Dara's POV

The moment we entered the InterSAT gate, I felt the force of a hundred stares judging me. The rumor had spread. Everyone probably knew that Jiro and I made out at the library. *Groans...* Goodbye reputation.

Jiro wais walking gingerly beside me with his hands inside his pockets and with a stoic expression on his face, which seemed to be his standard state. He was not even slightly bothered by the gazes of the students around us, completely opposite of what I was feeling.

I roamed my eyes to prove my suspicion and groaned inwardly. They're judging me! WAH! What are they thinking? Oh my gosh, they're probably thinking that we did it in the library! Or...or...that we are having sex everyday and everywhere! WHICH.IS.NOT.TRUEEEE!

I frowned and bit the edge of the book that I was hugging, a rebellious feeling welling up inside me. This is not fair! I haven't even seen it and I'm being judged like this.

I whipped my head sidewards, hiding half of my face behind the book, and looked at Jiro. Then, I dragged my gaze down to stare at the 'target'. I wonder what it looks like...

"What are you looking at, Ramirez?" Jiro abruptly stopped walking and faced me. I swiftly averted my gaze and pretended to fix my hair. "Nothing", I mumbled before stealing a glance at him.

He was staring intently at me like he was reading my thoughts, so I took a step back away from his radar. I noticed the group of students huddled at the entrance of the building watching us and it somehow made me self-conscious, so I took another step back away from him.

Jiro cocked his eyebrows at me and looked at the distance between us. He stepped forward and I backed away in reflex.

"What are you doing?" He asked while frowning.

"Nothing."

He took another step forward and my feet automatically reacted, taking a step back. I yelped when I bumped onto someone, and that someone snaked his arm around my waist to steady my footing.

"Ooops... Careful munchkin", Bullet said and grinned at me. "Gotta run, I'm late. See you later!"

"Be careful", I called out as he dashed towards the building's stairs. He waved at me and I waved back while smiling.

"Munchkin?" Jiro's stern voice entered my ears. I gazed back at him and blinked, wondering what he was asking. "He calls you....munchkin?"

"Oh...that?"

"Oh that?"

Uh-oh. Is he pissed?

"Jiro-..."

"Yes?"

He narrowed his eyes at me and I immediately cowered. Why does he have to be so damn intimidating? I forgot what I was going to say!

"Let's go. We'll be late", he suddenly said and proceeded walking. I kept my mouth shut and followed him, his eyes focused forward and his eyebrows deeply furrowed. We ascended the stairs and strode at the hallway, the students parting and murmuring at each other while looking at us.

"Jiro", I called out. "Are you mad?"

"No."

HE'S MAD! What if he does his punishment again?! I tightly hugged my book and bit the edge as I recalled the 'punishment' he did that night. I could almost hear my heart beating hard when I pictured his mouth capturing my nipp-...ACCCKK! Did I moan that night? I did! Oh my God, what did my breasts taste like? Sweet? SALTY?! NOOOO!! He should not do THAT again unless I'm fully prepared and taste like...like strawberry! And...and...what if he goes downwards and licks me down there?

Slowly, I brought my hands on my chest and exhaled audibly, my eyes widening at the thought. Dear Lord. He should never put his mouth anywhere near my vajayjay. If he slides his tongue in there, I might pee on his face! GAAAHH!

"Ramirez", I heard him say. I stopped walking and faced him.

"Huh?"

"Your classroom", he slightly tipped his chin towards the door and stared blankly at me.

"O-Okay", I mumbled but made no attempt of entering. I focused my eyes on his feet, not knowing what to say. To be honest, I've been trying to distract myself since we woke up this morning, but the uneasy feeling is back once again. What he said last night haunted me. I wanted to say many things; I wanted to tell him that he could also rely on me. I want his smile. I wonder what he sees that I don't see. I wonder what he felt when he said those words. 'I love you.' He finally said it...but it felt like it bore a weight that I still could not comprehend.

"Jiro, are you okay?"

"Yes. Why?"

"You seemed out of it last night. Is there still something bothering you?"

"I was just tired. I'm fine, don't worry."

