As Aiden slowly opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was an unfamiliar face seemingly about to kiss him. There was awkwardness in the air, as Min’s face started turning red from embarrassment. Aiden for his part had the usual poker face. They made eye contact for a good 30-seconds, an eerie silence surrounding both.

“What are you doing?” Aiden asked, as he broke the silence between them. It took a second for Min to regain his composure before he slowly backed off and stood upright.

“I-I… Uhm...” Min stuttered as he tried to find the correct words. Obviously feeling awkward and embarrassed about the situation. But before he could speak another word, Aiden raised his index finger up, a sign for Min to stop speaking.

Aiden stood up, and removed the earphones from his ears, “How did you find this place?” He asked, his voice cold as usual.

“I-It was an accident…” Min stuttered as his voice faded. His gaze turned towards the ground, not wanting to make eye contact out of embarrassment.

“It doesn’t matter now, you’re already here. What are you doing on my spot?” Aiden asked, as he walked towards Min, whose gaze was still directed on the ground.

“Like I said, it was an accident. I was trying to run away from these students, Ms. Katrina told me to follow the hedges, and I saw some students in front of me, so I tried to blend in with the hedges, when I leaned on it, I fell through a gap” Min explained, his face a little flushed.

Aiden walked closer until there was only a foot in between them, he then held up his left arm and grabbed Min by the chin and forced the taller boy to look him in the eye.

“Lesson one: When you talk with someone, it’s only polite to look at them in the eye” Aiden said as he stared directly at Min’s eyes, looking at him with a piercing glare, “Lesson Two: Introduce yourself first”.

“Lesson Three: Don’t ever invade my personal space”, Aiden lectured the other boy who was taller than him by a couple inches, releasing his grip from the boy’s chin. “Let’s do this again”.

“I-I’m sorry. My name is Thapthim Nontanakorn, exchange student from Thammasat University, Thailand” Min responded as he introduced himself, making sure that he was standing properly and looking straight at Aiden’s eyes.

“Got a nickname Thammasat kid?” Aiden replied, keeping his eye contact with the other boy.

“You can call me Min.” The taller boy responded, as he wiped his sweaty hands at the back of his trousers. Aiden gave out a huge sigh, crossing his arms together.

“You said you were being chased by some students? Where is Katrina?” Aiden asked, his facial expression staying constant.

“I don’t particularly know why I’m being chased. I just got here from the airport, so I’m confused to what’s happening. Ms. Katrina stayed behind to distract the students as I ran towards this building. I was told there was a side entrance that leads inside” Min answered Aiden’s question, adding further to his explanation from earlier.

“I see, so you’re that student from Thailand who was delayed” Aiden responded as he uncrossed his arms and placed both his hands inside his pockets.

“Yes. That’s me” Min smiled awkwardly out of embarrassment, “I hate to bother you any more than I already have, but can you show me the way inside this building?” Min added, using up all the courage he could to ask a favor from the person he disturbed.

Aiden took his phone out of his pocket and looked at the time. It was already 10:10 and the orientation was already well underway, “What a pain” Aiden complained as he gave another sigh. Aiden then returned his phone in his pocket and took a good look at Min.

“His polo is covered with dirt and has small tears, his pants should be fine, just needing to be brushed off. I’ll probably take him with me to the auditorium since that’s more than likely where Katrina was taking him. This is such a pain in the ass” Aiden thought to himself as he examined Min’s clothes.

“Uhmm…” Min murmured releasing Aiden from his observation, “Will you be able to help me?”

“What’s your polo size?” Aiden suddenly asked out of nowhere. “Medium. Why?” Min replied, getting more confused by the second.

“Take your polo off” Aiden demanded. Min could only react with a “Hah!?”

Inside the Student Center Auditorium, all the International Students have already gathered and have taken their seats. On the auditorium’s stage, a podium was placed in the center, with six chairs placed on the side, all filled except for one.

“Where is Aiden, I told him not to be late” Vice Chancellor Gutierrez whispered as she looked at her watch. It was already 10:15 and they were already behind schedule for the orientation.

“Vice Chancellor Gutierrez, is there a reason for the delay?” Chancellor Harrold Gazmin asked, as he leaned towards Vice Chancellor Gutierrez who was sitting right next to him.

“Well, the Student Council President is supposed to be here, and I was waiting for him to arrive before we get started” Vice Chancellor Gutierrez responded to the Chancellor.

The Chancellor smiled, “I’m sure he’ll be here, I think it’s best that we start the program and not let our new students keep waiting”, patting the Vice Chancellor on her shoulders.

“Yes. I do apologize for the delay; I’ll go ahead and start the orientation” Vice Chancellor Gutierrez said as she stood up from her chair and walked towards the podium. Upon reaching the podium, the Vice Chancellor tapped the mic to test if it was working, and at the same time get everyone’s attention.

“Good Morning International Students! My name is Aurea Gutierrez, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs here at Mount Juliet University” Vice Chancellor Gutierrez said in greetings, with the International Students greeting back with a loud “Good Morning”

“What energy! I hope all of you found our accommodations at the International House comfortable, and I hope everyone has had plenty of rest” Vice Chancellor Gutierrez said as the side door to the auditorium opened, and members of the Student Council walked in. This caught the attention of Vice Chancellor Gutierrez who turned to look at the Student Council members who entered. When she saw what Grace and Katrina looked like, her facial expression turned into bewilderment.

Grace and Katrina looked like they were in a brawl. Their appearance looked so unkempt that it took the Vice Chancellor by surprise. Grace’s hair was all over the place, as if her hairdryer exploded while she was drying her hair, her uniform was a complete mess, dirt and leaves visible even from where she was standing. Katrina did not fare any better, her hair looked so frizzed as if she just had a catfight with another person , the side of her shirt was a little bit ripped and covered with dirt and leaves, her jeans was turned too much to the left. It stood out even more since the other four members of the student council were the exact opposite – Aiden, however, was nowhere in sight.

“A-ah, it seems like our Student Council members just walked in” The Vice Chancellor stuttered as everyone in the auditorium turned towards where the Student Council Members were standing.

“I’m sure our Student Council Vice President and Comptroller have a perfectly good explanation as to why they look the way they are” the Vice Chancellor forced a smiled, as she tried to keep herself from being flustered. Grace and Katrina forced a smile, trying to not embarrass themselves any more than they already have. The Vice Chancellor cleared her throat before continuing, prompting the International Students to face the stage again.

“Mount Juliet University is honored and grateful that you could join us for this academic year, as the first batch of our international students here on campus, you have the honor of being called our inauguration class, and we sincerely hope that you enjoy your stay and experience here at our university”

The entire auditorium applauded as the Vice Chancellor slightly raised her hand to signal everyone to stop clapping, as she continued with her speech.

“As this is our first time hosting international students on campus, we still have areas that may not be particularly developed, and we sincerely hope that we could develop and further improve on these areas with your help. We encourage everyone to speak up and give suggestions on what we can improve, and what we can add to better serve you and your eventual successors in the coming years. We hope you could lend us a hand in improving and developing our International Exchange Program. Thank you, and once again we welcome you to Mount Juliet University!”. The Vice Chancellor’s speech was greeted with applause from everyone present.

After concluding her speech, the orientation coordinator called on Chancellor Gazmin to present his welcome speech to the International Students. The Vice Chancellor and the Chancellor passed by each other on stage, and as soon as the former took her seat, the latter took the podium.

“Thank you, Vice Chancellor Gutierrez. Good Morning students, my name is Harrold Gazmin, Chancellor of Mount Juliet University. I’m elated that our university has opened its doors to international students such as yourselves, since this opportunity will give our university a chance to further diversify and become more internationalized. My hope is that with this venture, our university could continue to grow and expand, and I’m excited that young adults from different corners of the world are able to join us at this exciting time at our university. Your very presence here on campus is already a new page in our history, a new beginning that will catapult this university into the future. Together, hand in hand, let’s make this an experience that would bring us to a better, and brighter tomorrow!” The Chancellor concluded as his speech was received by a standing ovation from everyone in the auditorium.

The standing ovation was short lived however, when the main doors of the auditorium suddenly opened. The clapping slowly faded as everyone focused their attention towards the door, located at the back of the auditorium, on the opposite side of the stage. Standing at the entrance where two silhouettes, slowly walking towards the stage – it was Aiden and Min.

As Aiden and Min walked towards the stage, the applauses that echoed throughout the auditorium was replaced by squeals and awe – mainly from the female students. While the male students started chattering with themselves. Everyone was confused and surprised with the sudden entrance of Aiden and Min, which caught the Student Council members by surprise. As the two walked closer to the stage, Aiden’s appearance came into view. His polo was messed up, dirt and small tears can be visibly seen. Aiden though, did not seem bothered by it, and continued to walk confidently towards the stage, remaining stoic.

