Roman had slid into the last seat by the window and everyone was still staring him open-mouthed. He quietly ignored their gaze and instead pulled out his phone and kept himself busy. That was his only way to avoid people. Since the moment he had arrived, the queen bees made his life irritant. Girls were swooning over him more than the last two years. Some even slipped paper butterfly notes in his pockets and locker and the one who recognized him kept following wherever he goes in hopes that he may recognize them and say something. But he did nothing, except his bickering with Amy Clark and rest of her friends.

Roman hated them because they bugged him unnecessarily to make them his friends. He too was fully aware of the ongoing system in school—follow the rich and fancy yourself with his money. That is why he had ignored everyone and occupied himself with the thing which never asks anything in return for their friendship—his books.

The whispering began again, this time eyes fixed at the people they were talking to. So, Roman was relieved.

Shirley, Jack, and Scott looked at each other. None had nothing to say further. They didn't know who had Roman talked to after he had arrived at the school but they knew crystal clear that he had insulted them and declined their friendship once again before they got the chance to persuade him.

"Do you think he will hit a girl if she tried to talk to him," Shirley asked, nonplussed.

Her friends peered at her when Jack finally said." If that girl is you and Amy, then I hardly doubt that."

"Exactly," Scott agreed, "he looks so—unpredictable."

"I think I'll take my chances before Mrs. Chang barge in. What do you say?"

Again, they looked baffled and dumbstruck. Is Shirley testing Roman's boundaries? But they eventually agreed. Like the rest they were also curious about Roman and keeping their mouth shut wasn't going to help. Someone has to do the honors. And if they did it, then it would easy to drag Roman in their group. "Go for it, I'll back you up," Jack assured her.

Scott wanted to protest, referring it as a bad idea but said nothing. With that Shirley sprinted her face to Roman.

With another assuring look from her friends and swallowing hard, she finally spoke. "Hey Roman!"

Roman eyes flicked up when he heard the familiar voice. He rolled his eyes without looking at them and resume what he was doing. Shirley felt insulted and any girl would have. When you try to get a boy's attention but you couldn't, it was the worst insult for a girl. Shirley clutched his arms and get herself together for another attempt.

"I know you heard me calling your name. We are not that bad as much as you think. I know Amy screwed up with your bike but if she had known it was you, we had never let any of this happen." Shirley explained. She was sure her voice was going to stutter in between but she somehow managed it. Her friends were stupefied, fingers hypothetically crossed and praying that Roman wouldn't scowl at her in front of the whole class.

Roman huffed. "What?" Even his word gave an annoying roll.

"We are sorry about Amy," Shirley said", You know she could be some time—"

"Forget Amy," Roman interrupted her and then went on, "Let's talk about you when you intentionally made me jump at the pool or how about when you splashed that scabrous yellow color at me in art class."

His words sent a petrified charm at her. It was two years back, at the beginning of their freshman year, when she hardly had any friends. Shirley was shocked that Roman would still dig up long-buried and forgotten things. In fact, his words were poisoning as if it happened yesterday. Jack and Scott swallowed, too.

"You know it was unintentional," Jack backed up Shirley just as he promised, "She didn't really mean that. It was you who jumped willingly."

"Do tell me what a boy would do if he was searching for his keys and asked someone like her that if she saw it and then she lies saying it's in the pool. So excuse me if I thought it was true." Roman hissed. His words reminded Shirley why she lied. She had a fight with her boyfriend just after her English class. Outraged, she decided to skip the next class and went to natatorium where Roman was searching for something. When he saw Shirley he asked if she saw his set of keys. To which she barked at him. "It's in the pool."

Believing it to be a true, poor innocent Roman first checked the edges of the pool and jumped in. Shirley gasped realizing that he took her suggestion at heart. Seeing Roman swimming from one corner to another, she broke into laughs. When Roman was tired and assured that his keys weren't there, he ducked up and saw Shirley laughing her teeth out.

"You fool! It's not there." She laughed and laughed and then left Roman alone. If she had really focused at him, then she may had realized that the drops under his eyes were his tears, not water.

"I had apologized for like 100 times," Shirley spoke, pushing past the memories. "And about the paint blunder, I actually meant to throw at Enric but he dodged it off and you happen to appear out of the blue. I couldn't stop it from flowing back. "

"Appear out of blue?" Roman eyes went wide in shock, "Arts wasn't just your subject. I took arts too."

"Listen, what happened had happened. I know I can't change that but we have improved. None of us bothered you or taunt you for not making a girlfriend despite the looks god has given you."

"listen! Very carefully because this is my last warning, " Roman glared, "Just stay out of my way. I know what kind of people you are. So if you tempted me once more, I'll lose my mind and then you'll regret messing up with me." With that, he turned back his head at his phone and went quiet.

The three of them were shock and Shirley sprinted back to her position. One thing for sure that he isn't the one he was once and his boundaries would be limitless. But one thing was still unclear. Was school still going to favor him?

The answer was shortly received when finally after half of the time was gone, Mrs. Chang arrived. She didn't say a word about Roman's new seating preference when she saw him at the last seat. Her expression was blank as every single day like nothing had happened. Neither the student dared to comment that she came late.She ordered the student to open their textbook and the answer to the question was that the school was still going to favor Roman no matter what.