HIS SUICIDAL GIRL
❝I met the guy with his smile when my pen started to phlebotomize, and my fate has begun writing a new story.❞

06 - District Level Press Conference

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•ZACHREY•

I'm elated now. Imagine? I convinced Bea's mom last night even though we did not know each other very well. Who would have thought, exactly? Now, we are not worried anymore because Bea is supported by her mother in her career now.

And today is the day.

After so many days, the District Level Press Conference is finally here. Hopefully, the three of us will win so we can still be together in the Division.

I was still in the classroom and I was on my way to Ma'am Jehr's faculty when someone suddenly called me.

"Zachrey, someone is looking for you!"

My forehead creased.

"Who?"

There are a lot of people looking at me. I got myself some fan club.

"Xiamin's the name." I quickly got up from my chair when I heard that. I immediately grabbed my bag and headed for the door.

When I went out, she was already there waiting for me, looking at me with a bored expression on her face. She was wearing her cute, pink earphones. For sure she was listening to her favorite anime songs again. But what a miracle! She was very early. She usually comes late.

"You look miserable." She removed her earphones from her ear and placed it inside her bag. "Come on, we're still going to Bea."

Is it me or is she in a bad mood right now? She's very cold.

She walked over to me first. I would have liked to ask her but I might be the one she vented her anger on. But, there is nothing wrong in asking, right? Who knows, maybe there is something I could do to help. Besides, she is my friend. I have every right to help her.

I cleared my throat before speaking, "Xia─"

"What?"

Yikes! As I thought, she was in a bad mood. Suddenly, I became speechless.

"Is there a prob—"

"Don't bother. As if there's something you can do about it."

"Don't say that. May—"

"I said, Don't. Bother."

"Will you let me finish?"

She stopped walking so I stopped too, catching other students' attention. She turned to face me.

"What is your problem?"

"Shouldn't I be the one to ask you that? I'm just asking you what your problem is and maybe I can help." Maybe her red days have begun because her face is red with annoyance.

This woman is very moody. Maybe this is the ultimate byproduct of watching anime. But that is abject stupidity. I also watch anime, but I am not too moody.

"Do you really wanna know?" she asked me and I nodded. "Follow me."

She started walking again towards her classroom. I was complexed, but I did not raise any more questions and just waited for her to explain herself. Maybe she will get angry again and we will fight.

I also stopped when she stopped taking a step.

"Do you see that group of three girls standing near the door?" she asked with a cold voice.

I looked at their door and saw three women talking happily.

"Yeah, what about them?" My eyes widened when I suddenly realized something. I turned to her immediately. "They didn't bully you so badly, did they?"

"What?" She gave me an irritated look. "Of course not, you jerk!"

Just chill, girl. That's just my speculation.

"Calm down. So, back to the topic. What about them? "

She calmed down and took a deep breath. We were not too close to their classroom for the three girls to notice us looking and talking about them.

"As you can see, my best friend, Les is absent today because she has some important family matters to attend to." She sighed. "Those are my friends, both Les and I. Before. Do you know why Les and I don't want them anymore?"

She looked at me with sadness and anger. I shook my head at her question.

"Because they're fake. They seem to see no one when you come. As much as possible, they will just pass you by. Sometimes you can feel that they care, but it's the other way around most of the time." I noticed her clenching her fists. Then, she let out a sarcastic laugh. "To sum it up, they just care about themselves. I repeat, maybe they do care about anyone else but most of the time, only themselves."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Are you in a bad mood now because of them?"

"Obviously. I greeted them this morning and they seemed to see nothing? So, is that the case now? Am I invisible? Since when? Okay, fine, it's okay with me if they don't greet me but can't they do it to my parents, at least? We've been friends for ages! Is it because they are shy? Or do they just not want to? If that's the case, then I would salute to those that I don't fully know. But knows how to show their respects not just to me, but to my parents as well." She laughed full of sarcasm in her voice again. "They're full of BS. It's okay if they only did it once. But they've done it many times and it feels like shit."

I blinked a few times. She uses swear words every time she is so mad.

"You know, Xia?" This time, I took a deep breath and patted her shoulder. "You are way better than them. If they ignore you and if they do not see people, then let them be. It's their loss, not yours."

