Break time arrived. The cafeteria, usually bustling with students from Merpati High School, was now even more crowded with students from smaneke too. Students streamed back and forth, taking turns so they could avoid the crush of all the newcomers.
"Let's just eat in the classroom. It's way too packed in here. There are quite a lot of students from that other school, too," Davina whispered, inviting the twins to head back to class after buying some snacks from the cafeteria.
"But I'm hungry, Davina. I want chicken noodles. I didn't have time to eat breakfast this morning because Amira woke up late!" Amina protested, clutching her growling stomach.
"Why me? Just admit your eyes are the ones that are hungry from looking at all those handsome guys!" Amira shot back, denying her twin's accusation.
"If that's true, then it's true, true, and true. But seriously, if you hadn't overslept, I could've had a peaceful breakfast instead of feeling like I was racing against the clock!" Amina retorted with a silly grin.
"Who told you not to eat breakfast by yourself? Now I'm the one getting blamed!" Amira flicked Amina on the forehead, making the girl pout.
"Ugh, what a useless twin. Be more sensitive to my wants. Besides, I know your eyes are hungry too, because you want to see the charm of all those guys!" Amina said with a wink, her lips curling into a teasing smile.
Davina could only massage her forehead as she listened to the twins argue. She scanned the room, looking for an empty spot.
"Keep it down, you two. Go order already, and quit running your mouths!" Davina said as she headed toward an empty table. It was all the way in the corner, which made her smile in satisfaction.
But Davina's plans were thwarted when someone suddenly sat down at the same table. She turned and snorted when she saw the guy sitting there arrogantly.
"What are you doing sitting here? Can't you see I found this spot first?" Davina snapped, pointing repeatedly at the table with a fierce glare.
Devan chuckled when he saw Davina's annoyed expression. "This is a public place. It's not your ancestors' property, so there's no problem with me and my friends sitting here too!" Devan replied casually. He glanced at his three friends, signaling for them to take the empty seats.
"See? My friends agree that we should sit here, while you're all by yourself!" Devan added with his devilish grin.
Feeling insulted, Davina slammed her hands on the table in anger. She stood up and pointed at Devan's arrogant face.
"Ugh!" Davina was furious. She chose to leave rather than start trouble with a student from the other school. The last thing she wanted was to become the center of everyone's attention.
"Hey, hey!" Devan grabbed Davina's arm.
Davina shook him off. "What is your problem? You're being so ridiculously obnoxious!" she snapped.
"Where are you going? Just sit here, but..." Devan looked at Davina with his devilish grin. "Serve us while we eat here!"
Davina glared. Who did he think he was, ordering her around like that? she grumbled inwardly.
"Well?" Devan asked.
"Don't hold your breath!" Davina answered, thoroughly annoyed. With her face blazing red, the girl left the table that Devan and his gang had taken over.
"You're crazy, Dev. It's our first day at this school, and you've already ticked someone off like that!" Rendra said, shaking his head at Devan's bizarre behavior. Devan usually didn't like getting involved with other people, but for some reason, this time he seemed to be deliberately provoking one of the students from that school.
Devan merely chuckled. "I was just joking. Turns out it's pretty fun!" he replied with a shrug. His lips were still curved in a smile as he watched Davina leave.
Meanwhile, the twins carried trays filled with chicken noodles and iced tea. They were both puzzled when they saw Davina leaving the cafeteria with her face bright red.
"Hey, Davina, where are you going?" Amira called.
Davina stopped and turned around. "Let's eat in the garden!" she replied curtly. Her face still looked irritated, making it impossible for her to hide her anger.
"What's gotten into her? She's usually so calm. Wait, didn't she find a spot earlier? Why did she suddenly change her mind?" Amina remarked, bewildered by Davina's behavior.
"How should I know? Figure it out yourself. I'm hungry, so I'm going after Davina first!"
The school garden was lush and cool. Davina's mood, however, was still anything but good. She devoured her chicken noodles quickly, as if taking out all her frustration on them.
"What's wrong, Vin?" Amira asked, staring at Davina in confusion.
Davina ignored her and finished every last bite, then downed her iced tea in a single gulp.
"Oh my gosh, are you possessed by the cafeteria ghost, Vin? Why are you eating without stopping, like a kuda lumping performer chewing glass?" Amina asked nervously, frightened by Davina's terrifying expression.
"I'm so pissed at those kids from that city. They're so full of themselves! They just love getting on my nerves!" Davina said, squeezing the empty iced-tea cup until it was dented.
The twins exchanged a glance, silently signaling to each other: What's up with her?
"If they weren't guests at our school, I wouldn't hesitate to chop all her hair off. I'd cut her nails until they bled!" Davina said, making the twins swallow hard.
"I think Davina really is possessed by the cafeteria ghost," Amina whispered.
Davina shot her a sharp look, making Amina flash an awkward grin.
"Come on, calm down, Davina. Here, have this Taiko snack I bought earlier. Maybe you're still hungry?" Amira handed her a packet of the viral Taiko snack.
"Thanks. I do feel like eating someone right now, but I don't want to deal with them, so I'll just eat this instead!" Davina replied, devouring the roast-beef-flavored Taiko snack.