Veron stared intently at the pictures she was seeing—photos taken by one of Mariely's students. She could only shake her head.
Does this mean it really was Frank that I saw at the mall? she asked herself silently.
Her blood boiled again at the sight of Frank kissing or hanging out with different girls.
Did he actually dare kiss Faith too? she asked herself bitterly.
"Veron," someone called her.
Startled, she ended up dropping her phone. The person furrowed their brow and looked at her.
"What happened to you?" Mariely asked, about to look at Veron's phone. But Veron remembered she hadn't exited the image gallery yet, so she quickly snatched the phone back before Mariely could see anything.
"Ah, nothing—nothing. I just watched a short horror film and got startled… and you arrived right then." She tried to cover it up.
She quickly moved the photos to her phone's storage.
"Huh? Let me see, let me see," Mariely said.
"L—Later. Let's just go to lunch now," Veron said, trying to change the subject.
"Huh? I bet that was porn," Mariely teased.
"Hey, idiot, there's no porn on here," Veron shot back.
Mariely just laughed at her. "Okay, if you say so. But you better show me that horror short later," she said while setting her stuff on the table.
"S–Sure," Veron muttered.
Why did you even use a horror short as your excuse, Veron? She scolded herself.
"Are you riding home with me today?" she asked Mariely.
"No, Frank's picking me up." Mariely smiled at her.
"Oh, so you two made up already?" Veron asked. "You always treat me as your second option whenever you two fight or argue."
"What are you talking about? Are you crazy?" Mariely said, frowning. "Besides, I'm already feeling shy around you. And you go straight back to your condo now anyway."
"Oh, come on, I was just joking. Let's eat already." Veron said. "I'm glad you two patched things up."
Mariely nodded.
Faith, can you really keep fixing things once you learn the truth? That the person you love most is betraying you behind your back? Veron asked herself sadly.
"Hey, let's go," Mariely said, nudging her.
"Yeah."
They headed out of the faculty room to have lunch.
"What's your dish today?" Mariely asked.
"Nothing. I was too lazy to cook today," Veron replied.
Mariely chuckled. "I have some here—Mom cooked it. Want to share?"
"You're so lucky, you know that? Your mom still cooks for you," Veron said.
"I woke up late. My mom always wakes up early, so she ends up cooking. My brother and I just wake up, and food is ready."
"You're really lucky," Veron said. They were now looking for a vacant spot to sit and eat.
"There, over there," she pointed.
Mariely nodded, and they quickly headed over and sat down.
"What drink do you want?" Veron asked.
"Anything's fine," Mariely replied. "Let me come with you—I'm going to buy dessert anyway." She was about to stand.
"I'll go instead. I already know what dessert you're going to buy," Veron grinned.
"Really?" Mariely asked.
"Yeah, just wait here." Veron walked off.
***
Mariely let out a quiet sigh as she watched her friend Veron walk away. The canteen was bustling with people. Earlier, she had talked to Becca about some schoolwork, and Becca had asked how things were between her and her son, Frank.
They had talked things through calmly, and she was relieved they had cleared up the misunderstanding without letting it grow into something bigger.
I just can't stay mad at him, she thought.
"Here's your order, madam." She snapped out of her thoughts when she saw Veron had returned.
"You're fast," she said.
"Of course. I'm hungry too," Veron replied.
She chuckled at her friend's attitude and opened the food her mom had packed.
"Wow, that smells amazing," Veron said, sniffing the aroma. "Now I'm even hungrier."
"Go ahead, take some," Mariely offered.
"Yay! Thank you!" Veron quickly grabbed a bite.
Mariely's phone vibrated. She read the message—it was from Frank.
Just wait for me in the afternoon, okay? it said. She smiled and replied quickly. Then, she went back to eating.
"Someone's happy," Veron teased.
"Idiot," Mariely rolled her eyes. "Oh, where's that horror short you were talking about?" she asked.
"Hey, let's finish eating first—later," Veron replied, raising a brow.
Mariely didn't respond and just continued eating. She was grateful Veron had also gotten her dessert.
"How much do I owe you, Veron?" she asked.
"What debt? It's yours already. Just treat me next time if I'm ever broke."
"When will you ever run out of money and let me treat you?" she laughed.
Veron smirked. "Whenever I decide to be broke."
"You're so weird when we talk," Mariely said, still laughing.
"Gosh, your mom's cooking is the best," Veron said. "I'm so full, Faith."
"You're welcome. When are you going to sleep over again? Mom says she misses you."
"She missed me?" Veron asked.
"Yes."
"Aww, I'll come visit—without telling you!" Veron teased.
The warning bell rang, so they hurried back to the faculty room. Their colleagues were already there—some fixing up, others resting before their classes.
As for Mariely, she had to dive right into class. Her schedule was packed today. She hadn't realized the sun was already setting—meaning both students and teachers were starting to head home.
She didn't ride with Veron. Instead, she spotted Frank's car and walked over. She knocked on the window, but he didn't seem to notice—he was on a call, smiling at whatever was being said. She couldn't hear the conversation.
She knocked again. This time, he noticed her and ended the call, and she got into the car. He was still holding his phone.
"Sorry I didn't notice you," he said.
She just shook her head.
"Are you going anywhere else?" he asked.
He seemed to be in a good mood.
"No, I'm heading home. I need to rest. I have to study too," she replied.
"Study?" he asked as he started the car.
"For the board exam," she said.
"Oh, right—right. Totally slipped my mind," he said.
She smiled. "You did forget," she teased.
He glanced at her. "Shoot," he muttered. Then, when the car stopped in traffic, he leaned over and kissed her.
He smiled, and she smiled back.
"Want to go out for a bit? Unwind before you dive into studying?" he asked.
"Oh no, you might be tired. You need to rest too, Frank. You might get a headache."
"Don't worry. Someone will take care of me if I do," he winked.
She chuckled softly. When they arrived, he gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"Always be careful," he said.
"You too," she replied.
She waved as he drove off, then went inside her house. She took a short rest before diving into study mode again—for her upcoming board exam.