The next day, Seth went to school earlier than usual. Truth be told, he had a hard time sleeping last night because his mind was in chaos. Seth couldn’t help but think about Chuck Mallory’s scheme just to put him down. What if Gil was not there to help Seth? The nightmare of his previous life came back to him. All Seth could think about was—if Chuck did manage to paint Seth as a thief, redoing his life would not make sense anymore. For sure, Seth would suffer scrutiny like he had never experienced before. Thank God, Gil was there to take a bullet for him.
Seth also wondered how Gil managed to turn the table against the enemy. What did he do, really? Seth thought he could ask Gil about it when they meet again at school. If Gil wouldn’t want to talk about it, Seth would pester him until Gil would be forced to talk. Yes, that was Seth’s plan. Those thoughts about Gil made him finally sleep that night.
However, when Seth arrived at school the next day, Gil had not yet arrived. Though, coming to school early gave Seth an unexpected reward. Seth was one of the few students who first saw the piece of paper neatly posted on the announcement board.
It was an announcement regarding the two-week suspension of three male students. Seth swallowed his dry saliva. The names of Chuck Mallory, Greg Dunbar, and Jay Furrow were clearly written on the paper.
Oh, my God! Seth screamed in his mind. What happened to the bullies? Why were they being suspended?
“I heard this from my cousin who is a member of the student council…” said one of the students standing in front of the announcement board. The student was talking to his classmate. “Chuck Mallory and his two idiot underlings are being suspended because the teacher found some malicious things inside their bags.”
Seth moved closer to the talking student to hear him better.
“What kind of malicious things are we talking about?”
“My cousin said the teacher found porn magazines and packs of cigarettes inside Greg and Jay’s bags. As for Chuck Mallory, hear this: he told the teacher that his cellphone was missing and someone from his class stole it from his bag. But lo and behold, the teacher found the ‘missing’ cellphone in the small pocket of Chuck’s bag along with some pictures of naked women and cigarette butts. The idiots made themselves the laughing stock of the whole school. How can they act high and mighty when they come back? I can’t wait to see Chuck Mallory’s shameful face when he gets back.”
Seth couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Were all those things true? If they were, how could Gil pull off something like that? Seth could understand the packs of cigarette because he saw Gil smoking—but those porn magazines and naked women’s pictures? Gil had those things ready in just a short period of time? Or maybe…he would always carry those ‘things’ on a daily basis?
Seth could feel his heartbeat went ape shit. Just thinking Gil was that kind of a person made him want to scream. Wait, why would Seth want to scream? Gil was a healthy teenage boy. It was not unusual for Gil to be interested with those kind of things. But, bringing those stuff to school? Shit. Was Seth completely wrong about his impression of Gilbert Hugo? Wait. Why would he care about at all? Why would he be bothered by the fact that Gil liked naked women?
Women. Seth frowned. It seemed like the thing that made Seth a little upset was the fact that Gil was looking at women. Shit. Seth couldn’t understand what he was feeling at that moment. Why would he be bothered at all? Shit. Shit. Shit. He needed to talk to Gil ASAP!
However, first period had already started but Gil was nowhere to be found. It was safe to say that Gil ditched school and went somewhere. Did he go see more naked women? Seth immediately let go of the thought. He had to suppress his judgment until he talked to Gil. Seth was spared because of Gil’s help. He wouldn’t betray his hero’s compassion towards him just because Gil liked naked women.
The school was lively because the issue about Chuck Mallory and his minions spread like a wildfire. The whole school was laughing their guts out hearing the whole story. But Seth was over it now. He had a new issue on his mind. Seth was determined to talk to Gil. There was no school tomorrow and Seth couldn’t wait for Monday to come. He needed to see Gil immediately.
So, Seth thought of a person who could help him with his problem. After class, Seth went out of the classroom ahead of everyone. His steps were sure and determined. It was the first time Seth would initiate a conversation with someone.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
His steps halted. Seth took a deep breath. He looked at the sign pinned on the door; it was the Student Council office. Seth took another deep breath. Then, he knocked on the door.
*****
Seth found himself under the intense gaze of the student council president Simon Walsh. Seth gulped his saliva down nervously. It was the first time in his life—previous and current—that he would talk to the Simon. The thought of Simon being a well-respected and a national treasure in Seth’s previous life, made him feel mighty inferior toward the guy.
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Seth took a deep breath before speaking. “Ahm, I’m afraid, it’s a personal matter…”
“Oh…”
To show his sincerity, Seth managed to meet Simon’s gaze for the first time. “Your friends with Gil…I mean, with Gilbert Hugo, right? I saw you talking to him…” Seth was surprised he didn’t stutter at ll.
