As Gale and I went inside the classroom, I could only hear normal classroom noises of gossip and questions going in and out of a person’s mouth. As much as I wanted to know what they were talking about,  I decided not to mind them, considering I did not even know they existed in the first place. Wiser is the tiger who learns to ponder before jumping over. Silence then reigned for about a second, and I took a sight of the surroundings, only to find out their eyes were fixated on our Adonis in the flesh. Gale and I exchanged smiles as we looked each other straight in the eyes cheerily and talked more about random stories about each other’s lives. I’ve found out many interesting things from him, from why he had to delve into the adult videography business to why his dad became a taxi driver, albeit his grandpa was a former prime minister and even currently holding a seat at the Parliament.

“Dad actually disowned Gramps, mostly because the love of his life has a dick hanging between his thighs rather than a cunt,” he scoffed before sneering menacingly at me, “Too bad the gay disease ran in our blood and spread throughout generations after him.”

I sat and rested my head on the table in front of me, my bag covering my existence to the crowd. “Where’s the other dad, then?” I was replied to with silence. Something in me felt that the question was too personal to be asked by a stranger–not that we’re close enough to actually start that question–yet Gale replied with a weak tone.

“He’s sleeping really, really well six feet under with a lot of ammunition casings impaled in his body. Don’t ask why.” Goosebumps went shivering to the bones; the visual cues of what had happened to the other guy were something I could not afford to experience, let alone be retained in my mind; it would put me on the brink of depression and insanity should that happen to me. I looked at Gale and hugged the gentle giant tight, resting my head on his bosom. I felt his hands graze the strands of my hair and play with it as if trying to calm himself down. “It’s not something I talk about freely.”

“It did feel so. Sorry if my nuances felt like you’re required to say every inch of your life to me.”

“It’s fine. As if the dead will arise from his grave.”

“How about something you’re comfortable to talk about?” I felt Gale’s emotion lightened from that. Psychology-wise, my mom told me that, in order for many people to like you, you have to let them talk about themselves and less about yourselves. In that way, people will take you as someone who’ll listen to their sentiments without any potential judgment in return. It’s time to put our beloved mama’s words into action.

“Probably about how I got into the porn industry.” I shot my eyes out in surprise and tried to look at my surroundings to see if there were judging eyes. I was surprised there was none. “Calm down; you won’t get canceled here for being in that line of work. In fact, it’s something that you should be proud of.” I rubbed my eyes to confirm that he was just only kidding, but even after many tries, I could not believe that something like sex work is a normal thing in Canada and not something that many people will dip in like a public condiment. In the Philippines, you’ll be the talk of the town the moment they find out you’re in that industry, and you’ll have to walk the walk of shame every single day of your life, at least in the area where you’re based in. “Okay, well, just in this school, to be specific. The outside world is way more judgmental than what you’ve think.”

I glared at Gale in the eye and fixed my seat. “We should talk about this in private, then. Not in something like this area.”

“Your call, but to give you a gist, I needed the money since father is already in his dawn. Someone’s gotta manage the old man’s life before he sleeps with his lover peacefully. Also, it’s kinda my forte since, gotta admit it, my sex appeal is way above a nine.” I coughed and swallowed my own drool because of that. True is what he said, but I can’t believe he’d brag something like that to me. I chuckled.

“Mine’s a ten. How about that?”

“No question.”

From afar, I heard the sound of stilettos clacking louder and louder and stopping when our dear Roxanna Caseys, in all her gorgeous might, posed and flashed her OOTD to the crowd. A white crop top? Check. A black silk blazer? Check. A pair of black palazzos? Check. A Dolce & Gabbana purse? Yes. And all of that is partnered with a pair of black butterfly glasses (obviously not a pair of reading ones), shiny black stilettos and feather earrings, plus tons of rings on her fingers.

“Hey, bitch! Someone ate and let no crumbs today, I see,” I commended.

“Well, that’s just a girl’s life,” Roxie replied, “which reminds me, aren’t you in a brown-and-white dress? Why blue–wait, did they–?”

“Yep, they opened already, and my shift will be after Marketing, so there’s no time to change clothes.” Roxie sat behind me and placed her bag on the side. She eyed me as if I was trespassing on her territory before smiling like crazy.

“I thought you were twinning with that handsome, juicy lad you got there.”

I looked at my back to see Gale on his phone, never minding anything around him. He’s pushing random buttons on his keyboard as the cackles of the haptic sound reverberate in my ears. He seems undistracted by my goddess friend’s aura. “Oh, him?” I pointed in Gale’s direction with my thumb. “Gale Windsor. My officemate.”

“Oh,” she replied with perceptive enthusiasm. It wasn’t before long when she realized something and got surprised, as if she had accidentally summoned a Ronové. “Wait, you mean the Gale Windsor? Grandson of Gale Zephyr Windsor?”

“Wait, Rosh, is that you?” Gale shot his head up high, only to be greeted by surprise. I’m actually surprised enough the first time Roxie is an actual friend of Kaizer, but Gale? This is starting to get weirder and weirder by the second. Am I in a random novel, perhaps? ’Cause, believe me, this should only happen in fiction, not here.

Roxie slumped her buttcheeks in front of my table and leaned towards Gale. Honestly, that was bizarre and sexy at the same time. Now, my vision is directly right at Mary’s flower. “Yep, it’s Rosh, alright–the guy who gulped that large baguette of yours at middle school about a dozen times? Definitely. But the name’s Roxanna. Roxanna Caseys.” The shock was written all over my face (and Gale’s probably, too) when she blurted it all out like an as-a-matter-of-fact, as though it was something normal to her. I looked at Gale, and obviously he seemed to breathe heavier than ever, as though a diary left open for everyone to see. She reached a hand to him, hoping for a handshake. “It’s been years a while back, but that’s better off left there.”