I fixed my gaze at him, my heart stinging a bit. I find it difficult to surmount his wall and it was not helping that he wouldn't meet me halfway. Maybe I was just paranoid. Maybe I was just overthinking things. But I couldn't shake off the thought that aside from the issue with Riko, there was something else that he was keeping.

"A-Are you not happy...with us?" I asked the first thing that came to my mind in a quiet voice.

"I am", he replied nonchalantly. "I'll see you later", he murmured and placed one hand on my upper arm. He stared at me momentarily and squeezed my arm gently before walking away.

I turned around and watched his retreating back, wishing that I was wrong and everything was fine. I inhaled deeply and forced a smile on my face. He said he loves me. That was a good start.

***

The school bell rang, echoing all over the school. Classes finally ended, and the loud buzzing filled the hallways as the students started storming out. Another day in school ended.

"Gosh, what a lonnnggg dayyy", Namee complained as she met Dara outside their classroom. They both walked slowly like there was a heavy weight on their shoulders, their eyes drooping with weariness.

"I know", Dara breathed out deeply. "What is wrong with this day? I feel like diving into a pool of ice cream. Actually, forget that. Ice cream can't even make me happy. Those quizzes took away my happiness."

"Surprise quizzes should be banned from humanity", Namee remarked.

"I completely agree."

"I mean, what if I have a heart condition and the professor gives a surprise quiz? What if I get a shock since I was totally not expecting it and my heart fails and I die?!"

"Okay, calm down, you", Dara said and nudged her friend.

Namee shook her head wearily and took a deep sigh. "I really had it bad today. One prof made me face the wall because I didn't finish my homework since he came to the class early. Can you believe that?"

"The part where he made you face the wall or the part where you didn't do your homework?"

"Girl", Namee looked at her friend pointedly. "Who even finishes their homework at home? It's the twenty first century. There are more important things to do like Twitter!"

Both of them chuckled bitterly before groaning in frustration once again. Their mood swings were unpredictable. Others might think they'd completely lost it, but it was far from their concerns at the moment. They both flunked the quiz, so they had to do an additional paper to make up for it.

"Students should have a need-a-break-from-this-bullshit button", Namee suggested. "Our stress level is no joke. Do the profs think our brain can absorb all the things they're trying to shove at us?"

"I must be really tired because what you're saying makes sense to me", Dara said. "Sometimes I think you're a genius."

"I am", Namee said and opened her arms wide, her palms facing upwards. "But this world refuses to accept my greatness. My genius words will be my legacy, my friend."

"And yet you flunked the quiz."

"How dare you judge me with such minuscule mistake", Namee clutched her chest dramatically. "It is I who will determine if my battle has been lost. Because I..."

"Here she goes", Dara mumbled and closed her eyes firmly before opening them again as Namee started singing Katy Perry's song.

"I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire! Cause I am a champion and you're gonna hear me ROAAARRR!" Namee hopped beside her, urging the other students to sing along. "Come on InterSAT! Sing with me!"

Dara just let her friend do her thing because nobody could stop her anyway when she was in the zone - the crazy zone.

"I GOT THE EYE OF THE TIGAHHH!!" Namee roared in a deep voice, making everybody cringe. Dara caught sight of Picaro at the end of the hallway, so she nudged her friend. "It's Picaro", she said.

As soon as she heard it, Namee abruptly stopped her impromptu performance and dashed towards the hallway at the right, leaving the flabbergasted Dara behind. Seconds later, her phone rang. Namee was calling.

"You crazy woman", Dara hissed as soon as she pushed the answer button.

"Sorry. I'm still not emotionally prepared to face him."

"What happened to 'if you can't avoid it, welcome it and be done with it' crap that you were preaching days ago?"

"Well, I can still avoid him for now. I will welcome the heartbreak later. Anyway, talk to him! Ask him about me, please."

"What? I don't want to do that. He'll think I'm friends with you. Eeww."

"Ha ha. You're so funny, Dara. TALK TO HIM!"

"What do you want me to say?" Dara grumbled and approached Picaro, her phone still pressed on her ear.

"Hey", Picaro greeted. "Is that Namee on the other line?" He asked.