All the girls, and some boys, took their phones out and started taking pictures and videos of the two boys walking towards the stage. As the two got close towards the front of the auditorium, Min’s friends, Ball and Bank started waving their hands in the air and pointing at an empty seat between them. Aiden saw this and tilted his head to the left, signaling Min to go where his friends were and take his sit. The taller boy complied without hesitation.

Aiden continued walking by himself towards the stage, stopping in front of the stage before he spoke in a loud voice. “Chancellor Gazmin, Vice Chancellor Gutierrez, members of the International Exchange Program staff, and faculty members, Aiden Kobayashi reporting for duty” as he stood in front of the podium which was elevated by a few feet, his arms crossed behind his back.

The Chancellor gave out a chuckle, with Vice Chancellor Gutierrez giving a sigh of relief, “Aiden, I’m so glad you could make it” The Chancellor said, as the squeals started fading, “You always seem to make all the girls squeal wherever you go, and you never fail to make an entrance” The Chancellor added before he gave a hearty laugh.

Again, in a loud voice Aiden responded, “I do apologize for my tardiness Chancellor. Also, forgive my appearance, I ran into some trouble, hence the reason for my polo being dirty and torn”

“Don’t worry about it, son, do come up here and introduce yourself to our international students” The Chancellor replied as he invited Aiden to take up the podium, “Everyone let’s give Aiden a round of applause” to which the entirety of the auditorium complied.

As Aiden reached the podium, the Chancellor shook his hand before returning to his seat,. As Aiden took the podium, everyone’s eyes were locked unto him, anticipating his welcome message.

“Good Morning everyone, first and foremost, I would like to apologize for my tardiness and appearance, especially for this important event” Aiden started his speech.

“My name is Aiden Kobayashi, President of the Mount Juliet University Student Council, and President of the International Student Organization. I’m a Sophomore from the College of Global Studies and Social Sciences, double major in International Studies and Political Science. It’s a pleasure to meet everyone” Aiden introduced himself before taking a small bow. All the girls at the auditorium started squealing again, as they started taking pictures of Aiden as he stood at the podium.

“As Student Council President, I’m honored and humbled by everyone’s presence here, and grateful that you all chose Mount Juliet University to further your studies. I can assure you, being a student myself in this institution, that you will have a great education and experiences. Once you all have completed your orientation, you will be transitioned to your respective colleges and eventually to regular classes, along with our domestic students. In addition, Mount Juliet University is proud of its enormous selection of student organizations and clubs, which all of you will be able to learn more about and possibly join during our Student Organization Fair on Friday, it would be an honor to have you join one of our organizations and clubs to help yourselves integrate and learn more about our extracurriculars, students, campus, and community. Furthermore, our staff at the International Exchange Program Office will assist you with any questions and concerns that you may have, we expect and encourage you to voice out any concerns or problems that you may have, so we can attend to your needs better, and help improve our services”

“Finally, as International Students, all of you are automatically admitted to the International Student Organization. The purpose of this organizations is to help and guide our International Students assimilate and transition to the local customs and culture here at the university, as well as the community. Everyone will be informed more about the ISO during your orientation, including when and where our first meeting will be held, I look forward to working and meeting all of you. Thank you” Aiden concluded his speech as the students filled the auditorium with applause and squeals.

“Hey Min, do you know that guy?” Ball asked in their native language while clapping.

“No, I actually just met him, ran into him by accident actually” Min responded, he himself clapping.

“It’s your first day, and you just arrived too, and you’re already making all the girls squeal” Ball added teasingly as he clapped.

Min just snorted, “I think it was more the Student Council President than me”.

“Still humble as ever” Ball teased as he focused his attention towards the stage. Min snorted again and just gave a smile.

Aiden stepped back from the podium and walked beside it before giving another bow. Before he could walk away from the podium, the orientation coordinator opened the floor for questions, giving the International Students  a chance to ask the Student Council President 3-questions before the orientation could move forward. Aiden lowkey reacted; his facial expression shifted. Although not an obvious shift of reaction to the International Students and other members of the Student Council, Katrina and Aaron could tell Aiden’s mood with that subtle reaction.

“Aiden’s probably not going to enjoy this” Grace commented as she tried to fix herself up, dusting away the dirt and leaves off her uniform.

“I can already tell what the girls are going to ask him” Katrina added as she combed her hair, albeit having a hard time due to the small twigs and leaves caught on her hair, and due to the frizz on her hair.

“By the way, what happened to the both of you?” Moira asked as she looked at Grace and Katrina, who was desperately trying to make themselves look presentable.

“Long story” Grace and Katrina responded the same time. Kobe and Aaron could only laugh, while Angela kept herself from laughing by softly biting down on her lip.

The orientation coordinator then asked if anybody wants to volunteer to ask the first question, almost immediately all the girls raised their hands. The orientation coordinator was taken aback, but not surprised, knowing Aiden’s reputation at the university. It was hard for the orientation coordinator to choose from all the hands that were up, but eventually chose one of the girls sitting on the front row.

One of the orientation assistants walked towards her and hander her a mic. Before she could speak, the orientation coordinator asked her to state her name, major, home university, country of origin, and question in that order.

“I bet you 200 pesos that she’s going to ask if Aiden is single” Aaron said, looking at Kobe, challenging the other boy to a wager.

“I doubt it, that’s too brash of a question to ask. On the first day too! Fine, bet!” Kobe replied, shaking Aaron’s hand in the process as the two looked on towards the girl asking the question.

“Hi, my name is Ashley Covington, Graphics Design major from the University of California Berkeley, United States. My question for the Student Council President is, are you single?” Ashley asked bluntly as the girls in the auditorium reacted to the question. Kobe, standing on the sidelines gave out a sigh, took out his wallet and handed Aaron 200 Pesos.

“What a straightforward question” the orientation coordinator said excitedly as Aiden took to the podium.

“Yes” Aiden said in a semi-cold and crisp tone, generating squeals of excitement from the girls in the auditorium. The orientation coordinator then asked for the next question. This time, he chose one of the girls in the middle section. Another orientation assistant provided a mic.

“Hello, my name is Keiko Sugiyama, English major from Wakayama University, Japan. My question is, are you Japanese?”

Aiden responded with “Half” as the Japanese girls in the auditorium started giggling to themselves, obviously excited and attracted to Aiden, who remained stoic but subtly growing annoyed.

When the orientation coordinator asked for the final question, one guy raised his hand, which quickly caught the attention of both Aiden and the orientation coordinator. Aiden was staring directly at the person who raised his hand, his facial expression saying, “What the hell are you doing!?”, as one of the orientation assistants walked towards where the person was, carrying a mic.

“Hello, my name is Thapthim Nontanakorn, Economics major from Thammasat University, Thailand. My question for Aiden is…” Min stopped for a second to make eye contact with Aiden, creating a suspenseful atmosphere, before smirking,  “When can I get my polo back?” Min’s smirk turned into a full-blown grin, seemingly to tease and provoke Aiden. The question made the girls cover their mouth and faces to conceal their reactions to the subtle bromance that was unfolding, with the Student Council members dumbstruck and caught off guard. Aiden’s expression almost visibly changed, which surprised the Student Council members, as this was the first time, they saw a not so subtle change in Aiden’s expression - the orientation coordinator, even Vice Chancellor Gutierrez were surprised by the question. Chancellor Gazmin only gave out a hearty laugh, as if he already realized the polo switch.

“Oho-ho” the orientation coordinator teasingly reacted, as he looked at Aiden, seemingly checking out the polo he was wearing. As he noticed the differently colored college sigil on Aiden’s breast pocket, the orientation coordinator added, “It does look like that Aiden is wearing an International Student polo from the College of Global Studies and Social Sciences!”. This prompted Aiden to give Min a subtle death stare.

“So, Aiden? What’s your answer? The orientation coordinator pressed Aiden, as the Student Council President composed himself enough – although subtly – to be able to answer.

Aiden raised a brow - his cheeks shaking lightly as he gave Min a cold piercing stare. He cleared his throat to fully compose himself, before he responded.

“You can have your polo back after your orientation has concluded”. It was a cold, bland and flat response.

The orientation coordinator then interjected to announce that there will no more questions that will be asked and that the welcome ceremony will soon conclude and will move on to the next phase. Aiden for his part, stepped back from the podium and gave another bow as the international students started a scattered round of applause which soon turned to a full applause from everyone.

