Chapter 30: Chapter 30
David’s P.O.V.
Nothing could beat the happiness that Helena and I felt when our project proposal passed the criteria of Mrs. Cheng. The higher office even congratulated us for putting our efforts together, and that was the main reason we were now here at Teraza Aculla for our Annual Camp.
Since it was declared signal number one across the area, the school decided that only Junior and Senior students would be allowed to join us. The whole thing wasn’t almost pushed through because of the bad weather, but the students—mostly the Juniors, did not give up on persuading the teachers because they badly needed to experience this type of excursion.
It would be a one-of-a-kind team-building project that would measure the students’ different strategies, analytical skills, body strength, and trust in each other in order for them to resolve a certain problem altogether. Trust had an immense role here because there were lots of puzzles and traps scattered everywhere. One team per division would be declared as the winner at the end of each Junior and Senior obstacle game.
Helena and I went here earlier than the other students. I was even fetched by their family driver at the main gate of our subdivision because Helena got worried that I might get late if I would commute.
Together with other faculty members, training officers, and medics, we were now arranging all the needed materials like our sleeping tents. We were also responsible for placing the hidden clues, flags, traps, and other items to be used for the afternoon’s obstacle race.
Of course, as program organizers, Helena and I would be exempted from doing those games. It was kind of awkward for me to face her today because of the message that I accidentally sent her a few days back. However, I had no other choice but to work with her. She was not mentioning it either, so I guessed it does not affect her at all.
It was a good thing that the environment seemed to be a little warm, with dappled sun shone throughout the trees—meaning the weather was in favor of us. The blue sky was sprinkled with fleecy white clouds that drifted lazily in the gentle breeze now, compared to yesterday, from where the rain was fuming mad and could not be stopped.
We were about to finish everything when the other students and teachers arrived. I glanced away when I saw how Vanessa snaked her arms across Drew’s while she was seductively laughing with him. I knew I had already moved on. It was easy to forgive, yes. But I still could not forget about what she did to me three months ago.
Suddenly, I got startled when Helena fed me with chocolates without even calling my name. Because of it, I was forced to open my mouth and chew them.
“Hey, Cristoff! I just want to check if you suddenly got my illness? With that gloomy face and scorching eyes of yours, I could obviously see some bitterness. What’s up, dude? Does your taste get too bitter?” She was clearly teasing me.
I didn’t know what to say. This girl is quite unpredictable!
Sometimes, she was extremely aloof, and most of the time, it was as if the world revolved around her walkout stunts. Sometimes, she was feeling so close to me, but most of the time, she was enormously peevish.
She accepted my Famebook request five days ago, but she just kept on placing me on her seen zone column. I didn’t know if it was all about my accidental private message to her. What happened next was I rendered my apology, saying that I was only kidding. But she did not reply about it as if she doesn’t care and just seen zoned me again.
Obviously, I could not understand her. She was like a mathematical equation that was a bit hard to solve. But when it came to situations involving Vanessa, Helena was always there to save me, and I thanked her for doing that.
As I was licking my lips, I felt like the chocolates were overflowing, and some even reached my cheeks. So for us to get even, I wiped the chocolates off from the side of my lips and rubbed them on her cheeks instead.
After that, I tremendously laughed as I had never laughed before. “Oh, wow! What’s up too, Helena? And what are you talking about? Me, bitter? Tsk, the word bitterness didn’t suit me and was not even included in my vocabulary. But in fairness, you looked so cute! With those chocolates on your rosy-white cheeks, I guessed I would like to kiss you,” I told her while leaning over just to whisper the last two words.
For me, it was only a witty joke, but why does it feel like my heart suddenly throbbed faster? Why was it that I liked to make it real? And I didn’t want to kiss her only on the cheeks. I preferred that one real kiss.
Then, her face went red. She might not be expecting that I would tease her that way. “Eww, you’re such a pig! You’re so gross, Cristoff. Yuck!” She gave me back those chocolates by also wiping them back to my cheeks, and here we started bickering again.
“David and Helena, what’s with that commotion? As leaders, you should be the first ones to follow silence here! Look at the two of you—you are both so messy. You two were acting like kids! Go fix yourselves, and we will be eating our lunch,” Mrs. Cheng glared at us. That was when we realized that all of the students’ eyes were stuck at us—including the accusing eyes of Drew and Vanessa.
“We’re very sorry, ma’am.” Helena and I apologized in unison. It was the first time I did not feel any guilt even though Mrs. Cheng got disappointed in us. It was perhaps because I was with Helena.
We had decided to go to the comfort room to clean ourselves. The comfort room was common to all, so there was no division either you were a boy or a girl. It was a good thing that the campsite that we got consists of a comfort room with five cubicles.
It was better compared to the previous Annual Camp where we took a bath together with our clothes on, because what we had way back then was only a deep water tap and a bucket. Reminiscing that, I knew that it might not fit Helena’s taste. She might not be a picky one, but she was still a rich kid. Imagine, their comfort room was more like a bedroom. Also, she used to swim in their gigantic pool with crystal-clear water.
“Hmm… I’m sorry for sending that joke to you, Helena.” I apologized personally while we were walking side by side.
“Huh? Which joke?” She asked me as light frowns were visible on her forehead.
“The m-message that I a-accidentally sent you a few days back. H-Haven’t you read it?” I stuttered. It was impossible that she had not read it when the notification said that she had seen it.
“Hmm, no. Where did you send it, and what did you write in there?” She narrowed her eyes and shrugged her shoulders. She seemed so confused as if she had no idea of what I was talking about.
“Oh, nothing. I sent it over your Mezzenger account, and it notified me that you had seen it.” Well, how could that be? I scratched my head out of bewilderment.