In my sixteen years of living, I have been through a lot of pain, and friendship problems are one of those. We really can't help but find a friend who is a snake that no matter what you do, they will think only of themselves and will betray you in the end.

Xia looked at me as I continued what I was about to say.

"People are people. They feel love, they feel hatred. They get jealous then they change. They judge, and they leave. The cycle always repeats. Because we do not know what they are thinking. Who knows, maybe the reason why they ignored you because they're feeling insecure about you? That's just my speculation, okay? But remember, never seek attention to others. If you just continue to be yourself, you'll find what you're looking for. It's really about being a true friend and even a man who will love you forever," I paused, then I smiled at her. "They will come. Just wait. Leave people like the three of them and stick to the person who values ​​your worth and accepts your flaws. Take your best friend as an example."

She looked at me in awe hearing what I just said. Eventually, she laughed in a very soft way.

"I know. Les is different."

"Exactly! Prove to the three of them that they are not a huge loss in your life. Let them choke their shit." We both burst into laughter after I said those.

"You know what? You're kinda creepy when you advise because what you say is getting longer." I suddenly stopped laughing and stared at her.

Her smile, her laugh, her voice. She looked so cheerful, though, she was transparent. I could see right through her. But maybe it is because she chooses people to see her true feelings. Xia is so fun to be with and not all realize it. No doubt.

"Hey, are you okay? Why are you quiet all of a sudden?" she asked which brought me back to reality.

"You're just too cute for me to look at." Wait, what? Shoot! What did I say?

She gave me a confused look. Great, Zachrey. Just great. Now I am a creep.

"What—"

"Zachrey, Xiamin, what the hell are you doing? Do you have any plans? We still have a contest to win, for Christ's sake!" Ma'am Jehr suddenly appeared in front of Xia and me with Bea.

A rush of excitement sent colors to Bea's cheeks, the reason why she suddenly uttered a slow squeal.

"What the hell happened to you, Bea?"

"My big sister Xiamin and big brother Zachrey are having a moment alone." I pouted by what Bea said. Sounds so gay but it is the truth. I should not have asked her that question.

"You're a very irrelevant and straight-forward person, Bea. You know what? Come on, we might be late for the contest. Your older brother Zachrey is starting to talk about weird things again," said Xia and walked ahead.

"Certainly, Bea. FYI, we were just talking," I said to Bea, and she just answered me with a laugh.

I just followed them. I was surprised when Coach suddenly caught up with my pace.

'So," she started. I think I know where this is going. "When did you two started going out?"

Her question made me choke. I knew it. Why are a woman and a man is always mistaken for a couple when they are together or they are just talking privately?

Can I not just have friends? Best friends? Classmates? Neighbor? It also offends sometimes. Rumors fly so fast that can result in an issue. A serious issue. It could probably cause a fight sometimes, depending on the kind of issue.

I do not care if others tell me that I overthink too much. It is clear because I do not just think of the present, but the future as well.

"In that case, you already have an inspiration! Can you assure us that you will win in the District today?"

"Coach, I'll make it clear." I let out a huge sigh. "We. Are. Not. A. Couple. As in, no. We are just friends, nothing more and definitely nothing else."

"Are you sure?" She gave me a skeptical look.

I nodded.

"Very sure. Please, do not give meaning to everything that should not be given to."

Coach shrugged her shoulders.

"Well said, you have grown up, Zachrey." She even clapped her hands a little. "I was just testing you."

"What are you guys talking about?" I was surprised when Xia suddenly appeared in front of us with Bea.

"Oh, nothing. What you should focus on," She put an arm around us three. "is your contest. Don't pressure yourselves too much. Just live and enjoy the moment and just do your best."

She gave us a very determined look. This is one of the things that I like about Ma'am Jehr. She does not pressure us, instead she motivates us. To be honest, the others are already overdoing the system to the point that they are no longer aware that they have hurt others. But Coach's different. I can say that she is the best coach I have ever had.

"I have faith in you, my young Sci-Tech writers. You can defeat your opponents because only their faces are the scary ones. Defeat them with the use of your pen, and always have a healthy competition."