Aiden then went directly to the empty seat besides Vice Chancellor Gutierrez and took a seat as the entire auditorium was filled with applauses. As the clapping slowly died down, the International Exchange Program Director, Allan Guerrero, walked towards the podium to make one final announcement.

“There is one important matter that we would like to bring to our international students. We would like you all to nominate a fellow International Student who would represent everyone at our Student Council, please use the rest of the orientation day to get to know people and think of who you will nominate for the position. Also, think about the officers to select for the International Student Council. Thank you!” Director Guerrero concluded as another round of applause filled the auditorium.

“Thank you, Director Guerrero! This concludes our welcome ceremony; all international students are requested to remain seated for the continuation of your orientation. All non-International Students, except for the International Exchange Program staff are asked to please promptly leave the auditorium” the orientation coordinator announced as the Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, Aiden, the rest of the Student Council, and other faculty and staff exited the auditorium.

Outside the auditorium, the Chancellor, Vice Chancellor and Aiden started a conversation, with the rest of the Student Council members standing close by.

“Thank you for that speech Aiden, it was delivered so professionally. Inspirational indeed” Chancellor Gazmin complimented Aiden as he patted the boy’s shoulder.

“You’re welcome Chancellor, I’m only doing my duties as Student Council President, and President of the International Student Organization” Aiden replied as he bowed his head slightly.

“I do hope you and the rest of the Student Council will work together with the international students, their chosen representative and the International Student Council” Chancellor Gazmin said as he looked at Aiden and then turned to look at the rest of the Student Council members.

“Yes sir” Aiden replied before the Chancellor excused himself, as he walked away from the group. When the Chancellor was further away, Aiden spoke again.

“Let’s hear it, I know you’re dying to ask me about the polo thing” Aiden said in a low voice, addressing Vice Chancellor Gutierrez who was standing beside him.

“What was that all about though?” Vice Chancellor Gutierrez replied in the same low voice, seemingly curious as to what led to that unexpected episode with the Thai exchange student.

“It’s a long troublesome story, I’ll tell you all about it later” Aiden replied as he used his eyes to point towards the other Student Council members who was lowkey trying to listen on in their conversation.

Vice Chancellor Gutierrez snorted as she chuckled, “I understand, I’m letting you off the hook since that polo incident was interesting” she added before she excused herself and left. Aiden then turned where the other Student Council members were and started walking. As Aiden passed by them, Kobe was about to open his mouth when Aiden promptly said, “Don’t even ask” as he walked pass them.

Before Aiden opened the door leading to the exit, he stopped, turned around and said,

“Grace, Katrina, go get yourselves cleaned up”, before putting his earphones in and walking out.

“He’s definitely in a foul mood” Aaron said as he shrugged his shoulders, looking at Katrina who only responded with a “Yeah”.

“Really?” Kobe asked in a surprised tone, confused as how the other two could tell.

“Yeah, his facial expression looked the same as always. I mean, we noticed his expression change on stage earlier, but his expression right now seemed normal as usual” Grace added, looking at Katrina and Aaron. Moira, Kobe and Angela, listening in on the conversation looked at Aaron and Katrina as well.

“It’s actually quite hard to explain. I guess, we can tell since we’ve known Aiden for a while now” Katrina said as she crossed her arms, “You kinda have to get to know him to be able to tell”.

“I guess that’s only natural, you and Aaron seem to be the only people that knows Aiden the most in the Student Council” Grace conceded, “In any case, I’m heading back to my dorm to get fixed up, you want to come along, Katrina?” Grace offered as she changed the subject.

“I appreciate the offer, but I have class at 11:30, I’ll take my chances with what I have now” Katrina responded with a laugh.

“I understand, so what about you guys?” Grace asked the rest of the group.

“I don’t have class until 13:00, so I’ll probably head to the cafeteria and grab something to eat, then probably hang in the Student Council room” Kobe responded as he looked at Moira and Angela.

“What time is it by the way?” Angela suddenly asked.

“It’s about 10:50” Katrina responded, looking at the time on her phone.

“I guess I’ll go with Kobe to the cafeteria, I never got the chance to grab breakfast since I headed straight to the Student Council room to get the brochures ready” Angela said, as she looked at Moira, then Aaron.

“Yeah, I have Philosophy at 11:30, so I can’t go with you guys” Moira said, looking a little down, “If I could skip class, I would, but since it’s the first day, that would be a bad impression”

“Aaron?” Grace asked as everyone turned their attention to him.

“I have class at 11:30 too, I’ll probably walk with Katrina since our class is in the same building”

“I see, well, we’ll all meet at the Student Council room at 17:00 for our weekly meeting” Grace reminded everyone, “If anything comes up, just message on the group chat, I’ll see you guys later” Grace finally said before the group went their separate ways.

Inside the auditorium, as the orientation coordinator spoke, explaining important details to the international students. Min, Ball, and Bank started having a conversation in their native language. Keeping their voices low as to not get in trouble.

“What was that all about?” Bank asked Min, curious as to what the deal was with the Student Council President earlier.

“Yeah, what’s the deal with the two of you?” Ball added as he and Bank looked at Min who was sitting in between them.

“I’m just aggravating him a little bit” Min chuckled, still looking at the orientation coordinator who was explaining something, but was barely paying any attention to what was being said.

“Did something happen on your way here?” Bank asked, keeping his voice low.

“I guess you could say the Student Council President and I had an encounter before I got here”

“What kind of encounter? And what’s the deal with the polo?” Ball further inquired, with Bank also anxious to hear the answer.

“It wasn’t anything big, just an accidental meeting”

“You need to be more specific Min!” Bank whispered a little louder, with Ball giving him the look to keep his voice down. Min snorted, giving a suppressed laugh.

“At least explain the polo thing to us” Ball added in a semi-begging tone.

Min started to giggle, trying hard to suppress it, “All I could say for now is the Student Council President is an interesting guy”.

“Shit” Ball cursed, giving out a sigh, “Min, I know you like to tease people, but please don’t pick on the Student Council President! As your best friend, I’m telling you to behave” Ball added, who was already pleading Min to not mess with the Student Council President.

“Ball and I know that you have a friendly and outgoing personality, and you get along with people, but I’m with Ball on this one. The Student Council President seem like the serious type” Bank said, agreeing with Ball on the matter with Aiden.

“I’ll tell you guys later, so shut up for now, I’m trying to listen” Min responded as he tried to dismiss Bank and Ball’s concerns.

“You better tell us later when we get back at the International House!” Ball insisted, with Bank agreeing with him as they finally put the matter to rest – for now.

Meanwhile, at the rooftop of the College of Global Studies and Social Sciences, Aiden was laying on his back, staring towards the sky, his earphones still in his ears, almost ready to fall asleep again.

“That Thammasat Kid gets on my nerves” Aiden whispered to himself as he remembered that awkward moment at the welcome ceremony for the International Students, “Such a pain in the ass”. Aiden closed his eyes, trying to calm his nerves and relax a little bit, when his phone vibrated. Aiden opened his eyes and took his phone out of his pocket, placing it over his face.

“New message from Jess”

“I wonder what chief wants?” Aiden asked himself before opening the message.

“Hey! Aiden, do you have time right now? Can you drop by the Café? I need to talk to you about something. I hope to see you soon little brat :p” the message read, as Aiden gave a deep sigh, before sitting up.

“Yeah, I’m free right now, what’s up?” Aiden replied. A few seconds later, another message from “Jess” arrived, making Aiden’s phone vibrate again.

“That’s rare of you to reply, and quick too! You usually just show up without messaging back, also, do you not have classes?” Jess said in reply.

“I can’t be bothered going there without any reason. I do have class, but I’m skipping all of them today, I don’t feel like going. Anyways, what do you want?”

A few seconds later, Aiden’s phone vibrated again.

“You’re still skipping classes huh? Well, I’m not too worried about you, you’re a genius anyways. LOL!”

“I wish she would just tell me what she wants” Aiden whispered before replying to Jess’ the last message.

“If you’re not going to tell me, I’m turning my phone off, this is getting pointless”

Another second later, Aiden’s phone vibrated again.

“I have a new cappuccino machine. :P :P :P”

Aiden raised his brows after reading Jess’ last message, immediately replying after reading it.

“I hate it when you use the caffeine against me. I’m on my way, be there in a few” Aiden replied before he finally got up, putting his phone back in his pocket before patting the back of his pants clean.

