Moonlight Serenade

Hazel and Joseph entered the Director's office at the same time. Jewel looked away, averting her gaze from the two. Joseph had returned to class the other day from the intercampus competition in Cebu City. She heard UDM took second place in the Regional and held a celebration party last night at the function hall. She did not attend even though she was invited.

"Good morning, D-Director," Hazel greeted.

Joseph smiled. "Good morning, Sir." He looked at her and her parents. The smile disappeared from his lips and restrained himself. "Good morning, Jewel."

But she did greet Joseph back, not when her father was throwing daggers at him through sharp glares.

The Director let the the two be seated in the visitor lair opposite the table. "Do you know why you're here?" he asked.

Hazel shook her head. "No."

Joseph just shrugged. "We have a class today, Sir, when suddenly your office called for us."

"Miss Hazel and Mister Joseph, I have a video to show you and you explain afterwards." The Director showed the video from Gabb's phone. Later, he handed back the phone to Gabbi and cleared a throat. "Miss Gabbiana accuses you, Miss Hazel, as the one who captured that video. And you, Mister Joseph, we all saw what you did in that video."

Hazel blinked and Joseph's forehead furrowed. No words came out from the mouths of the two. Her father's patience was exhausted and he shouted again to threaten the two.

Hazel gave up first. Her hands were shaking from the fright. "Mister M-Mangubat..." Hazel glanced at Gabbi, and her gaze traveled towards her. Jewel saw how Hazel tried to calm herself down. "T-That's not true. That video didn't come from me."

"Hazel!" Gabbi shrieked. "Do not lie!"

Hazel averted her gaze and casted her eyes down on the floor. "I'm not the one who captured that video. I'm not the one so why are you accusing me, Gabbi?"

"Because I got that video from you!" Gabbi's two eyebrows met. "When I borrowed your cellphone, I saw it in the recycler. I passed it on my phone! If you don't want to believe Laine, get her phone! If I'm telling the truth, you'll see the video in the recycler but if you don't see anything, kill me!"

"Gabbi!" she warned. That word was not good. But Gabbi just folded her arms and averted her eyes.

"Do it, Miss Hazel. Please hand your phone to us," said the Director.

Hazel stood and handed the cellphone to the Director. She told him the password and the phone was immediately unlocked. The Director handed the phone to Gabbi. "Retrieve the said video," he commanded.

Gabbi accepted it and looked at the phone for a few minutes. Later, it turned the screen on them. "This. I got the file again. Marine is her course so maybe she didn't know her phone had a built-in recycler program. I just wanted to know what Hazel's old files were so I looked at the contents of that. And I saw the video."

Hazel blinked but didn't say a word. Jewel rested her eyes on the phone's screen and her lips pursed into a line. It's the same video. She faced Hazel who was now hanging her head low due to shame.

Her fists clenched. She could feel her heart beating faster with anger. She pointed a finger at Hazel.

"Freaking b*tch! You've been hiding the evidence for a long time, Hazel?" Her teeth pressed hard. "What on earth am I doing with these years? Why did I make friends with you three! Tiara, Gabbi, and you, Hazel! You're all the same! Freaking liars, betrayers!"

"No! I-I was just scared, L-Laine," Hazel reasoned out.

Jewel turned her sharp glare at Joseph and pointed a finger on him. "This man tried to do some things on me yet you didn't help? You were there, taking a video of that shameful scene without doing anything? What are you? A freaking audience?!"

Joseph looked up at her. "We were drunk that night, precious Jewel. You know that."

Jewel's face crumpled at what Joseph called her. Precious jewel? Did he have no shame at all?! What the heck is he thinking calling her pet names in front of her dad?!

The good thing was that her father didn't give attention to the pet name. He clenched his fist. "Drunk?" Don Sebastion groaned. "How did Jewel get drunk inside the University?"

The Director frowned. "Mister Mangubat ---"

"Shameless!" Don Sebastian yelled. "Your University is so careless, Hubes. A disgrace to the whole of Medellin!"

The Director sighed and looked badly at Joseph. "Alcohol is forbidden inside the University, Mister Joseph. What drunk ---"

"There were smuggled wines at the Christmas party, Sir. The juice and wine were accidentally exchanged so Jewel and I got drunk," Joseph said.

"And you didn't report it to the office?!" the Director exclaimed. His aura darkened and the man's eyes glazed over. He sighed and looked at her father again. "Mister Mangubat, I will make sure no more alcohol will be smuggled inside the campus."

Her father suddenly laughed. "The University's negligence is very clear. I wouldn't be surprised if there were thieves, liars, and abusers studying in it."

The Director's fist clenched, embarrassed. He didn't refute her father's libel and just looked at the other people present in the room. "Miss Jasmine, from now on you will be expelled from the University. The University will sue Miss Gabbiana. Miss Hazel and Mister Joseph will be suspended for two months." The Director looked at her. "And Miss Jewel, the University is giving you the opportunity to choose between shifting course or special online class. The University is deeply sorry for the troubles you've encountered while staying in our premises."

