48 Chapter 48: Flag Ceremony

Monday morning.
Students stand in line and wait for the national anthem to play.
Everyone placed their right hand on their chest and parted their lips to sing the anthem.
In the crowd. The triplets crawled their way out of the line ditching the flag ceremony, before going inside the building, they looked back and saw their teacher Novie standing in front of her students unaware of their disappearance while their uncle Ken was standing next to the gate watching his girlfriend from the distance
"let's go quick! Quick!" Ethan whispered. They are on their knees crawling to avoid suspicions but the other students are staring at them in confusion.
(!)
Alexa's long skirt made her body lost its balance, her face kisses the dirty cemented floor while sands stick to her uniform, making it dirty.
She frowned while her body turned statue.
"are you Ok?" Leo asked and helped her get up but the girl didn't respond, instead, she lowered her head and buried it in the ground, feeling embarrassed.
Leo scratches his head and looks around, his eyes narrowed when he saw the other students silently laughing at Alexa.
Leo's hand picked up the small rocks on the floor and throws it at them, shutting them up.
He paled when the students picked up and the stone and gestured to toss it at their direction.
Ethan and Leo immediately covered Alexa's body, preventing the stone from hitting her. Meanwhile, Alexa stayed on the ground, unaware of the commotion.
When there are no rocks left, Leo moved in front of Alexa and squatted, while Ethan grabbed Alexa's body from the floor and encircled her arms around Leo's neck and three scurried off of the crowd.
They stop in front of the principal's office, Ethan helped Alexa to get down from Leo's back and pat her uniform, removing all the sands around it. The girl is still quiet since they left the crowd.
"Are you ok Alex? Did you get hurt?" Leo asked in concern, he sat on the floor and raised Alexa's skirt, examining her legs.
"there are no bruises. You'll be fine Alex" Leo sigh in relief, when he lifted his face to look at Alexa, hi small eyebrow creased. The girl had her face buried on Ethan's shoulder, sulking.
"what's wrong?" he asked, the girl sniffed and tears fell down from her eyes
"the other kids laughed at me. My cuteness reputation is gone" Alexa sobbed while rubbing her hands on her thighs.
Ethan and Leo looked at each other and breathed
"Don't worry, you're still cute. Now we need to find a way to get into the Principal's office" Leo rubbed her shoulder to calm her down.
The girl nodded but her face still gloom in sadness.
Ethan was about to touch the doorknob when a teacher appeared in the hallway.
"Students, what are you doing here?" the teacher yelled. The triplets immediately form a line and jerked their head in the direction of the flag with a right hand on their chest.
The teacher flattened her face, it's obvious that the triplets are pretending, they are like little firecrackers so hard to predict.
"The Anthem just finished. Are you looking for Mr. Castro?" the teacher asked and lowered her face to look at the triplets
Ethan adjusted his glass and spoke in emotionless tone.
"Yes" then he threw a glanced to his siblings.
"the principal is not here. He will be back on Friday." The teacher informed and asked them to leave.
The three left without a complain and walked back to their classroom.
--
After the flag ceremony was finished, Novie instructed her students to go back to the classroom, her eyes narrowed when she noticed the missing three piglets.
Novie's eyes went round while her heart pounded, she looked around but she can't find them.
When she could not find them, she walks to Ken's direction with concern painted all over her face.
"Ken have you seen the triplets?" she asked while her eyes shifted in different direction.
"Nope. I was busy" the man replied.
Novie sighed and looked at him when their eyes met she could see her reflection through his eyes, Just being close to him made her heart beat faster than a greyhound winning the race.
She gulped and tried to shake the wild feeling forming in her mind.
"busy with what?" she asked. Her lips remained parted as she waits for his response
Ken smirked and leaned closer when she breathed his scent, she took a step back to stop herself from embracing him.
"I was busy looking at your hand Novie" Ken smiled sweetly.
Novie lowered her eyes to her left hand and saw the engagement ring she's wearing. She tried it last night to see if it still fits but she forgot to remove it.
Novie blushed and avoided his eyes.
"I ahm.. I forgot to remove it last night" she stuttered, she was not expecting for Ken to notice it.
The man chuckled and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Can you not remove it?" Ken whispered in a soft tone, Novie gazed at him and nodded.
Ken's face lightened up, he placed a hand on her head and patted it slowly.
(Am I a dog?) Novie asked herself, she felt as if she's an obedient dog getting a 'good job' pat from her master.
"Great, Let's go" saying that, Ken twisted her body around and push her slowly towards the classroom direction.
Novie bites her lips to hide her smile, earlier Ken insisted to sit in her class and used the triplets as an excuse.
Thinking of the triplets, Novie's feet frost and turned her face to Ken
"Where are the triplets?" she asked in a loud tone. Ken blows a sighed and rested a hand on his hips while his face shifted in a different direction.
"I have no idea," he said eventually.
Novie shut her eyes, thinking that the reason he's here was to look after the triplets and yet he doesn't know where they are.
"Ken you're here to look after the triplets" she whispered in an annoyed tone. Ken creased his brow and looked at her.
"Wrong, I am here because of you, I am just using them" Ken spoke in a casual tone.
Novie's heart jolted by the romantic excitement, she knows it but somehow her mind aches to hear it from Ken's lips.
"find them, Ken. You can't get in without them" she whirled his body around and pushed him away.
"quick" she ordered him to leave.
Novie glared at him when the man disagree, saying the triplets will be fine. She crossed her arms and stared at him emotionless, sending a message that she's serious.
Seeing that Novie will not let him in without the triplets, Ken sighed and walked away.
Novie watches Ken's figure disappear in the hallway but even in distance, she could hear him complaining.