Ch. 25
The Cafeteria Buzz
The cafeteria was alive with chatter that morning trays clattering, students laughing, the smell of coffee and warm bread lingering in the air.
Selene walked in, holding her tray with one hand, scanning for an empty table. It was Friday again, but the energy in the air was different tense and curious, like everyone was talking about something juicy.
She picked a quiet corner near the windows, set her tray down, and just as she was about to take her first sip of orange juice, her ears caught a familiar name.
"Did you guys see the forum last night?" one girl whispered, leaning close to her friends.
"Liana Cerez actually confessed to that guy from the basketball team."
Selene froze mid-sip.
Liana?
Another voice chimed in, loud enough to make Selene's brows twitch.
"Yeah, the 3rd year varsity guy— Caleb Rivas. He's also one of the Student Council reps, right?"
The girls giggled behind their hands.
"Apparently she handed him a water bottle during practice, and then he—"
Selene didn't mean to listen, but her curiosity won over. She tilted her head slightly, pretending to scroll on her phone while eavesdropping.
"—he took the bottle, opened it, and poured it on her head!"
Selene nearly choked on her juice.
"What?!" the other girl gasped. "No way!"
"It's true!" the first one continued, lowering her voice in mock drama.
"He said, 'I don't need your water, I can buy this on my own,' and just walked off like nothing happened."
The group erupted in laughter, some with pity, others with sheer amusement.
Selene felt her stomach twist.
So, that's why she was drenched yesterday...
Her mind replayed the image Liana's trembling hands, her soaked hair, that forced smile.
The girl wasn't clumsy.
She was humiliated.
"Honestly, what was she thinking?" another girl muttered.
"Caleb Rivas? He doesn't even talk to people outside his circle."
"Right? She's brave but... delusional."
Selene set her drink down with a faint thud. Her eyes darkened a little, but her lips twitched into a sarcastic smirk.
Brave? More like heartbroken, she thought.
And that guy — tsk. Handsome, rich, part of the student council, but missed almost 5 shots?
A perfect jerk template.
She rolled her eyes.
Even his name sounds like trouble.
Curiosity got the better of her again, so she pulled out her phone and opened the student forum everyone was talking about.
And sure enough Liana's name was there. Trending.
The post was titled: "Desperate Much? First Year Girl Confesses to Caleb Rivas During Practice ????"
A few grainy pictures were attached, someone from the audience must've taken them. Liana, standing there nervously, holding out the bottle. Caleb, his expression unreadable... then the next photo is a water splashing down her face.
The comments were even worse.
"Poor girl. Wrong guy to confess to."
"Rivas is cold af, but I can't blame him."
"Cringe. Why do girls keep throwing themselves at him?"
Selene stared at the screen for a while, her jaw tightening. Then she turned it off, sliding her phone face-down on the table.
So, this is what she meant by 'I'm used to it,' huh?
The cafeteria noise faded in the background.
Her mind drifted, thinking about how easily everyone gossiped — how quickly they turned someone's pain into entertainment.
It made her sick.
Selene exhaled, picked up her fork, and stabbed a piece of pancake like it personally offended her.
"Guy's like him should be drowned under water," she muttered under her breath.
That afternoon, Selene adjusted her bag, walking leisurely toward the gym area. She didn't really know why she was going there maybe curiosity, or maybe that lingering irritation still simmering in her chest after seeing Liana's name plastered all over the student forum.
What a jerk, she thought, tightening her grip on the strap of her bag.
Pouring water on someone? Really?
As she rounded the corner, the faint echo of bouncing basketballs reached her ears. The gym doors were open again same place, same golden sunlight filtering through the high windows.
Inside, a group of players practiced drills, laughter and sneakers squeaking against the floor. The air was filled with that familiar mix of sweat and adrenaline.
And there he was.
Tall. Lean. The kind of guy who didn't even need to try to look good messy dark hair that somehow looked styled, sharp eyes that carried that calm, unreadable confidence.
So, that's the jerk who dumped Liana with a bottle of water?
Selene crossed her arms, unimpressed.
He moved easily on the court confident, fast, graceful even and every time the ball left his hands, it hit the net with precision.
"He's still missed," Selene whispered under her breath.
"Not worth confessing to."
A few girls were sitting by the bleachers, whispering and giggling.
"Caleb looks so serious today."
"Probably because of that Liana thing yesterday."
"Yeah, he didn't even apologize! But like... he's still sooo hot."
Hot? Try heartless.
Selene rolled her eyes so hard she almost saw her brain.
A cheer broke out when he made the final shot, ending practice. Caleb grabbed a towel from one of his teammates, running it over his hair.
She turned to leave, deciding she'd wasted enough time but then, like fate had a sense of humor, a stray basketball rolled right toward her feet.
She stopped, looked down at it, and then at the boy jogging toward her.
The heartless guy of Liana.
He slowed when he reached her, his expression neutral polite, but distant.
"Sorry. My bad."
Selene didn't move right away. She looked at the ball, then back at him.
"Should I be worried you'll splash this on me too?"
That caught him off guard.
His brow lifted, a flicker of amusement crossing his face.
"Excuse me?"
Selene froze.
Those sharp gray eyes flicked over her calm, unreadable, but undeniably curious.
He didn't smirk.
He didn't smile.
He just looked, like he was trying to figure out why she said that.
"Nothing."
Then she walked away.
Behind her, Caleb's teammate nudged him.
"Dude, isn't that the new girl from first year Class 1-A? Valen something?"
"Selene Valen," Caleb replied absently, still watching her retreating figure.
His tone was unreadable.
"She's been... around lately."
Selene, meanwhile, was fuming.
Not because of him exactly — but because she almost got caught staring.
"Ugh, great," she muttered, heading toward the gate path.
"Now he probably thinks, I'm one of those fangirls."
Her mind replayed Liana's face wet, trembling, humiliated.
Selene was at loss.
"Why am I getting worked up on Liana's business?"
Seriously? I'm so weird these days.