Chasing over the Belief (Secondary Series #1)

08

Chapter 8

Flower

"2 days left and we can enjoy a two week break!"

I exclaimed while extending my hand, trying to stretch my arms and circling my head to give it a stretch.

"But we have projects to do in that two weeks, so I'm not really sure if you can call it a break." Charlotte sarcastically said.

Our two week undas break will begin in two days to celebrate the All Saint's Day. Besides doing projects during that break, I'm pretty sure we'll visit the cemetery for late relatives who already passed away since undas break is meant for them anyway.

"Where will you guys spend your undas break?" Emma asks as I shrug.

"Dad hasn't said anything yet but I think we'll visit Ilocos since mom has been mentioning Pagudpud these past few days." I answered.

Whatever mom says goes. Last undas break we went on a week-long vacation in London because mom wants to see the Big Ben again even though they went there just a month ago before our undas break for a business trip. That trip gave me benefit anyway because I got to see One Direction perform live after pursuing dad to accompany me in Los Angeles since that's where they performed.

"We'll go Palawan, ate Abi wants to go there." James says before I notice an almost unnoticeable mark on James' face.

I touched the mark only to find out that it was covered by a make up. James slapped my hands softly away from his face before turning his head left side, only showing half of his face to us.

"Why do you have makeup on your face?" I question catching Emma, Noah, and Nicole's attention as Charlotte raises a brow to me before looking at James.

He immediately turned his head to the left side more, lowering down his head. Charlotte raises his face and turns it on the right side to check his left side of the face. She touches the almost unnoticeable mark on James face only to confirm that it has make up.

She took out a pouch from her bag before taking out wet wipes and wiped the makeup off of James' face. I gasped when I saw a bruise in his left cheek as Noah immediately put down his pencil and closed his drawing pad with Emma putting down the book she is reading and Nicole putting down her ballpen.

"What happened to that?!" Emma panicky asks while looking at James' bruise with her mouth open.

"Nothing. I just got myself in a small argument." James answers as Charlotte smacks his head softly.

"That's because of your flirtatious act again isn't it?!" she concludes as I look at James bruise again waiting for his answer.

He just held his nape letting out a small short laugh and eyed Noah who was just staring at James seriously before he shook his head and let out a deep sigh. There is something going on that we are not aware of.

"James!" Felix calls, before we can even ask more, standing beside his chair. "Mrs. Perez wants you to come with me to the faculty, come on."

James nodded before excusing himself to us with our eyes still glued to him until he left the room first while Felix glanced at me before walking away. I look at Noah to see him almost relieve but still looks like he has some deep thoughts running over his mind.

The class resumes with Felix and James not around which made me confused because Mrs. Perez, whom Felix says the teacher who wants James in the faculty, already arrived and she didn't even question their absence.

Our next subject teacher is not present so I decided to excuse myself and went out of our room to try and look for the two.

"Excuse me, have you seen James and Felix?" I ask the girl standing in the corridor while looking at the quadrangle with her elbows placed on the top of the tall brick wall to prevent the students safe from falling in the quadrangle ground.

She glances at me before signaling in front of us. "They're sitting over there." she said as I look to where she is looking to see James and Felix seated in one of the benches under a tall tree in the quadrangle.

I thank her before going downstairs and walking to the side where they can't see me walking towards their direction. Despite arguing with myself whether I should eavesdrop or not, I sat on the bench located on the other side of the tree and ended up listening to them.

"It must be suck having a sibling who wants to get all the attention for themself." Felix says as I heard James chuckled.

"I can't fight back anyway, I just don't think it's right." James scoffed before I looked in front of us thinking about what they were talking about.

James may be the most flirtatious one among our circle, he is still the most serious one and the most protective one to us. He cherishes each of us like we are his own siblings despite having one for himself. He is always joyful and energetic. I haven't seen him act the way he does right now because whenever I ask him if he has any problems, his only response is that he doesn't have one.