“Rox,” Gale and I both said in unison, although he sounded more like a “Rosh.” We looked at each other unpredictably, and I gestured for Gale to speak first. He sighed in defeat and looked Roxie straight in the eye. “I don’t think that’s a good opening, especially you’re saying that in front of Arthur.” He muttered something under his breath, but I could hear him clearly as an amplifier. “I’m trying to hit on him, so please.”

“Nah, that doesn’t bother me even if it did happen,” I interjected, “I would have left you the moment I found out about your sex work if such a thing did bother me.”

“Wait,” she blurted. She sat beside me and looked me in the eye with excitement before asking me, “So you two are going out?”

“Well–” Gale stopped me from talking more.

“Sort of. Except we haven’t . . . yet.”

“Mutual understanding, that’s nice.” She smiled before looking back at me. “You should prepare lots of lube if you’re planning to ride the dragon. By the time he was 14, he was already packing a 10-inch baguette.” I looked at Gale and saw him covering his face in embarrassment, and I just chuckled.

“Thanks for the tip; will do as requested.”

“Hey!” Gale wailed, and we chuckled out loud. The timing was too great too, since we heard a slap coming from the front. I quickly looked at where the sound came from, and I saw a young, slender man with an attire quite revealing and horny. He’s holding a wooden meter stick he held it to his chest level, unbuttoned as it is. He probably had a rough one at a hotel and forgot about his classes today; the kiss marks are obviously visible to the naked eye even from a mile away. It actually got me quite turned on. It’s just that . . . he looked a lot like Kaizer–hold on, what am I thinking?

“Oh, shit–it’s McFarlane!” Roxie blurted before fixing her seat and looking straight at the professor’s head. The other one, I guess. Not a fan of student-teacher smut but looking at Roxie, she’s probably thinking a whole lot of things in her mind right now.

And there goes the hellish part of this class.

The bells of the university chimed, halting Professor McFarlane’s discussion (arguments) about marketing. If only I knew that this guy would dry my mouth talking and defending what I know and the plot holes of marketing, then I shouldn’t have enrolled in this class in the first place. Or maybe I’ve shifted blocks, I don’t know. But either way, the score’s settled, and I smiled.

“Seems my next subject is right around the corner,” Professor McFarlane remarked as he cleaned the desk empty, removing his laptop and projector for the next professor to showcase their lessons to the class. As he shot his white Chromebook into his small bag, he beamed in my direction and said the words, “Great job, Seymour.” I smiled, and he walked his way to the exit briskly walking. A group of murmuring classmates roared after he left, and unexpectedly, I felt Gale’s hand brush my shoulders.

“Props to you, Arthur. That’s a first in his timeline.” I coughed in surprise. Roxie, meanwhile, has her eyes on me, gesturing me to look at my phone by holding her phone upright and pointing it as if she wants me to read something. An assignment, perhaps? But that can’t be since the professor never spouted such.

“Ah, Gale,” Roxie called for him, “there’s something I want to talk about in private before you two go dilly-dally in the daisy gardens.” Without a word, Roxie pulled for Gale’s hand and shoved him far from me. Without knowing why she did that, I did not mind the event and started to check for my phone as she requested.

Sure enough, she left me a chat in the Portfolio inbox. In truth, I was surprised by her chat, given that she was so all over Gale a while ago, but then again:

BIJJ ✨✨✨

GALE’S A NO-NO, TRUST ME 🚩🚩

Was she jealous, by any chance, about my budding relationship with this guy? I looked in the direction of where Roxie fled with Gale, and I saw them talking about a few kinds of stuff here and there. Gale sounds a bit uncomfortable with her by the second.

I did not respond to her texts. Instead, I went to their area and fetched Gale. Roxie’s confused at first, but I guess she realized I ain’t listening to her about Gale, and she smiled bitterly.

“Oh, yeah; you still both have shifts today, right?” she questioned. I nodded and smiled before mouthing trust me on this guy. She only replied with a shrug before shooing us away, reminding her to take a cup of ice-cold matcha on the go. “I’ll be getting that order around 6 in the afternoon.”

As we both exited the classroom, Gale knocked my head lightly, but it did hurt a bit that I yelped. “Ow, what’s that for?”

“I know something between you two was off. Being protective of your territory?”

I gave him a side-eye. “We’re getting late for work.” I was deeply irritated, for I don’t know what reason at all, and I started to brisk-walk my way outside the university; the satchel hung on my right shoulder as if it wasn’t heavy at all. I could hear Gale in the background saying, “Wait up!” but I guess my emotions got the best of me. When I was so close to the gates, I could hear someone’s footsteps getting louder and faster. When I turned my back, I saw Gale running and catching his breath. “Jesus Christ, did you transform into a hyena on a loose? ’Cause that was too far for a normal human to walk in just a minute!” He chuckled but I knew he had a hard time running and catching up with me.

I said my apologies and focused my eyes back on the road ahead of me. Yes, although Roxie and Gale’s relationship might seem contrived in the naked eye, I never cared. It’s just that I’m stressed at all these bullshits, plus the fact that I’m actually taking this barista job for her fucking sake just so that she could just shut her mouth about this. As I was about to take another step outside the school, a hand caught mine and held it tenderly.

“Hey, Arthur. I think we should fetch a cup of matcha when we get there; my treat.”