"Tell me, is there anything that I must know?"
I took a deep breath.
“I’ll tell you after class, I promise. Just for now, let’s go back to class. Okay?”
She gave me a smile before nodding. I just hoped that after class, I’d finally find the courage to tell her everything—especially the truth about her real father. I didn’t know if she already had an idea about it, but if not, then there was no longer any reason for her to visit Ronaldo that day.
“Are you sure it’s a good idea to go back to class? What if Prof. Tobias gets mad at us?” Nica asked hesitantly when we caught sight of him through the window. “We might get punished.”
Her brows were furrowed in fear of our terror professor. Last time—though I never mentioned it—he got angry because our class was too noisy. I couldn’t even understand the reporter at the front because of the loud buzzing around us. No matter how many times he told us to stop, no one listened because it was too loud. I could say I was innocent that time, but because he got irritated, everyone got punished. We were made to stand at the back and do squats while being lectured for an entire hour. Good thing I was at the back—I didn’t struggle as much.
“Why? Do you have somewhere else in mind?” I asked.
“Hmm… Just come with me to Sunstar Mall. I need to buy something from the bookstore.”
I just followed her. The mall wasn’t far from school, especially since I had my bike with me. Wait… are we cutting class? I couldn’t help but laugh to myself. I’ve never done this before—this is my first time.
“Aedrian…” she called while looking at the rows of shelves filled with different school supplies.
“Hmm?”
“Are you a detective?”
I froze at her question. It had been a long time since I last heard her ask me that.
“Is that how you really say ‘how are you?’” I joked.
She smiled… and so did I.
“Do you still remember the first time I asked you that? What I meant back then was ‘are you willing to be my friend?’ But you told me I was creepy.” I heard her chuckle. That memory came back to me too, making me laugh. Back then, I used to be so annoyed with her—but now she’s my friend, my companion.
“So you were really determined to be my friend?”
She nodded. We had reached the book section, and she started browsing. “I never really had friends back then. No one cared about me—they said I was weird because I talk to myself. You were the only one who noticed me sleeping in class. And after you noticed me, others started noticing me too.” She smiled and showed me two different books, holding them up beside her cheeks as if asking me to choose. “Romance or mystery?”
I pointed at the black book. She smiled and put the red one back on the shelf.
I thought about it. What did she mean by “are you a detective?” just now? I looked at the book she was holding. I thought it was a mystery book—but it was actually romance. Just because it was black, I immediately assumed it was mystery. I was wrong. Don’t judge a book by its cover.
“Why wouldn’t I notice you when you kept following me everywhere?” I said. “I tried to ignore you, but you honestly piqued the hell out of me. But to be honest, that’s not the only reason I stayed with you. Believe it or not, I was impressed by your deduction skills. And I think that’s the creepy part about you… but also impressive at the same time.”
“But I still don’t get to use my skills in actual cases. I can’t even help you properly. I feel useless every time I see you solving cases alone.” I took a deep breath. That was my fault. I was the one to blame. Maybe I enjoyed the spotlight too much and didn’t notice the people helping me from the shadows. Maybe I was becoming too selfish, and in trying to play the hero, I was dragging others into it.
“No. You’re wrong. I’m the one who’s useless. Even if I solve cases, I can’t prevent crimes. I can’t save the people in danger. Like what happened to Betty—I thought I could protect her, but my efforts were all in vain.”
The miserable part of being a detective is that you can’t prevent the crime—you can only explain it after it happens.
“That’s just how it is. We can’t do anything when, in an instant, someone disappears without saying goodbye. No matter how you look at it, we’re just Grade 12 students. We can’t be like professionals. We can’t defeat the bad guy.”
We lined up at the counter.
“Oh, whiteboard and marker? Is that for a project?” she asked.
I just shook my head and paid for it.
“399 pesos, Ma’am,” the cashier said, referring to Nica’s book.
She took out her wallet and silently checked her money. Then she glared at me.
“Hahaha, I forgot—you picked that, so you’re the one paying.”
I frowned. The cashier also looked at me impatiently, waiting for the payment. I had no choice but to pay for it, almost draining my savings.
Holy cheese…
When I was about to place the book in my bag, Nica quickly grabbed it and hugged it.
“Thank you,” she said with a smile before walking ahead.
What was that about?
I just shook my head.
“Aedrian…”
“Hmm?”
“What about my being a witness?”