She's Older Than Me

Chapter 24: No Love Triangle Has Four People

Nadine and Joseph installed the old blackboard which Miss Alcasid had used for years, and Mr. Udagawa brought in his box of chalk. Ashley and Hansen brought out pieces of paper and writing materials for the class, while Justin and Gladys arranged all the packs of food and drinks. Miss Alcasid and Joel pulled out the boxes filled with goodies outside.

“Well, well, well,” Miss Alcasid voiced out her satisfaction. “I guess we’re ready, right, Eiji?”

Mr. Udagawa turned around and saw Miss Alcasid smiling at him, and he blushed again. He was unable to speak sensibly and stuttered, “Uh… y-yes…”

Meanwhile, Justin’s heart felt like it was gripped with a vise when he saw Hansen and Ashley doing things together. He also saw how Hansen could just order Joel and Nadine around like he was some kind of boss (when in reality, Hansen was politely requesting the two over something). To him, it looked like the SIDL upperclassman was making a scene. First, he was trying to “steal” Ashley—not that Ashley was Justin’s to start with. Second, Hansen was trying to prove to everyone how good he was. Justin fumed at how Hansen tried so hard to act as a leader of the group. He preferred Johnson’s style of leadership because Johnson did not try too hard to make his classmates follow him. It was just his brains, coolness, and friendliness that earned him the respect of their classmates, who tend to follow Johnson’s sensible orders.

Oh yeah, I totally forgot. This was just the view of a jealous person.

“Justin, are you okay?” someone spoke to him.

Justin woke up from his thoughts of grief and despair and turned around to see Gladys and her concerned eyes staring back at him. The Pale Jade girl saw that Justin was fuming.

“Uh...yeah,” he lied.

They heard some clapping of hands and found out Miss Alcasid trying to get their attention.

“Okay, heads up,” she announced. “We will eat dinner early so you can also go home early. SIDL boys, I will let you out early because we still have our Family Day tomorrow, and I am sure you are all excited.”

“Yeah right,” Joel thought.

Joseph looked at his younger brother and thought the same thought. It was not the most enjoyable part of the year because their parents will still not attend.

“Okay, here will be our agenda for the day,” Miss Alcasid announced. “I will lead the prayer. Then Ashley and Justin will facilitate some energizers for the day.”

When Justin heard he was being paired up with Ashley, he smirked a bit, and his heart jumped for joy. How’s that now, Hansen?

“How about me?” Hansen piped up.

“Uh, Nadine will teach Math,” Mr. Udagawa told everyone while glancing at Miss Alcasid’s copy. “And Hansen, you will facilitate snacks with Joel.”

Hansen frowned, wondering why he was not being paired up with Ashley. And Gladys, who had seemed to memorize Hansen’s mood over the years, saw his slight agitation. She could feel he was upset, just as Justin had been upset over Hansen. And she felt her chest tightening. She held her hand to her chest to find it beating irregularly.

“I… I think I have no place in their love triangle,” she thought. “It will be complicated if I enter. No love triangle has four people in it.”

“Gladys?”

Gladys jumped in fright to hear someone picking her out from the crowd. It was Miss Alcasid.

“Gladys, you teach English today, and Eiji will take care of Filipino,” Miss Alcasid announced. “Though this will be this afternoon.”

She announced that she and Joseph will take care of the ice breakers.