Hell University-Chapter 40 - 39: Spinach

Zein’s Point of View

Staying away from trouble wasn’t that hard; as long as you had a reason to avoid it, you could manage it. In my case, I didn’t want to make another wrong move that could cause more problems. I was so sick of causing trouble.

"Here." I placed Roxane’s shoulder bag on the table, the one she had sent me to fetch from the other building. I submitted to Roxane, because if I fought back, I would still lose in the end. I had already made so many mistakes, and I didn’t want to make any more.

"Wait," she called out as I was about to leave. "I have a feeling my bag will fall and all my things will scatter on the floor," she said, and one of her aides quickly went to prove her intuition right.

"I knew it! My intuition is strong. Pick it up."

I didn’t let on that I was boiling with anger, because I knew that was exactly their reason for having me run errands, to see me react and use it against me. They played dirty, and I didn’t want to play along.

I noticed a hand reaching out to help me pick it up, followed by another, and another. I lifted my gaze and smiled when I saw Mia, Jerome, Dave, and Matt helping me, while Vanessa just stood there. I knew she was holding back her anger.

"Thank you," I said, expressing my gratitude before returning Roxane’s shoulder bag to her table.

The three of them laughed, which made me frown. They were delighted to see me struggling. Well, that was exactly their game, they found joy in a scene that others might find unpleasant.

"I think I still have a feeling-"

"Can’t you feel that you might be surprised to find my palm landing on your cheek, already covered with makeup?" Vanessa cut him off, so I placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"How dar-"

Roxane suddenly received a slap from Mia, which stopped all of us in our tracks. "Ouch. Sorry, I couldn’t hold back," Mia said innocently, so I quickly pulled her out of the cafeteria, knowing Roxane would want revenge.

The four of us walked as David led the group, laughing, clearly proud of what Mia had done. I couldn’t help but smile. I was happy for Mia that she was finally letting out her feelings instead of keeping them bottled up. Mia was as silent as the night, yet as wild as an innocent tiger.

"She should have hit both cheeks," Vanessa pointed out, laughing. "But to be fair, that was strong. Good for her."

"What if she gets revenge on you?" I interrupted their merriment. "What if she does something worse than what she did?" I couldn’t help but worry.

Knowing that queen bitch, she never allows herself to lose to anyone, and I was only worried about what Roxane might do to Mia in retaliation.

"Then I’ll just give her another slap on the other cheek," Mia replied boldly. "Don’t worry about me. I can handle myself."

They burst into laughter again, and I found myself joining in.

But like everything else, that moment of joy came to an end. They went off to their respective classes, while I was once again left alone.

"When will you ever come to your senses?"

I immediately stood up from my seat when Nicky suddenly appeared in front of me once again, wearing her usual poker face.

"If you’re going to slap me again, do it quickly," I replied flatly, which earned a soft laugh from her.

"You don’t really know how to feel pain," she said. "I’m thinking of how I can hurt you." She even held her chin as if deep in thought. "I will hurt you emotionally. Wounds inside are far more painful than wounds on the outside. What do you think?"

A grin slipped from her lips, making the hairs on my arms stand on end.

What is she planning?

"Then do it," I replied flatly.

"Oh! I forgot, it’s more like hitting two birds with one stone." I froze. "What is Supremo to you?" she asked, a question that stopped me completely.

I felt a surge of irritation at the thought of her dragging innocent people into this just to hurt me. "What do you want? Why do you keep doing this?" I asked bitterly.

I wanted clarity, to understand why she was always targeting me. I knew she was hiding something, something I was unknowingly stepping on. Whatever it was, I had no idea. I was completely clueless.

"Just stay away from Supremo in exchange for your peace."

"Why do you all not want to see me with Supremo?" I asked, irritation creeping into my voice. Why couldn’t they simply explain it to me, so I could understand and know the real reason behind what they wanted?

"You should not be together. You must not grow close."

"Why?!" I demanded authoritatively. "Give me one valid reason. If you cannot provide an acceptable reason, then there is no way you can stop me," I added, my words carrying a hint of warning.

"One valid reason? Because you’re just a hindrance, a pest in our lives, a shit in the way."

I furrowed my brow, ready to ask more, but he turned around and left, abandoning me just like before. Shit! I really don’t understand! Why am I such an obstacle to them? What exactly am I standing in the way of, and why is it so hard for them to explain? Are they planning something against Supremo?

Since it was lunchtime, I went to the cafeteria to get some takeout. Supremo was so busy that he hadn’t even eaten at the proper time. Madame Violet was probably giving him a hard time. After getting the takeout, I went to the SSG Office, and Supremo was already there alone, apparently unaware of my arrival. He was focused on a stack of papers, a whole lot of them.

I felt annoyed that he hadn’t even glanced at me, so I grabbed the papers on his table. "Finally!" I muttered when he finally looked at me, his brows furrowed.

I placed all the papers on my own table and set the takeout food I had brought from the cafeteria on Supremo’s table.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"We’re going to eat, in case you forgot it’s already 12 p.m." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

He glanced at his wristwatch.

"I’ll eat later-"

"Shut up," I cut him off, making him laugh.

