1.8: The Three Meerkats

From afar, anyone can see the three of them sitting on the stairs outside Auditorium 3, exhausted and burdened. It's obvious because it's unusual for a group of students to be mingling around at this hour.

"You want some?" Han offers a bag of potato chips to Yara. She grabs the bag and fishes out a tiny chip before munching it slowly. A soft sigh escapes her lips.

"Yara, that's the tenth time you've sighed..."

"How can I not? I mean... Ughhhh!" she stomps her tiny feet. Pan can only look at Han and Yara, bickering like children. She checks her phone casually, just in case she gets a text from home.

"Lesson for the day: don't talk during a briefing by your senior," Han murmurs slowly.

"Don't you think they were targeting us?" Yara asks Han. He frowns while munching on a chip.

"Reason?"

"I don't know. Maybe we look superior in front of them!" Pan chuckles as she glares at Yara.

"We? Superior?" she asks cynically.

Suddenly, Yara grabs Pan's hand and stares at her, blinking her eyes like a puppy.

"You better tell us something, Pan! I can see that those seniors have been targeting you since we arrived at Auditorium 3. Did you...?"

Pan starts getting nervous.

"Did you step on their tail in a past life?"

"Don't be silly, you fool!" Han pulls her hair a bit in frustration. Pan laughs at their ridiculous conversation.

"That's enough, guys. I think we were wrong for being disrespectful to those seniors. It might seem like a small matter, but we need to learn the lesson: listen and pay attention to others," says Pan. "Imagine if everyone wanted to talk, who's going to listen? How will we relay the information then?" she continues.

Both Yara and Han nod slowly.

"This punishment is a form of education for us, so let's just do it!" Pan encourages them.

"Ahhh! Talking about the punishment... It's okay to be punished, but..." Yara is on the verge of crying. Han falls on his back, thinking about the punishment.

"Did you see how big that costume is? I can't even reach my hand to the end of the sleeves!" Yara whines.

"Imagine, right now the weather is scorching hot, and you have to walk in that costume... I might get a heat stroke!" Han rants.

***

The three of them enter the BBA council room after the orientation ends.

"Here come the three meerkats!" said Seth. Pan, Yara, and Han greet him politely.

"What's your name, boy?" Bear asked.

"Han, Senior..."

"Just Han?"

Han looked at Yara and Pan. They persuade him to tell his real name. Han felt hesitant but seemed like he had no choice.

"Han Anananda Wong, Senior..."

"Anananda? How are you related to Dean Anananda?" asked Seth.

"She... She... She's a relative, Senior," Han wanted to hide the fact that he is the son of the dean until the very end.

"Don't ever think you can escape just because she is your relative. Besides, she is just a relative, not your mom..."

If only they knew... Pan whispered in her heart.

"Cutie pie, what's your name?" asked Bear. Yara frowned and pouted her lips.

"My name is Yara Auswitz and I'm not a cutie pie!" she answered with gusto.

"Feisty..." Seth smirked. Yara gave him a sharp glare.

"Ai Lau, we've got another version of you here..." said Kim when he saw Lauring enter the room with a file in her hand. She put the file on the table in front of the three freshmen.

"Good! I do need one right now..."

"For what? Creating a new country for Shorties?" asked Seth. Kim laughed hard.

"Nope. To kick your balls, you mother fucking tall asses!" Lauring flashed her middle finger. Yara's eyes widened.

"She's even worse than you, Pan..."

Pan held back her laughter.

"Is everyone here already?"

Everybody stood up when Ta and Zee entered the room. Zee glared at Pan. The girl just stared at the blank space in front of her. He could see Kim and Seth whispering to each other. Kim slowly took out his phone.

"Evening, freshies. I believe you know why you're here..." Zee stood next to Ta, blocking Kim's view. The man grunted quietly.

"Why does he always get in my way?!" he whispered to Seth. His friend dared not to throw any comments on that.

"We realize our mistake, Senior Ta, Senior Zee... But, we beg you... Please give us a chance," said Han. He showed off his pitiful puppy eyes in front of them.

"Sorry, kiddo... But that doesn't work for them. Or us..." Bear put his hand on Ta's shoulder.

"Especially him..." Kitty pointed her finger at Zee.

Pan stared at his face. Zee changed a lot. It's been four years and he looked radiant and fine. Meanwhile, she's the one who looks like a loser now!

Silently, she feels hatred toward this man. While she was struggling to raise Shu alone, this man over here living his life to the fullest; furthering his studies, enjoying his youth days, and even joining the student council!

How dare you, Zee! You walk in a flowery road, while I'm living in hell, raising our daughter all by myself!

The world isn't fair at all!

"We agree to give you guys a lesson so you can learn something. It's not a harsh punishment as this is not a hazing, and we are not engineers anyway...."

This man is a SOTUS fan, not gonna lie... Han spoke to himself.

"Our faculty has a cafe that opens every day outside the campus. It's a collaborative project between the faculty and our former seniors," said Ta.

"For the incoming Campus Day this Saturday, they will set up a booth. So, we need your help. As a punishment, and also as a good introduction to our former seniors," Zee continued.

"Ah... That's easy! I don't mind doing a labor job. Setting the booth is my thing..." Han smiled ear to ear.

"Nope. Your job is not a labor job. It's a simple job, but it suits your personality," Ta signaled Cherry and Kitty. They disappeared from the room and came back 5 minutes later with a huge costume.

A mascot costume.

Yara, Pan, and Han couldn't hide their shocked Pikachu face when they saw the costume.

It's huge! You can even see it from Mars!

"You guys have to take turns, wear this costume, and work as a mascot for the whole day. I don't know how you gonna arrange the time. It's among you three. But, you have to be there this Saturday. By hook, or by crook," said Zee.

Yara almost burst into tears. Han still standing there, jaw-dropping. Only Pan remained calm. She looked at the costume and then looked at Zee and Ta.

"Can we go now? It's getting late. The dorm's gate will close soon," said Pan. She grabbed Yara and Han's hands tight.

"Fine. You may leave now. We'll send the location to you later," said Ta.

***

"Guys... Don't lose hope! I know this is hard. But, this is only a small tiny obstacle," Pan looks at Han and Yara.

"That is not small, Pan. Look at the head! It's almost as big as my bed-"

"Yara, can you please be a bit motivational and less dramatic? Like in the series when the character wants to boost their spirit!" Han squeaks at her.

Yara pouts and nods.

Pan laughs in tiny, looking at these two. The one who is too innocent and the one who is too savage. Suddenly, she misses her friend; Mei and Sofia.

If you guys were here with me, what would you do? She asks herself.