Zein's Point of View
I think Ace and I haven't seen each other all afternoon. It's finals and we need to finish all the requirements.
"Zein, I'm hungry..." Vanessa clung to my arm, pouting.
Even I'm hungry because it's noon and we haven't eaten yet.
We couldn't leave the laboratory because there was no one to monitor our presentation and our classmates were busy with their own work.
"Just later."
I removed her grip on my arm and just took out my notes to review for the next subject.
"Okay..." she took out her cellphone and typed on it so I just turned my attention back to the notes.
I feel like our minor subjects are making it harder for us. We have more difficulty with those subjects.
I was in the middle of reading when something fell on the table next to me with a thud.
"You're faking hunger."
I swallowed hard when Ace and I met eyes. The irritation was obvious. His hair was wet so he must have washed himself, which he always did.
I looked at Vanessa who couldn't look at me. This girl is really a liar.
"I'm talking to you, Zein," he said annoyed while wincing. "Answer me," he said sternly.
"Many—"
"Are you really still reasoning?"
I was speechless because he said I answered, which I did. Wow! This guy's face is so ugly. I feel like I'm going to die if I don't have lunch.
"Zein. If you die too because of what you're doing, m—"
"Whoa." My hands went up because of what he said. "Easy, daddy Ace. Let's eat." I took the plastic bag with the food he brought.
She sighed and helped me get ready. Vanessa also helped by tasting all the dishes.
"Don't starve yourself. I'm studying hard for our future. What if you die? What for? everything yet?"
"Oh, this..." I whispered.
"I'm leaving," he said so I turned to face him. "Hug me," he said shyly.
I collapsed in front of him.
"Oh! After you lectured me, you're asking for y—" I was stunned when he hugged me.
"Shut up. I need energy for my exam later."
I let him hug me even though I was blushing from embarrassment and the fact that my classmates were looking at us.
"Take care, darling. I'll take care of our future," he whispered.
"I'll take care of the good race," I whispered, making him laugh.
It broke free from the hug and kissed me on the forehead before going out.
I caught Vanessa looking at me. She raised her eyebrows and quickly looked away.
Is this a problem?
"Zein Shion..." I looked at Vanessa when she said my full name.
She didn't look at me and kept her eyes on her food. It felt like something was stuck in my throat. What was wrong with him?
"You really love Ace," Vanessa said as we moved on to the next subject.
I didn't speak because I knew she already knew my answer to her question. I wouldn't be like this if I didn't.
When we entered the room, our professor arrived shortly after.
It didn't take long either. We decided to take a walk around campus because Ace would be finishing up later and I didn't want to get bored in the waiting shed.
"How so, Zain?"
I looked at Vanessa.
"What?" I asked.
She smiled and fixed the stray strands of her hair.
"What if Zein hadn't ended up at Hell University?" Vanessa asked, bringing back a million memories of yesterday.
I thought about that too once. What if I had never met Ace? What if Supremo had never come into my life? What would I have been like?
"I admit I was really scared then, Zein." There was sadness in her voice. "Because I thought we were going to break up," she added bluntly.
It turns out we're both afraid of that. We're not afraid of demons and secrets. We're afraid that the day will come when we might kill each other ourselves.
"What if it did happen?" I said out of nowhere.
We looked at each other. We stopped walking and sat on the grass. It was afternoon so the sun was setting. There were also a lot of us students hanging out here.
"What kind of death do you want, Van?"
"What kind of question is that?"
"Do you want it gradually? I mean. One by one, your hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes will be removed? Is that what they'll do, peeling you with a knife? Pour boiling water over it and rub it with chili powder?"
"Gaga. I would rather just be run over than that."
We both laughed at what we were saying. Hell University had a big impact on us. We can be proud of it to others. This is an experience that other people can't just experience.
"It's like someone's going to rape you—Ouch!" I snorted when she hit me.
"I have a feeling Francisco likes me."
"What th— Eww."
We laughed together again. I miss this. Mia and I often do this. Is that what we think about disgusting things and then we get disgusted at the same time. Sometimes, we get angry because of our differences. There was a time when the three of us didn't talk for almost a month. The boys just laughed at us.
"What if Ace Craige never came into your life?" she asked.
"There is no Ace Craige," I repeated while looking at the students passing by. "Maybe, fate will find a way for us to get closer," I said.
I looked at Vanessa when she fell silent. Her eyes were looking straight at me. I was nervous because she had been acting weird for a while.
"You really love Ace."
"What do you mean?"
She shrugged. We stood up and decided to go back.
"I'm leaving, Zein." Vanessa said goodbye. "Wait..." she stopped me just as I was about to leave.
I looked at her again. She was smiling and it was that strange feeling again.
"Zein, just one..." I was stunned when she slapped me.
I was speechless and couldn't move from where I was standing. The smile remained on her lips.
"I missed you... Can you come back?" she asked before turning around and walking away.
I wiped my cheek in annoyance.
"Bitch..." I whispered.
***
**Ace's Point of View**
Zein's silence throughout the entire trip was refreshing. I asked her a question but she didn't answer. She was clearly deep in thought. She's just tired.
"Zein, eat first." I stopped her as she was about to enter her room.
"I'm tired, Ace."
"I'm tired too," I whispered.
She looked at me. I didn't look back. I just went straight to my room.
I opened my laptop again to look at her photos. I calm down when I see her smile on her lips. My worries disappear when I hear her laugh. I don't know but it's not working right now.
Even when she smiles, I still feel weak. My anxiety increases when she laughs. That has the opposite effect on me.
My hand trembled when I saw all of her photos disappear from my laptop. It was as if my hand moved on its own to delete them.
My chest tightened when I heard the sobs from the other room. It felt like my heart was being torn apart with every sob I heard.
I'm sorry, my love.
I looked at the video that was now playing on my laptop. I could clearly see her eyes burning.
Terrifying.
It played over and over again. I couldn't even stop the movement. I wanted to throw my laptop at it. I wanted to take the anger out of its heart.
Shit.
"Zein, how long are we going to pretend? I'm tired."