Chapter 2 Two

CHAPTER 2

Eight days after Karen's death.

First Metro, New York.

Days had passed, but the curiosity inside Stella continued to haunt her. The girl with long black hair was beginning to be curious about the reason behind the death of her best friend, Karenina Baker because Samuel's words yesterday continued to bother her. Maybe Samuel was right, Karen had tried to tell them something, but no one realized it because Karen never said it openly. But is there something that Stella really missed that she should feel guilty about now?

Stella stopped her steps when Clara appeared in front of her. Unfortunately, the short-haired girl was not alone. There were Ganisa, Helena and Sera - the seniors who had allegedly bullied Karen - around her. They were looking at Stella dimly with satisfied smirks on their lips.

"Hi, Stella. Long time no see," greeted Ganisa sarcastically. She stood next to Clara and embraced her intimately. Then she looked at Clara who was rooted to her spot. "Don't you want to say hello to your old friend too, um?"

Stella remained silent, staring straight at Clara who was also keeping her mouth shut. If Karen was still alive, the girl would have defended her and scolded Clara for being friends with their nemesis in the office building.

The tall girl with the distinctive ombre hair then lowered her hand from Clara's shoulder and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, if you guys don't have anything else to say, we'd better go now."

Ganisa walked ahead with Helena and Sera trailing like maids behind her. Meanwhile, Clara stayed where she was for some time before finally walking away, passing Stella's body who was still looking at her expectantly and curiously.

Stella let out a long breath after Clara had completely left. Her eyes reddened, there was a hot sensation in her sad eyes when Clara treated her like a stranger. She would have been crying by now if someone's hand hadn't suddenly tapped her shoulder from behind and interrupted her reverie.

"Juni?"

Juna Pennington, otherwise known as First Metro's bad boy, appeared in front of Stella after a few days of suspension for violence in the office building. Juna and Bani-his senior-had gotten into a big fight over something and ended up with one big punch that sent Bani to the hospital.

"Are you coming in today?" Stella asked again. "Is our boss okay with your problem?"

Instead of answering, Juna threw her notebook at Stella, causing her to flinch and almost falter as she tried to catch the thin object.

"What the hell?" Stella lifted Juna's book into the air and looked at the boy in confusion. "You didn't mean for me to do your work during your absence, did you?"

Juna shrugged her shoulders and only had a flat look on her pretty face.

"Seriously, Juni?" Stella sighed harshly. "By the way, have you eaten yet? Want to go to the cafeteria together?"

Juna nodded yes and walked with Stella to the cafeteria of the office building.

The office building cafeteria itself was located in the corner of the hallway between rooms eleven and twelve. They often referred to the cafeteria as the border between seniors and juniors because this place filled with various dishes was often used as a dueling ground by First Metro boys.

Those who dare their seniors and want to prove their toughness, usually duel in front of the cafeteria for the two camps to watch. Juna was one of them. The tall guy with small muscles on his arms managed to deliver a punch that Bani - the senior of the office building and Ganisa's boyfriend - couldn't block, sending the guy known as the office building's 'bully' to the hospital and ending with Juna receiving a three-day suspension.

Juna wasn't actually a bad kid, but her background as a 'broken home' because her parents divorced made her a different person. She no longer sympathized with others and chose to live a hard life with other bad boys in order to achieve a goal called 'freedom'.

Stella sits across from Juna at a corner table in the cafeteria. Stella ordered a sandwich, while Juna had her favorite pasta. "Why do you like eating pasta with just a little bit of bean sprouts?" asked Stella curiously. "That's why your body is like a living corpse, skinny and dry."

Juna chuckled amusedly, "Since when do you care about my food?" and took a spoonful of pasta pieces and chewed on them. "Even though my body is skinny, it's still powerful. You can see the muscles in my arms, right?"

Stella grimaced in disgust and shook her head in disbelief.

Juna and Stella didn't say much as they ate their favorite foods. Stella with her sandwich and Juna with a portion of pasta covered in chili sauce.

Then Samuel's appearance caught both Stella and Juna's attention from their lunch. Samuel looked at Stella and then at Juna in turn and smiled kindly. "I was looking for you guys earlier, but you're having lunch together here," Samuel said. "Can I join you?"

Stella nodded. "You may."

But Juna hurriedly finished her iced tea and got up from her chair.

"Uh, where are you going?" Stella saw half the pasta left in Juna's bowl and looked at the owner in surprise. "This pasta isn't finished yet."

Juna looked at Stella and gave Juna a sardonic glance before finally saying, "I'm full." as she waltzed away leaving Stella and Samuel in an awkward atmosphere there.

Samuel took the seat Juna had previously occupied and looked at the food in front of him in confusion. "What's wrong with Juna? He doesn't seem happy that I'm joining him."

Stella shrugged her shoulders indifferently and took a sip of her orange ice. "By the way, where was that?" She pushed her empty glass and plate away. "They said you were called by the HRD staff. Any problems?"

Samuel shook his head quickly. "No, they just asked about Karen's death," he said.

"So, what did you answer?"

The 27-year-old then supported his chin with his right hand and looked at Stella sadly. "I can only answer what it is. We found Karen's body near the Hope River that night, dead."

Stella nodded in concern. It took a few seconds of silence for the girl to finally realize something and clear her throat. "Sam, there's something I want to ask you," she said cautiously.

"Yes, go ahead. What do you want to ask?"

Stella leaned toward the boy in front of her and looked at him questioningly. "The night you found Karen's body, was Om Antoni there?"

"No." Samuel frowned, trying to remember something. "I found Karen's body alone because Om Antoni went in the opposite direction."

"So, you were the only one who saw Karen's body that night?"

Samuel gave a short mumble and nodded in agreement. "Technically yes. After I confirmed that the body was Karen, I immediately called Om Antoni and the other police."

Stella bit her lower lip nervously, her hands suddenly trembling. Horrible thoughts began to run through her head. She took a deep breath and thought, "What if Samuel was actually involved?" []