"What are you doing, eavesdropping Amora?" I jump from my seat making me stand up from the bench when I heard Felix's voice.

I look at him wide eyes because I just got caught doing something I shouldn't do. He raises a brow when I look behind him and walk over to where he and James were seated earlier only to see James gone already.

"James already returned to our classroom." Felix states as I nod and sigh.

"Is James okay?" I asked him, looking at him worriedly.

He looks at me and lets out a deep breath before he looks away. "I hate it when you care about other people..."

I gave him a look, pleading to give me an answer.

"But since he also needs comfort, I'll let you." he said as I raise both of my brow now, waiting. "Don't push him to say what his problem is. He has reasons why he doesn't share his problems with any of you, though I'm sure that Noah knows." starts.

"James just need someone to be there for him to make him smile and make him forget about what bothers him for a short while. Just be on his side every time one of you can. He won't speak up immediately because he doesn't want to be a burden but one thing for sure is he can handle and get through it. I'm sure he'll approach all of you when he can't handle it himself already. Just give him time." Felix explains as I try to not be worried but I just can't help it.

"If you can try to pursue the girls to stop telling James about him being a flirt everytime he does something, please do. Everyone has their own ways of coping up with their own problems Felicity." he added.

Coping up. Most of the people who are always happy and energetic tend to be the one who are more broken and scattered inside. Their smiles are their way of coping up and facing their own problems. From what Felix said, I think James uses that method. His laughter, smiles, flirt acts always meant a different thing than we thought its just something normal.

"Hey!" Felix said, giving my forehead a soft flick to bring me back to my senses. "Don't worry about James, I told you he'll be fine."

"I don't know. It just feels like I really don't know what goes around me." I said making him sit on the bench where he is seated earlier with James, crossing his arms on his chest.

"Actually you're right. I'm glad you've noticed it now." he said before I glare at him as he chuckles.

"Nicole says I'm dense." I stated before taking a sit next to him.

"You are... big time." he answers, shaking his head. "She didn't lie to that one."

"Why do you all always try to make me curious about everything?" I ask him before he glances at me.

"Because you are the type of person who prevents yourself from seeing the reality of how the world really works. You're the epitome of kindness and selflessness. You always feel guilty over the things you shouldn't be and can't keep something for yourself. You don't try to realize that there are things that are happening around you already, it's like you are avoiding it unconsciously." he explains.

My parent's closest friends always say that I don't always keep everything for myself ever since I was a child. I don't cry all the time like other kids do when I was in kindergarten because they say that I told them crying will make my parents worried. I always share everything I can and give anything Christian requests even though I have to get my allowance to my parents earlier just to give him what he wants. They say that I was never a selfish type of person and am always kind to everyone which is the reason why I always hear the elders telling me that I shouldn't be too kind because being kind gives the manipulative ones to take advantage.

"You remember what I told Noah during field trip?" he asks as I immediately remember the time they argue and the first time Noah looks so pissed.

'I care about her as much as you do. Just like feeling the same way you do for her is the same.'

"You didn't understand the meaning behind it didn't you?" he asks me again as I nod. "That's how dense you are. Even simple things like that, you won't try to understand. Maybe because of how much you believe in the fate that you keep on forgetting the present happenings that are going on around you." he explains again.

Nicole also told me that I am dense and even my 10-year old brother told me that I am one.

"Then tell me, what should I know? What happenings I should know?" I asked him to come closer to him, putting just a small distance between the two of us.

He stares at my face and how close it is to his before he smiles. "It's better to find it out yourself. You need a thrill." he said before standing up leaving me hanging.

"Aren't you coming?" he asked when he was a few meters away from me before I ran towards him and stood beside him.

"When I said that James needs someone to make him smile, I didn't mean that it should be you okay?" he said as he starts walking, making me run after him again.

"Why? I'm his friend, a very close friend!" I complain as he stops and looks at me with his face just a few inches away from me.

