The Engineer (Batchelor Series #2)

15

It was another long day in the council office. Papers were scattered all over the table, a testament to the endless meetings and preparations for the upcoming interdepartmental event. I was going through the logistics when a loud commotion from the hallway interrupted my focus.

"Lintek," I muttered under my breath. I stood up from my desk and peeked out of the door. A crowd had gathered near the student lounge area, and judging by the noise, something was definitely going down.

As I stepped into the hallway, I immediately recognized one of the voices causing the disturbance.

“Renz?”

I could see him standing in the middle of a small circle of students, his stance tense, fists clenched at his sides. His face was set in a hard, determined expression as he faced off against another guy—someone I didn’t recognize. Renz’s basketball teammates were lingering nearby, but none of them seemed to want to intervene.

“What the hell is going on here?” I said as I pushed through the crowd.

“Pres!” someone from the group called out. “Tignan mo si Renz, nagkakagulo na naman! Engineering vs PolSci na naman 'to, sigurado ako.”

Great. Another rivalry standoff. But this wasn’t just any rivalry—it was about to turn physical. The tension between these two programs had been brewing for weeks now, ever since the interdepartmental games started.

I strode closer just as the guy across from Renz shoved him hard in the chest. The crowd gasped, and before I knew it, Renz lunged forward and swung a punch, connecting solidly with the other guy’s jaw.

“Tangina, Renz!” I yelled, pushing through the crowd as the other guy recovered and threw a punch of his own. I moved on instinct, grabbing the guy's arm before he could land the hit on Renz.

“What the hell are you doing?” I snapped, holding the guy back as Renz shook his hand, looking like he was ready to throw another punch.

Renz, still fuming, glared at the guy but didn’t move again. “Pres, stay out of this.”

“Stay out? Are you serious?” I hissed, still holding onto the other guy who was struggling against my grip. “You're causing a scene! And you—” I turned to the guy Renz was fighting with. “What the hell is your problem?”

“Your friend here thinks he's better than everyone else, just ‘cause he's some big shot basketball player,” the guy spat, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. “He thinks he can run his mouth and get away with it.”

“I didn’t start this,” Renz growled. “I was minding my own business when this idiot decided to mouth off.”

The guy tried to push past me again, and that was the last straw. I shoved him back, not too hard, but enough to make him stumble slightly. “Both of you, knock it off! You’re acting like children.”

The guy glared at me but didn’t say anything else. Renz, still breathing heavily, ran a hand through his hair and stepped back, clearly trying to calm himself down.

Before I could say more, the vice president of the council, Kazier, appeared beside me. “Pres, dalhin mo na sila sa office. This is getting out of hand,” he said, looking worried.

I nodded, shooting Renz a sharp look. “Follow me. Now.”

Without waiting for an answer, I turned and started walking back to the council office. Renz hesitated for a second but eventually followed, his jaw tight with frustration. The other guy, with a final glare in Renz’s direction, stalked off in the opposite direction.

Once inside the council office, I closed the door behind us, shutting out the curious stares from the students who had gathered. I turned to face Renz, arms crossed.

“Care to explain what the hell that was all about?”

He slumped down into one of the chairs, running a hand over his face. “It was nothing, Pres. Just a misunderstanding.”

I raised an eyebrow. “A misunderstanding? You nearly punched the guy’s teeth out.”

“He deserved it,” Renz muttered, glaring at the floor. “He’s been talking shit about me for weeks now. Calling me arrogant, entitled—lahat na. I’ve been ignoring it, but today, he crossed the line.”

“And what exactly did he say that made you decide punching him was the best course of action?”

Renz’s eyes flicked up to meet mine, and for the first time, I saw a flicker of vulnerability there. “He brought up my family. My dad.”

I sighed, the tension in my shoulders easing slightly. I knew Renz’s father was a sensitive topic. Everyone knew his dad was a big shot, someone with influence, and people liked to throw that in his face. But still, this wasn’t the way to handle it.

“Renz, you can’t just go around hitting people when they say something you don’t like. I know it’s hard, but you’re better than that.”

He scoffed, shaking his head. “You think I don’t know that? But people keep pushing, and pushing, and sometimes… I just snap.”

I leaned against the edge of the desk, arms still crossed. “Look, I get it. I really do. But you’re not doing yourself any favors by getting into fights. You’re the captain of the basketball team. You’re one of the most visible students on campus. You have to be smarter about this.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment, just stared at the floor, his jaw still clenched. Finally, he muttered, “I know, Pres. I just… it’s hard.”

I sighed again, softer this time. “I know it is. But you can’t let these idiots get to you. They’re just trying to get a rise out of you, and when you react like this, they win.”

There was a long silence, the tension in the room slowly dissipating. Renz leaned back in his chair, rubbing the back of his neck. “Thanks for stepping in earlier. Hindi ko alam kung ano nangyari kung di ka dumating.”

I waved it off. “It’s my job. But seriously, you need to keep it together. I don’t want to have to deal with any more of these incidents.”

He nodded, finally looking up at me. “Yeah. I’ll try.”

“Good,” I said, pushing off the desk and heading towards the door. “And for the record, next time you get into a fight and drag me into it, ikaw ang magpapaliwanag sa admin.”

Renz chuckled softly. “Got it, Pres. No more dragging you into my messes.”

I gave him one last look before stepping out of the office. Sana nga.

As much as I cared about this idiot, I couldn’t keep bailing him out. Not if he kept making the same mistakes. But for now, at least, the situation was under control.

For now.