He was truly delighted whenever he managed to annoy me. I almost wanted to shove all the papers down his throat so that he could at least be full from them. Ugh! He was heating up my temper again.

"You’re going to make me an animal?" he asked in disbelief, looking at the vegetables laid out in front of him. I hadn’t chosen any fatty or rich foods, I had intentionally made everything purely vegetables.

"You’re going to feed me Bermuda grass and... what’s this?" he asked, pointing at one of the vegetables.

"Bitter melon," I replied briefly.

"Eww. Sounds bad."

I rolled my eyes heavenward. "Shut up," I replied.

Damn it! Eat now!" I said irritably, frustrated by his theatrics and pseudo-scientific questioning. It was just a vegetable; he wasn’t going to die, and in fact, it would do him a lot of good.

I began eating while he looked at me with disgust.

"You won’t get full if you just stare at me," I said flatly.

"It’s filling enough. Actually, my eyes are already full from the view," he replied.

Annoyed, I slammed my spoon down and moved a little closer to him. I took his plate and spoon, intending to feed him myself. He stepped back, so I stepped forward instead.

"One wrong move and I will kick your balls," I threatened irritably.

I grimaced when he instinctively covered the space between his thighs. I flushed when I realized what I had just said. Oh my God! Supremo was so infuriatingly attractive in that pose, his hand placed there. Shit, why did I even say that?

"How could I give you a baby if you kick my balls?" he said with a grin, nearly making my jaw drop.

Oh my God!

"Alright, I won’t kick your balls. Just don’t move away again," I said, sliding my chair closer to him once more.

I couldn’t even look at him properly because he was grinning. He really knew exactly how to irritate me. This man was seriously about to make me lose it.

"You’re just pretending. You’re afraid I’ll end up sterile anyway."

"Fuck you a million times!" I snapped as I grabbed his head and pulled it closer to me. "Eat it or else..." I threatened, pointing the spoon at his tightly closed lips. "I’ll eat you," I added, mimicking what he had said earlier.

"Oh please, eat me, Zein."

My jaw dropped and I let go of the spoon as he burst into laughter. What did he just say? Why did it sound like I understood that differently? Ugh! I don’t know what to do with this guy! He’s so hard to beat. Whenever I fight back, it’s still my jaw that ends up dropping. Every word he says feels like an explosion that leaves me stunned. Ugh! Damn it, Ace.

Annoyed, I was about to stand up when he stopped me.

"O‑Okay, I’ll eat now, Ma’am. J‑Just don’t leave me," he stammered, taking the spoon from my plate.

"I’ll use this one instead, so I have something to counter the taste of these weeds," he added innocently, referring to the spoon I had used.

Does he have no idea? Doesn’t he realize I’m about to explode because of the things he keeps saying? Damn it. This man is so infuriating, I could smash him against a wall. Ugh.

I watched him chew the bitter melon, almost spitting it out. His face turned so red it looked like he would spit it out at any second.

"Ugh! This is so bitter, Zein," he said, making me laugh. Still, he didn’t spit it out.

He stood up and took something from his drawer before returning to me. To me? Psh.

"What are you going to do with that sugar?" I asked. I grimaced when he dipped the bitter melon into it. "Are you serious?" I asked in disbelief.

He ate it with obvious enjoyment while I watched, still wincing. "Not bad, but it seems to lack sweetness," he said, looking at me.

"Then go ahead and eat that whole jar of sugar," I retorted bluntly, which made him laugh.

He truly enjoyed provoking me.

"Even if I were to eat all the sugar in the world, I don’t think anything would be sweeter than tasting your lips," he said seriously, his eyes fixed on my mouth.

Once again, my jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

"S‑Stop it," I said awkwardly, trying to stop him.

He merely nodded and took another piece of bitter melon, dipping it into the sugar. He put it into his mouth while still looking at my lips. "Even just looking at them, it’s already sweet," he added.

Supremo, honestly, stop making my heart flutter. I can’t take it anymore; I might just explode right here.

"May I have a taste?" he asked again.

"Stop it!"

He pouted before taking another bite of the bitter melon. "You’re so stingy. Do you know you’re making me even more eager?" he asked.

I didn’t respond, simply watching him nearly finish the bitter melon, but I noticed he hadn’t touched the spinach he had set aside on the side of his plate.

"You shouldn’t leave food untouched," I said, moving closer to him. I picked up the spinach and held it to his mouth.

He froze and paled. "I don’t eat spinach," he said, still blushing.

"Eat it for me, please," I said, giving him puppy eyes.

He swallowed, then accepted the spinach, chewing it and nearly looking nauseous again, which made me laugh. He bit his lip.

I was about to finish the spinach for him when I looked at his neck, which was slightly flushed. I furrowed my brow at the sight of his entire body turning red, yet he was still smiling at me.

"H-Hey? Are you okay?!" I asked anxiously as I grabbed his arm, it was burning hot. "You have a fever, don’t tell me." My chest pounded as a realization hit me.

"A-Are you allergic to spinach?" I asked in disbelief.

"Y-Yes."

"B-But why did you still eat it?" I asked nervously.

"I didn’t want to disobey you. I’m willing to risk even my health just to follow you. You are my queen, and I am your knight, and I will eat anything for you."

"Supremo!"