Mariely bumped into him just as she was leaving his mother's office. He stood frozen when he saw her, noticing she hadn't seen him yet. He stopped in his tracks.
"Hey," he called out.
She turned to look at him, frowning, eyes glaring—but she didn't speak.
"What is it?" she snapped, clearly annoyed.
"Didn't it hurt you? After what your brother confessed?" he asked without hesitation.
She raised her brow. "I'm not in the mood to entertain your nonsense today."
"Whatever. Do what you want. You're such a headache," she muttered, turning her back and walking away.
He shook his head and sighed. He had to go to the office. If his dad was already there, he was dead meat. He couldn't make excuses anymore—if he messed up again, he could lose his job.
He took a deep breath and noticed a female teacher walking by. She looked at him. A slow smirk crept onto his lips.
Hmm…
"Hey miss, you don't look busy," he said with a smile.
He looked her up and down. She had curves, a pretty face, and smooth and glowing skin. She didn't respond, but he noticed the hallway was empty. He motioned for her to step into a quiet corner with him.
"You're beautiful. What's your name?" He whispered softly, gently brushing her cheek. He noticed her blushing.
"I'm on break. My name's Arianne," she replied shyly.
"Nice name. You know who I am, right?"
She nodded. "You're Ma'am Becca's son. You're very handsome."
He chuckled. "You're pretty gorgeous yourself."
"Let's keep this between us, okay?" he whispered. She nodded again.
He stared at her, leaned in, and gently kissed her lips. She didn't resist.
"I'm sorry... You're just so beautiful; I couldn't help myself," he said smoothly.
"It's okay," she answered with a slight smile.
"So... does that mean I can kiss you again?" he asked with a mischievous grin.
She nodded again, her eyes closing in anticipation. Their kiss deepened. Her soft moans escaped as he began touching her. She didn't stop him.
"Shhh," he whispered.
He continued, and they gave in to the moment, hidden away from the world. When they were done, she looked messy—her lips swollen, hair tousled, and blouse wrinkled—but satisfied.
"That was nice," he whispered with a grin, then left.
Mariely saw him just as he was exiting, with Arianne trailing behind, fixing her clothes. Mariely frowned but said nothing. She walked away quickly.
He just laughed at her reaction and went straight to the office.
"You're late again, Mr. Montero!" his father shouted as he slammed paperwork down on the table.
He didn't argue anymore.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry," he muttered and took his seat.
****
"So? What did Ma'am Becca say?" Veron asked, watching her friend closely across the table.
Faith was quiet again, deep in thought. She sighed.
"Hey!" Veron nudged her, snapping her out of it.
"Huh? What?" Faith blinked.
See? Her mind is somewhere else again, Veron thought.
"I said, 'What did Ma'am Becca tell you?" she repeated, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, right... I told her I already spoke to Rodel and that I'd warned the students not to talk about it anymore," Faith replied, then sighed again.
"Hah! That won't stop Mr. Natividad unless your whole class gets suspended. I'm telling you," Veron said seriously.
"Suspended? That's too much. The students didn't even do anything wrong," Faith reasoned.
"You don't understand how that man thinks. He's underestimating you, Faith."
"I don't think so. Maybe he's just concerned for his fellow teachers," Faith replied cautiously.
"Concerned? Seriously? If he really cared, he would've handled the situation himself. That mess happened in his class," Veron countered.
Faith remained silent, just listening.
"Oh! And your brother knows about all this, right?" Veron asked again.
"Yeah, he does. He's busy now with the wedding planning with Nadia. I'm just trying to get used to not being picked up anymore," Faith said with a bittersweet smile.
"Anyway... since you like gossip—"
"Wow, thanks," Veron replied sarcastically.
"Do you know Arianne Bastigue?"
"Yeah, she's the adviser of the senior pilot class. Why?"
"Is she in a relationship?" Faith asked.
Veron thought for a bit. "Not that I know of. But—between you and me—she's really close with some of the guy students, especially the cute ones."
"Hey, that's a serious accusation."
"I'm not lying. She had a scandal in her old school. Of course, it was buried quickly—her family's rich," Veron said in a hushed tone.
"But maybe she's changed now?" Faith suggested.
"Maybe... who knows?"
"Why? Did you see her with a student?"
"Girl, no! Not a student. A guy."
"Who?"
"Frank."
"Ohhh… that guy. I'm not surprised, Faith."
"I saw them in a hallway corner. I didn't want to jump to conclusions, but it was very suspicious..."
"Don't be shocked. That guy's a player."
"I know... but I feel bad for Arianne."
"They both made that choice. There's nothing you can do about it," Veron shrugged.
Faith didn't say anything else.
"Come with me to the canteen. I got hungry after all that," Faith joked.
Veron chuckled. She was a little hungry too.