“Nica. Maria Janica Silvania!”
THAT’S WHAT she said, flashing all thirty-two of her teeth. She was seriously creepy. Earlier, she looked half-asleep-now she was grinning at me like crazy. Did she finally catch up on sleep or something? Anyway, having chitchats with classmates was unusual for me, so I simply turned away from her and continued walking toward the campus canteen.
“Hey, transferee! You’re so snobbish! You passed it already! The canteen’s this way!” she shouted, pointing toward another path I was apparently supposed to turn into. Like I said earlier, this campus was really huge. There would definitely be times when I’d get lost. Aside from this only being my second time here, I still hadn’t explored the entire campus. Though if I ever got the chance to roam around, I’d probably memorize everything quickly.
I sat at a table and placed down the food I bought—just carbonara and a bottled water for lunch.
“So, transferee, why did you move here? Third grading’s almost over already.”
“Do I have to answer your question?” I asked before taking a sip of water. I didn’t look at her, but I knew she had already sat across from me.
“Not at all. But if you don’t want to answer, that’s fine. I can deduce it anyway.”
I just smirked and continued eating my pasta. The way she acted only proved further that she was weird. Earlier she asked me if I was a detective, and now she said she could deduce things about me. If she was some kind of mystery enthusiast, then it looked like she was searching for a companion—and apparently thought I could be one. Like in mystery series where detectives have apprentices. She seemed desperate to become a detective and wanted someone who shared her interests.
Well, I didn’t.
“You can? So you’re a detective?” I asked sarcastically. Deep inside, I could only shake my head. No one can deduce me before I deduce them. Don’t think I’m a detective—because I’m not one. I’m just a Grade 12 student who’s curious about everything in this world and simply knows more things than the average sixteen-year-old. Well, you know, having a police officer for a dad, it’s not surprising that I think and talk this way. And yeah, she was right about what she “smelled” earlier.
I heard her chuckle, making me look at her. She stared at me while wearing that signature smirk.
“Based on the way you introduced yourself earlier in class, it felt like you’ve done that many times before. You’re way too used to it. Most of us still get nervous speaking in front of the class even though we’ve known our classmates for years… but you? Introducing yourself to strangers looked so easy for you. It’s only natural to feel nervous even just a little, right?”
Her first premise made me think twice about her.
“You’ve transferred schools several times before coming here, haven’t you?” She laughed again.
Now she had caught my interest, so I interrupted.
“What’s your basis? Maybe I just have high self-esteem.”
“Nah. Even people with high self-esteem still fear negative feedback. They stutter a little or make hand gestures to ease their nervousness. But you—you’re way too comfortable introducing yourself in front of people, like you’ve transferred schools several times already. And I have evidence. You’re wearing two different I.D.s inside one I.D. holder. The one in front is from a university in Pasay, while the one behind is from another university. I noticed it earlier while I had my head down on the desk watching you,” she said, pointing at the I.D. hanging around my neck.
Alright, she got me there.
“You still don’t have an I.D. from Laguna University. I guess you haven’t had your picture taken yet since your transfer was sudden. But I wonder… why would someone like you suddenly transfer here? I’m just curious.”
I found myself staring at her. It felt like something got stuck in my throat as a sudden question entered my mind. As far as I knew, we moved because Dad had a new case assigned here in Laguna, which was why he got stationed here. But hearing that question from my creepy seatmate made me realize something—if that was the only reason, then why did my parents say we were staying here for good? Wasn’t there still a chance we’d move again if Dad got another case assignment? What kind of case was he handling that would apparently take so long to solve?
“Doubt is the beginning of knowledge,” I said.
As I stood up, I heard the bell ring, so I walked back to the classroom, leaving that creepy girl behind.
As usual, class started and ended. I barely paid attention to my seatmate anymore. Aside from not being interested in talking, I also wasn’t interested in her. I walked out of the classroom once the bell rang.
I looked at the girl who called out to me—she was waving.
“Bye, Aedrian! See you tomorrow!”
I didn’t know her name, but I was sure she was one of my classmates. As I followed her with my gaze, I noticed almost everyone greeted her. Even the boys and girls were talking about her.
Popular student, ehh?
The next day, that same girl greeted me again. Everyone’s eyes along the corridor still followed her every move, and all the whispers were about her.
I entered the room and once again found my seatmate asleep. In the middle of class, she suddenly sat up and spoke. She tied her curly shoulder-length hair again and looked at me with the same stare she gave me yesterday.
“Did you bring an umbrella? It’s going to rain today.”
Then she started deducing things again. Even the weather now? I just ignored whatever nonsense she was saying.
“Do you really find me weird?”
I looked at her standing in front of me while holding a sandwich and a bottle of orange juice. She sat down noisily.
“Is being smart considered weird now, huh?” she asked.
“The way you use your brain is weird, and that’s what makes you creepy,” I answered.
“That’s what you think I am?” I simply shrugged.
“You’re creepier than me. The way you talk and act, it seems like you control what information you export. You’re very cautious. When someone asks you something, you answer in just one sentence and never bother explaining. You’re strange.”
“Creepy and strange are different from mysterious,” I plainly replied before continuing my lunch.
“Hey, tell me—you’re a detective, aren’t you?”