FIXated

“Sylvia-jie, I am hungry!”

This was the second time Emma’s whining had droned over her ears, getting on her nerves as she childishly threw another tantrum, flailing her arms in the air while spewing cusses in her language.

Sylvia just shook her head with an exasperated sigh.

“Argh! What’s taking him so long?!” Emma complained more, now walking in circles, stomping the ground hard with the heel of her shoes.

“Patience, dear.” Tanya, who was sitting next to her, reminded Emma with a calm voice, crossing her arms over her chest. Although she appeared composed, the slight twitch on her brow proved otherwise.

But she remained confident. “He has no reason to ditch us like that.”

“Still—"

“Isn’t it 1-A’s gym class schedule?” Sylvia muttered. “Seems like he is taking a sweet time in there.”

“Pfft. Boo-hooo!” Emma yelled out, facing towards the concrete walls of the indoor gym. “Adrian, get the fuck out!”

Before Emma would spiral into another tantrum, Sylvia looked over her shoulder, turning towards Tanya, who immediately nodded her head as she stood up.

“Alright. Emma,” Tanya pulled Emma’s arm, dragging her along with her. “Let’s get some snacks.”

“Tanya-jie, my legs are sore!”

“No buts.” She continued walking. “We’ll punish him once we return, okay?”

“Hmph. FINE.”

The two slowly disappeared into the distance as they walked down the path, leaving Sylvia alone, sitting by the bench.

She took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter underneath the folds of her skirt, lighting up a fresh stick in between her lips with a flick of the lighter.

A cloud of smoke ascended in the air as her lips parted, puffing the fumes in swirls. The embers from the tip of her cigarette smoldered bright as she took another whiff, inhaling it deeply before releasing it once more.

The pictures from yesterday had her thinking for some time. It was not a coincidence that someone submitted those pictures for exhibition at the Academy, but rather a vile intent to display them in the public’s eye.

No one in the Journalism club admitted to owning the submissions, or even knew who did. It was an anonymous sender— no name, no signature, no date in their logbook.

Not a single trace.

That only irked her as she gritted her teeth against the edge of her cig, giving it a dent. Who’s behind all this?

How bold of them to do such….

A sigh escaped from her lips as she leaned her back against the bench, staring up into the afternoon sky, watching the birds flap their wings flying past her, and the gentle breeze rustled the leaves above her head. It was a peaceful sight, so much so that it gave her the feeling that something was amiss.

Crunch!

The sound of dried leaves caught her attention as she turned her head towards where it came from. Standing at the end of the path covered in leaves was Adrian, still wearing his gym class uniform in a disheveled mess as he hunched over on his knees to catch his breath.

She noticed a huge fresh bruise on his cheek, like he had been punched not long ago, and a few more small cuts and bruises around his arms. The dirt and sweat stains on his white tee had him look like a walking corpse.

He looked awful.

“S-sorry… I-I am late. Please— spare me.” He stammered, still breathing heavily. Beads of sweat trickled down his face, wiping it with his arm.

Sylvia let out a scoff. “I doubt that’s gonna happen today, Adrian… what took you so long?”

He scratched the back of his neck, still lowering his gaze to the ground. “I-I got into a minor accident.”

What a liar.

Sylvia rolled her eyes. “Come over.”

He carefully approached her, taking small steps at a time before he finally stood right in front of her, still avoiding her gaze.

Sylvia took another whiff of her cigarette as her legs crossed, observing the slight tremors around his skin as her eyes traced him from a distance.

“Sit.”

Instantly, his knees dropped to the ground.

She smiled at him, satisfied by the sight unfolded in front of her.

The paper bag beside her rustled as her hand pulled out a black leash inside, holding the tip behind her thumb. Then, she leaned in closer, lifting his chin with the tip of her fingers, to which he obediently obliged. His eyes remained shut, holding his breath as she traced her fingers down his neck, feeling his skin tremble with her touch.

She stopped at the collar around his neck, hooking the metallic tip with a soft click, securing the leash in place. Her fingers wrapped around its faux-leather material and gave it a light tug, enough for him to fall face-first on her lap.

“Did you get yourself into trouble?” She whispered in a sarcastic tone.

He went silent.

Her hand glided across the tips of his hair, softly caressing it as she felt his warm breath hitched on her skin, while he was still stuck on her lap with his body trembling from her touch.

“N-no.” He reluctantly denied.

Bullshit.

Sylvia’s eyes squinted, forcibly pulling the back of his head to turn him to the side. Their eyes met the moment she lifted him, seeing the fear behind his brown irises as she stared at him intently.

“Who is it this time?”

He whimpered. “P-please… forgive me.”

Forgive—what on earth is saying? Her brows furrowed as she tightened her grip on his scalp, causing him to wince in pain.

“Answer me,” Sylvia demanded.

Before he could speak another word, another set of footsteps came, crunching the dried leaves littered all over the pathway. Sylvia glanced up, only to see two men— one sporting a bright pink buzz cut while holding a phone in his hand, and the other wearing a varsity jacket with a white cap over his blonde locks, walking confidently with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

“Oh-ho? Look what we have here?”

Mikey spoke up, looking at her with a wide grin on his face. “Sylvia…and her little pet.”

Flipper, the man next to him, snickered, pointing the phone’s camera on her direction as the shutters clicked, taking a photo of her and Adrian.

“Jackpot, bro.” He was ecstatic, nudging Mikey to the side. “Didn’t think this would work so great!”

He snorted. “Heh. See? I’m a genius.”

They exchanged fist bumps and bro handshakes with each other, laughing triumphantly like they won a bet or had a eureka moment.

Sylvia heaved a deep sigh. So, it’s these two, idiots…

“Did you set me up, Adrian?” She turned her gaze down to look at him, still gripping his locks between her fingers.

Tears swelled behind his eyes as she squinted her eyes once more at him before he finally nodded his head to agree. His voice squeaked under his breath as he admitted.

“Y-yes…. s-sorry.”

“You’re more trouble than I thought.” Sylvia rolled her eyes as she released her grip, throwing him to the side. He fell on the ground with a grimace on his face.

Then, she turned her attention towards the two who seemed amused by the sight, snapping another photo.

“What’s the deal with you two?” Sylvia crossed her arms over her chest, tilting her head to the side.

Mikey stepped forward with a wide grin on his face. “Baby, your little pet got us into serious trouble, so I had been thinking…why not do the same to you?”

“Two can play that game, right?” Flipper interjected, snickering.

Sylvia burst into laughter. “And is that all? Bet you guys were having fun in the center.”

“Huh?! You think that was funny?!” Flipper growled, moving in closer to her, while still recording with his phone in hand, but Mikey held his shoulder, stopping him.

“Chill, bro. Remember. We are here to expose her.”

“Tch. Fine. Fine.” Flipper shrugged him off as he calmed himself down.

Mikey approached further, now standing in front of her as he leaned forward to whisper. “Just so you know… Sylvia. We are not just here to make fun of you, but to let the world see your shitty games … until you get expelled from here.”

His face glowered, watching her intently before he huffed under his breath.

“Fucking bitch.”

Sylvia observed him, noticing Mikey’s composure— his shoulders tensed up, his foot tapped incessantly on the ground, and his eye quivered slightly.

He was nervous.

How amusing. . .

Then, she looked him in the eye, challenging his threatening stare.

“Expose? And expel me?” She snorted in disbelief.

“Go ahead and try.”