"He's asking if it's Namee on the other line", Dara reported.

"Oh my God, you're so obvious! I'm going to kill you!" Namee screeched and immediately hung up.

Dara shifted her gaze at the tall guy in front of her while pocketing her phone. "Sorry about that. You know how Namee is."

"She still won't talk to me", Picaro said somberly.

"You know how she feels about you, Picaro. Namee may look like she can just shrug her shoulders at everything that comes her way but that's not true...especially when it comes to you."

Picaro lets out a frustrated sigh. "That's why we need to talk", he said. "Can you help me, Dara? She needs to hear what I have to say."

There was a slight pause between them as Dara studied the guy who has her friend's heart. "I can try", she replied after a while and pulled out her phone, dialing Namee's number. "Picaro wants to talk to you. Where are you?" She asked as soon as her friend picked up.

"What? DARA!" Namee whined.

Dara glanced at Picaro who was standing rigidly in front of her. "This has been dragging too long, Namee. You can't avoid this anymore."

"But..." Namee sighed on the other line. "It's jus that... Dara, I'm scared", she admitted in a tiny voice. "H-He will make me cry."

Dara turned around and whispered, "Avoiding it won't make it any less painful. Your Mama Old is right. You should welcome it and get it done."

"You said you don't want to see me sad", Namee mumbled.

"Yes", Dara said softly. "But I also don't want to see this kind of you, Namee. You should give Picaro a chance to say what he wants to say."

"Dara..."

"I'm ready when you cry."

She heard a sharp intake of breath before she heard her friend say, "All right. I can do this."

"That's my girl", Dara said. A beeping sound interrupted their conversation, indicating that Dara's battery was running out. "Where are you? My battery is drained."

"I'm at one of the round tables in front of the Arts Building."

"Okay. Wait for Picaro." With that, Dara's phone ran out of battery and turned off. She looked at Picaro and smiled. "She's in front of Arts Building. Go talk to her."

"Thanks Dara", Picaro said, relief flooding his face. "Are you heading home? Jiro will probably drop by the turf before he heads to the main gate. Do you want to borrow my phone to contact him?"

"No, it's okay. I just need to buy something near the east gate and I'll go to the main gate afterwards to wait for him."

"Okay. Thanks again", Picaro strode away, nervousness engulfing him with the thought of facing Namee. His steps slowed down a bit and he glanced back while frowning when something that Dara said registered in his mind.

'East gate?' He thought.

***

Stone flicked the lid of his lighter and lit it before closing the lid again. He repeated the movement a few times while pondering over something as he rested his arms on the steel railing, his eyes staring blankly at nothing in particular. He was at the second floor of The Claws' turf - an abandoned storage room located near the east gate.

He lifted his hand and ran his fingers on the scar on his forehead, caused by Jiro during their underground fight, as he recalled the events that led him to hate the guy whom he once called his brother.

When he entered InterSAT and found out that he was also in the same school, memories in the orphanage came crashing as if it was only yesterday. He knew Jiro recognized him, but the bastard just walked past him as if he didn 't exist. After what he had done, he had the audacity to treat him like he was someone not worth his time.

Did he forget how he betrayed him? He was young and scared, and Jiro was the pillar he relied on. But he ran away. He left him without saying why. After that incident, he was taken in by the couple who was supposed to adopt Jiro. But in only a few months, the couple divorced and he was left in the custody of his adoptive dad. The weight he carried throughout the years piled up, and he couldn't help but think how things would turn out if Jiro did not run away.

His gaze fell on the school ground and saw the girl from afar, walking towards the east gate.

Ice Lord, huh? That nickname suited him well. How he could look at him and see nothing; how he could go about his life without glancing back at the people he stomped over - indeed, a man of ice. It would be a sight to see the Ice Lord melt. It would give him great pleasure to see Jiro scared out of his wits...to make him feel the helplessness, fright, and uncertainty that he had to bear.

A grin spread on Stone's lips as he pulled out his phone and made two calls - one for the Fire 39 leader and one for the Black Dragons leader.

***

Jiro entered the Black Dragons' turf after his class and noticed his gang members huddled up in a big circle, seriously discussing something.

