"You were pretty brave back there," Veron commented to her friend as they got ready to eat at the condo.
"No, not really. I just said what was on my mind. Good thing Ma'am agreed to the removal exam," Mariely replied with a sigh.
She looked over the grades given in math.
"They're really low... mostly in the seventies," she muttered, scratching her head. "And there's even some failing marks."
"Why don't you just eat first?" Veron said.
Mariely nodded. Even while they ate, she looked troubled. After dinner, Veron brought some things with her, as she planned to stay over for the night.
"Why did you bring stuff with you?" Mariely asked.
"Because I'm crashing here tonight," Veron grinned.
Mariely shook her head with a laugh, amused at her friend's antics. She handed Veron a shirt to make her feel comfortable during the ride home. Veron wanted to stay at Mariely's house because she didn't want to go home alone—partly out of fear, and partly because she simply wanted to chat with her friend.
There was so much she wanted to say earlier, but she decided to stay calm. Thankfully, Mariely had already shut that issue down firmly.
It was already nine in the evening by the time they arrived at Mariely's house. Someone peeked out from a window, probably checking who had brought her home.
"El, why did it take you so long to come home?" They heard a voice ask as they were welcomed at the door.
"Good evening," Veron greeted politely.
"Oh, Veron. Good evening, too," the voice replied.
"Sorry, brother, we had a meeting, and then I had dinner at Veron's condo. She dropped me off here after," Mariely explained.
"Sorry if we got home late," Veron added.
"No worries. What matters is that you got here safe. Are you heading to bed now?" he asked.
"Yes, brother. I'm really tired," Mariely replied, moving closer for a hug.
Veron smiled. She could tell how close Mariely was to her older brother.
"Brother's girl for real, huh, Ely?" Veron teased.
Mariely just nodded with a sheepish grin.
"Alright, go get some rest," he said warmly.
"Okay," she answered.
They went straight to Mariely's room. A few minutes later, someone knocked.
"Mom, I'll get it!" Mariely called out.
"Tita, let me," Veron offered with a smile as she received her bedding.
"Veron, I feel bad that you're doing all this."
"Feel bad? Will you stop that?" Veron said playfully.
"By the way, come to my mom's birthday the day after tomorrow," Veron invited.
"Sure, as long as we're not too busy."
"No more excuses," Veron grinned.
Veron started setting up her sleeping spot. She had already changed into her sleepwear, while Mariely was still busy encoding grades onto the students' cards.
"I'll help you with that tomorrow," Veron offered.
"Aww, how sweet of my friend today. What did you eat?!" Mariely teased with a laugh.
"Hey, quit it. I'm always nice!" Veron giggled.
Another knock.
"Veron, park your car inside the gate," her brother called.
"Ah, okay, maybe in a bit."
"No, I'll do it. It's the least I can do for bringing my baby sister home safe."
"S-Sure." Veron quickly looked for her keys and handed them over.
"Eyy, baby sister," Veron teased again. "It must be nice to have a sibling, huh?"
"Yeah, sometimes. But he's super strict; it gets annoying," Mariely whispered.
Veron laughed. After a while, her keys were returned.
"Thanks," she said.
He nodded and smiled. "Get some sleep."
"Yes, brother," Mariely replied.
"Let's rest now," Veron urged.
"Yeah, I'm getting sleepy too," Mariely answered.
They both tucked in, exhausted from the day.
XXX
"Tomorrow, you'll be taking a removal exam in math," their teacher announced in front of the class.
Shaina and her classmates exchanged glances.
"W–Why, Ma'am? Did we all fail in math?" her classmate Richmond asked.
Their teacher sighed.
"Your math teacher, Mr. Natividad, said there was cheating during the last exam and that you weren't honest. So, we agreed you'll retake the exam—to prove your innocence," she explained.
Their classmates reacted in shock, and Rodel and Neil exchanged glances.
"I didn't want to record your math grades yet, because I know you worked hard that time. This is your chance to save yourselves—and prove what's true."
"Ma'am, Mr. Natividad has a grudge against us because he had a relationship with our former adviser," one student said.
"Let's not bring up the past. You need to focus on tomorrow," their teacher replied.
The students nodded, some of them sighing in frustration.
"By the way, congratulations—aside from your math grades, all your other subjects went up. Keep it up!" Their teacher smiled warmly.
"Thank you, Ma'am!" several students replied.
"You did a great job, guys," she added.
Their faces lit up. Despite being a rowdy class, they felt genuinely cared for by their new adviser.
Ma'am Celestial never gave up on them, even when they were hard to handle.
Ma'am Celestial, your naughty students love you so much, Shaina thought silently.
She started reviewing for the exam, and the room remained mostly quiet—some chatting, but not loudly.
"Ah, wait!" Their teacher rushed back in.
"Please also start reading ahead for our next lesson. Just read through it," she reminded them.
"Okay, Ma'am."
She exited again, clearly busy, and the class exchanged glances before returning to their studies.