“I almost fell asleep too” he told himself as he looked at the view of the university from the rooftop of his college. Aiden took a deep breath and headed towards the door. Before heading towards his destination, he went back to the back of the Student Center where he first met Min, entering though the hidden gap in the hedges to retrieve his backpack and the file folder that Grace gave him earlier in the morning. After collecting his stuff, Aiden headed towards the east entrance, being careful not to get spotted by any Aiden Guardians member or any of the Hunters.

After exiting the east entrance, he crossed the street and started walking down a roadway opposite of the east entrance. It was about a 20-minute walk, until he reached a spacious park with a playground, gazeboes, benches, a round water fountain, ground fountains, splash pads, and a hill that has a waterfall that goes into a large pond on its base. On top of the hill is a café called “Café Confiture”, which was Aiden’s destination.

When Aiden reached the top of the hill, the façade of the café came into view. It was a mid-sized café that has large pane windows, and outside patio, a second floor with a terrace that offers a great view of the park below and the neighboring areas, the café itself resembled a glass house from a distance. As Aiden walked towards the entrance, a staff member who was mopping the floors on the outdoor patio stopped what she was doing and greeted the approaching boy, naturally, Aiden just ignored them and headed straight into the café. The staff member just smiled and shook her head as she resumed mopping.

As Aiden entered the Café, he took his earphones out and wrapped it around his neck, a voice suddenly called out from the counter, “What’s up Poker Prince?”

“Stop calling me by that nickname” Aiden sighed as he walked towards the counter, sitting on one of the stools, placing his backpack on the stool beside him.

“Look who came to visit” another voice said coming from the 2^nd floor balcony overlooking the ground floor of the cafe.

“I wasn’t really given a choice, besides you practically bribed me with a cappuccino” Aiden replied as he turned his head towards where second voice came from, “So, what do you want Jess?”

“Stop calling me by that name!” Jess exclaimed before walking towards the stairs, to go over where Aiden is, “I told you to call me by my title when you’re here you little brat” she added in a loud voice.

Jessica “Chief” Francisco is the chef and owner of Café Confiture. She was a Mount Juliet Alumnus, who graduated with a degree in Business Administration, and later a Master’s in Business Administration. After completing her master’s degree, she went to France for 4 years to study culinary arts, after she came back from France, she established Café Confiture. Jessica is 172cm tall, has short black hair, three piercings on her right ear, and two on the left. She also has her entire back covered with tattoo and has other tattoos on her arms and legs as well. Jess is extremely open-minded and matured, she is extremely patient, protective, and understanding. Jessica has a lighter side too, she is friendly, outgoing, adventurous, and likes to tease people close to her, most especially Aiden. Although a full-blooded Filipino, she has fair complexion, and always gets mistaken as a foreigner. She has a boyish attitude sometimes, and often gets mistaken as a lesbian. She cares deeply for her staff and acts as sister figure to both Dani and Aiden.

The person manning the counter leaned towards Aiden, “Here you go Poker Prince” as she placed a cup of cappuccino in in front of Aiden. The smell of the cappuccino made him turn towards the warm cup placed in front of him, seemingly going deaf, and not hearing the “Poker Prince” comment. Aiden lifted the cup from the counter and took a sip, savoring the flavor he was tasting.

Aiden’s eyebrows twitched, an indication he was satisfied with what he was drinking. Placing the cup down on the counter, Aiden looked at the person who made the cappuccino,

“You never fail to impress, Beans” Aiden added, his facial expression still the same.

“Stop calling me by that name, you brat!” Claire frowned, as she leaned towards Aiden again, as close as she can without invading Aiden’s personal space, “It wouldn’t kill you to smile, or at least have a different expression on your face, other than that poker face”

Claire “Beans” Francisco is Café Confiture’s Barista. Like her sister before her, she was a Mount Juliet Alumnus, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. After she graduated from college, she worked at several coffee houses and cafes, eventually settling in at Café Confiture after her older sister opened her business.  Claire is 168cm tall, has long black hair that goes down past her shoulders, multiple earrings on her right ear, and three on her left, she also has a nose piercing. Unlike her older sister, Claire can sometimes be immature, always teasing Aiden whenever she gets that chance. Like her older sister, she is friendly, open minded and outgoing. Claire is also full-blooded Filipino, though unlike her sister is a little bit more tanned.

“It could, but you dying of high blood pressure is a higher probability” Aiden quipped before taking another sip of cappuccino. As he was taking another sip, Jess sat on one of the empty stools in front of the counter. Beans just sighed, placing both her arms on her hips.

“I’m guessing I’m not here because of your new cappuccino machine?” Aiden said as he placed his cup down on the counter.

“No, actually. I’m planning on changing Café Confiture’s hours of operation, and mainly operate late in the afternoon up until later in the night” Jess explained, getting Aiden’s attention in the process.

“Why the sudden change of hours?” Aiden asked, taking another sip of his cappuccino.

“Let’s just say that I’m shaking things a bit”

“But that’s not the reason why I’m here now am I? You wouldn’t summon me here without a reason, or an ulterior motive” Aiden responded as he took another sip.

“Sharp as ever. No ulterior motive though” Jess responded, giving a quick laugh,  “I know you did some part-time work here last year and over the summer, and I was wondering if you are interested in working here full-time?” Jess followed up, prompting Aiden to stop sipping his cappuccino halfway, looking at Jess, then adjusting his eyes to look at Claire.

“That’s random, and out of nowhere I might add” Aiden replied, confused as to what led to this sudden offer of full-time employment, “Why the sudden offer?” Aiden asked, still holding his cup of cappuccino.

“For some reason, all of my regulars seem to enjoy you working here” Jess responded before Beans interjected, “Even though you don’t smile at the customers, I might add. Sometimes it makes me wonder what it is about you that attracts people, not only that you have that poker face all the time, you can be cold and a snob at times” Claire added teasingly.

“We do enjoy working with you here as well, even though you don’t smile at the customers and all” Jess laughed, prompting Claire to grin a little bit.

“If you need time to think about this, I can wait” Jess continued as the staff member who was mopping outside entered the café.

“Oh, Dani, you done outside?” Claire asked as Dani pushed the mop bucket and wringer inside the café.

Danica “Dani” Enriquez is one of Café Confiture’s staff. Like Aiden, she is also a Mount Juliet University student, although a senior. She started working at Café Confiture a few weeks before Aiden started his part-time job a year ago. Dani is 170cm tall, has long black hair which she keeps braided, she is also a full-blooded Filipino. Dani is timid but can be outspoken about things she is passionate about, she loves to write, read books, compose songs, and play instruments – she can play the piano, guitar, violin, and the flute. With her hobbies, she is a member of MJU’s Music Club, Writer’s Guild, and Book Club. Dani is knowledgeable and smart and is always on the top of her class. She majors in Biology.

“Yeah, just finished” Dani said as she stopped close to the counter where everyone was, “So did the chief ask Aiden yet?”

“That’s what we’re talking about right now” Claire said before Aiden took one final sip of cappuccino and placed his empty cup on top of the counter with a thud. This caught everyone’s attention, which made them look towards where Aiden was.

“Okay. I’ll do it” Aiden said as he accepted the offer, “I need the distraction anyways”

Jess, Claire , and Dani were left surprised with Aiden’s answer, considering that it took him over a month to accept the part-time job the previous year. The three women looked at each other, confused and taken aback with the speed that Aiden accepted the offer.

“Did something happen? What’s with the sudden decision?” Jess asked, curious as to why he suddenly accepted the job offer without thinking about it.

“Let’s just say it’s not going to be a peaceful year this year. A lot of troublesome and annoying things are happening” Aiden responded, a little irritated as it reminded him of that polo episode at the auditorium.

“Something going on at MJU?” Claire asked, as she grabbed the empty cup that Aiden used.

“Ah!” Dani suddenly reacted, “Does this have something to do with the international students?”

“International students?” Jess asked, puzzled as to what Dani was talking about.

“Mount Juliet has started accepting international students this year, I heard from my friends this morning about the huge crowds in front of the hall where the international students are staying” Dani added.

“Really?” Claire reacted as she washed the cup that Aiden used, “That’s something new”

“Yeah, for real” Jess added before facing Aiden and pointing at his polo, “Also, did your college change polos? What’s the deal with that messy polo of yours?”

Claire and Dani reacted in surprise, as they failed to notice Aiden’s ripped and messy polo as they were too pre-occupied with the job offer that Jess and Aiden was discussing.

“You’re right!? Did you get into a brawl?” Claire reacted in a loud voice.

“Chief is right, the sigil has a different color. I thought it was just plain black?” Dani added, still holding on to the mop’s handle.

Aiden gave a huge sigh and rolled his eyes in response to the inquiries.

“Is this one of the reasons you accepted the offer so readily?” Jess inquired, Aiden’s reaction revealing the reasoning behind his quick decision.