◊◊◊◊◊

When we arrived at the venue, we did nothing but take pictures while waiting for the contest to start. According to them, the picture taking was for memories. Well, I was not against that because we have memories that deserve to be treasured.

We had our usual line up in the picture. I on the right, then Bea on the left, then Xia and Ma'am Jehr in the center.

"Are you ready?" I was surprised by Coach's sudden question. I immediately checked my wristwatch and noticed that it was almost time. "You only have five minutes before the contest. You have entered your assigned room."

"Oh my! Is it time? I'm sorry, Ma'am Jehr. We were too occupied by taking pictures and we forgot about the time." Bea was surprised.

She was right. We lost track of time because we were busy taking pictures. But that was good, at least we lost our nervousness.

"Have you prayed yet?" The three of us nodded at Coach's question. "Then, good luck."

"Thanks, Ma'am. We will do our best, "said Xia who has only answered an assuring nod by Coach.

We entered our assigned classroom. Of course, Science and Technology English and Filipino writers are separated. The three of us sat in the front. Coach always tells us that as much as possible we will sit in the front to fully fathom what the proctor has to say. The same drill, I was on the right, Bea was on the left, and Xia was in between us.

"Are you all alright?" I asked the three of them.

"I guess so." Nasty. Xia took her earphones out of the bag and started listening to music again.

Bea, on the other hand, just nodded because she was also busy entertaining herself with her phone, probably scrolling on her Facebook feeds.

"One Ok Rock? Are you a fan of them? " I asked curiously when I saw what Xia was playing on her phone.

She rolled her eyes.

"Yes. Obviously." Eh? Why is she being mean again?

Xia was so bipolar. She reminded me of Yuno Gasai sometimes. Just a few hours ago we had a happy conversation. Now, she does not seem to know me anymore.

"Since when did you become their fan?"

"I've heard about them when I was in grade school, but I didn't know them very well at that time. Only now have I got to know them thoroughly," she answered without even facing me.

I nodded.

"Are you also a fan of them?" she asked, too.

"Not exactly."

"What a drag." Aha!

Now I know why she is moody. She is nervous. Just like last year, I asked her if I could borrow a ballpen, and she hit me so hard in the arm.

I swigged a large amount of saliva when I remembered that moment. Seriously, it hurts. She is a not-so-tall girl, but she is too violent.

"Hey, guys! How are you feeling?" the proctor spoke with a cheerful voice. We quickly put away unnecessary items from our tables, especially gadgets. "Let's start?"

"Yes!" we all replied in unison.

We prayed first before everything else. We watched her pick a piece of chalk, and then she started writing our topic on the board.

Robotics in 20th-century education.

"This is it. Good luck to us," I said to the three of us.

Then, we started writing. At least, we are prepared for Robotics because it has become part of our training today. We were so happy that this topic has finally come to us and we were prepared for it. Unlike last year we were clueless. Xia was already with us at that time.

And then, we just kept on writing. I could not hear and see anything else but the sound of the pen and hands moving.

The District Level Press Conference has finally started, and I have a feeling that this time is different.

◊◊◊◊◊

"Big Brother Zachrey, Big Sister Xiamin, come here!" Bea called us.

After the contest, Xia took my umbrella from my bag because it was raining. I am wearing sweaters, so the rain is no problem for me. We did nothing after the contest but ate GraciousBee for lunch in the classroom.

Xia and I went to Bea. For sure she got bored again. Bea made both of us stand near each other and formed a smile.

"Oh my! You're so good to each other."

"What?" Xia said in shock. "No way!"

I just laughed and continued playing with my Rubik's cube I was holding. It was really good that I brought it. It helped me to divert my attention to something else for a while.

"I mean it!" Bea said laughing.

"I will never fall for a guy who always keeps his eyes on that irksome cube. Never." After Xia said that, she suddenly walked out.

Is it just me or is she blushing?

Bea turned to me with a big smile on her face.

"You should be a couple. I ship you two." Before I could react to what she said, she ran away.

Kids.

I just sighed then continued playing with my Rubik's again. For sure, Bea went to talk to her friends and without a doubt, Xia will also return. She needed to cool her head. When she ran away, I saw her copy-reader friend chased after her. So, I was assuming she was just fine.

I laughed while thinking about what Bea said. Her brain is still immature.