A Viral Video

"Where do you want to eat today?" Khalil asked, as they headed out of their classroom for their lunch break.

Klein took his time to answer. The best option was to go out of campus and get food while walking there, but a quick glance at his wristwatch told him they didn't have much time if he still wanted to drop by the study hall.

"Let's just go to the school cafeteria," Klein said after rounding a corner.

They walked through the hallway, catching hi's and hello's thrown at the taller boy beside him. Khalil was no doubt one of the popular guys on their block, mainly because of how naturally social he was. Add to that, he also had the looks, the body, and the wealth attached to his name.

Klein received glances too, but as soon as he returned their stares, they would cower away like leaflets of the bashful mimosa plant. Was he that intimidating to look at? Or perhaps it was his unusual silvery eyes.

Well, whatever. It's not like he wanted their attention.

Klein carried himself with confidence, though, so despite his social indifference, he was yet to become a target of bullying and harassment. Thanks to his natural gift of making someone feel like he existed to obliterate their entire existence, only to say it was just a prank because, honestly, he had never harmed anyone in his life.

"Hey, guys!" greeted a short girl at the end of the hallway, waving an enthusiastic hand at them. "Where are you off to? Going on a date?"

But of course, not everyone was terror-stricken upon seeing him. One of the notable persons aside from Khalil, who managed to go past his icy barriers was Maya—a girl with a wavy shoulder-length hair.

Maya was taking a different strand, which was Humanities and Social Sciences Strand (HUMMS), but she still hangout out with them whenever possible because they came from the same junior high.

"We're just going to the canteen," Khalil told her. "Do you want to come with us?"

"Is it okay? I don't want to disturb you 'Bebe' time," Maya chided.

And yes, Klein wanted to obliterate her existence for assuming he's dating Khalil, so he just tuned her out until they reached the closest campus cafeteria—the Anima Canteen.

Off-white walls with several large mechanical fans on its high ceiling, Anima Canteen was a spacious place to dine in. It had wide arched windows on each side, painting the eatery with a neoclassicism architecture in a modernized setting.

Since De La Lune University had integrated Senior High School into their campus, Anima Canteen catered to both College and Senior High students. As the school was trying to promote diversity, it's hard to tell them apart because students didn't have uniforms. They were allowed to express themselves freely as long as they follow the proper dress code.

"Hi Klein! You're looking good today," greeted a young man in his early 20s, wearing a green apron over a collared white shirt and dark grey slacks.

Klein returned the greeting with a timid smile, whilst Khalil's expression turned sour. He wasn't particularly wearing anything fancy. Just a semi-fitted black jeans and a gradient peppery grey shirt that had a darker shade at its bottom half.

Okay, maybe the semi-fitted jeans gave emphasis to his ass, but he swore that wasn't intentional.

"What do you want to eat, Klein? The usual?"

"I want the beef jerky, Froilan," Khalil said, leaning against the counter.

Froilan kept his customer service smile on his face when he replied. "I wasn't asking your order yet."

Khalil's eyeglasses glinted with murderous intent, so Klein decided to step in to diffuse the situation before things got nasty.

"Just give me the usual, Froi," Klein said.

"Alright! Chicken curry, coming right up!"

Honestly, Klein didn't care if the two decided to turn the place into a Warzone. But he'd prefer if they'd do it when he's not in the vicinity. He didn't want to get involved in the animosity boiling between the two. Not when Maya's face was warping into a crazed expression.

A moment later, Klein received his order arranged carefully in a dark-colored tray. Then he proceeded to the cashier after muttering a quiet, "thanks."

"Hold on." Froilan reached out a hand to put a plastic cup of custard pudding on his tray. His head tilted as he smiled, his dyed sandy-blond fringe sweeping slightly to the side. "On the house, Klein."

Klein's gaze involuntarily flickered to Khalil and gave an awkward laugh at the dark aura he emitted.

After successfully getting their order and avoiding a massacre, Klein settled on a square table with white chairs next to a window. Khalil sat next to his right while Maya took the seat in front of him.

"Guys, have you seen the new viral video on Facebook? Oh my god, it was so cool!" Maya said, trying to diverge Khalil's tension to something else.

Khalil grunted. "What viral video is it now?"

"Take a guess."

"Don't tell me it's another werewolf sightings," Khalil said in exasperation.

"Yes! Hold on. I actually saved it. Oh em gee, he's so hot! Look."

Klein merely paid attention to the overly excited girl. His nonchalant attitude had made it a point he was disengaged in the conversation. However, he couldn't completely block out Maya's shrill voice, so he can still hear whatever she was saying.

"I told you, they are real!"

"Eh... looks like a CGI effect to me."

"No, it's not!" Maya snatched her phone from Khalil's grasp, then slid it forward to him. "Klein, what do you think? It looks legit, right?"

Klein shoved a spoonful of rice curry to his mouth before glancing down on Maya's smartphone where a video of what seemed like a CCTV footage was playing on her social media account.

On the screen, it showed a couple taking a leisure walk on a street when a white van pulled over beside them. Several men came out and tried to abduct the girl, but the guy tried to defend her.

The next scene barely raised Klein's eyebrows as the guy shifted into a dire wolf that shredded his clothes, driving the abductors away in fear. Then, he reverted back to a naked man, who grabbed the unconscious girl at the side of the street and car-napped the van. Because apparently, he can't walk around with his big dong still swaying between his legs.

Klein was sure Maya was gushing over the man's body more than his werewolf transformation that looked like a very realistic CGI effect, like Khalil said.

'Yup, definitely fake.' Klein concluded in his mind. He can craft a hundred page thesis on why the man's transformation defies physics and logic, but he didn't voice that out.

"It's a good story material," Klein said, pushing Maya's phone back to her. He smiled. "You have a creative writing subject in your strand, right? You should write about it."

Werewolves. They were the rage of contemporary media these days. But even if they were real, Klein still couldn't understand why Maya was so obsessed with men who can transform into a wolf.

Just the idea of kissing an unnaturally furry person disgusted him. Their mouth was probably filled with a billion of germs found in every dog's mouth.

'Ew.'