“Probably the biggest of all the annoying and troublesome things going on right now” Aiden scoffed, earning him a laughter from everyone.

“Right, we won’t pry to whatever those are” Jess replied, ending the discussion about the polo, “So, are you staying or going?” Jess asked.

“You already know the answer to that chief” Aiden answered before jumping out of the stool, grabbing his bag and started walking towards the stairs, “I’ll be on my usual spot”

“Reading or sleeping?” the Chief asked as Aiden walked away from the counter.

“Both” Aiden said before putting his earphones back in his ears.

“Thank you by the way, I appreciate you accepting the offer!” Jess called out loudly. Aiden just raised his right hand in the air in acknowledgement.

As Aiden reached the base of the stairs, he noticed a picture frame hanging on the wall to his left, it was a picture from a year ago. It was a picture taken in front of the café with Aiden in the middle, Claire and Dani flanking him making the peace sign, and Jess standing behind Aiden placing a peace sign behind Aiden’s head. All three women were smiling, Aiden had both arms in his pocket, with his signature poker face with a subtle hint of annoyance. Aiden stared at the picture for a moment before proceeding to the second floor of the café.

“Aiden hasn’t changed a bit” Jess said smiling, prompting Claire and Dani to look at her.

“You got that right sis” Claire added as she put up the cup she was washing to dry, “Still emotionless as ever. But I guess that’s what makes Aiden unique”

“He really does stand out in a café that mainly has women working in it” Dani added, chuckling a little bit.

“I wonder if we’ll see the day Aiden will smile?” Jess said, as she took out a pack of cigarettes from her back pocket.

“Maybe, one day” Claire added as her sister took a stick of cigarette out.

“Still, I’m impressed with Aiden. He still accepted the job even though he’s extremely busy at school” Dani said, with Claire and Jess looking at her, seemingly unaware of what Aiden does at MJU.

“Wait, what do you mean?” Jess asked with a cigarette stick in between her lips.

“Oh, you probably don’t know” Dani said before continuing, “Aiden was actually elected as Student Council President last semester, I also heard that he was selected to be the President of the new International Student Organization. In addition, he also has other extracurriculars as well”

“What!?” Jess and Claire exclaimed, with the former dropping her cigarette on the floor.

“Aiden never mentioned any of these!” Jess said, surprised, “Now I feel bad offering him another responsibility” she added before picking up her cigarette off the floor.

“Maybe you should talk to him again sis” Claire suggested, seemingly worried about Aiden.

“I don’t think it would do any good, he’s the type to carry through with things he started” Jess replied before putting her cigarette back between her lips.

“I agree with the chief, that’s what I like about him, he’s also a hard worker” Dani added before pushing the mop wringer and bucket towards the utility closet.

“Well, if you guys think it would be fine, then I guess that’s okay” Claire reluctantly rested her case, “By the way Dani, how did you know all of that?”

“Oh” Dani said as she pushed the wringer and bucket into the closet, “I follow Aiden Guardians’ page on Facebook”

“Aiden Guardians?” Jess asked, keeping the unlit cigarette between her lips.

“Yeah, that’s what Aiden’s Fans call themselves” Dani answered as she walked back towards where Jess and Claire are.

“Aiden has a fanbase? Claire asked in disbelief, “That Poker Prince?”

“Yeah, here” Dani said as she took her phone out to show Jess and Claire the Facebook page she was talking about.

“It is true!” Claire exclaimed, with Jess showing a surprised expression “It has a million followers!”

“Yeah, that’s pretty much people from around the country, but if I’m not mistaken, Aiden Guardians has almost 8000 members on campus” Dani explained further, “Aiden’s Twitter and Instagram also has the same followers as the Aiden Guardians’ page”

“Since when did Aiden get on social media?” Jess asked, confused.

“I think before this semester started” Dani replied

“Just before this semester!? But it has so many followers already!” Claire exclaimed in disbelief.

“Do you know why he got into social media?” Jess asked, “That’s unlike him, though”

“I think because of his election as Student Council President or something, I don’t know the real reason to be honest, even his fan base doesn’t know why he went on social media as well” Dani said, sounding apologetic for not knowing the reason.

“Well, maybe one day Aiden will tell us the reason” Jess grinned, still with the cigarette between her lips. Jess then looked at Claire, who immediately knew what her sister was saying as both sisters got their phones out and followed Aiden on Twitter and Instagram.

“Wait, does Aiden have Facebook?” Claire asked as she hit the follow button.

“I don’t think so” Dani replied, “If he has, then it would be all over his fanbase’s Facebook page”

“In any case, this turned out to be a really surprising day” Jess added, before finally pulling out her lighter from her front pocket and lighting her cigarette.

“No kidding” Claire commented, Dani just gave out a small laugh.

“Anyways, get things ready, we’re opening soon” Jess finally said as she walked out the front door to smoke her cigarette as Dani and Claire nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, in Mount Juliet University, Mingyu and Jasper were walking around campus after watching the International Student procession.

“There were so many cute girls!” Mingyu excitedly exclaimed as he scrolled through his phone’s gallery which was pretty much filled with stolen pictures of the female International Students.

“I wanted to get an up-close picture though, but there were just so many students blocking my view, plus the ROTC barricade” Mingyu continued, seemingly disappointed not being able to get closer pictures.

 “It’s better than nothing you know” Jasper responded, his hands both locked behind his head, “Besides, as the Vice President of the International Student Organization, you would have plenty of chances to get pictures, and probably some of the girls’ LINE and Kakao” Jasper added, encouraging his friend’s behavior.

“This is true!” Mingyu responded loudly, his face becoming lively with that realization.

“Though, knowing how aggressive you are, you may turn them all off” Jasper chuckled.

“Regardless, NEVER GIVE UP!!!!!!” Mingyu cried out, exclaiming his motto out loud, which got the attention of other students around them.

“You have so much energy when it comes to girls” Jasper commented seemingly envious of his friend’s seemingly unlimited energy.

“Of course! That’s what makes Mingyu, well, Mingyu!” Mingyu responded.

“That doesn’t make sense, but okay?” Jasper gave out another chuckle as they walked pass the cafeteria, “By the way, how many classes do you have today?”

“Oh, I have 2 today, but they’re not until this afternoon. What about you?”

“I have 3, they’re all in the afternoon too. Too bad Aaron couldn’t join us at the procession earlier” Jasper added, lamenting that their other friend wasn’t able to join them.

“Yeah, speaking of the procession, I wonder what was happening with Grace earlier?” Mingyu asked, curious about that whole episode that morning.

“I don’t know, but I’m really curious about it” Jasper added, as he pondered on probable possibilities.

“We could ask Katrina and Aaron, they’ll probably know”

“This is true, but I don’t want to pry too much on Grace’s or the Student Council’s business”

“I wonder if it has something to do with what’s on the Hunters’ Facebook page. They posted some pictures and went live earlier, though I didn’t bother looking at it, I just saw the notification” Mingyu concluded.

“Huh, maybe we should check it out” Jasper suggested as he took his phone out.

Jasper opened his Facebook app on his phone and went to the Hunters’ Facebook page.  The pictures and the video from their earlier live stream were at the very top of the page, already garnering over 3k reactions, and 1k shares for the former, and 5k reactions, 2k shares, and almost 6k of views for the latter. Jasper checked out the pictures first, scrolling through the multiple shots uploaded on the page.

“That’s interesting” Jasper said, as Mingyu looked at Jasper’s phone.

“I could see Grace and Katrina, there’s the commander of the ROTC from earlier too” Mingyu said, still looking at the pictures, him and Jasper standing in the middle of the walkway, “Scroll a bit more”. Jasper complied as he slides through the next photos.

“They look like they’re in formation too, is Aiden with them?” Mingyu asked curiously.

“You’re right, they seem like in a flanking formation, I wonder who they’re covering here?” Jasper added as he kept on scrolling through the pictures.

“Wait! Go back.” Mingyu stopped his friend as he scrolled back to the previous picture, “There”

“Who’s that? I’ve never seen him before” Jasper said, as he zoomed in on the picture.

“I dunno, but it looks like he’s important enough to warrant a protection detail”

“Let me scroll to the end, give me a sec” Jasper suggested as he scrolled at the end of the pictures. As they reached the last picture, the face of the person that was being escorted can be seen clearly.

“Oh wow, he’s really handsome” Jasper commented, Mingyu giving him a weird look.

“Bruh…”

“I’m just saying, I mean, he could even be on par with Aiden” Jasper said as he defended his comment.

