Capítulo 19: Chapter 19
Teresa returned to class in a foul mood. She grabbed her books and supplies.
"Where have you been, Tere?" Yova asked.
Teresa didn't answer, her face dull and tired. She turned to leave and her eyes unintentionally glanced at Kenzo. He was also preparing to head to the Olympic room. Teresa ignored him and walked there alone.
"Teresa," she turned to see Gabril walking out of his class, approaching her.
"You left super early this morning, I stopped by your house but you were already gone."
"Yeah," Teresa replied with a lifeless tone.
"Are you sick?" Gabril touched her shoulder, noticing her face.
"No, I'm fine." Teresa shrugged off Gabril's hand from her shoulder.
"Oh, sorry, sorry." They both entered the Olympic room and sat next to each other. Coincidentally, Teresa sat facing the entrance, and from where she sat, she saw Kenzo walk in with Bianca. Teresa and Kenzo's eyes accidentally met, and Teresa quickly looked away, averting her gaze.
The day dragged on slowly, and Teresa felt bored with the same tedious questions. Her mood was terrible, but she had to push through.
"Good afternoon, everyone. Today you'll have a mentor to guide you," a teacher said as a few others entered the room and approached each study group.
A young female teacher came over to Teresa's group, greeting them warmly. Her name was Miss Siska, the popular and beautiful teacher who had now become their mentor.
"You all must be bored in here. How about we head outside to the front garden?" Miss Siska suggested.
"Sounds good, ma'am! It'll feel more refreshing," Joan replied.
"What do you all think? Agree?" Miss Siska asked again.
The four of them agreed, and they all headed to the garden in front of the school. Miss Siska had already prepared a mat and spread it out under a tree. It felt like a picnic, but with studying.
"I want to test how fast you can solve these problems. I'll give the instruction, and when I say go, you start. Once you finish, raise your hand," Miss Siska explained.
She began reading the questions, a stopwatch in her right hand to time them.
"Okay, ready, GO!" They all worked on the problems quickly. Teresa, who initially lacked enthusiasm, suddenly felt energized, determined to finish first. Her pen moved rapidly without hesitation.
Teresa raised her hand first, followed by Gabril, Amel, and lastly Joan.
"What's the answer?" asked Miss Siska.
"59," the three of them answered in unison.
"67," Amel said something different, looking confused as she glanced at her friends. Miss Siska took Amel's paper and kindly pointed out where her calculations went wrong.
"Got it, ma'am. Thank you."
"Okay, let's continue."
The four of them seemed more excited about learning outside. Miss Siska was a fun and understanding teacher, making the previously boring lesson feel enjoyable. Teresa's mood improved, and she even found herself laughing.
The bell rang...
"Aww, it's over already. Time flew by," Amel said.
"Thank you so much, ma'am! Studying became fun because of you," Joan said with a beaming face. Teresa noticed how Joan looked at Miss Siska with admiration.
"Ah, you're too sweet," Miss Siska replied.
They all stood up and returned to the school building, parting ways to head back to their respective classes.
Students spilled out of their classrooms, heading home. Teresa still walked toward her class. She entered and saw Kenzo's bag was no longer on his chair, so she went to her seat and grabbed her bag.
"I'm heading out, Tere. I've got tutoring," Yova waved at Teresa. The classroom was empty, and Teresa was the last one there. She packed up her things and put them in her bag. She spotted Kenzo's jacket inside and took it out, looking over at his desk. She placed the jacket under his desk with a sense of disappointment.
Suddenly, the jacket was grabbed by a hand. Teresa turned to see Kenzo taking it.
"Kenzo, you-you haven't left yet?"
Kenzo looked at Teresa. "Why didn't you give it to me directly?" he asked.
"I-I..." Teresa stammered, unsure how to say that she didn't hand it to him because Bianca was there, and she felt jealous.
Without another word, Kenzo walked out of the classroom, leaving Teresa standing frozen.
*Sigh*
Teresa grabbed her bag and walked out, closing the classroom door behind her.
"Aahh!" Teresa gasped, startled to find Kenzo still standing in front of the class. Her heart raced as she clutched her chest, trying to calm down. "You scared me!"
