My Words Are Law

A part of the jigsaw Puzzle (3)

Ever since that day, Amaryllis began regularly finding herself frequenting different cafes with Chryses still in bewilderment. All instances had this weird context as to why they ended up eating there for lunch. As mind-boggling as it was, the entire thing was caused by odd coincidences, misunderstandings, and even odder coincidences.

Her fingers won't be enough to count the number of cafes come finals at the rate they were going, and Amaryllis began to fear that she might just become a tragic version of Hansel and Gretel.

The only consolation was knowing about Chryses' magnanimous reputation in that department so she doesn't have to needlessly worry if her classmates saw them by accident.

"How are you holding up, being paired with the class AAA boyfriend material?" Mia asked while they were eating lunch.

"It's... fine. He's easy to work with." In fact, he was too easy to work with. So much so that a feeling of appreciation began to bloom in the corner of her heart. It was like a breath of fresh air compared to the stress-inducing group project she was currently working on individually in one of her classes as her group mates were suddenly all busy and sick to help. But that doesn't mean she enjoys his company. Interacting with him is a different kind of stress.

If she were to be given a chance, she'd still happily exchange her partner for a slacker any day.

"That's not surprising. After all, he's known to be very considerate in group projects, as he doesn't mind doing all the work."

Amaryllis looked at her friend, surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah. I heard from Jax... Chryses wrote the case study by himself in Mrs. Versoza's class, and it was all because of that project that the whole group passed the course."

Amaryllis gaped at this information. "Really..?" She repeated.

"Really." Her friend nodded and shrugged after. "He's too much of a nice guy that he doesn't mind being taken advantage of."

Amaryllis agreed in silence. However, a tiny voice in her head doubted Mia's statement. He could be too nice for his own good, as Mia so quickly concluded, or it might be that he doesn't trust his group mates' capabilities, so he prefers working alone.

Mia stared at the thoughtful expression on her friend's face, wondering what she was thinking. "Did he offer to do it alone?"

Amaryllis glanced at Mia's hazel eyes that sparkled with curiosity. She shook her head. "No... We're doing the work equally."

They stared at each other in silence for a while until Mia suddenly straightened her posture, looking like she finally understood something.

"Oh... I see it now." She uttered in amusement.

Amaryllis shook her head. She's a hundred percent sure that Mia doesn't see it. Otherwise, she would have already noticed that Chryses isn't the kind of guy everyone thinks he is. She finished her lunch early and excused herself to the restroom. Mia offered to go with her, but she rejected her company. Besides, Mia wasn't finished eating, and Amaryllis wanted to have some time for herself to unwind.

She made a beeline to the nearest restroom after taking care of her tray, only to discover a disappointingly long line of women waiting outside the door. She sighed as she turned around, deciding to leave the cafeteria. The library was just around the corner, and no one was usually around to use the restroom on the second floor. She first informed Mia and quickly left the premises to relieve herself.

As expected, the place was deserted when she arrived. Many rumors were being passed around that it was haunted, so most people avoided it, but she was not easily spooked. Ghosts? The living is more terrifying... Her footsteps echoed in the hall as she walked closer to the restroom, where the light was flickering ominously. They should really fix that faulty wiring before it can cause any accidents, she thought, shrugging as she walked under it to enter the restroom. She quickly did her business, washed her hands, and was about to go out when she heard voices murmuring outside— Directly behind the lavatory where she stood rigidly. The ghost rumors are real..?

Her breath hitched as she began praying mentally, nervously shuffling towards the doorway to check if her ears were working properly or if it was just stress playing with her mind. The closer she got to the door, the sound became louder enough for her to decipher the words being said.

"...not working on either of them! I knew I should not have wasted my efforts on such a preposterous idea... And coming from you, no less." It was no ghost, fortunately. It was Samantha's voice, and she sounded irritated. The first words were lost in the stagnant air, tugging a curious frown on Amaryllis' forehead. What's not working..?

"You're just impatient. Haven't you noticed Amaryllis looking at me lately? Why don't you stop being an attention whore, and maybe then Chryses will also do the same."

Amaryllis frowned even further at the other party's reply. Is that Kayce?? What the hell are they talking about? What looking at him..?

Samantha snorted. "Looking at you? She's looking at me!"

Amaryllis winced, realizing Samantha had noticed her anxious side glances.

"Nonsense! She's looking at me because she's finally attracted to me!" Kayce retorted in disbelief.

What the hell? Amaryllis' head reeled at his declaration.

"Pathetic... You really think she's attracted to you after you treated her like dirt..? You're delusional... Face the facts. She doesn't even try to strike up a conversation with you. What makes you think she would even want to look at you?" Amaryllis agreed with Samantha's words.

Silence.

"B-but Chryses... Chryses told me to man up and do something..." Kayce uttered in a small voice.

Amaryllis froze. Chryses..? At that moment, the sound of his name sounded like a curse. She was right all along... Her hands trembled as she covered her mouth. She felt sick.

"...Chryses..? He was involved..?" Samantha sounded incredulous. "What did he tell you..?"

Kayce didn't reply.

There was a snort, probably coming from Samantha. "Whatever... I don't care anymore... I'm done. You're an idiot... Harrison and Melinda, too... You're all idiots... If you really like Amaryllis, then watch her closely and stop treating her poorly. All you're doing is making her an outcast." Samantha's steely last words were enough for Amaryllis to connect the dots.

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A/N: The magic will finally happen next chapter! Thank you for voting!