Chapter XIV

Mikael’s POV

Students walk by curiously at me while teachers avoid and scorn at me behind my back. As if I care. I just give one glare and they back away.

Eren spots me sitting at my tree.

“Hey, Kael,” he says.

I grunt in response, absorbed into my music.

“Did...Did Esteire say anything to you?” I hear him say hesitantly. 

That catches my attention. 

I take my earphones out, half-shouting, “Esteire? What about her?”

“Oh, nothing. She just seemed a little upset about something,” he hastily responds.

I look at suspiciously. Then the event from yesterday comes up in my mind.

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” I tell him, “Ever since yesterday when I saw her with Nico, she’s been a little...off. Even Nico. Neither of them will tell me anything though.”

I look up at him; his face is blank.

“Um, Eren?” I say, standing up to wave my hand in front of him.

“Oh! Sorry, man. I zoned out there,” he says, tousling his hair nervously.

I eye him, seems like everyone’s acting strange today.

“Uh,” he mumbles and turns his face away.

“Yes?” I sarcastically encourage.

“I think...I like her,” he finally says.

My heart drops. No. He can’t. Is this history repeating itself again?

“And I think,” he continues, “that there are others too.”

---

Somewhat dazed I wander around the school after Eren left, leaving me stunned at my tree.

Who else? Who else other than Eren?

I flip through my mind of everyone I know.

Then it hits me. Of course, the secret looks, furtive actions and words from those around her. Why wasn’t I aware of this before? It could be anyone.

Nico, and his likeliness to the person Esteire loved, Sebastian and his charming ways, Eren, now for sure, and Lucien... God no, please not him too.

I didn’t know what to think at the moment, so I pressed my palm to my forehead trying to clear all these thoughts.

“Here, let me take those,” says a familiar voice close by.

I look up. It’s Sebastian. And Elisa.

The scene from when Elisa chose him over me came back into my memory.

I frowned. Pretentious President.

“Thank you, Sebastian,” smiles Elisa handing over a pile of folders and loose papers.

One paper slipped to the floor.

“Oh, I’ll get that,” they both say and reach for it.

Smack!

They bonked heads.

I quickly hide behind a corner to stifle my laugh.

“Ah, sorry,” they say together again.

“Um, I mean,” they say again.

It was getting pretty difficult to contain my rising laughter.

As Elisa stays quiet looking for words, Sebastian stammers out, “Um, here,” and picks up the paper neither of them got seconds before.

“Uh, that goes in File D,” Elisa informs, looking apologetic as he hastily stuffs it inside.

Then, there was an awkward silence as he stared at her and she stared back.

Elisa seemed to be waiting for him to say something, but Sebastian... He had a strange look on his face.

Out of the blue, he lifts his arm and touches her faintly on the cheek.

Whoa. He’s in...!

“Yo, Elisa!”

They both spin their heads at the sound.

Of course, it’s Andy, trotting over.

“Huh? What’s up?” he says, looking at them who stared back blankly.

Elisa’s the first to snap out of it and mumbles, “Yo...?”

“You don’t like that?” Andy asks.

“Eh? Oh, it’s fine,” she says nervously with a half-smile.

Sebastian finally comes to his senses and turns his back to go inside the Council Room saying, “I’ll finish this; you go with Andy.”

Though I hate to admit it, I knew him well enough to notice that his voice betrayed what he said.

Andy on the other hand, he hasn’t known him as long as I have. Same with Elisa, though...she did give him a sort of questioning look.

He didn’t see it.

She left with the blue-haired drummer and I slinked away.

---

After I looped around the school a dozen times I caught sight of Nico.

The aggravation I was keeping in check flared up and I found myself nearly stomping over to him.

He heard me coming and looked at me expectantly.

I fumble around with hundreds of words and questions in my head and managed to get out, “Why?”

Not quite what I wanted to say.

“I don’t know,” he murmured, downcast.

“What do you mean you don’t know?! You’ve been moping all day!” I angrily retort.

“I...” he starts and stops.

“What is it with everyone today? Even Eren seems off,” I grumble.

“Eren?” Nico says, interested.

“Yeah,” I grunt discomfortingly, “he said he likes Esteire.”

Something seemed to dawn over his face as I said it. What was he thinking?

He looks away to the window. 

“Did he?” he whispers.

“Yeah, and he said there are others,” I add.

His head whips around, blue eyes piercing.

“Wha-what?” I stutter to my surprise. His gaze is really intense!

“Oh... I’m sorry... I just,” he says, his eyes softening.

A realization shot through me.

“Wait, don’t tell me you actually like her too,” I say with a deep tone.

He looks thoughtfully at me.

“No.”

I breath a sigh of relief.

“I love her.”