“Let me see that” Mingyu said, grabbing Jasper’s phone out of his hand, “Oh, you’re right, it seems like our dear friend is going to have a competition”

Jasper laughed, “As if Aiden cares about all of that”

“Yeah, you’re right. But he looks like an International Student, what is he doing out of the procession?

“I don’t know, let’s watch the video” Jasper suggested, grabbing his phone out of Mingyu’s hands. Jasper exited from the photos and clicked on the video as the two watched the scenes that happened earlier in the east gate. The video started from when Grace and Amy linked up with Katrina at the east gate up to where they got ambushed in front of the Humanities building. Closing the video, Jasper noticed the caption”

“Another International Student? Student Council and ROTC Members escorting a new hottie”

“I could see now why some students broke off at the start of the procession earlier” Jasper commented after watching the video and reading the caption.

“That looked rough though” Mingyu snickered a bit. Just as two boys finished watching the video, Angela and Kobe walked by.

“Jasper?” Angela called out as she and Kobe stopped in front of the two. Jasper and Mingyu looked up, noticing Angela and Kobe standing in front of them.

“Oh, hey Angela” Jasper greeted back as he put his phone in his pocket, “What are you doing here?”

“Kobe and I are headed to the cafeteria to grab something to eat” Angela replied, as he looked at Mingyu, “Friend of yours?” Angela said as she pointed at Mingyu.

“Yeah, this is Mingyu Park, he’s one of mine, Katrina, Aaron, and Aiden’s friend”  Jasper responded.

“Hi, I’m Mingyu, nice to meet you, Angela, right?” Mingyu said as he introduced himself.

“Nice to meet you Mingyu. By the way this is Kobe, he’s the Student Council’s Treasurer this year” Angela greeted back as he introduced Kobe to Mingyu and Jasper.

“Hi, I’m Jasper”

“I’m Mingyu”

Mingyu and Jasper said as they introduced themselves to Kobe.

“I’m Kobe, nice to meet you guys” Kobe greeted back.

“Oh, maybe we could ask them” Mingyu suggested as he softly elbowed Jasper in the arm.

“Ask us what?” Angela asked, curious as to what Mingyu was talking about.

“Oh, right. We were just curious about the episode with Grace and the ROTC commander earlier this morning if front of the International House” Jasper explained to Angela and Kobe.

“Ohhh” Angela and Kobe reacted at the same time.

“Yeah, that was rough. You should have seen Grace and Katrina earlier, they looked like they were in a brawl. They were a mess” Angela said.

“So, what was that all about?” Mingyu asked, looking at Angela and then Kobe.

“We’ll explain in the way, can you two walk and talk at the same time?” Angela said, as he and Jasper started walking towards the Cafeteria, on the opposite direction that Jasper and Mingyu were going. Mingyu and Jasper nodded, turning around and walking right next to Angela and Kobe as the former explained what happened that morning.

“So, basically, we were having a meeting at the Student Council room about the student convergence in front of the International House, when Katrina had a gut feeling” Angela started telling the story.

“Yeah, Katrina has a pretty sharp gut feeling” Mingyu commented.

“I could tell, after what happened and all” Kobe added before Angela continued with her story.

“So, anyways, Katrina had a gut feeling about the Thai student whose flight was delayed and had arrived later than the rest of the International Students. Honestly, we wouldn’t have known about it had Grace not mentioned it earlier. Anyways, Katrina was talking about how it would be difficult for the Thai student to get into the International House given that a lot of students were converging in the area, then she suddenly went quiet. She then asked about the information about the student, so Grace pulled his information from the Student Council laptop. Katrina borrowed the laptop from Grace, and then started looking at the student’s information. I was about to get up to do the announcement I made earlier when Katrina cussed. It took us all by surprise since Katrina doesn’t usually cuss like that”

“Aaron cussed too when he looked at the laptop” Kobe interjected, Angela nodding her head several times in agreement before she continued.

“Anyways, everyone got curious about it, so Katrina immediately connected the laptop to the projector and projected the Thai student’s head shot into the projection screen. Grace, Moira, and I realized immediately what that means, Kobe took a second to realize what was going on. Katrina’s gut feeling was spot on, had that Thai student been dropped off in the International House, it would probably had caused a stampede, given that he was so good-looking, pretty much on par with Aiden”

Mingyu interjected, “Yeah, that’s what Jasper said when we saw his picture on the Hunters’ Facebook Page”

“Yeah, so anyways, Katrina suggested we intercept the new Thai student before he arrives in the university. Katrina, Grace and Moira headed out as quickly as possible, while I prepared for the announcement, Kobe and Aaron started moving the informational brochures to the auditorium. The 4 ROTC companies we were supposed to be having on standby were ordered deployed by Grace, as she ran to meet up with Amy in front of the International House, Moira went to the International Exchange Program’s office to get the driver’s number to let him know to meet them at the east gate entrance. Katrina went on ahead to the east gate. We weren’t expecting the Hunters to follow them over there. In any case, since the Hunters took pictures and live-streamed the meeting at the east entrance, it pretty much summoned hordes of students towards that direction. Amy and some of her cadets slowed down the first wave of students as Katrina, Grace and the Thai student made a run for the Student Center. Grace then remained behind after another wave of students came from another direction, Katrina did the same close to the Student Center. Katrina didn’t know what happened to the Thai student after that, but here’s the juicy part” Angela started sounding excited as she ended her last sentence.

“What happened next?” Jasper and Mingyu asked as they got close to the cafeteria.

“So, Katrina and Grace met up with the rest of the Student Council, minus Aiden inside the Student Center. Grace and Katrina looked horrible; Katrina’s top was even ripped on the side. Anyways, after we met up, we entered the auditorium through the side entrance, when we entered, the Vice Chancellor was already giving her welcome speech, I guess she saw what Katrina and Grace looked like, since she even commented on their appearance and all the International Students looked at them”

“Where’s the juicy part?” Jasper asked, interrupting Angela’s story.

“I was about to get to that. So, after the Vice Chancellor gave her speech, the Chancellor gave his, then as the Chancellor ended his welcome speech, Aiden and the Thai student entered the auditorium together through the main doors, it got everyone’s attention! As the two walked down the auditorium, all the girls were squealing and flailing, taking out their phones and taking pictures and videos of the two. What was interesting was, Aiden’s polo was dirty and had tears on it”

Jasper stopped walking, forcing the other three to stop walking as well, “Aiden’s polo? Dirty?”

“Come on, Katrina and Aaron probably told you guys that Aiden hates looking dirty” Mingyu added, sounding unconvinced.

“Just let me finish first” Angela retorted, before continuing her story, “Wait, where was I?”

“Aiden’s torn and dirty polo” Kobe answered,

“Right, so Aiden walked in with the Thai student with his polo torn and dirty. After the Thai student sat down, Aiden gave his speech to the students, and after finishing, the orientation coordinator opened the floor for 3 questions for Aiden. He didn’t look very happy about that”

“Naturally” Jasper and Mingyu responded at the same time.

“So, the first two questions were asked by girls” Angela continued before being interrupted by Kobe.

“Yeah, the first girl asked if Aiden was single. The second one asked if he was Japanese”

“That’s what the girls usually asked of Aiden, not surprising at all” Mingyu responded, unsurprised by what Kobe said.

“It kinda happens all the time” Jasper added.

“Wait, am I the only one who doesn’t know about this?” Kobe said, looking at Angela.

“Obviously” Angela quipped,

“Seems like it” Mingyu followed as he crossed his arms.

“That’s already a given though” Jasper added.

“That ended up costing me 200 pesos, had I known, I would never had made that bet with Aaron” Kobe said, sounding regretful.

“You made a bet with Aaron!?” Mingyu laughed, “Oh man, that sucks for you”

“That’s a poor life decision there buddy” Jasper commented.

“Guys!” Angela raised her voice, “Y’all are getting sidetracked”

“Sorry, sorry” Jasper, Kobe and Mingyu apologized as they focused their attention on Angela, who seemed keen on finishing her story.

“Here’s the juicy part. The last question was asked by the new Thai student”

“The one that walked in with Aiden?” Jasper asked, Angela nodded.

“What did he ask?” Mingyu asked.

“The Thai student asked Aiden when he can have his polo back! You should’ve seen Aiden’s reaction, his expression was the same, but he reacted, although subtly, with surprise. That was the first time we saw him almost breaking his stoic expression. The entire Student Council, the orientation coordinator, and even Vice Chancellor Gutierrez were surprised by the question” Angela recounted the events, excitement mixed in.

“WHAT!?!?” Mingyu and Jasper exclaimed in disbelief.

