Chapter 3: Chapter 3

"Lia, wake up." I heard someone faintly knocking on the door, or rather, pounding on my bedroom door and shouting my name.

"Lia, oh god, what time did you go to bed, and what is all this?" My eyes were still heavy, but the voice was now clear, and it sounded annoyed. Slowly, I began to open my eyes and look out the window. Oh, it turns out the moon has changed into the sun.

"Don't you want to be on time for your first day of school?" Rex said. I snapped awake and immediately leaped out of bed.

Oh, god, I forgot. Today is my first day at my new school, and here I am, still cocooned in this thick furry blanket. In a hurry, I got up and raced to the bathroom, ignoring Rex's puzzled look.

"Rex, how much time do I have?" I shouted from inside the bathroom while quickly shedding my clothes.

"Thirty minutes, and not a minute more. I'll be waiting downstairs," Rex replied with a shout. Okay, thirty minutes should be enough to get ready.

A few yawns escaped me on the way to my new school, New York High School (NYHS).

"What time did you go to sleep last night?" Rex asked curiously. Rex is my favorite cousin and knows everything about me, including my sleep disorder. My insomnia usually flares up when I'm stressed, maybe because I'm not used to living here in New York yet. These two countries have a considerable time difference.

"I don't know, around two or three, maybe. I'm not sure," I replied, looking around again.

"What triggered your insomnia this time?" Rex asks curiously. He's my best cousin, and he knows everything about me, including my sleep issues. My insomnia usually flares up when I'm stressed, and I guess it's because I'm still not used to the transition between New York and Indonesia. The time difference is quite substantial.

"I don't know, maybe I'm just not used to being here yet." I reply vaguely and look around again. Soon enough, our car arrives right in front of NYHS. I get out and put on my backpack, taking in the bustling sight of NYHS students.

Soon after, our car pulled up right in front of NYHS. I got out and slung my backpack over my shoulder, observing the bustling crowd of NYHS students.

I turned around when I heard the car door close.

"Why did you get out?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, puzzled.

"Why not? I'm just making sure you can find your classroom. I'm pretty sure you'd have trouble with that," Rex replied as he walked towards me.

"Oh, come on, Rex. I can handle this on my own. I'm not a little kid who needs their guardian to escort them on the first day of school," I retorted, disagreeing with Rex's idea.

"Rex, I've got this," I replied somewhat annoyed while waving the rolled-up paper containing the NYHS map.

"I'm not sure you can read a map, Lia," he retorted.

"But—"

"No objections. Now, let's hurry inside," he said, pulling my hand, which I'd resignedly offered, and leading me along. But wait, Rex wasn't taking me to my class; where was he going? Please don't tell me he's lost now.

"Rex, I think we're going the wrong way."

"No, this is the right way," he replied without looking at me, his focus on a sign next to the door we were passing through.

"But my class should be to the left, Rex."

"We need to go to the counseling room first."

Counseling? What for? I mean, why else would we go there when we were already here yesterday to sort out my paperwork with that tall, dark-skinned man?

"Why?"

"To make sure of something," he replied and halted in front of the counseling room door. Slowly, he knocked on the door with his right hand, as his left hand was still holding mine, which was starting to sweat.

Feeling uncomfortable, I tried to pull my hand away, but he only tightened his grip. What's up with him? I'm not a little kid who needs to be led around.

Not long after, the door in front of us swung open, revealing an elegant woman with her charismatic smile. Wait, who's this? As far as I remember, it was a tall, dark-skinned man in the counseling room yesterday.

"Hi," she greeted us with her captivating smile. Well, I guess it was a smile directed at Rex, but for a few seconds, I was transfixed by her beauty before averting my gaze to Rex, who was wearing an expressionless face.

"Please come in," she said, ushering us into the counseling room. Before that, I noticed her eyes briefly glanced at our clasped hands.

Rex and I sat down in front of the woman, whose nameplate read Brenda.

"So, what is it?"

