Campus Royalties (Kingdom University, #1) | Published under Psicom Publishing

Chapter 40

I thought I was smart, but I guess there were times that I did stupid things.

Gusto kong makausap si Darryl matapos kong marinig ang sinabi niya pero hindi ko alam kung paano. Wala kaming same class ngayong araw at mag-5 p.m. na rin kaya hindi ko siya mahahagilap. I tried calling his number, too, but he wasn't answering.

Sinubukan ko rin siyang i-contact for the next few days pero hindi pa rin siya sumasagot. Hindi ko rin siya makausap sa class namin dahil nasa amin pa rin ang attention ng classmates namin. Besides, he seemed to be avoiding me. No wonder since I just told everyone that we were just playing pretend.

Wala akong nagawa kung hindi maghintay. Dahil midterms na rin ay kinailangan kong mag-focus muna sa acads. I spent the weekend reviewing for the exams, but I kept getting distracted by the thought of him.

For the next three days ay nakatambay ako sa library para mag-review. I didn't want my grades to suffer because of this so I poured my concentration on reading. Mabuti na lang at three days lang ang midterms kaya naman pagkatapos no'n ay muli kong sinubukang i-contact siya.

I was about to call him when Jess suddenly appeared in front of me.

"Steff!" tawag niya at umupo sa harapan ko. "Buti nandito ka."

Napakunot naman ang noo ko. "Why? May nangyari ba?"

"Pinapatawag daw tayo sa USC."

"Bakit daw?"

She shrugged in response. "Not sure."

Dahil mukhang urgent ay sumunod ako sa kanya at pumunta kami sa office ng USC. Pagdating namin doon ay naabutan namin sina Patrick at Lalaine. After us ay nagsidatingan din sina Kevin, Gisel, Charmaine, Alexa . . . at si Darryl.

The student leaders greeted us when our group was complete, and they explained why we were gathered. It turned out every year, the freshmen batch of the campus princes and princesses, would be the one in-charge of the upcoming feb fair—a week-long festival that celebrates the university's arts and music. Because one of the dates coincides with Valentine's Day, naging sikat din ito for couples o sa mga gustong mag-confess sa nagugustuhan nila. Parang naging tradition na rin daw na i-invite ang crush mo sa fair kaya naman big deal ito sa students.

"We'll divide you into two groups and divide the tasks, too," one of the student leaders said, who turned out to be a fourth-year campus prince.

First group was comprised of Gisel, Kevin, Lalaine, and I. The rest formed the other group. Halos hindi naman ako makapaniwala na wala man lang sa mga ka-close ko ang naging ka-group ko.

Napatingin naman ako kay Darryl dahil nasa magkabilang-dulo kami. A subtle smile escaped my lips. Ngayon ko na lang ulit siya nakita nang malapitan. I was glad that I could see him again, but he looked worn out. Pakiramdam ko tuloy ay kasalanan ko kung bakit siya gano'n.

Anyway, according to the leaders, we would be excused in some of our classes for the rest of the week to plan for the fair. Extracurricular activity rin daw ito for us at may incentives kami kapag naging successful ang event. That clearly motivated us, and we started planning our tasks.

Nagpaalam sina Jess at Patrick sa akin dahil sa kabilang room sila magb-brainstorm. Naiwan naman ako kasama ng groupmates ko. Honestly, si Kevin lang ang nakausap ko na nang ilang beses pero hindi naman kami close. I felt awkward with them, but I had to do this for my grades, too.

"What's our plan?" tanong ni Lalaine at naglabas siya ng notebook.

"There should be booths," Kevin suggested.