Mariely let out a deep sigh.
She felt a nudge at her side.
"What are you thinking about now?" Veron asked her, raising a brow.
Mariely scratched her head and busied herself with arranging the things on her table.
"Hey! Do I look like a ghost to you? Why are you ignoring me?" Veron pressed on.
"You're such a fool. I was just deep in thought," Mariely replied.
"About what? Should I add to whatever's bothering you?" Veron teased again.
They heard the warning bell ring.
"Later, during lunch. I need to go see my rowdy kids," Mariely said, already heading for the door.
"You always leave me hanging," Veron muttered behind her.
"Later!" she called out as she stepped out of the faculty room.
As she walked down the hallway, her mind wandered back to the conversation from Saturday.
So they're already busy preparing for the wedding. She sighed to herself.
Not that she had any problem with it—she didn't want to be a bother, anyway.
My brother's really getting married… I guess it's time for me to stand on my own.
She mentally whispered those words to herself.
Peeking into her classroom, she saw Shaina cleaning the teacher's table, while her boys were already glued to their phones.
She stared at them.
"Hey, Ma'am's here! Stop it," one of her students hissed.
The others quickly hid their phones and joined in cleaning the floor.
"Good morning, Ma'am," one of them said, flashing a sheepish grin.
These kids. She chuckled silently.
Others were helping clean outside the classroom, some still playfully running around. But as soon as they noticed her, they all straightened up.
Mariely returned to the faculty room to prepare for her activity. She had to tackle some pending lessons and check on their learning progress.
Thankfully, the kids hadn't been acting out much lately—though her headache came from occasional complaints from other teachers.
Later, she walked into the classroom.
"Good morning," she greeted.
The students stood up and greeted her in return.
"You may take your seats. Is anyone absent today?" she asked, scanning the room.
Everyone was present.
"I heard another complaint, especially from your math teacher. Is it true that you've been disrespecting him?" she asked calmly.
The students glanced at one another. "He said you don't listen and even argue with him."
"Ma'am, it wasn't like that," one student tried to explain.
Her brows furrowed. She sighed. "Then what really happened? Why was he so upset?"
"Ma'am, Rodel got the answer right yesterday, but he accused him of cheating. He showed him he wasn't, but he still said hurtful things to us," one student explained.
"Rodel, is that true?" she asked.
He scratched his head and nodded.
"He insulted you?" she followed up.
The students nodded.
She sighed. "I'm not here to take sides, but please avoid things that might irritate your teacher, okay?"
"Yes, Ma'am," the class replied.
"Alright, we have an activity today. Listen carefully," she instructed.
***
Later at lunch break...
"Veron, were my kids misbehaving in your class earlier?" Mariely asked.
"Not really. They're even easier to manage than the other sections, despite being rowdy sometimes," Veron said, taking a bite of her lunch.
Mariely nodded but noticed Veron seemed to be thinking.
"What is it?" she asked.
"The kids talked to me earlier," Mariely said, setting her fork down.
"What about?" Veron frowned.
"It was about their math class. They felt insulted and rebelled. I'm not taking their side, but I still gave them a warning," she explained.
"Those kids may be a handful, but when I get mad, they do listen. And that issue with their math teacher? That's been going on for a while," she whispered.
"What do you mean?" Mariely asked, her brows knitting together.
"Well… from what I've heard," Veron said in a hushed tone, "the teacher has personal issues with the class because his boyfriend teaches their advisory section. And truth be told, those kids were really hard to discipline before you came."
Mariely frowned deeply. "Seriously?"
Veron nodded.
"You know everything. You're a walking gossip mill," Mariely teased, shaking her head.
"Hey! Stop that," Veron said, chuckling.
Mariely laughed too.
The bell rang, so they both returned to the faculty room.
"Miss Celestial," a voice called from behind.
Mariely turned to see who it was.
Speak of the devil. She saw who it was and stared.
"Yes, sir?" she asked politely.
He's probably going to complain again, she thought to herself as she resumed organizing her materials and prepared to head to her next class.
"Did you take any steps to speak with the student I reported to you?" he asked, locking eyes with her.
"Yes, sir. I spoke to the student. Mr. Bariña didn't cheat during your math activity," Mariely explained.
The man sighed.
"Miss Celestial, I know you're new here and this is your first time teaching, but before believing what the kids say, get to know them. They're good at lying—like what they did to you today. You need to be firm," he said sternly.
Veron raised a brow and frowned slightly.
What is he talking about? Those kids improved a lot when Faith came in. Maybe the issue isn't with the kids, but with you, sir. She kept the thought to herself.
"Next time, don't believe them right away. Ask the other teachers too. Right, Miss Ronda?" he said, suddenly dragging her into the conversation.
Veron was caught off guard. She simply smiled.
"Sir Oliver, those students aren't that unruly anymore. From what I observe, they've improved," she answered calmly.
"Maybe it's just me they have a problem with," he muttered, shaking his head while glaring at Faith.
"It would be better to speak with your students, Miss Celestial," he added before tapping her shoulder. "I hope you take steps to make sure this doesn't escalate—or inflate their egos."
Then, he walked away.
She raised her eyebrow and let out a long sigh.
"Just let it go, Faith," she told her friend, shaking her head.
The bell rang again. Everyone went to their respective classrooms.
She knew her friend would be deep in thought again. And still… Faith hadn't told her what really happened yet.