"Let's go," Kenzo said, grabbing Teresa's hand as they walked out of the school. Teresa quickly pulled her hand away and stopped walking.
Kenzo turned around to face her.
"I-I can walk on my own."
******
Gabril sat quietly in his car, watching as students exited the school building. He was waiting for Teresa, but she hadn't appeared even as the school started to empty out. He still hadn't seen her leave the building.
For some reason, Gabril felt certain Teresa was still inside. He got out of his car to look for her. Just as he stepped out, he saw someone leaving the building.
Kenzo and Teresa walked out together, side by side. Gabril's face tightened as he watched them walk toward the gate.
"Where are they going?" Gabril wondered, following them in his car. The two of them walked along the road beside the school and through the narrow alleys around it. Gabril had to stop his car since it couldn't fit through the alley. He followed them on foot from a distance.
The alleys eventually led to a road behind the school. Gabril saw Teresa and Kenzo approach an older man and start talking to him. He also noticed Kenzo's car parked in the yard of the man's house. Teresa and Kenzo got into the car and drove off. Unfortunately, Gabril couldn't follow since his car was still back at the alley.
*******
"Where are we going?" Teresa asked Kenzo.
As usual, Kenzo didn't answer, focused on driving in an unknown direction. Teresa gave in, leaning her head back against the seat. Gradually, her eyes grew heavy, and she fell asleep.
Kenzo glanced over at Teresa, seeing her soundly asleep. He pulled over and leaned toward her, reaching for the seatbelt beside her to buckle her in.
"Ahhh!" Teresa woke up, startled to see Kenzo so close. She instinctively pushed him back.
Kenzo was slightly pushed back, holding the unbuckled seatbelt in his hand.
"Sorry, sorry, I was just surprised," Teresa said.
Kenzo buckled her in, then restarted the car and drove on.
Teresa felt embarrassed and guilty for pushing Kenzo. She glanced at him. "I'm really sorry again, are you mad?" she asked softly.
Kenzo glanced at her. "If you're sleepy, just go back to sleep."
"No, I'm fine," Teresa said, rubbing her eyes and taking a drink of water to stay awake.
The car stopped in front of a tutoring center. Kenzo got out and returned with Kevin, his younger brother.
"Kak Teresa!" Kevin said excitedly when he saw her in the car.
"Come sit with me," Teresa said, pulling him onto her lap with a smile.
"I have something for you, Kak!" Kevin opened his bag and showed Teresa a test paper with a perfect score.
"Wow, you're so smart!" Teresa clapped her hands to praise him.
"Since Kevin got a 100, I have a present for you," Teresa said, opening her bag. She took out a small box, which she had initially planned to give to Kenzo but decided against it. She glanced at Kenzo, then opened the box, revealing a handmade fabric bracelet with a bead shaped like a 'K,' matching Kevin's name.
"Wow, it's so pretty, Kak! I love it!" Kevin exclaimed with joy. Teresa smiled, knowing that Kevin was the one who truly deserved it.
"Thank you, Kak Teresa!" Kevin hugged her tightly.
"You're welcome, sweetie. You have to keep studying hard, okay?"
"Yes, Kak! I want to be an astronaut when I grow up and travel to my own star. Then I'll take Kak Kenzo and Kak Teresa with me!"
The car stopped in front of a mall, not far from Kevin's tutoring center. The three of them got out and entered the mall.
"Let's eat first, okay?" Kenzo said to Kevin.
Kenzo held Kevin's hand as they entered a restaurant inside the mall. Teresa felt nervous about going in since she knew it was an expensive place.
"Kak Teresa, come on!" Kevin let go of his brother's hand and ran to Teresa, grabbing her hand and pulling her into the restaurant.
"What do you want to eat?" Kenzo asked her.
"Umm, I'm not hungry," Teresa lied. In reality, she was starving.
*Grrrkkkk*
Teresa's stomach grumbled, and Kenzo clearly heard it. Teresa looked down in embarrassment, clutching her stomach.
Kenzo gave a small smile and ordered some food for them.
"Kak, isn't that Mom? Who's she with?" Kevin suddenly ran off.
"KEVINNN!" Kenzo shouted.
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