Chapter 15
"Wahoo! Freedom!" Lia and Leizel ran out of the school the moment they passed their papers to the teacher. They just finished doing their final exam. "We did it! Yay!" The two were rejoicing, Lia was jumping up and down while Leizel was giving out some whoops and hollers.
"Here's to finishing year 11! And heading off to pre-university!" Both Lia and Leizel did a fist bump. "And here's to our graduation!" They both cheered. Then they started walking out of the school. "I was actually surprised when I found out about the pre-university thing, I thought you just head straight to college." Lia said.
"Right? If we were in the Philippines, we'd still have another year in high school then head straight to college. I guess it's kind of the same." Leizel replied, unwrapping the candy wrapper then sticking the candy into her mouth.
Lia nodded, "Yeah, I guess." She took out her phone to text her mom that she just finished the last exam, then she shoved her phone into her pocket. "Since the school's over, what are your plans for the break?"
"Hmm, well after graduation I'd be going with Kaizo again for training. But it will only take how many weeks." Leizel pouted. Lia widened up her eyes, "What? Training again? Do you always have to go with him? You'll tire yourself out again."
"It's part of my duty being part of his team. Remember that I'm a private in his team along with Fang." Lia nodded, "So Fang will go as well?" She gave her a smirk, much to Leizel raising her eyebrow. "Uhm. Yeah, and what's wrong with that?"
"Oh, nothing. Just asking." Lia returned a wink, making Leizel groan. "I know what you're thinking." Lia giggled, "I'm not saying anything! Geez, calm down, woman!"
"Yeah, whatever." Leizel just rolled her eyes. "So how about you? What's your plan for this break?"
"YOU'RE LEAVING?!"
Lia and Leizel were already at the cocoa shop. Everyone else was there except for Ying, who still had classes this afternoon. Lia broke the news to everyone that she'll be leaving for the Philippines some time after their graduation.
"As in leave? Forever?!" Lia was about to respond but Gopal kept on rambling. "Wait... What about us?! The team?! Don't you like it here?! Are we not enough for you?! What about your duty in TAPOPS? What about-"
"HEY!" Lia screamed, making Gopal stop. Everyone else was just looking at her, waiting for her answer. The girl sighed, "Relax. I'm just going there for a vacation. I still have family members there, you know? Like my older brothers."
Fang groaned at Gopal, smacking him. "You didn't have to exaggerate like that. You should've let her finish talking." Gopal frowned, "I was surprised, okay? And of course, I was worried!"
"Worried for who?" Yaya asked. "Duh! Worried for Boboiboy! For sure he feels-" Boboiboy suddenly smacked his head, making him yelp in pain. "Ouch! What was that for?! You two keep on hitting me! No fair!"
Lia chuckled, "Aiya. No need to worry, guys. Besides, I'll be leaving on the 15th of December. I'll be back before the new year." Leizel gave a sulky pout, "So you won't be here for Christmas? And my birthday?! That's sad." Yaya immediately gave Lia a bone-crushing hug, "Noooo! I refuse to let you go!" Leizel did the same thing, "Me too!"
Fang looked at Boboiboy and gave him a smirk. He clenched his fist and placed it near Boboiboy's mouth, it was like him holding a microphone. "So, how do you feel that miss Lia is going back to the Philippines for a vacation?" He acted like a reporter.
"Since when do you do this?" Boboiboy asked in annoyance to Fang's action. "Aiya. Of course I'm sad. 2 weeks is actually long." He crossed his arms, sighing. Lia giggled, "Don't be. I'll keep in touch with you guys, of course. Plus my comms will be open so in case there's an emergency mission, you can call me anytime."
Gopal grinned as he nodded, "That's good! And hey, Ochobot can teleport us to the Philippines. We won't be needing a passport nor airplane!" Fang sighed, "Aish. Don't use him like that. He can get drained if he keeps on using it, remember?"
"Well, I can do that. But only for emergencies, okay?" Ochobot suddenly butts in their conversation. Yaya, Leizel, and Gopal all gave a loud hurrah, making Lia giggle. Boboiboy served the ordered ice chocolate of Lia and Leizel, then they started drinking it.
