FIXated

The corridors had returned to their livelier state as Raphael traversed the halls with groups of students chatting and loitering at the lockers and the classroom entrances. His footsteps treaded heavily against the floor; his head lowered to the ground as his mind had been thinking about that encounter.

Now that he was pulled into this mess between the Rebels and Predators. What should he do?

Part of him wanted to get this over with and do the Predators' bidding since they held him at gunpoint, but at the same time, his conscience had been bothering him, stirring conflict in his thoughts.

A question came to the back of his mind.

Should I tell her?

He stopped and looked up, seeing the brass plate signage at the door labelled Class 2-C. He found his way back to his classroom, taking a deep breath.

Well, it doesn’t matter if she’s not here.

As soon as he entered, his eyes caught a glimpse by the window. Vibrant orange locks like glowing embers stood out against the sunlight. A gentle breeze blew past, tousling her fringes before she casually tucked them behind her ear. While the radiance of the sun brightened her green irises, she seemed to be distracted as her gaze remained fixated on the phone in her hands.

Sylvia sat there comfortably with her chin resting against her hand while the other flicked her fingers to scroll over her phone.

What…?

She’s here….

Raphael was surprised as he stood there watching her from the other side of the room. For a moment, he noticed there was something strange in her eyes— a melancholic gaze, not the familiarity he always recognized whenever their eyes met.

That’s odd. She seems…busy. I guess?

It felt awkward, staring at her, expecting to meet her gaze at the same time. In the end, she didn’t acknowledge his presence. He took another deep breath and moved towards the front row.

“Oh, Raphael!”

Alexis called him out, keeping his voice to a minimum, while waving his hand in the air to get his attention. Raphael smiled at him as he approached, taking refuge in Antonio’s seat right next to him.

“Hey, sorry… It took me a while back there.”

“It’s okay. Everything alright? You looked like you just saw a ghost or something.”

Raphael hesitated before responding. “Yeah… It’s nothing.”

“Hmm… if you’re wondering….” Alexis leaned in closer to his ear to whisper. “Don’t worry. She shows up this late at times like this. Dunno how she gets away with a warning.”

“Ah, I see, so basically… she just skipped the morning session?”

Alexis nodded. “Yep. Not unless she got a better excuse. From what I remember, she always does.”

It seemed like she must have done this a few times if that was the case. “Does Feyline know about it?”

“Oh, yeah. She did try to warn her and even impose punishment, but nothing happens.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Not sure, but rumors say… The Disciplinary Office Head is in cahoots with her.”

In cahoots? Is that why she can do as she pleases? He could not believe it after hearing that, but that was just a rumor— a very convincing one, at least to him.

“It must be rough being seated behind her, is it?” Alexis continued.

“Not really…. Just that I don’t get her sometimes.”

“I'd rather not try to understand her. You will end up in danger instead.”

Raphael tugged on his lip, with his brows furrowed, pondering over what Alexis had stated— a warning directly addressed to him.

But he was right.

Sylvia was nothing but trouble despite the past reasonable interactions with her that always came with a cost or exchange. If it were not for that incident, he would not be in this situation.

Oh, my... Why did she do that?She could have just—If I could have done what she asked, would that change the situation? He buried his face deep into his palms before taking a deep sigh.

“Raphael, you good?”

He felt a hand touching his shoulder and looked up, seeing Alexis with a frown on his face. Once again, it caught him off guard. He didn’t want him to be worried too much about him.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He reassured him.

Alexis nodded. “Okay. I understand. You can sit with me for the meantime while Antonio’s not here, if you’re cool with that.”

While Alexis tried to make him comfortable, offering him books to read and giving him short hooks about the story, Raphael zoned out. His thoughts still pondered over Alexis’ statement before a question came from the back of his mind.

“Hey, Alexis.” He began. “What if she's in danger? Would you do something?"