“There must be some mistake, Aiden never, and I repeat this for emphasis NEVER lets anyone borrow his clothes!” Mingyu reacted in disbelief.

“What happened between those two!?” Jasper exclaimed, sounding as surprised as Mingyu.

“We don’t know in all honesty what happened, but right now the Thai student is wearing Aiden’s polo, and Aiden is wearing his” Angela explained.

“I tried asking him after the orientation, but all he said ‘Don’t even ask’” Kobe added.

“No, you may never ask Aiden something like that! He probably was annoyed to hell” Mingyu said, looking at Kobe.

“Yeah, Aaron and Katrina said that he was in a bad mood, although the rest of us couldn’t tell, since he never really shows it” Angela explained.

“You really have to get to know Aiden more before you could start telling. It’s hard to explain how we can tell either” Jasper said, surprising Kobe and Angela.

“What? Did I say something?” Jasper asked after seeing Angela and Kobe’s reaction.

“Well, that’s what Katrina said exactly” Kobe retorted.

“Do you guys read from the same script or something?” Angela asked, curious about the generic answers that Aiden’s closest friends were saying.

“I mean, that’s pretty much how to explain it” Jasper chuckled.

“Anyways, we don’t know why Aiden did it in the first place, but that really caught us by surprise” Angela said, looking at Mingyu and Jasper.

“It’s probably because Aiden doesn’t want to be bothered writing a report or something if he walked in with the Thai student looking like he was mauled” Mingyu said.

“It could be, Aiden doesn’t want to be troubled with things like that” Jasper added.

“Kobe and I only interacted and seen Aiden a few times the previous semester, so we don’t know much about him. The same goes for Grace and Moira, although they’ve known Aiden a little longer than the two of us, apart from Aaron and Katrina who seems like they’ve known Aiden for years” Angela told Jasper and Mingyu.

“Yeah, that’s true, Mingyu has known Aiden since middle school, Katrina, Aaron and I only met Aiden back in High School, so out of all of us, Mingyu knows him better” Jasper said in reply.

“Well, not really” Mingyu responded, Jasper, Kobe and Angela looked at him a bit surprised and confused.

“What do you mean?” Kobe asked, curious as to what Mingyu means.

“While it’s true I’ve known him since middle school, pretty much what you guys probably know about Aiden is what I know as well” Mingyu answered, “He doesn’t open much, doesn’t talk anything about himself or his personal life. All I know pretty much is his personality, and what I assume he likes and dislikes”

“That’s true” Jasper agreed.

“He really does have a mysterious side about him” Angela said, making her ponder about Aiden in general.

“So, you guys want to head to the cafeteria with us?” Kobe asked, breaking the seriousness of the conversation about Aiden, as he invited Mingyu and Jasper.

“What do you want to do Mingyu?” Jasper asked.

“We could join them, we still have some time to kill before our classes” Mingyu said, before looking at Angela and Kobe, “We probably won’t eat anything though, since we already ate”

“That’s fine” Kobe replied.

“Right, I’m starving, so let’s head to the cafeteria before everyone goes to lunch break” Angela said before she started walking towards the cafeteria with Kobe, Mingyu and Jasper.

Back in Café Confiture, Jess opened the glass door leading to the terrace to check-up on Aiden. As Jess stepped outside, she saw Aiden sitting on the outdoor lounge chair, his head resting on his right fist, legs crossed, earphones in both ears, and his open book on his lap – his backpack on the ground beside where he was sitting. There was a small breeze that ruffled Aiden’s silky black hair and turned the pages of the book on Aiden’s lap, which woke the boy up.

“So, you’re finally awake little brat!” Jess said teasingly as she approached the younger boy. Aiden just yawned, stretching his arms out in the air before sitting on the side of the chair.

“Did you have a good sleep?” Jess asked as she stood in front of Aiden, who was still looking sleepy.

“So-so” Aiden responded, his voice sounding sleepy, “What time is it Chief?”

Jess looked at her watch, “It’s already 14:30, you’ve been sleeping for over 3 hours now”.

“Sorry” Aiden said with the same sleepy voice, ruffling his hair, “By the way, do you have any sewing kit?”

“Sewing kit? Yeah, we have one in the staff break room in the back. Why?” Jess asked curiously. Aiden didn’t respond, he only stood up and started unbuttoning the polo he was wearing.

“Wa-wait, what are you doing!?” Jess said, a bit startled as to why Aiden was unbuttoning his polo.

“Don’t worry, I have an undershirt on” Aiden replied as he continued unbuttoning the polo he was wearing, taking it off as soon as he unbuttoned the last button. Removing the polo revealed Aiden’s arm and biceps, which were toned, he also looked slimmer just by wearing a white undershirt. There was also a pendant around Aiden’s neck, which wasn’t quite visible while he was wearing the polo. The Pendant looked out of fashion but looked priceless and important. Aiden folded the polo and hung it on his left arm, grabbing his book and putting it in his backpack before picking his backpack off the ground.

“Right, I’ll be in the break room, I’ll stitch this up and probably head on out Chief” Aiden said before heading downstairs.

“That kid is unbelievable” Jess chuckled as she shook her head, following Aiden inside the café a few seconds later.

Inside the breakroom, Aiden started stitching up the tears on Min’s polo, it took him about 30 minutes to finish everything before folding the polo and putting it in his backpack. Aiden left the break room, putting his earphones in his ears, and putting his backpack on before leaving Café Confiture, heading back to his apartment to put on another polo, and wash Min’s dirty polo.

It was around 16:15 when Grace and Moira arrived at the Student Council room. As expected, the room was still empty, given that the other Student Council Members were still in class, except for Aiden who hasn’t been heard from since the end of the International Student’s opening ceremony. Immediately after arriving, Grace had setup the laptop and connected it to the projector, while Moira, quickly typed up the meeting points for the day on the desktop computer beside the charging station for the laptops. Around the same time, the orientation for the International Students was nearing its conclusion, as they are currently holding the elections for their International Student Council and their Student Council Representative.

“You think Aiden would show up?” Moira asked Grace while she was typing the agenda for their meeting.

“I don’t know to be honest; you know how Aiden is, he’s pretty much unpredictable. He’s been like that even when we were still part of the Freshmen Council, you should know that by now” Grace responded as she started up the laptop, grabbing the projector connector from the hidden compartment in the conference table.

“You have a point” Moira conceded, before she stopped typing and turned to face Grace, “At least you look a lot better than you did this morning” Moira added, as she gave a short chuckle, remembering what Grace and Katrina looked like during the opening ceremony.

“Don’t remind me, that was horrendous, I was literally jumped by five students at once” Grace said, as she connected the projector’s connector to the laptop.

“There were five of them!?” Moira exclaimed in shock, as she tried to comprehend what it must’ve been like to be jumped by so many people at once.

“Yeah, it was awful. Though I’m glad that Min made it safely to the Student Center”

“Oh yeah, about that”

“What about it?”

“You know that Aiden was wearing Min’s polo, right? If they switched polos, then how did Min’s polo end up torn and dirty?” Moira asked, scratching her head.

“Now that you mentioned it, that does sound weird. I didn’t hear anything about any of the students chasing us actually catching Min” Grace agreed with Moira, acknowledging that she has a point.

“We may never find out though, I doubt Aiden would share anything about what happened between him and Min prior to the orientation” Moira said before hers and Grace’s cellphone started vibrating, accompanied by the notification sound. Both girls immediately took their phones out to see what it was about. It was Aiden, sending a message on the Student Council group chat on LINE.

“Grace, have Amy report to the Student Council room at 17:00. Tell her she will join our meeting tonight. Also, I received word from Director Guerrero that the International Student Representative to the Student Council will be joining us as well after they finish their elections. Moira, can you send the agenda for tonight here on the group chat?” Aiden’s message read.

After reading the message, Grace immediately messaged Amy and relayed Aiden’s message to her, requesting that she be at the Student Council at 17:00. Moira for her part replied to Aiden’s message.

“We have at least five agendas for tonight. The first is the student organization fair on Friday, the second is the welcome party for the International Students on Saturday, third is the budget allocation for the Student Council and Student Organizations and Clubs, fourth is the 1st Semester activities, and the last is the International Student outing” Moira typed, as she sent the message on the group chat.

As Moira sent the message, Grace received a message from Amy, confirming her attendance to the meeting. Grace immediately relayed this information on the group chat, “Amy will be here for the meeting” before typing another message.

“Will you be at the meeting Aiden?” Grace typed as she sent the message. It took about a few seconds or so before Aiden replied.

“Yes, I’ll be at the meeting. There are things I want to discuss with everyone” Aiden’s message read. After Aiden’s message was received in the group chat, Katrina sent a message as well.