"When's the graduation? We want to attend." Yaya said, pulling away from the hug. "Uhm, I think next week? It's next week, right?" Leizel turned to Lia, who nodded at her question. "Yeah, it's next week. Will you guys go?"
"Of course. We'll find a way to attend." Fang affirmed, smiling at the two of them. Boboiboy grinned, "No need to question that. Of course we'll go!" Lia chuckled, "Yay! That's great! Thank you, guys!"
They all did a team huddle handshake.
The day of the graduation came. Everybody was assembled at the auditorium, then the ceremony started. Lia and Leizel both swear they could feel the embarrassment once their names were called so they can receive the diploma because they both received some yells, whoops, and howls once they went up to the stage.
And of course, those yells, whoops, and howls were from the rest of the gang. Ying kept instructing Yaya to take their pictures, and it must be a perfect shot. The boys did a hilarious thing by raising up a placard that has the words:
CONGRATULATIONS LIA AND LEIZEL! FLY HIGH!
- TEAM BBB
"That's something you don't see every day." Lia muttered as she received her diploma that was given by her parents. Once the ceremony was over, Lia and Leizel were taking pictures with their school friends. The gang was just at the back, waiting for them.
"Shouldn't we go to them?" Gopal asked, scratching the back of his head. "Let's wait for them. They're still with their other friends." Ying replied.
The two Filipina girls then arrived, causing them to cheer. "Yay! Pre-university for you two! Congratulations!" Yaya gave them a tight hug, Ying followed, "Congratulations guys! You did well." Leizel gave her a soft smile, "Thanks Ying."
"And whose idea is this?" Lia asked, pointing to the placard. Boboiboy grinned, "It was mine! Well, me and Fang. I'll give him the credit." Fang rolled his eyes, "Yeah, you better do. I initially brought this up and you were the one who confirmed it."
"Geez, these two won't stop fighting, huh?" Gopal remarked. Then he turned to the two, "Really proud of you guys! That's why we should celebrate!" Leizel smirked, "Will it be your treat? Oh wait, yeah! It should be yours! I used to pay for your food before. Think of this as repayment to me."
Lia laughed, "So you guys are exchanging now? Gosh."
The ceremony started around in the afternoon then ended around 6 PM. Since it was almost dinner time, the gang decided to celebrate at Lia's house, since there will be food prepared. The living area and dining area were decorated as if it's an actual party.
Lia went down the stairs, already changed. She was wearing a cropped buttoned cardigan paired with an A-line denim skirt, and her shoes were nude gladiator sandals.
Ying let out a gasp, then smirked. "Aiya, it's orange!" She pointed to her top. Everybody else noticed the color, then they grinned. "Oh, I see. It's orange. Now I know!" Yaya teased, giggling.
"Huh? What's with the orange? Does it look bad on me?" Lia asked, feeling a bit shy. "No, no! It really looks great! We just like the color orange, am I right?" Leizel replied, wiggling her eyebrows as she looked at Boboiboy.
"Aish. Don't make everything about me." Boboiboy whined, but deep inside, he was really flustered. They were right about the color Orange, it was his color, and Lia's wearing an item of clothing that has his color.
Fang let out a fake gasp, "Is that a blush I see?" He pointed at Boboiboy's face. Gopal noticed it too, "Aiyoyo! I can see it too!" Their remarks earned a groan from Boboiboy, then he glared at them.
"Guys, it's time to eat." Lia's mom called them. Gopal immediately rushed to the table, much to the annoyance of others. "He thinks it's his birthday, huh?" Ying said, crossing her arms. "Aww, that's alright. This isn't just for me and Leizel, it's for all of us!" Lia assured.
They all started eating, then a conversation was initiated by Gopal which brought laughter to everyone. Even Lia's parents, who were at the kitchen fixing some things, laughed when they heard the conversation.
"The secondhand embarrassment I felt when I saw the placard, I'll never forget that." Lia spoke up, sighing. "It's like you guys were at a concert or something!" Leizel added on. "More like a parade..."
"See? I told you we shouldn't use the placard." Ying told both Boboiboy and Fang. "Don't you guys like it? It's called support." Fang said, raising his eyebrows. Lia chuckled, "Well, thank you for the support then."