"What's going on?" He asked.

Bonsai approached him with a grim expression. "Locker X", he said.

"Fifth mark?"

"Fifth, sixth, until tenth mark."

"What?" Jiro frowned in bewilderment.

"Six lockers were marked. All of them are non-gang members. And what's interesting is that Stone offered to protect them for a price. Spade already talked to Stone, but he denied that he's the one behind Locker X. He said that he and his gang are just 'helping' the students for a price. That asshole."

"The Claws gang is making money out of this mess? What the hell", Jiro muttered.

Bonsai glanced behind him before shifting his gaze back to Jiro. "Actually, I heard something about Stone, but I'm not sure if it's true. Someone said he's into drugs that's why he needs all the moolah."

"Where did you hear this?"

"One of the guys from the other gang said he saw Stone in an alley. He saw him meeting the student from the school downtown who is known to sell that shit."

That idiot. Jiro massaged his nape in a mixture of annoyance and frustration, unable to believe what he was hearing. He used to be a very nice kid with a lot of dreams. What happened to him?

When he entered InterSAT, he couldn't even see the shadow of the boy he once regarded as his brother. His eyes were filled with rage, and his words were dripping with poison. He knew his betrayal had a huge impact on Stone. Is this the result of what he had done?

His thoughts were cut short when his phone started ringing. It was a number not registered in his contacts, but he pushed the answer button nonetheless.

"Hello Ice Lord", a deep voice entered his ears.

"Stone", he stated.

"Got an interesting scene here at the east gate; thought you might wanna know", he said. Jiro could sense his sinister grin on the other line. "Your girl and the Fire 39 leader-..."

Jiro's grip on the phone tightened, his other fist curling in a tight ball. Bullet. That guy again.

"-... are kissing. You should see it, they are-..."

Jiro abruptly hung up and headed towards the door, his jaws clenching in anger. Bonsai followed him and held his shoulder.

"Hey where are you going?" Bonsai asked and immediately let go of the guy when he saw the dark expression on their leader's face.

Jiro left without saying a word; a silent storm whose destination was the east gate.

***

Dara...

Bullet darted his eyes around frantically as soon as he reached the east gate. He tried to contact her multiple times but to no avail.

"DARA!" He ran towards the gate, his anxiety skyrocketing at the troubling thoughts filling his mind. Where is she?

"Bullet?" Dara's voice entered his ears. He spun around and breathed a sigh of relief when he finally saw her emerging from the university path.

"Dara", he said as he approached her. "Munchkin..." He suddenly held her shoulders, shaking her a bit, causing her to lose her grip on the books that she was holding. "Shit, I was so scared", he said while breathing heavily from all the running that he did.

"Why? What happened? Are you alright?" She asked in alarm, ignoring her things scattered on the ground because of her friend's worrying actions.

Bullet did not respond, his grip on her shoulders tightening a bit. That bastard Stone probably played him. He said Dara was in danger because the alley thugs he beat up at the back gate got her at the east gate.

"Bullet?"

"Why are you here? What are you doing in the east gate?" He asked.

"I just went to the bookstore nearby. I was on my way back when I heard you calling me."

"Don't go near the east gate again, munchkin", he said in a stern voice, his serious expression startling the girl.

"But the bookstore is just a few meters away from the gate."

"Munchkin, if you really need to go here, you better call me. This is where The Claws' turf is at", he said firmly, his eyes never leaving hers.

Bullet's serious demeanor was something that she was not used to, and it was quite perplexing and intimidating. She was reminded once again that her friend was indeed the leader of one of the InterSAT gangs.

"Okay", she mumbled and placed one hand on top of his hand gripping her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Unknown to the two, Jiro arrived at the east gate. His eyes narrowed with rage as he took in the scene. Dara's books were scattered on the ground and the Fire 39 leader was gripping her shoulder - her hand on top of his hand, his face dangerously close to hers.

"Your girl and the Fire 39 leader...are kissing."

His heart pummeled painfully inside his chest, his breath becoming ragged with jealousy and anger. Seeing her with Bullet and imagining what Stone told him, it felt like every part of him was being sliced.