"She Aurelya, what I told you," Rex interrupted, making Miss Brenda immediately gaze in my direction with an inscrutable look. Even her friendly smile vanished from her lips after Rex introduced me.

As for me, all I could do was smile awkwardly because I felt a strange atmosphere in this room—by that, I mean a strange vibe between them. Even Rex was speaking informally to Miss Brenda. Maybe it's because they look about the same age; I don't know.

"Hi Lia, nice to meet you," she replied warmly, and her smile returned. But why did she call me Lia? Where did she get that from? Oh, it must be Rex who told her. I guess their relationship existed long before this.

"Aurel, call me Aurel," I corrected as politely as possible. I just didn't want random people to call me by my nickname. Only close people, like my family and a few friends in Indonesia, would call me Aurel. And look, her smile disappeared again, and this time she glanced at Rex. Did I say something wrong?

I tried to clear my throat to ease the tense atmosphere among the three of us, and it finally made both of them break their eye contact.

"Alright, Lia—uh, I mean, Aurel, welcome to NYHS. I believe you've received your class schedule and some additional classes you need to attend," she explained, trying to maintain her professionalism as the guidance counselor at NYHS.

"Yes, I've received it, and thank you, Miss," I replied.

"If you need anything or anything at all, you can reach me here," she said, handing me her business card. I glanced at it briefly and smiled at her.

"Or if that number is hard to reach, you can ask Rex for my other number. It's always active, and only a select few know it," she explained, making me smile awkwardly again. What's going on between them, and why do all their words make me feel like I should understand something? Damn, why did I have to get caught up in this?

After a few minutes in the suffocating room, we finally left, and I wasn't going to stay silent. I had to ask Rex something. I grabbed Rex's arm and led him into a hallway with lockers lining both sides.

"So, tell me," I said, folding my arms in front of my chest and asking for an explanation.

"What?" he asked, looking confused. I felt like banging his head against one of the lockers behind him.

"Come on, Rex, I know you and Miss Brenda have some other connection," I asked in frustration, finally making him understand.

"She's my ex-girlfriend," Rex replied, leaving me slightly surprised. So, he did have an ex as gorgeous as Miss Brenda. I mean, Rex is handsome, extremely handsome. Then why did he let go of a woman as beautiful as Miss Brenda?

"And?" I asked, trying to contain my curiosity from getting the best of me.

"Nothing, she's just my ex, and now she's the guidance counselor at your school. That's it," Rex responded casually, but I wasn't satisfied with his answer.

"And do you still love each other?" I guessed, making Rex silent for a moment, as if pondering my words. A few seconds later, Rex let out a rough breath and checked his wristwatch.

"You're late for class, and I have to leave soon because my afternoon shift is about to start," he said, changing the subject. Rex approached and kissed the top of my head slightly longer before turning to leave.

"I'm not satisfied with your answer, Rex. I'll ask you again when you get back from work," I shouted, echoing through the deserted locker-lined hallway. Rex only raised his thumb without turning to look at me and continued walking until he disappeared behind the wall.

Oh, shit, I forgot about my first class. I began to unzip my backpack to grab the NYHS map, double-checking the location of my first class.

"I'm ready," I muttered to myself, still studying the map and looking at some markers on it. I needed to figure out where the library and the swimming pool area were.

My steps came to a halt as a loud thud sounded right in front of me. With a quick movement, I dodged and hid among the locker rooms.

Slowly, I started to peek out, curious about what was happening. My eyes widened when I saw someone beating up another person who seemed badly hurt. And there were mocking smiles from a few others behind them, just watching without any intention to help. I figured they were all part of a gang.

My previously widened eyes narrowed to sharpen my vision, and this time, it surprised me again.

It was the wolf guy. Oh God, please don't tell me he's a student at NYHS. I hid again as his sharp eyes scanned the area, hoping he wouldn't spot me or recognize me at NYHS.

NYHS is massive, with many students, so there's only a 0.01 percent chance of me bumping into him. Okay, Aurel, there's nothing to worry about.

I tilted my head back and didn't spot anyone there anymore. Thank goodness.