Yaya finished her last meal, "Mhmm. The food's amazing! Thank you so much, aunty!" The others repeated what they said, then Lia's mom went out of the kitchen. "Aww, you're very welcome. I'm glad you guys liked it."
"Sorry for the no chicken curry." Lia apologized to Gopal. "Aiya! No worries! I'll have one when I get home." Gopal replied, grinning. "Eh?! You're going to eat again after this?!" Boboiboy asked in disbelief.
Andres suddenly arrived, surprising the gang. He was holding a box of cake, "Hope you guys have room for dessert." Cheers from the girls and Gopal were heard. Boboiboy and Fang stole a glance from each other, then they both looked at Andres, who placed the box on the table.
The girls and Gopal were already getting their slices of cake. Boboiboy and Fang were just seated there, watching them. "How about you guys? Don't you want cake?" Startled by the voice, Boboiboy turned around and saw Andres smiling at them.
"Uhm, yes we will get cake. Maybe a bit later. My stomach is a bit full from all the food earlier." Boboiboy replied, scratching his nape of awkwardness. Fang nodded, "Same goes for me."
Boboiboy could feel that Andres' smile towards him was different, it wasn't that genuine at all. Or maybe he was just overthinking it? He turned to Fang, who mouthed at him, "Awkward."
Andres cleared his throat, "So wait, what are all of your names again? I keep on forgetting. I want to remember those since you guys are the friends of my daughter." Ying grinned, "I'm Ying!"
"Yaya!" "Gopal!" "Leizel!"
Ying pointed to the other boys respectively, "And they are Boboiboy and Fang."
"And you guys are known to be the heroes in this town? Right?" Yaya nodded, "Yes sir. Along with Lia, of course! She makes a great addition to our team." She wrapped one arm around Lia and pulled her close to her.
Lia smiled sheepishly, "That's me."
"As long as you guys keep safe. You know the world nowadays; you can never be too safe." Andres warned them. "Will do! And don't worry, we'll make sure this little girl doesn't get hurt!" Gopal ruffled Lia's hair, much to her annoyance. "Aish! What do you think I am? A dog?!"
The graduation celebration went on. They played games such as charades, classical musical chairs, and even truth or dare.
"Woah, looks like someone's stepping up." Lia remarked at Fang who chose dare. Fang shrugged, "No harm done, right?" Boboiboy smirked, "Me me! I have a dare for him. I dare you to call the person who's in your recent text messages."
"It must be captain Kaizo. Will he answer?" Yaya asked. Fang simply took out his phone to check who was that person. Minutes later, Leizel's phone started ringing, surprising everyone else.
"Oh really? I'm the recent one?" Leizel asked, blushing. Fang nodded, "Well, you're the only person I talk the most within text messages." Gopal lets out a sharp gasp, while Boboiboy wiggles his eyebrows.
Lia turned over to Ying and saw her looking at them with a faint smile, she knew she was hurting. She wanted to talk to her about it, at least let her know that she's there for her. She saw Yaya pat her back softly.
The games went on until 9:30 PM. It was time to go home. Ying was the first one to leave, Lia knew she couldn't handle seeing both Fang and Leizel, so she understood that. Yaya and Gopal both followed since Yaya has curfew around 10 PM. The ones who were left offered to help clean the house since they were the ones who were there.
Fang and Leizel were fixing up the living room, while Boboiboy and Lia were fixing the dining room. Lia noticed how Fang and Leizel get along; Fang doesn't usually get along much with the others, but when it comes to Leizel, he felt like himself. She smiled at the two of them, then proceeded in fixing the table. She was packing away the used placed mats, while Boboiboy was wiping the table.
She sets her eyes on Boboiboy, then spoke up. "Are you okay?" Boboiboy looked up at her, "Me? Uhm... Yes, why'd you ask?" Lia sighed, "I kind of noticed you being quiet, since we ate dinner. Is there something wrong?"
Boboiboy couldn't admit to Lia that he was feeling weird ever since he saw her dad look at him differently, it was like something was up. But he tried to disregard that thought, he may be overthinking too much.
