5 DREI

"Professor, here's my essay," I said as I finished my work. I had no idea time would fly by so quickly, and yet here I am, finishing my work. "As is customary for you, Miss Chen; you're always the first to pass."

"Don't worry, Professor; graduation is only a few days away." I replied, "Well, Good luck!" and walked towards the library. While I was walking, our school's Public-Address System made an announcement.

"Good morning! I kindly request that all Student Body Officers please report to the Disciplinary Office; Mister Leo Gutierrez is requesting you." I went to the office without hesitation. It is unusual for Mister Gutierrez to summon us all; he usually summons us all when there is an emergency. I entered after knocking on the door. They appear to be all present. I found a seat. "Greetings! As to why I called you here, could you please assist me in moving our files and belongings to the storage room? The year is coming to an end, so our belongings will also be moved out."

"You called us all here just for this?" Leila scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Enough of your whining; it's been a year already. We're almost done, Leila. You always complain when there's a job. Your title as a secretary means nothing if you're always bickering." President Silver glared at Leila.

"Whatever," she said. "All right, then, let's get back to business; bring all these boxes to the storage room," Silver said as we stood up and took one of the boxes.

Everyone was heading for the door when Mister Gutierrez called me. "You... Miss Chen, also Mister Huber, you stay here, compile and arrange the papers. I will go first; I have many things to do," he said. The others had left, and we had begun our work. We need to set a date for this and make sure everything is in order. As time passed, no one bothered to talk; we just did our jobs. "Give me the stapler," Theodore said, breaking the silence.

I handed it to him, but I inadvertently pressed it while my finger was still in the center of the stapler. My finger was in excruciating pain. That is when I realized the staple had pierced my skin. As he examined my hand, Theodore grabbed it.

"Hey! What did you do? You are so clumsy!" He let it go before bringing a first aid kit. "Give me your hand," he said, reaching out. Why am I always so reckless when I have this man by my side? It is probably the tension between us that is causing this line.

"Next time, please be more careful!" he said as he wrapped a Band-Aid around my finger. I smiled bitterly and went back to work. "Just sit there; you could ruin this even more," he said as he stapled the paper.

I was initially hesitant, but he suddenly glared at me. As he was about to finish, I had no choice but to obey his demeanor aura. The door slammed open, allowing President Silver and Leila to exit.

"How about the others?" I inquired. "They've already left, and it's already done," President Silver responded.

"Hey! Why are you being such a slacker, letting Theo do all the work when you should be doing it all yourself, you low-born!" exclaimed Leila. It is the tension that's made me sensitive. I lowered my brow. She is correct; I have no rights here; I am merely a freeloader in this situation, and tears welled up in my eyes. "Enough!" exclaimed Theodore.

"What?! I'm right, right? She's just extra baggage in the Student Body; being with a low-born is enough for me; I'm not tolerating this kind of behavior!" she yelled. "Theodore said enough, Leila! You're exaggerating!" exclaimed President.

"What?! You're siding with a peasant? Enough already!" Leila stormed out of the room. "Are you not going to follow her?" President Silver inquired.

"Why? Is she my lover or something?" I asked, raising my head, and they are not dating? I assumed they were. The situation is awkward as it is, but I felt relieved. There was a brief pause in between. "I will meet you in the lounge, and we will grab lunch later, then we'll go over our Development Plan together," I said, nodding. The President walked away.

I was about to walk away when Theodore spoke up. "I'm sorry for Leila, she's just frustrated, that's why she acted that way," he said, his eyes sad. "No, I'm the one who should apologize, Leila is correct; I acted like a freeloader, and this prick is so far away to let me die, I would've done this all," he was about to say when I left the room.

I went straight to the lounge. President Silver is standing by. "Do you want sashimi?" I asked, nodding. He led me to his car and drove me to a posh Sashimi restaurant. "Eat as much as you want, I'll pay for it; don't worry about the fees." After a while, they served a colorful plate of sashimi.

It has a variety of colors of fresh raw meat and meat that has been sliced into thin slices. It is served with dipping sauce and condiments such as wasabi paste, fresh ginger, and garlic.

He then began to speak. "Sorry for how Leila acted out earlier, she's just like that you know, acting like a spoiled brat because she's an only child, don't worry about it okay?" he said. "No, it's okay, just don't feel sorry for me anymore, I feel even worse about you people pitying me because I'm a low-born, don't worry about it any longer."

"All right," the air was deafeningly quiet. We quickly finished our meals. We quickly left the area and headed down a familiar road. "Let's stop by the company first; I'll collect the report, which we'll pass on to Mister Gutierrez. Stay here." He arrived after a few minutes. "Graduation is the next day; do you have your outfit ready?" I nodded.

He returned to the University and went to the Discipline Office. For a split second, there was chaos here, then peace, as if an angel had passed by. Mister Leo Gutierrez, Theodore, and Leila were present. "Mister, our project report..." I handed him the report and returned to where President was standing. "Well, if that's all, Mister, I'll get going; I have to get home soon, and I'll prepare for our graduation," I explained.

President offered to drive me home. "I'm fine, I'll go home by myself this time," I said as I shook my head and walked to the bus stop.