"Isn't Ma'am Celestial coming back today?" they heard one of their classmates ask.
"Ah, yeah, we ran into her earlier with Ma'am Ronda," another classmate replied.
Rodel and she exchanged glances and just quietly stayed in their seats.
"Hello! Good morning!" They were suddenly startled by a familiar voice as someone entered their classroom.
All of them quickly turned toward the door and were greeted with a cheerful smile.
"How have your days been? While I was gone for two weeks?" she asked them.
As she walked toward the teacher's table, some of them were left speechless in surprise.
She chuckled softly. "Hey, are you all okay?" she asked them again.
"Jeez, don't surprise us like that, Miss," someone blurted out.
"What kind of surprise?" she joked with a laugh.
The three of them just shook their heads at their adviser. It was as if she had never been betrayed or left by a partner.
Ma'am Celestial, you're so brave, she could only say in her mind.
"So? You didn't give the substitute teacher a hard time, did you?" she asked them.
"We were well-behaved, Ma'am," Neil answered.
"Really now?" she asked, smiling.
"Okay, so where did you leave off in your discussion?" she asked again.
"Jeez, discussion already? Can't you chill for a bit first? Ma'am, didn't you just have your exam yesterday? Shouldn't you be resting instead of teaching today?" a male classmate asked.
"Wow? Oh, and what's the connection with that? Are you feeling lazy now?" she asked, raising her eyebrow at them.
"I already asked your sub. She said you stopped at short stories?" She followed up.
"And I was told to give you an oral recitation today, so? Let's do the recitation now," she declared.
They could hear some of their classmates sighing, and she quietly chuckled to herself.
No one else complained anymore, and Shaina knew her classmates were really happy that their adviser was finally back.
They did a short review first before doing the activity.
"Well, so far, I haven't heard any negative comments about your teacher and the sub, and the good news is—we'll just have the oral recitation and long quiz on Friday," she said with a smile.
Shaina heard some of her classmates groan and scratch their heads, while others let out sighs.
Then the bell rang, signaling the end of their advisory class.
"Goodbye, class," she said to them.
"Goodbye, Ma'am Celestial, thank you for teaching us," they all stood and said in chorus.
"Yep, good job—the room's clean," she added with a smile before finally leaving the classroom.
"Let's not mention that to Ma'am Celestial," Shaina heard Rodel say quietly.
They all just nodded in agreement not to bring it up, knowing that it must not have been easy for their teacher.
"Let's not dwell on it either. What's important is—she's doing fine, right?" he said.
"You're right," she replied simply to her classmate.
****
Mariely let out a deep sigh as her class ended; she had also been surprised earlier by Becca's concern and questions.
So he's already abroad... I hope he's doing fine there, she thought.
She silently hoped Zean would be okay, wherever he ended up. Her life was about to get busier too, since her brother's wedding was coming up. She had also invited Veron, who looked visibly excited to attend as a guest.
Not only that, but her older sister Nadia had agreed to let Veron be one of their personal makeup artists—both for Nadia and for her.
That girl's crazy, she thought with a shake of her head. Her family had grown close to Veron, and there were times she'd be surprised to find her friend just showing up at their house to hang out or sleep over.
Sometimes, she'd get dragged along to Veron's plans, or she'd visit Veron's house just to chill.
"Hey," Veron suddenly said, nudging her. She met her friend's gaze, her brows slightly furrowed. "What's wrong with you? It's only Monday," she said.
Mariely just shook her head. "Veron, come with me. I was waiting for you so we can eat at the canteen," she said.
"Hey, I'm inviting you later." Veron grinned widely at her.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"My boyfriend's here, and he wants to meet you. Don't worry, food's on him." She laughed.
"Girl, no need. I might just get in the way—and besides, it's your rare chance to go on a date, right?" she teased. "Don't make me a third wheel; that's brutal," she joked, grinning at her friend.
"Hey, I didn't mean it that way. He just really wants to meet you. What date? We don't do that. And anyway, his return was unexpected," Veron explained.
"If it's sudden, that's exactly why you need time with him. Just tell him I'm too emo to be around couples."
She was met with a strong smack on the arm. "Hey! Come on. A—Also, I'm nervous."
Mariely laughed. "Is this your first meet-up?" she teased.
"Come on, he's really nice," Veron insisted.
She saw the pleading look in her friend's eyes. Mariely just sighed. Truth be told, she could never say no to Veron, especially when it was a small favor.
"Fine, fine, I'll go. Are you heading back to the condo?" she asked.
Veron smiled wide. "Don't worry about what to wear—I got you."
Her brow shot up. "Hey, girl, you're the one who's supposed to look good! Seriously," she said, shaking her head.
"You need to look even more beautiful—so that guy will regret leaving you."
"Girl, he's in another country. Ma'am Becca said he was sent overseas for now," she replied.
"I don't really care; I got this," Veron said, grinning.
"Alright, let's just eat at the canteen," Mariely finally said.
"Of course," her friend replied, following her.
She could only shake her head at Veron. If she hadn't met her and reconnected with Frank again, maybe she wouldn't have even taken the board exam and would've stayed miserable instead.
She's very thankful to have met Veron and to have found a true friend in her. She let out a deep breath.