"Oh, about that... Yes, I'm okay. I'm just... tired, I guess." Lia nodded, understanding what he meant. "You should go right now. We'll handle the rest."
"Wait, I haven't given you this yet." All of a sudden, Boboiboy brought out a small white box, much to her surprise. "You got me a gift? Wait, you didn't have to. This is too much." The boy still handed her the box, smiling. "I insist."
Lia opened the box and saw a bracelet. It was a beaded one, most of them are black while there is one bead that's white. What caught her eye was the cylindrical bead at the middle, it had a design.
"Is this... my zodiac sign? Taurus?" Boboiboy smiled, "Yeah. I'm not really good at picking gifts but I hope you like this one." He showed his wrist, which has the same bracelet as Lia, but the design was connected to his sign, Pisces.
"Omg, we have matching bracelets! This is great, B! Thank you!" Lia exclaimed. "And I like the design. It's minimal. You did a great job in picking this." Boboiboy chuckled, "I'm glad you like it."
Watching them from afar was Andres, he was observing the two of them, especially Boboiboy. He had so many thoughts in mind, but he didn't speak up for the sake of his daughter.
After cleaning up, Boboiboy, Fang, and Leizel left.
Andres walked over Lia and gave her a hug. Lia returned the hug, "Thank you for helping mom today with the party. And for being here at my graduation. I thought you'll go back to work before this."
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." He replied, kissing her forehead. Then he eyes on the bracelet Boboiboy gave, "About that Boboiboy... He's the leader of your team, right?"
"Yeah, ever since they were formed." Andres nodded, "Is it because he got the power sphere?" Lia's eyebrows curved and rose up, "Uhm... Yeah. Well, he was the first one to- wait... How do you know that?"
Andres mentally slapped himself, however, he remained calm. "Uhm... I heard it from someone. Yeah, it was Sonobot." Lia just smiled, "Yeah, that's reasonable."
A yawn slipped from her mouth, "I'm very sleepy today. I think I need to head to bed." Andres smiled, "Make sure to take a quick shower, kiddo. Better to sleep feeling fresh."
"Will do, dad." Lia kissed her dad's cheek then started walking away, "Goodnight dad. Love you." She went up the stairs. However, she went back down, slowly in order not be heard. She peeked on her dad, who was now talking to somebody on his phone.
"Ah yes, yes. After my trip to the Philippines, I'll be going back. I have to spend time with my family, especially my daughter." Lia observed his expression as he said that, then continues to listen to him.
"Aish, who said you have the right to talk back at me?! Just do as what you're told." Andres sudden retort surprised Lia. She has never seen her father like that, at least, to her. She knew that among her siblings, she was the favorite of her dad which is why he acted soft and loving to her.
"You're a disappointment," Andres said, clicking his tongue. "Just do it your work properly, or else you're fired." Then he ended the call. Lia has her mouth wide open; how could he talk like that?
"Why won't people understand that the less they know, the more peace of mind they get? Wouldn't they want that? Sheesh." Andres headed to the kitchen. Lia slowly went up the stairs and right straight to her room, she was breathing heavily. What's going on? Why is he that mad?
She sat on her bed and continued to think. "He did mention to me that he was a boss after all. Maybe his subordinate won't do the task that made him angry." She mumbled. She reassured herself that it was like that, she knew her dad can be strict when it comes to his work, she was just surprised at how Andres acted. "Some bosses are like that, I guess."
Little did she know, once she went up the stairs and went back to her room, Andres took a peek at the staircase where Lia was. He took out his phone and went to an app, where he could view the surveillance camera that was installed on the first floor.
His eyebrows furrowed once he reviewed it; the time he was talking to someone, Lia was there at the staircase. She stayed until he was done talking on the phone, then she left.
"Sh*t."
A/N: So here are the chapters that are already posted in my other account on another website. Sorry for the inconvenience, I didn't know what happened huhuhu. Hope you guys will still enjoy this book! <3
The next update will be next week :> I've already written the next chapters of this book so stay tuned!
Gonna do this tagging thing again xD
erikenji__ Captain_Valkyrie julianna_gillespie julie_patterson20
Keep safe always!