Cana has forgotten the incident over the weekend, she has spent cleaning her room and of course a date with Samuel on Sundays. Her Monday morning is usually packed with major subjects, as she was about to enter she bumped into none other than Cadmium.
"H-hello?" He greeted her first.
"Hi?" They are both confused, and he was the first to enter the classroom, the other guys whom she thought acquaintances. She looked for a vacant seat, she saw Clarice on the other side and waved at her.
"Clari--" Is it just my imagination or she avoided me?
Cana just chose to be at the nearby vacant seat, she is a bit confused, usually Clarice will reserve a seat for them as the middle row. However this time, she was in the corner and way far from the usual seats. Class started and she forgot about those worries.
"Then there will be the group report, I want you all to use the new platform for the presentation, it is important to have an impressive one." The whole class complains at the hard assignment that the professor gave, especially because it must be done in groups. She looked around and saw that Clarice already grouped with the other girls, observing more around Cadmium being recruited by different groups and wanted him to be a part.
"We're in trouble, why does this assignment need to be in a group?" Her eyes are listening carefully to the troubled group at her back.
"Not only that this is the only class we have together but the subject is not my forte as well." Seeing as they are troubled, Cana approaches them.
"Hello! I still have no group, would you mind if I join? I see that there's only three of you." She said in a friendliest manner, but inside she is as nervous as hell since it was the first time she ever tried to reach out for others. It was the other way around usually.
The three are silent and gazing at each other, it was a silent debate on whether they accept her or not. The first to speak is the tall girl with glasses.
"Do you know how to use the new platform that the professor discussed?"
"I am not proficient, but I know how it works and a couple of techniques." It was the same platform she used way back in high school both her and Mia explored how it works and got the best in presentation award.
"Then you're in." It was as simple as that, the two other girls gasps in surprise.
"Really!?" Cana as well and she is delighted.
"Hey are you serious?" the girl with bob hair one seems to be hesitating and there is something she wanted to speak off but halted.
"Of course, she is just what we need." Said the glasses girl.
"But, the rumo---" her mouth was quickly covered by the bobbed hair and was signaling something.
"Excuse me, what do you want to speak of?" She is now confused and wants to know what the brown haired girl was implying.
"Listen girls, I am on edge with this subject and I have nothing to do with the rumors you caught somewhere. As long as she can be useful and help me with this I'd be accepting her. Unless the two of you can cover the part she's taking?" with a stern face she reprimanded the other two girls.
"Rumors? What do you mean uhmm?" she needs to know what it is, that must have something related as to why Clarice has been avoiding her.
"I'm Mary Ann, you can call me Meng for short." She accepted the handshake and sit with their table.
"Since you are not aware, I think you have to know this. There has been a rumor around someone who is named Canary Lienne in the campus."
"About me?"
"That is you are a slut trying to get in the pants of the rich guys here." with blunt words Cana looks as if she was washed out of cold water.
"Meng I told you not to be so blunt!" The brown-haired girl is so worried that her fingers are trembling.
"Well aren't you guys curious why? And Bea you say it yourself that you would want to know such a juicy rumor since it is related to your crush Austen." upon hearing the name, she blushes and bit her lip.
"Wait a sec, I don't follow." Cana massages her temple as it is stressing her out.
"Hey, you know they say that at the welcome party you went jumping to tables and kissing up to the second years especially to that jerk Jackies. Well anything related to that guy is trouble, I guess you got it all coming back to you. By the way, I'm Chelsea!" the flashy bobbed girl introduces herself.
"What? That's way ridiculous, it is not what happened, in fact that senior Jackies is the one who is rude. He just barged into our table, then he rudely grabbed my arm when I said I was going home!" The three girls are listening intently to Cana who seems to get so angry and trying to contain her emotions.
"Well it seems you are telling the truth. I actually doubt the rumor since the same happened in my sister's batch as well." Bea, who seemed satisfied and believes Cana continues, "But what about the rumor that you're trying to get into Austen's pants? Is it true?"