"I ..." She swallowed and took a deep breath. She gave Hazel and Gabbi a glance before turning back to the Director. "I don't want to shift course. I want to take an online class first."

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Don Sebastian looked at her. "It's better if you move to the AgriBusiness course ---"

"My decision is firm, Dad," she interrupted. "Let me decide for myself. Just for once, I will decide for myself first."

Her father's face darkened. He didn't like her interrupting what he was saying but her mother suddenly speak. "Let it go, Sebastian. You've thrown a few arguments at your daughter but she's determined to continue with her dream course. There's nothing we can do if she really loves that course."

Her father's eyes narrowed, sighed, and nodded. Jewel secretly smiled. But when she turned her gaze to the companions in that room, the smile faded from her lips.

She looked at Hazel. The girl was trembling and the sweaty hand smeared on the skirt of the uniform. Joseph hummed and could not look at her, clenching and unclenching his fist.

Meanwhile, Jasmine was crying quietly as she bent her head down, and the Guidance Counselor next to her had no reaction. But she noticed that the latter was playing with her hand as if she was restless in the chair.

And Gabbi... was dumbfounded while staring at the floor. Gabbi's lips were slightly pale and she kept on clenching her fist. Jewel swallowed hard and looked away. She didn't want to see how pitiful her old friends were, even if they had done something to her.

Jewel sighed. "Honestly, I'm angry with the four of them but maybe they don't need to be punished severely." She looked at Gabbi and Hazel then quickly averted her gaze. "I'm okay with this closure. I mean, I'm satisfied to know their secrets. Actually, I've been away from them before so maybe there's no need for punishment ---"

"I'm sorry Miss Mangubat but I can't promise that," the Director said. "There is evidence that the four violated the law of the University so they must be punished. This is in accordance with the University's rules and regulations."

Jewel lowered her gaze. She knew it and she couldn't help feeling sad. She knew Gabbi. The girl studies hard in order to graduate, and because of what happened she can no longer reach the dream. Hazel, on the other hand, did not know how her parents would react, especially since the two-month suspension was a big loss.

Even though they were at fault, she still felt sorry for the four of them.

"T-Thank you, Mister Mangubat. Thank you, D-Director," Jasmine said. She's grateful because there's no lawsuit.

The three accused remained silent and averted their eyes.

Suddenly, Jewel sat straight when she remembered her Municipal scholarship!

The scholarship contract includes that she must maintain a good reputation at the University. And she clearly did not follow what was written in the contract and violated its provision. The circumstance really does not favor her. How could she continue her studies now that Gideon's not here to help her?

She still uses the credit card provided by Gideon within the University. Her mother didn't give her any allowance except for a penny to buy lunch in fear that she'll just use the excess money to buy those x-rated books.

Jewel sighed. Maybe it was a wise decision to keep Gideon's credit card a secret else, she could not possibly have any pocket money she could use if she wanted to buy things aside from lunch.

She secretly smiled. She was thankful to Gideon because if he didn't give her a credit card, she might be begging at the University. It would be a great shame if she'll owe money from her classmate. Maybe she need to tell Gideon that she'll lose her scholarship, so that he would not be too surprised by the amount of the credit that would be paid by the end of the month. Sadly, she worked hard to get the scholarship but in just one issue, all's gone.

But what worries her more was her confrontation with Gideon. The slap she gave him was strong and it was embarrassing to contact him now. She regretted her impulsiveness.

After the office scene that afternoon Jewel sat in the backseat of the car. Her Dad was currently driving and her mother was sitting in the passenger seat. They were traveling home to the mansion. She was exhausted. Her head hurt and she wanted to sleep. But drowsiness did not visit her. Even with her eyes closed, her brain was still active and it's preventing her to sleep. Jewel was thinking about the present and future possibilities.

Later, her thoughts turned to Gideon. What excuse would she come up to talk to the man again? She could think of nothing.

They were on their way home when Gideon's face was in her mind, and even after dinner and before going to bed, she was still thinking of her husband.

Grabbing her phone, she opened the reading app and read some explicit scenes to relax her mind.

And it seemed like she had succeeded because she felt her body gone hot by all the hot scenes depicted on the novel. Jewel did that 'thing' again, pleasuring herself to her heart's content.

At midnight, when everyone in the mansion were asleep, Jewel opened her eyes. She was sweating and her body was trembling. From pain? No.

She had dreamt of that faceless man again and she remembered it clearly. He was doing that 'thing' with her and even if she begged him to stop, he wouldn't. Pinning her hand above her head, the man continued what he was doing and when Jewel was in the verge of dying out of pleasure, it was when she woke up.

Jewel sat and touched her numb chest. She was shocked to know that she's naked. It was not the first time that she woke up naked but what made her heart tremble in fear was the red marks in every part of her skin.

From her neck to her chest, to her navel, and to her thighs. Even her n*pples were red as if someone sucked them hard!

Jewel shivered and she hugged her naked body, looking around her dark room.