"Who’s in danger?" Alexis appeared perplexed, tilting his head to the side to think. Then, he turned his head to the side to get a glance at the person in question. There was a long pause before he muttered under his breath.

"I don't know...It's more complicated than you think."

After hearing his response, Raphael nodded in silence. That answer proved it was a more difficult situation than he ever thought. He leaned against the backrest of his chair, taking another deep breath before turning his head to the side, catching another glimpse of her.

However, this time, he was caught staring at her. A subtle smile curved out of her lips upon locking his eyes onto hers. Instinctively, Raphael looked away.

Perhaps I was seeing things. What if she doesn’t need to be warned?

After a few more minutes, the classroom began to fill up with students who just returned from lunch. Their boisterous laughter was immediately silenced by Sylvia’s presence, turning it to whispers as a precaution.

Antonio and Feyline still had not arrived.

Raphael took the time to read one of the books Alexis offered, succumbing to the world of The Hungry Games, a dystopian, post-apocalyptic world divided into districts following Kantmiss Everden’s journey as a tribute in the annual games. He had read a good chunk of the book, which kept him on edge with every turn of its page.

Right after finishing the last page of the chapter, the bells rang, signaling the end of the lunch break and the afternoon session to commence. The students outside along the corridors began to disperse as they returned to their respective classrooms. Some entered his class and tried to continue their conversation discreetly, gathering at the other end of the room away from the windows.

“Girl, she’s screwed, isn’t she?” One of the group of girls sitting next to him spoke in her group. “Like come on… if you mess with the Preds, you’re basically dead.”

“I wonder what kind of dirt are they gonna dig out in the next video? Gosh, not gonna lie, I am so excited.”

“How many likes is it now?”

“Holy shit. It’s now 6.9k likes!” she exclaimed. “Unbelievable.”

Raphael paused from reading as he listened to their conversation. That was fast…. At this rate, it's going to reach their expected goal. She should have known by now what’s coming, right?

The classroom door swung open as Ms. Alvarez, their designated Biology teacher, entered wearing a crisp white laboratory trench coat over her dress shirt and pencil skirt. It had only been a few minutes since the bell rang. Everyone was caught by surprise.

“Everyone, get back to your seats and settle down.” She ordered, snapping her fingers, which were immediately followed by groans and whines.

“I’ll see you later, Alex.” Raphael turned to him as he stood up.

“Sure. Sure.” Alex smiled at him warmly.

Upon returning to his seat, he noticed Sylvia glanced up at him with her mischievous smile to welcome him. As he passed by her desk, he felt her shoulder brush up against him intentionally to get his attention.

No, not right now. Just keep moving. Ignore her.

Raphael reminded himself as he continued walking towards his desk and took a seat. Thinking that he had finally escaped her, he sighed in relief.

She turned over her shoulder with a disappointed expression on her face before she looked away. For some reason, Raphael felt a tingling sensation in his stomach while clenching his mouth shut.

Was it guilt?

He still needed more time to think about it.

Ms. Alvarez began to discuss a set of instructions and reminders for the class before proceeding to the laboratory. Raphael tried to listen attentively, but whenever Sylvia made any slight movement— flipping her hair, leaning against the backrest, even turning her head slightly to the side. Whether it was on purpose or not, it distracted him.

“Okay, class. Get dressed, and I’ll see you in the lab.” Ms. Alvarez announced.

Once Ms. Alvarez left, the room was filled with murmurs and whispers as students fled, taking their coats along with them. Raphael stood up, doing the same, grabbing the coat underneath the desk. He wanted to get away from here as soon as possible.

But right as he turned, he was greeted by a pair of green irises, staring directly at him. His breath hitched as he took a step back, creating a bit of distance. It was Sylvia, with her arms crossed, blocking his path.

Then, she struck him with a question. “Raphael, do you need something?”

“W-what?” He stuttered, avoiding her gaze. “No… why would I?”

“Just noticed something...”

