Closeted freshman student, Aries Buan, falls in love with his senior after getting partnered with him during their freshman orientation. Afraid to admit his feelings, he kept his emotion in check and watched his first love from afar, swearing to him...
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MY ALARM STARTS RINGING, almost making me fall off the bed because I was desperately trying to reach my phone on my desk instead of just standing up to grab it. As soon as I got a hold of it, I turned the alarm off and went back to bed, hoping that I'd wake up after a couple of minutes and not be late on my first day in college.
"Domingo! You better not be in bed again!" I could hear my mother shout, and her loud voice was honestly a better alarm than any of the alarms I'd set because I instantly got up from the bed without any hesitation.
Today was my first day in college. After barely graduating in senior high school, I was able to get into a good university as a BS Secondary Education English Major.
I was a troublesome student, and I wasn't the best kid either, so my friends laughed at me when I told them I wanted to become a teacher. There's actually a valid reason for that because my mother, who singlehandedly raised me on her own, is a teacher herself. I see what she does, and so I thought I'd have a knockout of it too.
Another thing is, we're what others like to refer to it as people in the lower class of society, or in my straightforward term, dead-ass poor. That's why I'm trying to be a good student, just so I wouldn't fail her, especially when college tuition is hella expensive. I want to do well so she wouldn't have to work so much for us.
"I'm heading out, mama!" I shouted as I was wearing my shoes outside our house.
My mom rushes to my side and looks at me with a smile. "Look at my handsome college student. It feels like yesterday when I was still carrying you in my arms, and now you're so big," she said while messing with my hair.
"Ma, I just put gel on that," I complained, looking at my reflection in the window to fix it again. "And besides, I'm already nineteen, not a baby," I reminded her, making her laugh.
"Here," Mom said before handing me my daily allowance. I looked at the amount and looked at her with worry. "Ma, this amount is bigger than last year. I got by with just 300 per week. Here, you can have the rest and—"
I was about to hand some of the money back, but Mama pushed my hand away and gave me a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. Adding a little more won't hurt. Besides, college requires a lot more work. I want you to be able to eat properly, okay?"
"But ma..."
"No more buts. Now go, or you'll be late," she insisted, so I just took the money and hid it in my wallet before giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"I'm heading out!" I announced before taking my leave.
Commuting from my house to my university takes at least an hour and a half. If it's rush hour, it will take at least two to three hours, and that depends on the weather too. I'd personally want to just stay at the dorms if I could, but that would be expensive, and I don't really have the luxury for that.
I'm not expecting much on my first day of school, but I'm excited about it regardless. I wasn't exactly an introvert, but I wasn't an extrovert either. Making friends wasn't always a challenge for me, and I know how to handle people because I've worked part-time during the summer. I honestly want to continue working so I can help out with the finances at home, but my mother forbids me to work while I study. Maybe it's just the teacher in her that's stopping me; who knows?
