Love Beyond Seats

~Chapter 08: Confront- Jayson's POV~

While I was cooking dinner, Maddie approached me and asked about Luke.

"Kuya, is kuya Luke your friend?"

"Luke? He's my classmate at school," I replied.

"No, kuya, is he your friend?" she asked again.

I asked her what she meant, and she clarified,

"I mean, ate Kathy is your girlfriend, so that means kuya Luke is your boyfriend."

I was a bit surprised because I didn't expect her to mention the words "girlfriend" and "boyfriend." As far as I remember, I hadn't taught her those words, so I asked her where she learned them.

"I just heard my classmate saying it to my friend."

I knelt in front of her and said,

"Maddie, it's difficult to explain those words to you because you're still young, but you'll understand when you grow up."

"But, Kuya, is it a bad word?"

"No, it's not, but you'll learn more about it as you get older."

After our conversation, I set the table for dinner. Meanwhile, Louie helped Lola out of her room.

*****

I made sure to prepare my siblings' packed lunches early so I wouldn't be late for class.

I called Kathy to ask if she would be coming in early, but she said she might be a little late because she had something to take care of.

I entered the classroom and went straight to my seat. A few minutes later, our adviser arrived, but I noticed that Luke and Nathalie hadn't come in yet.

"Okay, class, today we will review our past lessons in preparation for your first semester exams this year."

A little while later, Luke entered the room, and our teacher asked him why he was late. He explained that he overslept, which caused his tardiness.

After our recess, Nathalie finally arrived. Our classmates asked her why she was late, and she replied,

"I'm sorry. I forgot something in my room, that's why."

She sat next to me, and I immediately sensed that something was wrong. It seemed like something had happened, but I wasn't sure what.

During lunchtime, I waited for Kathy, but she didn't show up. I went to the classroom to check on her and found out that she hadn't come to school that day. I messaged her to ask why, and she replied that she wasn't in the mood, so she went home.

I suspected that something had indeed happened. Why would she say she went home? It meant she came to school but left for some reason. Could Nathalie be the reason why she didn't come?

I knew Kathy wouldn't be absent without a valid reason. This was the first time she hadn't come to school.

I returned to the classroom and saw Nathalie talking on her cellphone. I approached her, feeling a bit awkward, and started a conversation.

"Nathalie, where did you come from earlier?"

She didn't answer my question, so I called her name again.

"What?! You're so annoying, Jayson," she replied.

"Forgive me, but I just wanted to ask why you were late."

"It's none of your business."

I strongly suspected that something had happened earlier, which caused Nathalie to be late and Kathy to miss school.