"The person he needs is the person he likes or loves, it clearly is not you and it should never be you okay?" he answers before giving the top of my head a pat as I push him away.

"Why do you always pat the top of my head as if I'm some kind of a dog." I complain as we start walking again.

"A dog is cute and you're cute also because you're precious." he says before giving me a wink making me feel my heart beat going fast again.

I've been trying to contain whatever this feeling is building up because I shouldn't feel this way. Just because we rode that Wheel of Fate doesn't mean he really is the one who is fated for me.

I ignored him after that until we arrived in our classroom before my friends eyed us once again. I ignore their eyes as I look back at James before I gave him a small smile as he returned one slowly. My eyes turn to each of my friends, and even to Felix, thinking whether do I really know what they really feel? Am I really sure that I know enough about them for me to be considered as their well deserved friend?

That conversation with Felix opened my mind about the things I know so far about my friends but do I really know enough?

Our class continued after we took our lunch break with James bruise is now covered once again with the help of our adviser's magical hand. She applied a concealer to James face so the other students won't notice the bruise since James face is a great view for them.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with the teacher’s reminding us about the projects we should remember and answering our questions in making our project properly.

"Let's go to the Empire museum first before going in our house." I told them while walking in the corridor after our class was dismissed.

They agreed before we used my car with James seated in the passenger seat while Emma, Nicole and I were seated on the back seat then Noah and Charlotte behind us. I went straight to my studio before taking the painting brushes that Christian likes to use all the time. We went straight to our house after that with the manang greeting us.

Mom and Christian are not around because mom had to take him to our uncle's house after class since they want to see if he really is fine while dad is in the company.

"I didn't know you're using real flowers instead of artificial ones..." Emma exclaimed as she took a seat on the couch. "and tita must have brought a new simple vase for that table."

I look at Emma to see her looking at a bunch of red and pink roses with a decorative white vase holding the roses placed in the table beside the stairs. I stared at the number of roses placed there before I called manang.

"Did mom buy this?" I ask, staring at the rose before looking at her.

"No. It was actually for you, it was delivered just a few minutes before you arrived." Manang answers before she excuses herself because she needs to take care of something in the kitchen.

My eyes are wide while staring at the rose after knowing that its for me. Charlotte drops her bag on the couch before approaching the table where the roses are located and looks for something.

James took a card that was placed on the top of the roses before giving it to Char. She looks at me with her mouth opened.

"Who is it from Char?" James asks curiously as I await for her answer.

"Felix." she says before she hands me the card which I stared at for a while.

I flip the card to see a written note in there.

'Amora & Elegance.

- Felix'

My mouth opened thinking that I need to explain what this is about to my friends but I didn't say anything. How can I? When even I don't know what this is all about? What Felix was thinking when he sent these bunch of flowers? To think that it was not just a simple bouquet that consists of roses that I can count in just a short time but a number of roses that if I dare to count, I might end up spending half an hour.

Noah suddenly stands up leaving the living room with James following him behind. There is a moment of silence with the four of us. I am still left staring at the roses on the table. Charlotte and Emma are still in gaze with what just Felix had sent. Nicole is the one who is calm and in her sense as if she already expected that this would happen.

"So now what? Will we stay quiet until night time comes?" Nicole asks, breaking the almost visible ice forming in the middle of the living room.

James and Noah still haven't returned from the backyard. Emma opens her mouth but she closes it again before letting out a deep sigh.

"Did Felix say anything to you?" Emma carefully asks as I shook my head in response.

I turn my eyes away from the roses and look at Emma. "I talked to him in school earlier when I was looking for James but he didn't say anything except pleasing me to tell all of you to stop calling James with names because he also has some problems that he doesn't share with us. That's that, nothing more." I explained.

"What problems?" Charlotte asks for the first time since we stayed silent.

I shrug. "I don't know, Felix didn't say anything except that James' actions are his way of coping up with his problems. I assume his bruise is not connected with his flirting act." I answer.