Simon raised an eyebrow. “Friends? You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Confusion was evident in Seth’s face. “But I thought—“
“Well, Gil and I, we’re more than just friends.” Simon interrupted him. A smile even formed on Simon’s lips.
Seth’s jaw dropped in surprise. More than friends? What was Simon talking about?
“I heard Gil is absent today. Well, I know the reason why he ditched school…”
“What is the reason? Can you tell me?” Seth miraculously forgot being timid upon hearing what Simon had said.
Simon laughed out loud. “You seem eager. What is your relationship with Gil? Are you two friends? I can’t seem to wrap my mind around the thought that Gil would befriend someone.”
It was Seth’s turn to raise an eyebrow. His impression of Simon was starting to crumble down. “I’m just here to ask you information about Gil.”
“You’re calling him by his nickname. How confident are you, huh?”
“At least, I have his permission to call him by his nickname. Unlike other people…”
Simon’s facial expression turned sour. Though, it was only evident in a mere second. Simon returned to his all-smiling persona immediately. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Seth Wiley.”
It didn’t come as a surprise for Seth upon hearing his name from Simon. Of course, the guy had all the information about the student body. Well, the nervousness Seth was feeling at the start of the conversation was not there anymore. He realized being a nervous wreck wouldn’t help Seth to be the person he wanted to be in this current life. Simon was not the national treasure at this point—he was just a mere student just like Seth. With or without the Student Council President title, Simon was just a brat. Seth had nothing to be afraid of.
“I am here to ask for Gil’s phone number.” Seth looked Simon in the eye. “But I guess, considering the way you talk to me, I don’t have the slightest chance to get what I came here for.”
Simon smiled at him, though his eyes were telling a different story. “You guess that right.”
“Okay. Thank you for your time.” Seth turned his back to Simon’s direction and walked to the door. He could feel Simon’s intense gaze on his back.
Before Seth could open the door, he heard Simon’s voice one more time. In a plain, cold, and emotionless tone, the Student Council president said:
“Seth Wiley, from now on, please always watch your back.”
A shiver ran down Seth’s body. He opened the door and stepped outside. Then, he ran towards the bathroom. Seth went straight to a vacant cubicle, hunched over the toilet, and emptied his guts out. Simon’s warning made Seth stomach churned. He vomited everything until there was nothing left.
Seth couldn’t help but think that Simon was someone not to be trusted. The guy was hiding something major about himself. His true persona was nothing from the gentle person he always showed in front of people.
Seth clenched his fist. Simon warned him to always watch his back? Damn. He was not the same pathetic Seth from his previous life. If someone declared war against him, so be it.
Seth was ready.
He got out of the bathroom. Seth was walking in the hallway when his homeroom teacher, Mr. Davy, approached him.
“I’ve been looking for you, Seth Wiley. I thought you’ve gone home.” said the teacher with a smile on his face.
Seth looked at him with curious eyes. “Is there any problem, sir? Did I do something wrong?”
Mr. Davy shook his head. “What are you talking about? I just want to inform you that the school will be celebrating its academic week starting on the 15th.”
Seth didn’t say anything. He could barely remember what an academic week was all about. In his previous life, he had missed several school activities because Seth preferred to stay at home rather than to participate.
“During the academic week, there will be several quiz bee competitions. Because your performance in the class has greatly improved, I took the liberty to register you into the Math quiz bee.”
“What?” Seth was genuinely surprised.
“Don’t be too surprised, Seth. The teachers appreciate your hard work. We know you can do it. Besides, the winner will receive a plaque and cash prize.”
Seth was overwhelmed with the things he was hearing from the teacher.
“Or you prefer the essay/poem/short story writing competition? We also have that.”
He remained silent.
“If you’re aiming for a college scholarship, this is the first step. Just imagine how your credentials would look like if you start raking awards from now on. This quiz bee competition is just the start. There will be more to come.”
Could he really do it? Could he win? Well, this was a perfect opportunity to assess his improvement. Seth would do it. He would definitely do it.
“I’ll do it, sir.” Seth announced in a determined voice. “The quiz bee thing.”
“Perfect!” Mr. Davy patted his shoulder. “You have three weeks to prepare. Good luck.” The teacher left after saying those words.
Seth heaved a deep sigh. This was a great opportunity for him. He wouldn’t fuck it up.
*****
*****
Work hard Seth!
😊😊😊
What a dick! So it seems the dick Simon is a love rival!! Good luck Seth. Thanks for the chapter.
How can I clarify this without giving spoilers??? hahahaha. Kidding aside, Simon is, in a sense, not really a love rival to Seth…well, he’s….bleep bleep bleep hahahahaha. Thank you for reading <3
Then my next guess is a sibling – either through marriage or biological. He is still acting quite dickish however.
Go Gil!
Familia?