The Maid And The Young Master

Chapter 9: The School Tour

JUST like the previous year, most of the teachers don't hold regular classes. They just give out and discuss the class syllabus and set class expectations. Despite this, I make sure to pay attention. Sometimes, teachers give out some tips that are going to be very helpful during exams. Not all students realize this because they usually don't pay that much attention.

Zac stayed sitting with the jocks and even seemed to be friends with them already. It's very unsettling because he's actually laughing and joking with them in between classes. I tried not to look at him, but I couldn't help doing so every now and then out of curiosity. The few times I turned to look at him, our eyes met. It's as if he's actually waiting for me to look at him. I know I'm kidding myself, but I can't explain it any other way.

During lunch, I sat at the table while waiting for Yna and Wendy to return from getting their food. Juanita packed me lunch earlier, so I won't have to buy from the cafeteria anymore. Since most of the students who study in this school are from well-off families, the food here is quite good and pricey.

After lunch, we hung out in the soccer field for a while before heading to the restroom and into our next class. I am so thankful that my friends are in the same class as I was. Yna being one of my friends also meant that Wendy and I are off-limits to their bullying.

Being the popular girls in school meant that Regina and her minions felt privileged to hassle anyone whom they didn’t like or go against them. During the foundation day celebration last year, one of the new students wore the same top that Regina was wearing, and she forced her to take it off in front of everyone. When she refused, Regina and her minions cornered her in the restroom later and stripped her of all of her clothes, took pictures of her, and left her there. She did not have her phone with her, so she stayed in one of the cubicles all night, alone and naked.

The next day, she was found by one of the janitors. She tried to file a complaint, but it didn’t go anywhere because there was no proof. Regina told her that she would release her naked pictures unless she dropped the complaint. She dropped the complaint, but Regina kept harassing her and held the threat of releasing her naked pictures over her head if she didn’t follow her commands. The girl eventually gave up and dropped out of school, and her family moved away.

Regina is the daughter of a prominent politician in the country, which makes her family not just rich but also powerful. She has bullied other students, and no one can stand up against her. This is why I try not to get in her way and just avoid getting on her hit list as much as possible.

It appears that we don’t have a teacher for the class after lunch because it has been a few minutes after the class was supposed to start, and no one has arrived yet. I started reading the assignment for the earlier classes as Yna and Wendy chatted about the latest hit single released by the famous boy band BTS.

The class was interrupted when a student arrived and said, “Sarah Jane Dela Cruz? You’re being called at the principal’s office.”

That earned a collective “Oooh,” from class. Getting called to the principal’s office usually meant you did something unscrupulous. But I haven’t done anything wrong, so I am not worried. I took my bag and made my way to the principal’s office without saying anything. Maybe they have a project that they wanted me to do. They have asked me to do it in the past, and they usually tap my help since I am the top student in the class, and they know I am responsible enough to do it.

When I stepped into the principal's office, I immediately saw the young master sitting in one of the chairs in front of the principal’s desk. The principal’s eyes lit up as he saw me and said, “Ah, Ms. Dela Cruz, just the person I wanted to see.”

I bowed slightly and said, “Good afternoon, Mr. Blancaflor. What can I do for you?”

He smiled and motioned me to sit in the other vacant chair. As I did, he said, “Have you met Mr. Zachary Santiago? He’s a new student in this school. He used to study abroad, and he has chosen to transfer to our school.”

I glanced at the young master and said, “Yes, Sir. I have met him before. We’re in the same class.”

The principal seemed excited and said, “Excellent. I want you to give Mr. Santiago a tour around the school, and give him a bit of a history lesson too. You can introduce some of the activities that he might also be interested in.”

I glanced at the young master once more to see what his reaction was, but he kept a disinterested face. He doesn’t seem to be happy with the arrangement.

I looked at the principal and said, “Uhm, but we still have classes, sir.”

The principal waved his hand and said, “Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ll talk to your teachers so that you will be excused. They won’t be having formal lessons yet anyway. Besides, you’re the top student. It won’t be a big deal if you miss one class.”

I didn’t know how else to object, so I just said, “O-okay, sir.”

He then stood up and told us to head on our way. He shook the young master’s hand, welcomed, and thanked him for choosing to enroll in our school. The young master just left without saying anything, and I walked out behind him after saying goodbye to the principal.

I followed the young master as he walked, and I stayed a few steps behind him. I stopped when he turned around and looked at me. I was stunned for a bit as he said, “Why are you following me?”

I held on to the strap of my backpack as I said, “Uhm, I’m supposed to give you a tour.”

The young master looked frustrated as he said, “You don’t have to. This school is not that big. I won’t get lost.”

“Uhm, then we can just walk around, and you can ask me questions about the school.” I had my head down but kept my eyes on him as I spoke. He didn’t say anything in response, so I said, “We might be asked to go back to class if someone sees that we’re just loitering around, so let’s just pretend I’m giving you the tour, okay?”

The young master didn’t say anything and just continued walking. I walked faster so that I was not walking beside him. I just followed where he went and talked about the places we passed by.

When we got to where the library was, I started talking about it and how it’s one of the biggest school libraries in the country. I added, “It houses almost a million titles, and a lot of students from other schools come here to do their research.”

“Why would they do that if they could just go online and do their research that way?” I was surprised that the young master actually responded. I smiled and said, “Well, there are times when the internet is down. Besides, not everything you see online is accurate. Books are more reliable.”

The young master replied, “It depends on who wrote it. I could just write a book full of blatant lies and publish it.” I nodded slightly before responding with, “That’s true. That is why not all books are recommended for reading. One of the reasons we go to school is to learn how to analyze whether a story that we’re being told is fact or fiction. How do we do that? Research. And books are the most reliable sources for that.”

He didn’t say anything more about it, and we passed by a few more places and talked about it. When we were done, I looked at the young master and said, “Do you have any questions?”

He turned and looked at me before saying, “Are you a virgin?”

I was stumped and couldn't say anything as my heart started beating like a drum.