"James was never the type of person to tell his problems anyway, that's not new." Nicole says as I nod.

We became silent once again until manang went to the living room asking where to place the snacks which I answered as to the backyard.

"About Felix..." Charlotte starts. "We don't really know what's going on between the two of you, but I'm sure that there is something going on, just try to observe him for a while before doing something. Don't rush things out." she advised me.

I suddenly remember when I saw them talking in our classroom before and it still lingers in my head because I'm sure that they are talking about me.

"I know that I concluded some things out about Felix but observe him okay?" Emma says as I nod.

Despite not knowing why they are saying this, because Felix is not really even doing anything except trying to flirt me and send those roses, I still nod taking their advice.

"It's funny how your view can change now. We've been waiting for you to have a boyfriend, I just have this strong feeling that you'll have one soon." Charlotte says before we laugh softly.

The three of them went to the backyard to check the other two while I walked myself to the kitchen to get some water. I was about to pour water on my glass when my phone vibrated.

Felix: did you like the roses?

Me: why did you send those?

I poured the water over my glass after placing my phone in the countertop. My phone vibrates once again while I was drinking, making me put the glass down.

Felix: you want an honest answer?

Felix: I also don't know why

Felix: everything is confusing me

Felix: all I know is that, I had to send you those roses

I stared at his messages before I felt someone's presence in the room making me raise my head.

"Felix?" I nod answering Noah's question.

He sat on one of the stools, opposite to mine, leaning over the countertop using his elbows. "I thought you won't let anyone to court you... but you let Felix." he says while staring at my glass of water placed in front of the two of us.

"He is not courting me." I deny as he looks at me before he scoffs.

"Those roses and card say otherwise Feli, the opposite of your words Feli." he says as I stare at his face trying to check his expression.

I am trying to make myself aware of my surroundings but why can't I see in Noah's face what he is thinking?

"You know I always keep my word Noah." I assure him which made him look at me in the eye.

"Funny how your words always struck so bad that you don't even realize you are hurting someone already." I was shocked with what he said.

Everyone around me these past few months keeps saying that I am hurting someone and I know it wasn't those guys I reject whenever they ask if they can court me. Am I really that dense to be this clueless?

"Felix..." he starts. "you know he is only playing right? All of this is just his game."

I sigh and look down. "What do you mean Noah?"

"Its just like with the other girls. He is trying to get you too like you are some sort of a challenge to him because of what you keep believing at. He is just trying to make you one of his Feli." he exclaims which makes me disappoint a bit.

"Don't judge him like that." I said but I only realize its the wrong reply when its already too late.

"See? You're defending him!" Noah says slowly raising his voice.

"I'm not..." i sigh. "Is that how you see me Noah? A stupid girl who will fell in the trap of a playboy even though that boy is not Felix?"

My question made him silent because I think he realizes that he says something wrong.

"You know? I just don't get you anymore this past few months already Noah. You keep on getting pissed over small things even more when Felix is around. You are protective yes but I really think that you are going overboard this time." I told him which makes his jaw clench like he is preventing himself from saying something he will regret in the end.

"I'm just trying to protect you Felicity." the moment my full first name came out of his mouth, I know something is not right. There is something that I don't know.

"What's the problem Noah? Why are you acting this way?" I questioned him but he stayed silent.

"I mean, you were one of them who always teases me whenever I reject someone's offer to court me. Then here you are acting like this in front of me right now." I will explain further.

I tried pushing his button more because there really is something hidden behind this behavior he is showing. He wasn't this type of person.... or maybe I just don't really know what goes in his mind.

"Why are you so obsessed with Felix?" I question again before he burst out making me shock both with what he said and his sudden outburst. My eyes is wide as he says the word I didn't expect he'll says. The word that I never knew or expect I will hear from him, from Noah.

"BECAUSE I LIKE YOU!"