Raymond could only scratch his head when he saw Nicole earlier—pale, trembling—clearly having hit her head against the desk during the panic that followed.
Now, standing in the office doorway, he let out a long sigh.
"What exactly happened, Joel?" he asked his cousin, who was hunched over the computer.
"Don't disturb me right now," Joel snapped without looking up.
His eyes were sharp, drained, but still blazing.
Cielo placed a hand on Raymond's shoulder and shook his head.
"Let him finish. He'll break if we push him now," Cielo said quietly.
Raymond exhaled harshly.
It was lunch break, and Joel was still drowning in deadlines, trying to salvage the mess from earlier. Raymond forced himself to swallow his anger—for now.
But still…
The hell? I'm not letting what he did to Nicole slide, Raymond thought bitterly.
And he knew exactly why Cielo was keeping his distance. If they confronted Joel now, he wouldn't be able to submit his work on time.
Joel was stretched thin—frustrated, exhausted, and under pressure. That didn't excuse what happened, but Raymond understood the timing.
Why do I even have a cousin this short-tempered? he muttered internally.
"Joel, do you need anything?" Cielo asked.
Silence.
"Call us if you do," Cielo added before nudging Raymond out of the room.
As they walked back to their classroom, Raymond muttered, "I don't get how you tolerate him sometimes. I feel like knocking some sense into him."
Cielo sighed. "He needs space. His work's on the line. The principal's waiting for that article. The campus president already approved the draft before it got ruined—that's why he's under pressure."
Raymond nodded reluctantly."I know the feeling. Having something you worked hard on get destroyed just like that…"
"Kind of like what happened to Julie before," Cielo replied. "But Julie wasn't guilty—and neither is Nicole."
"That's what pisses me off," Raymond muttered. "The way he yelled at her?"
"We need both sides, Raymond," Cielo said calmly. "I hope Jonathan understands that too."
"He and Kevin will probably clash over this," Raymond said.
Cielo nodded. "News spread fast. Even the other year levels know what happened."
When they re-entered the classroom, they noticed Nicole's bag was gone.
Raymond's stomach twisted.
Julie and Melissa were there, both tense.
"Melissa… how's Nicole?" he asked softly.
Melissa sighed. "She had to go home. She's burning with fever," Julie answered for her.
Melissa nodded.
Raymond ran a hand through his hair. "What exactly happened before that?"
"Just because of a tumbler," Julie said with disbelief.
Cielo frowned. "You're not saying Miss Villa did that on purpose, right?"
"No." Julie shook her head firmly. "She was only looking for her tumbler when we came back. I clearly remember she didn't leave it on Joel's desk. Besides, why would she sabotage his papers? She knows how important those are."
Raymond and Cielo exchanged a dark look.
A setup? Again?
"And Nicole's scared of Joel," Melissa added quietly. "She'd never dare mess with him. She avoids making him angry."
Raymond clenched his jaw.
Julie asked, "You can't talk to your cousin yet, can you?"
"Not yet. He'll be a beast if anyone approaches him now," Raymond muttered.
He remembered Nicole from earlier—cold hands, uneven breathing, shaking so badly she couldn't speak. Completely terrified the moment Joel stepped close.
Triggered.
"Melissa, I'm sorry if this is too personal, but… your sister once told me you had panic attacks," Raymond said gently. "And Kelly has them too. Is Nicole… having one right now?"
Melissa's hands tightened."I—I'm not supposed to say much. But… Nicole has trauma."
Raymond's breath halted.
"Trauma?" Julie whispered.
"That's all I can tell you." Melissa lowered her gaze. "She has trauma."
"PTSD?" Cielo asked quietly.
Melissa didn't speak—but her silence was enough.
Dennis, who had been listening, frowned. "Don't joke about that. PTSD is… serious. Was she abused? Is that why—"
"Dennis," Julie snapped.
Melissa swallowed. "Sh-She attends counseling every six months. Sometimes once a year. She struggles to open up. Please don't spread this."
Raymond rubbed his forehead. Damn…
"Don't tell Joel," Melissa pleaded.
A voice from the door answered,
"I already heard everything."
They all turned.
Joel stood there, expression unreadable.
"I—I'm sorry," Melissa said quickly.
Raymond sighed. "Are you done?"
"Yeah," Joel said. "I submitted everything. Principal approved it. Publisher will take over."
He looked conflicted, eyes shadowed with guilt.
"…Does she really have PTSD?" he whispered. "I should apologize."
"No, Joel." Melissa stepped back. "Not yet. She can't separate her past from now. If you approach her while she's unstable, you'll make it worse."
Julie glared at him."And don't say sorry if you don't mean it. Don't use her trauma as an excuse. Apologize because you know you hurt her—nothing else."
Joel swallowed.
"Nicole wasn't lying," Julie continued. "She didn't know her tumbler ended up there. She would never do something like that. She avoids irritating you. If you paid attention—even just once—you'd know she's scared."
"Navares…" Cielo tried to pull her back.
But the words were already out.
Joel stayed silent.
They all returned to their seats sooner or later, but the heaviness lingered in the air.
Raymond rested his forehead on his hand, thoughts spinning.
I'm really worried… Nicole…