“I’m surprised you’re going to come to the meeting” Katrina’s message read. Aaron joined in on the conversation as well after Katrina sent her message.

“He is the Student Council President. LOL” Aaron’s message read, sending a sticker after his initial message.

“To be honest, I rather read a book, then sleep than preside over this meeting. Troublesome as it may be, it can’t be helped. Also, unless it’s related to the matters we’re going to discuss, don’t send any more messages. It’s annoying” Aiden replied, ending any further conversation on the Student Council group chat.

After reading Aiden’s final message, Moira placed her phone beside the keyboard she was using before continuing with what she was doing earlier. Grace for her part, headed to the kitchenette at the back of the Student Council room to get some water. It was about 16:50 when Katrina, Aaron, Angela, and Kobe showed up, having just getting out of class. It was around this time that Moira finished typing up the agenda for the meeting, printing out nine copies, each for the members of the Student Council, for Amy, and the International Student Representative, who was yet to be met by everyone.

Katrina for her part seemed to have been able to fix herself up and have gotten a different shirt, given that that one she was wearing earlier in the morning got all torn up because of the scuffle with the other students from that morning’s craziness. Kobe seemed to be done for the day, looking like he was about to fall asleep anytime soon. Aaron and Angela, meanwhile, were still looking fresh, as if they just started their day.

“Has anyone heard from Amy?” Katrina asked as she got her binder out from her bag.

“She messaged me a few minutes ago, saying she was on her way” Grace responded as she took her seat on the right-hand side of where Aiden’s chair was, at the head of the conference table, opposite side of where the projection screen was. Moira was going around the conference table, placing folders in front of each chair that contained the agenda for that evening, before taking her seat across from where Grace was seating.

“She’s probably going to be here in a few minutes or so. I expect Aiden to be here soon as well” Katrina said, as she took her seat right next to Moira. Kobe, who was practically dragging himself, sat right next to Grace, directly in front of Katrina.

“I don’t know about y’all, but I’m tired” Kobe yawned as he took his seat. Aaron sat next to Katrina, and Angela sat right next to Kobe, directly in front of Aaron. Everybody was ready, and was just waiting for Aiden, Amy, and the new International Student Representative.

“Anybody knows what Aiden wanted to discuss with everyone?” Grace asked out of the blue. Everyone looked at her, and just shrugged their shoulders.

“Whatever it is, it’s probably important” Katrina said, looking at Grace.

“How can you tell?” Grace replied, looking back at Katrina.

“I mean, if it wasn’t, he wouldn’t bring it up on our meeting, especially with everyone” Katrina surmised.

“You have a point” Grace answered as the door opened, making everyone turn their attention to the door to see who was coming in. Aiden entered the room, wearing his usual expression. He has his backpack with him and a paper bag on his left hand. Using his right hand, he gently yanked off his earphones before heading towards his seat.  

As he sat down, Aiden opened his bag and took his iPad and Laptop out, putting the former on his left side, and the latter on his right, with the folder Moira placed earlier in his middle. He took out a mechanical pencil from his breast pocket and opened the folder.

“Any one heard from Amy?” Aiden asked, breaking the silence in the room as he started scribbling notes on the paper inside the folder.

“Give me a second, let me message her” Grace said as she pulled her phone out her pocket. Just as she was about to type a message when the door opened again.

“I’m sorry for being late” Amy apologized as she entered the room. Aiden didn’t react to Amy entering and continued writing on the paper.

“I passed by Director Guerrero as I was heading up and asked me to bring the newly elected International Student Representative” Amy continued. Everyone except Aiden - who was still writing his notes - was confused, as it was only Amy who entered.

“So, where’s the International Student Representative?” Moira asked.

“I told the representative to wait outside, I wasn’t sure if we both should just enter” Amy explained, “Should I tell him to come in?

“Of course, the representative is part of the Student Council now” Grace told Amy, as the latter gestured for the representative to come in. As the door closed behind the representative, there was silence that fell inside the Student Council room.

“Hello, my name is Thapthim Nontanakorn, exchange student from Thailand. I’m the newly elected International Student Representative. Everyone can call me Min! Nice to meet all of you!” Min said with a smile, as he introduced himself to the Student Council members and Amy.

*Crack* The sound of something breaking caught the attention of everyone and turned to look at Aiden who was still looking at the paper inside the folder but has stopped writing. The lead on Aiden’s mechanical pencil broke.

There was still silence in the room as Aiden slowly raised his head up, at the end of the conference table in front of the projector screen was Min, standing right next to Amy. Aiden raised his right brow and lowkey snorted as he looked at Min, that teasing and provocative smile of his was there to greet him. The air was filled with tension and anxiousness as no one dared to break the silence that filled the room. Grace, Moira and Katrina were shifting their eyes between Aiden and Min, looking to see who would break the unnerving silence. Amy who was standing beside Min was confused to what was happening as she sensed the tense atmosphere - she didn’t dare to move or say anything. Aaron, Angela, and Kobe’s eyes were wide, the three looking at each other, speechless and surprised as this unexpected development unfolds in front of them.

Aiden and Min were looking each other straight in the eyes, as the tension slowly intensified between the smiling Min and the expressionless Aiden. Without breaking eye contact with the other boy, Aiden slowly grabbed the paper bag he had with him, placing it on top of the conference table, and sliding it down to the other end where Min was standing. Everyone just watched in silence as the brown paper bag slid on top of the conference table.

Min broke eye contact to look at the paper bag in front of him, looking confused as to what it was that Aiden slid on top of the conference table.

“It’s your polo. As promised, I’m returning it. Your orientation has already ended, right?” Aiden said, breaking the silence and somewhat easing the tense atmosphere in the room, his voice colder than usual.

Min moved closer to where the paper bag was, opening it as he peeked, confirming that it was indeed his polo that was inside. “I guess I should return your polo then?” Min said, as he started unbuttoning the polo he was wearing. Min managed to unbutton the top two buttons, exposing his chest a little before Aiden stopped him.

“I don’t need it back. You can throw it away after you get back to the International House” Aiden coldly said, as Min stopped unbuttoning the polo he was wearing.

Min chuckled, subtly surprising Aiden with the other boy’s reaction, “You’re still expressionless like when we first met this morning”

“Your point? Thammasat Kid?” Aiden responded sarcastically, maintaining his stoic expression. Everyone else, keeping quiet as they listened to the exchange going on.

“My point? Well, you looked really cool earlier when you gave your speech, you didn’t have the cold expressionless expression then, it was more like proud and confident” Min replied, giving Aiden a teasing grin. Grace and Moira’s eyes grew wider, nervous and anxious as to where the conversation was heading.

“As the President of the Student Council, there are times where I have to put a different mask on. While I do remain stoic for the most part, there are certain situations I must adjust to. It’s part of my job” Aiden replied, “Truth be told, I find it quite troublesome and a bit of a nuisance”

Min only smiled in response, causing Aiden to speak again. “Are my bland expressions that entertaining to you Thammasat Kid?”

“No, your expressions are not always bland you know” Min smiled, as everyone in the room turned to face him, surprised about what he just said.

“What are you talking about?” Aiden said, sounding annoyed by the cryptic way Min responded. His eyes more focused on Min than it did earlier.

“I don’t know if you’re aware, but when I first saw you this morning, your face had calm  and contentment written all over it, it was baby-like and angelic at the same time. Probably the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my life, and the cutest thing I’ve seen here so far at Mount Juliet” Min answered Aiden’s question in a teasing tone, his smile still on his face.

Aiden was taken aback and was having trouble maintaining eye contact with Min; his eyes widened and was left speechless, his face showing a mix of emotions – embarrassment, surprise, confusion, irritation and annoyance. The Student Council members and Amy were surprised by what Min just said, their reactions varied, but the level of surprise all the same. Grace covered her mouth with her left hand; Moira moving her head around, as if trying to contemplate and absorb what she just heard; Katrina just buried her face on her hands; Aaron cringed at the cheesiness of what Min said, before facepalming; Kobe’s tiredness seems to have melted away as he froze in place, his eyes wide open; Angela blushed, before covering her face with both her hands; Amy blushed as well before looking down on the floor. The tense and anxious atmosphere dissipated as it was replaced by shock, surprise, and embarrassment.

For the first time ever, Aiden was speechless and unable to come up with a witty response, or a cold reply like he usually does. Aiden has never met anyone who had this kind of confidence. He felt like he was forced into a checkmate by someone who he just met the same day. Aiden was also confused on how a guy could say something so cheesy to another guy without cringing.