the laboratory, her mind still reeling from Robert's reaction. She tried to convince herself that he was just shy, but deep down she knew that his reaction had been more like someone who had been reminded of something traumatic. She felt terrible about how things had gone and dreaded facing Vanessa again. She tried to clear her mind as she looked through the window, taking in the colorful array of science materials displayed there. The test tubes of varying colours were arranged in the order of the rainbow colours, the microscopes looked very much like an alien in a movie she can't quite remember... but no matter how hard Dora tried, she couldn't shake that awful feeling throbbing within her chest. She held back her tears.
After Miss Greene's class, Robert rushed out of the classroom and raced to the 11th grade science class, looking for Dora. He ran into Jackson and asked if he had seen her, but Jackson just gave him a cold look and said he had seen her head towards the lab. Robert dashed off without another word, and Jackson just rolled his eyes. "What a jerk," he muttered to himself, "he dares to talk to me," he sighed. "Dora's too good for him anyway. Maybe I should try to win her over. That would serve him right." He chuckled to himself, a cold and malicious look in his eyes.
Dora was still struggling to push the chaotic thoughts out of her mind and focus on the present moment. After watching the science materials through the window for a while, she turned to leave the lab, but just then she caught sight of Robert running towards her. She quickly turned around and started walking in the other direction, towards the school canteen. She didn't want to see him, not after the way he had acted earlier.
"Dora, wait!" Robert called out, jogging to catch up to her. He grabbed her by the arm, but she quickly yanked it away and kept walking. He reached out and grabbed her arm again, this time holding on tighter. "Dora," he called pleadingly, but she refused to even look at him. She kept walking, trying to get away from him. He didn't know what to do, but he knew he had to talk to her.
"I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, causing her to pause and turn around to face him, her eyes brimming with tears. "Dora, hear me out, please. It's not that I don't have feelings for you, it's just..." he trailed off, clearly struggling to find the right words.
"You're too scared to admit it?" Dora asked, her eyebrows raised. Her eyes were teary with anticipation.
"Well..." Robert began but she cut him off.
"Fine, I'll make this easy for you," she said, her voice wavering as she tried to control her emotions. "How about I just declare you my boyfriend, and we can skip the whole 'confessing feelings' part?"
Robert's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait... What?"
"Yes," she said, looking him straight in the eye. "I, Isadora Presley Lamberd, declare you, Robert Shade Manuel, my boyfriend."
Robert's gentle smile held a tender affection as he observed her for a moment. He looked deeply into her eyes and every other thought evaporated from his mind when he said, "I love you."
The words hung in the air, and for a moment, Dora was completely still, her expression frozen. Time seemed to stand still as she tried to process what he had just said. Suddenly, the tears she had been holding back began to flow freely, and she threw her arms around him and held him tight. For a moment, they just stood there, embracing each other as the world around them faded away.
"Robert, your girl sure knows how to pour out the waterworks," Poison couldn't help but comment on the scene before him.
"Would you just shut up, I'm having a moment," Robert scolded him telepathically and hugged Dora tighter, enveloping himself in her delightful fragrance and the comforting feel of her soft body. They let go and Dora looked into his eyes with pure ecstacy.
"Did you really mean that?" she asked, her voice full of ecstasy. "Have you really felt this way for a while?"
Robert nodded, a radiant smile spreading across his face.
"Of course," he said. "I say we celebrate."
"Ice-cream?"
Robert grinned. "Sounds perfect, babe."
He held out his hand, and she took it, allowing him to lead her towards the school canteen. As they strolled side by side, they were both deeply aware of the significance of this moment, the beginning of something new and thrilling. From the serendipitous meeting of two seventh-grade classmates, seated together by chance in the school theatre on their first day, to the blossoming of a romance...
On their way, Robert glanced back at the laboratory building and caught sight of Vanessa locking the main door. Her eyes were narrowed as she glared in their direction. Robert impulsively looked up to the 11th grade art class on the second floor of the classroom block and caught sight of Oliver grinning down at them. His smile quickly faded when Robert met his gaze. The two of them locked eyes, and Robert's eyes turned brown and sandy while Oliver's turned to solid ice. They stared at each other, and a telepathic message began to form in Robert's mind. It was from Xolomon. "I hope she gets enough protection from you," the deep otherworldly voice boomed.
"Oh, she most certainly will!" Robert thought back.