Cana shivered at the very thought as she mentioned it. "H-how would I dare do that? We just met that night and he was the one who stopped Jackies when he grabbed me by the collar."
The girls gasped, "The nerve he grabbed a girl's collar! That Jackies is really an enemy of girls!" Chelsea is angry.
"What? How could such an incident be twisted like that?" Bea is worried and now comforting Cana as she pats her by the shoulder.
"It only means that someone is jealous that you got Austen to protect you, or that Jackies is making you pay for the embarrassment he received that night." Everything that Meng said makes sense.
"I didn't want to stir such rumors, I only wanted a peaceful and normal college life." Cana felt pity as she came to be burdened with such rumors.
"Don't worry, it'll pass by and when my other girlfriends ask about that matter I will tell them the truth!" Chelsea offered a simple help and Cana smiled.
"Me too! My other class has a lot of Austen fan girls, I will relay it as well." Bea also offered her help.
"Well then, I'll give you my number and let's discuss this group project again, as I have to go to my next class." Meng said and gave her number.
Her afternoon class was dismissed earlier so she thought of dropping by the library, the corridor is a bit long and there are only a few students around. She is to pass by the group of girls when someone purposely tripped her. She managed to balance herself and prevent the fall, then she looked back at the group of girls sneering.
"Oh how lame." The other girl commented.
"Hey you!" Cana stood in front of the girl she knew that tripped her.
"Apologize to me right now."
The girl initiates a laugh and the rest follows, "Who's asking for an apology? Haha! Ridiculous!"
Cana knew that there's a bunch of spoiled and brat kids in this school who just entered with their family connection.
"I pity you, you can't admit what you did wrong and now trying to laugh it off. Shouldn't you take responsibility for it or your tail got behind that you cannot admit you are wrong?" Cana's aura turned to serious, the other girls got taken aback at her sudden change.
"Well I don't need an insincere apology anyways, what's the use if you are not apologetic at all." Then Cana turned around and was about to leave when the girl who tripped her grabbed her by the arm.
"You insolent b**ch! Who do you think you are? Sl*t!" She aims to grab Cana's hair, but her reflex is much faster than she was able to dodge. The rest of the girl's tried to hit back at Cana but she was able to overpower them. When she was younger she used to play hard with her cousin and even with Nawill, their games are so rigorous and physical that one of them would usually end up with a wound or crying. Aside from that, living under the care of three brother's Cana was overprotected and was thought of as self defense.
The other girls got their clothes ripped and the other disheveled hair, the make up is also ruined as one of them started crying. Cana is still trying to hold the arm of the girl that tripped her as she is the most aggressive one.
"Tsk! How noisy!" A baritone voice complained at the scene they were making. The man stood from behind the pillar. His handsome face is frowning and his sharp eyes look at the girls who are at the floor then to Cana and the girl who tripped her.
"What are you waiting for? Scram!" He yelled at them, the girls got frightened and immediately got up and left Cana. The last girl looked at her in anger as if telling she will have her revenge.
"And you?" The man raised an eyebrow at her and he crossed his arms.
"Library." Cana told him as she fixed her jacket and removed the dust on her pants.
"You---"
"I have a name, don't keep calling me 'You" every time, and I'm leaving okay?" Cana hisses at him, she is still annoyed and in the end she loses her temper. However the guy just laughed it off.
"Why are you laughing?"
"You're a unique one, girls would usually act weak in front of a man and will beg him to save her."
"Well, I am not that kind of girl."
"I know." From the stern look to a flirty one, he switched quickly and pulled out a handkerchief, Cana was surprised when he wiped the side of her cheek and the sudden closeness of this person.
"You got dirt on your cheek."
"T-thank you, then I'll leave you alone now!" Cana is surprised that she immediately distances herself, and with a half walking and running pace, she went the other way.
"I thought she was going to the library? Guess it's nature's call." there is a smirk on his face as he watches her disappear from his sight.