He felt a tug on his tie, pulling him closer as Sylvia leaned forward. Her breath hovered below his chin, feeling the warmth on his skin. Was he looking too suspicious? How did she even notice…if it’s just one time?

Sweat trickled down his forehead. His chest heaved up and down, feeling her pressing against him. She was still standing too close for comfort.

“Sylvia… That’s just a coincidence. Nothing more.”

“Hmm… is it? I don’t think so.”

“Raphael?”

A familiar voice called him out up front, right behind her. Instantly, her grip released him, pushing him back before strutting away. Raphael finally felt relieved, especially upon seeing Alexis now standing in front of him.

“Oh, Alex… never thought you were still here.”

“Is everything alright?”

“Y-yeah. Uhh…Just asking a question.”

Alexis furrowed his brows. “Okay… but be careful, though. She can’t be trusted.”

“Yeah...of course. Don’t worry.”

“Come, Let’s go together.”

---

During the laboratory session for their biology class, Raphael had been focused on the activity with his groupmates, looking at cells through the microscopes, which kept him distracted for the meantime.

“Based on the pattern structure, it’s a human cell,” Raphael observed.

“Oh, really? Can I have a look?” One of his lab groupmates asked with curiosity in his eyes. Raphael stepped aside to offer him the equipment, while the other fumbled with it excitedly.

“Whoa, this is cool! Bro, check this out.”

“That came from my cheek, right? Isn’t that frickin’ gross?” The other member commented before taking a look.

Raphael took a deep sigh, shaking his head before jotting it down in his notebook. This was their last specimen under observation, and that should be it. He finished the lab’s activity.

While waiting for the rest to finish, Raphael quietly watched his surroundings, seeing students struggling with the equipment and arguing over the specimen’s identification. As his gaze turned to Alexis, he looked at peace, taking down notes despite the absence of his groupmates.

At least, he was doing fine on his own. But how about her?

He wondered as he shifted his head to the side, taking a look at the group sitting behind him. Two guys were sitting close together at the near edge of the table, trying to figure out the equipment as they twisted the knobs, while the other adjusted the coverslip underneath the scope. It was just like others, except for the distance between them and the one sitting at the other side, Sylvia.

She was not paying attention to the activity with her notebook, lying empty on top of her desk. Her gaze had been looking out the window with a long stare, through the lush greenery and the deep blue skies.

Uninvolved.

Isolated.

Whenever she was in class, this was always the case. Everyone would avoid her at all costs, but Raphael saw something else— a hint of loneliness in her eyes. He recalled the murmurs and whispers from the students in class.

Did she really feel unaffected? Just nonchalant?

Or… is she that good at pretending?

A low thump ached in his chest as he remained staring at her. The pounding continued, gradually becoming louder than before as his conscience slowly began eating him from inside. He could not take it anymore.

He must tell her, even just a warning.

This was his decision.

After a few minutes, Ms. Alvarez called the time to the activity session. She announced a few reminders regarding their activity and discussion for the next meeting. Then, with the snap of her fingers, she formally dismissed the class before the horns blared at the end of class. Students erupted into cheers as they rushed out of the room. Alexis had to excuse himself for a phone call, leaving only a few students behind who remained to arrange the chairs and equipment.

With his hand clutched tightly on his notebook, Raphael took a deep breath before slowly approaching Sylvia, but this time out of his own volition.

"Sylvia..."

She looked at him, surprised.

"Something's coming up this Friday.” Raphael continued with hesitation in his voice, but he kept his eyes on her and uttered his last words.

“Be careful."

She smiled, a slow one curving out of her lips. Her hand reached out to his cheek and caressed it softly. Her green irises glimmered as she looked deeply into his eyes in wonder.

"Don't worry, Raphael, I can take care of myself."

Her touch lingered a few seconds longer than expected before she took her leave. He watched her glide across the room with the same confidence before her figure disappeared into the crowd of students outside.

Raphael held onto his cheek as the warmth of her touch remained. For some reason, that felt different.