"Did any of you have classmates who studied at those schools before?" Gabriel asked, deep in thought. "Or maybe someone who transferred here?"
"Yeah," Raymond replied without hesitation. "Airah."
Airah?Gabriel frowned. The name stirred something familiar.
"Who's Airah?" he asked, wanting to be sure his suspicion wasn't misplaced.
"What's her last name again?" Raymond turned to Joel.
"Faustino," Joel answered with a tired sigh.
Faustino…Could it really be her?
"Was she a transferee from your school?" Gabriel pressed.
"No," Joel replied. "She stayed until grade eight. Because of what she did, I think she was forced to transfer when she entered grade nine."
Gabriel's expression darkened.
"Before you transferred here," Julie asked carefully, "did you notice a new classmate in your school?"
"Is her full name Airah Andrea Faustino?" Gabriel asked.
Joel studied him. "Yeah. That's her full name. Why—have you met her before?"
Gabriel scratched his head. "Yeah. I know her. She's the girl they tried to set me up with back in grade seven."
"What?"Everyone stared at him.
"You mean that arranged marriage you deliberately ruined?" Julie said slowly. "The one that made Tito's friend furious? I actually felt bad for the girl you embarrassed back then. So it was her, huh?" She paused. "Should I say… she deserved it?"
"Wait," Raymond cut in. "Joel, you were Airah's boyfriend, right?"
Joel shrugged. "Yeah. But she never told me about that arrangement. That's why she wasn't herself when school started. Everything fell apart after that."
"So you were really in a relationship with her?" Gabriel asked.
"Before," Joel replied. "It's over. I have a new girlfriend now."
"Oh. That's good," Gabriel said simply.
"Why did you ruin the arrangement?" Kevin asked.
"I didn't like her," Gabriel answered bluntly. "She's gorgeous, sure—but arrogant. Her vibe was off. And the thought of her becoming my girlfriend? No thanks." He chuckled. "If it had happened, Joel and I would've been love rivals."
"Idiot," Joel muttered.
"Before I even met her, I did my research," Gabriel continued. "She already had a reputation as a bully. My gut told me it was true. She hates losing—especially to men. She manipulates people to get what she wants and despises it when things don't go her way. She believes she's better than everyone else."
"How did you ruin it?" Julie asked. "Did you play some kind of game with her?"
"Not really," Gabriel replied. "I just kept poking at her pride—joking, challenging her ego—until she snapped. She got furious. Tried sabotaging me once, too, but failed. After that, we barely crossed paths." He paused. "Before I transferred, I heard she lost it again because another guy dumped her."
"Last week?" Julie asked. "That's around the same time she clashed with Nicole and Joel."
"Oh," Gabriel said quietly, turning to Joel. "So you were the one she kept bragging about. She said she'd get you back."
Joel scoffed. "As if. We're done."
Gabriel grew serious. "She's the type who takes revenge through bullying. Even after she transferred to my old school, she hurt people—sometimes badly. She brags about how many guys she's manipulated." He let out a short laugh. "The funniest part? She spread rumors that I was chasing after her. I never even acknowledged her on campus."
"I can only imagine what she'd have done if I hadn't transferred," he added.
"You really enjoy watching her lose one guy after another, don't you?" Chris remarked with a sigh.
"It's her weakness," Gabriel replied calmly. "By the way, she has a new boyfriend now—the one I mentioned earlier. He's from International Beda Academy. Known for bullying. Known for gang ties—both there and at Schola Academy."
The room went quiet.
"In my opinion," Gabriel continued, "he could be behind what happened to Nicole and Kelly."
Kevin and Joel exchanged glances.
"That's possible," Kevin said slowly. "Especially if there are gang connections. But why target Kelly too?"
Gabriel looked at Kelly, then at Nicole. Both girls stood out—unmistakably.
"This is just a theory," he said. "But based on what I know, her boyfriend might be obsessed with either Nicole or Kelly. He's a dancer too—grade ten. That makes Kelly a likely target. Nicole, on the other hand, could've been Airah's target. They just got caught in the same attack. Melissa and Julie were dragged in because they were together."
Silence fell over the group.
Kenneth finally sighed and patted Gabriel's shoulder. "As sharp as ever. Always digging for clues. We're lucky you're here—you're cunning. That's why we got along back then."
"Stop it," Gabriel scoffed. "You're the cunning one."
"At least we have a direction now," Kevin said firmly. "I'll ask Tito to check who owns that vehicle."
Gabriel watched him quietly.This guy is dangerous when he wants to protect something.No wonder Julie's safe with him around.
"Can I see the pictures again?" Gabriel asked. "Maybe something will look familiar."
"Oh wow," Julie teased. "Sometimes you're actually useful too."
Gabriel ruffled her hair and pulled her closer. "I'm doing this for you too. I know you—you'd charge straight in without thinking."
"He's right," Cielo sighed. "You really don't think sometimes."
"You're all so mean!" Julie complained.
"Here," Chris said, handing Gabriel his phone. "I took these."
"Thanks, bro."
Gabriel studied the photos carefully. Several men in bonnets and black jackets appeared. In one image, after Julie kicked one of them down, part of a school uniform was exposed.
He zoomed in.
All of them had the same marking—almost like a tattoo.
"Chris," Gabriel asked quietly, "is this the first time you've really looked at these?"
"Yeah," Dave admitted. "We didn't notice that before."
"No wonder," Gabriel muttered. "These photos are packed with clues."
"Can you explain?" Kevin asked.
"We'll need a bigger screen," Gabriel said. "So everyone can see the details clearly. Is that okay?"
Kevin nodded."Do it."