"There you are."
Those words pulled Gustavo out of his thoughts; he didn't even have to turn to see who it was.
He looked down from the roof he stood on; he could see the majority of the campus activities. It was really a great view.
"Hey, you know I'm talking. Why do you care about who is talking to you or about you except it's Theo or Ned? Where does that leave the rest of us?"
"Kendra, what do you want?" Gustavo said, not really interested in Kendra's teasing.
"Loosen up; I thought we were already cool and bonded," Kendra said, wearing a smile on her face.
Gustavo gave her a long look, not a doubtful one, just a curious one. Why exactly does she like to hang out with him?
What exactly could she want with him?
"You know, you used to be really bad at social interactions, but now you've improved. You're slightly less bad than before. Theo must have been giving you strong ideas," Kendra continued upon his silence.
"Kendra, why do you hang around me although I am not really cool or cozy with you like I am with Theo or Ned?" Gustavo asked, staring directly into her eyes.
Surprisingly, the question didn't throw Kendra off or even shock her; she just gave him an even look.
"You know I have met a lot of people; those who don't give a damn about the Bloods are quite rare, you see. They are mainly those who don't know the capabilities of the Bloods, and when they eventually do, the look in their eyes changes no matter how they try to hide it.
"But yours, you know what the Bloods can do; you live in the midst of the Bloods and have eyes that have never had a single ripple in them. Even when facing the Blood Past and Present Patriarchs at the Meeting, you don't shake or lose your ground, and you stood firm; not everyone can achieve that.
"You even got into a blood born college for also extremely connected socialites," Kendra said with a glint.
" what are you trying to say ?" Gustavo asked, not breaking eye contact.
"Who really are you? I'm not asking about your family, and I'm asking you about exactly where you are and why you act way older than your age." Kendra finally asked the question bugging her.
Although Gustavo held eye contact with her, he really thought of how perceptive Kendra was.
When he first met her five months ago that night, he had just escaped; he thought she was just a spoiled rich lady.
But after a while, he realized she was more than that; she was bright and brilliant, and she really had a strong and amazing future waiting for her.
The only thing he hoped for her was that the Bloods wouldn't kill her spirit, and if they did, she would have someone to help her pick up the pieces.
"Gustavo Adolfo Randall, that's my name and all to me. Please excuse me," Gustavo said and attempted to walk away, only to be held back by Kendra. He instantly froze.
"Why are you running? What are you avoiding or even hiding?" Kendra jokingly asked.
"Nothing," he said coolly as he shook off her hand and walked away quickly.
People around him were suspecting him; if Kendra can suspect his origins were special, how much more the Bloods?
He had to leave; he was perfectly aware of his position right now. In the eyes of the Bloods, he was nothing but an ant to be squashed, a golden goose to lay eggs.
He had no means to protect himself; he had to leave, and before he became a strong suspect for them, they would tail him after he left.
With that in his head, he walked over to Philip's office; he had already discussed his willingness to transfer online, but he still needed to talk with Philip to handle the preliminaries.
Gustavo knocked on the door and entered upon permission.
"Gustavo, how are you doing?"
"I'm great, Philip. So, about the transfer," Gustavo said, cutting through the chase.
"Whoa, what's the rush? Let's calm down a bit, okay? What would you like, water or soda?" Philip asked, bringing out both bottles.
"Water, please," Gustavo said, taking the bottle of water.
"Now, we can start. Why do you want to transfer to a far city?" Philip, full of concern, asked.
"It's only a matter of time before the Bloods find me again; I know they are looking for me. I need to leave, but I promised Max I would finish school, so I want to transfer out and finish school," Gustavo explained.
"But... you know what, fine. Fill this form and I will process it for you," Philip said, handing him a form.
"You don't have anything to say to me?" Gustavo asked skeptically.
"Just make sure you call me from time to time, okay? If leaving is going to keep you safe, then leave. I'd rather you left than become a gold machine for those literal bloodsuckers again.
"The transfer approval usually takes a month to fully process, so you have a month to prepare for the transfer," Philip said.
"Thank you. I see why Max trusted you with me," Gustavo said as he bowed and left.
"Max, I really hope everything goes well with him."