DAYMARE 18: Friendly Fiend part 2

It’s Monday. We submitted our group project.

While the teacher is lecturing on math, someone threw a crumpled piece of paper at me. I turned to see who that was, but I didn’t notice. I read the contents of the paper.

Meet me after lunch, behind the school building

- Jethro

I glanced back, but Jethro was just sitting there, totally focused on the teacher. Nobody in class can know I’m connected to him. I’m not sure why, but Jethro told me it’s better if people never find out.

It’s now lunch time

"You haven't finished eating," Vance commented while eating his packed lunch.

We were sharing our lunches.

"I'm going somewhere first," I left them.

I am in a hurry because I saw Jethro leave the room.

I headed to the back of school and saw Jethro waiting for me.

"What was that?" I asked him why he called me here.

He turned to me. “How’s your observation?”

“About Lorean and Vance?”

“Who else would it be?”

I cleared my throat. “Well…We’re getting along. Lorean apologized to me indirectly. They started greeting me as well. We’re back to being normal.”

“Nice. Anything else? Any progress on Lloyd and Nicole’s involvement with Hestral?”

“None worth mentioning. I just knew that Nicole’s favorite flavor of biscuit is blueberry while Lloyd’s is strawberry. Lloyd wanted to manage businesses.”

He chuckled dryly. “Okay, that was some vital information you got there, but not bad.” He crossed his arms. “Just try getting closer to them until they expose their true colors.”

“How are you so confident that they’re fake?”

“Gut feeling”

“That’s absurd.” I sneered. “You were asking Riegel for proof about ghosts, yet here you are. You’ve got no proof that those two are fake friends.”

“You should avoid trusting them.”

I pondered what he said. I don’t know what to say at all.

“This is an advice, or should I say—a warning. Take it or leave it.”

He was about to leave when I suddenly spoke.

"Lorean and Vance again…" I clenched my fist. “Why should I stay away from them?”

“I didn’t say you should stay away from them. You can be near them but be wiser by keeping your guard up. I can sense trouble from them. Don’t let their smile fool you.”

I can’t believe that this is how Jethro thinks of them.

“They’re supposed to be my friends. They won’t do me wrong.”

“Can’t you simply understand what I’m asking you to do?!” I was surprised when he shouted. This is the first time I’ve seen him like this, then he must be serious about it.

“If you already know but refuse to get it, then that’s your choice.”

I can't understand him.

“What do you know about the two of them, huh? Do you know them well enough to tell me that? You don't even get along with others, and then you tell me to believe in you?!” I retorted.

I’ve known Lorean and Vance for a longer time than this guy. So, who is he to command me like I’m his boss? Not because he leads our playful investigation, acting like a self-proclaimed detective, gives him the right to control me.

There was a moment of silence.

"How about you? Do you really know the people around you?”

I was silent for a second after what he said.

"You.” I raised my head a bit. “I don’t even know you yet. I don’t get why I teamed up with you when I have no clue what’s going on in your head. For all I know, you could be up to something bad, and I’m already caught up in it.”

“So that’s how you see me,” he mumbled.

“You could’ve told me you were following me. At least we could apprehend Riegel together.”

He scoffed. “You didn't even tell me you would visit Riegel. You just went on your own.”

I became silent. He’s right. We don’t even trust each other in the first place.

“It’s simple, be cautious.”

"Who? Lorean and Vance?" I asked.

“Yes. Even me. Be wary of Vance, Lorean, me, and even yourself.”

"Why are you telling me all this?"

I'm disgusted and frustrated with this guy!

“I don’t want your trust. I never needed it nor asked for it.”

He kept walking and left me. I was left speechless and dumbfounded by what he said.

All this time, I was the only one who trusted him? He dared to say I shouldn’t trust him because he never did it to me? In the days and hours, we talked about Hestral's death, he didn't even trust me, while I did?

I came back to my senses when I heard a falling broom tingling. I wondered where the sound came from, but there was no one here behind the school, just me.

I entered our room and saw Jethro looking calm. Just when I restored my relationship with Vance and Lorean, there goes the drama with Jethro. Can’t I have the best of two worlds?

I attended the class without a single lesson that stayed in my brain.

Class dismissed. I accompanied Lorean and Vance on the walk home.

“So, Lorean, are you going to pursue business management too, like the career your brother has always wanted?” I asked Lorean out of context to make them speak about their deaths.

“Why?” she raised her eyebrow.

“Well, we should all plan our college career. As for me, I might pursue a program related to games like game designing, developing, and programming.”

“That sounds like a cool program.” Vance beamed. “I’ll go with education.”

“Oh, good choice, Vance.” I gave him a thumbs-up.

“Business management for me, too like Lloyd’s… or a prosecutor.”

I gasp. “Whoa, that’s one tough path to take. Why prosecutor?”

“I would prove the accused is guilty beyond any doubt. No guilty murderers should be free to roam around or simply let them die. I believe they should suffer the same pain their victims went through—no, even more severe punishment than that.”

“Are you referring to Hestral?”

She glanced at me and grinned. “The one and only.”