The Love (Dis)connection

Chapter 3

After class, Jack approached my desk as I was putting my things in order. He had to sit at the back when he arrived, a few rows behind my seat because everywhere else was full.

“Hey,” he said as he came up to me. He greeted Dante with a jerk of his chin, and the latter politely bid us goodbye. I only had my first and last class with him, and before yesterday and today, this was the most we’ve talked beyond the usual academic-related banter.

“What’s up?” I look up straight to Jack’s eyes and immediately regretted it. His eyes were brown, same as with every other Filipino, but he had a way of looking at me that made me feel all fuzzy inside. Maybe it was because he was always happy to see me so his eyes were always lit up, which in turn made me feel good inside.

“I called you last night, like five times. Are you okay?” He adjusted his backpack, then picked up the stack of books I got from the library before class.

He always did this, carrying my books when I borrowed one too many; opening the door for me when my hands are full even though I could probably just push the door open with my hip; opening the car door for me—just because; and eventually making my heart fall because I hadn’t met anyone like him in the eighteen years of my existence. Well, okay, he’s just like how my dad was towards my mom even after twenty-five years of marriage.

I stood up and we fell into step beside each other as we transferred to the newer building, where our next class was going to be being held. “Oh yeah, I just had a terrible migraine when I got home so I decided to sleep early.”

Along the way, he exchanged high fives with other guys and hellos with other girls. I derived a certain satisfaction in that he didn’t pay attention to the batting of eyelashes by some girls. He wasn’t very popular but he knew quite a lot of people because of the various organizations he had been part of.

We reached the room to our next class, but before we went in, he stopped me.

“What are you doing?” I asked, swatting away his hand that was holding my chin. I felt goose bumps rise all over my arms. I wanted him to stop touching me, because it felt so good and terrible at the same time.

He ignored my slaps on his hand. “I’m just checking you out. You look tired, and your eyes a little puffy. Have you been crying again?”

Did I mention he was there for me when I was dumped by Ken, and was therefore subjected to my numerous bouts of crying whenever and wherever, and was therefore attuned to how I looked like after a night of crying? Yeah.

“I’m fine. I just had a really bad migraine and—”

The classroom door opened, but we ignored it.

“Hi Jack,” said a shy, gentle female voice from beside him.

Jack dropped his hand and turned around. I peered from behind him to look at this interloper. I mean, new female.

Eula.

I wish I can tell you that Eula was one of those women we love to hate—you know, sexy, great hair, great smile, bombshell body—but she was not. She was shy, kind, funny, a little petite with long black hair. She was average-looking, but she was always organizing one thing after another for some cause, and she got good grades, too. She was the type I would usually befriend or even hang out with, but at the moment, I just hated her; hated her with a passion. What did she have that I didn’t? So, okay, I was loud, I can curse like the rest of them, I didn’t organize several outreaches a year, and maybe I laughed too loud and ate a little too much as evident by my slightly chubby figure, but I had my good side too, didn’t I?

So how did she, in her quiet existence, managed to steal the attention of Jack, when I’ve been beside him all these years?

And yes, I have tried to dress up a little bit sexier since I fell for him. You know, a little cleavage exposure here, a shorter than usual skirt there, shorts when we’re out and about. He usually told me I look great, but nothing to signify that he imagined stripping me out of my clothes and ravishing me to our hearts’ content.

“H-hi Eula,” Jack stammers.

I wanted to laugh at his nervousness, to laugh in his face, to shame him because the alternative was to cry while watching him get beet-red and tongue-tied over this slip of a girl who wasn’t me.

Eula smiled at him then bent sideways to look at me from behind Jack. “Hi Aurelia.” Her voice contained no malice, no hint that she liked him, too, or that she thought I was unnecessary in this little five by five space that she and Jack currently occupied.

I called up the dramatic actress in me, and smiled widely at her. “Hi Eula! Nice seeing you here.”

“I was just inside. Class was cancelled,” Eula continued.

“Oh, I see.” I turned to Jack, who had stayed quiet the whole time. “Want to go to the library and start our literature paper?”

“Oh cool, I’m going to the library, too. What’s your paper all about?” Eula asked, falling into step beside me and Jack.

That. Was. Not. Ideal.

I stopped on my tracks. “You know what, I forgot I have to drop by the guidance’s office for a form…and I have to go.” I quickly walked away, ignoring Jack when he called out my name.

But unlike before, he didn’t make a move to follow me.

—0o0o0o0—

“Is it true what they’re saying about Jack?” Theresa Santos, one of our school’s biggest gossips, asked as soon as I set my food tray on the table.

While Jack and I spent a lot of our time together, I still had lunch with my girls, while he ate with his all-male group of friends from his Economics course. We were best friends, but we each had our own clique. In my group, I was the only one taking Literature; everyone else was taking Business Management, but we all had the same first-year classes and had formed quite a bond that lasted until our third year.

I popped open my can of soda. “What are they saying?”

“That he and Eula are dating!” she exclaimed, not even bothering to lower her voice. Theresa was someone who wanted to feel important by garnering all the news she could have, whether they were true or not does not matter, as long as she was up-to-date on everything.

I took a long sip from my cola, while everyone else around our table, Katie Asuge, Patty Doyle, and Mia Chavez, stared at me, waiting for me to say yes or nay.

“So?” Katie finally demanded when I didn’t make any move to respond.

“Uhmmm, I don’t know.”

Mia, my closest in the group, leaned close to me. “You still didn’t tell him you love him?” she whispered, making sure no one else could hear her. I shook my head once.

“What do you mean you don’t know? Of course you’ll know that. You’re best friends, aren’t you?” Theresa pursued, lifting an eyebrow. She was quite tenacious with her quest for information while I can be quite tight-lipped about matters regarding a certain Jack Tolentino (T: Is he a briefs or boxers kind of guy? Me: I don’t know. [Briefs]; T: Is it true he flunked our finals in Economics? Me: Wow, no he didn’t! [He totally did]; T: Is it true he smoked a joint in Queenie’s eighteenth birthday party? Me: Absolutely not! [He really didn’t; he bailed out on his friends to accompany me when I wanted to watch a rom-com movie. Not that he’d confirm any of this]).

I avoided meeting her eyes, concentrating on my meaty pizza. “Well, he hasn’t told me that they’re dating, so I really don’t know.” And I’m still praying to God to avoid that scenario from happening.

Underneath the table, Mia patted me on the hand, away from everyone to see. She was the only one who managed to reach me last night before I conked out.

“So that’s a no,” Theresa confirmed, reaching for her phone.

I knew what was going to happen; that that news will be spread to all the girls who had a crush on Jack. I just shrugged. Thankfully, Patty diverted her attention by asking for help regarding one of their business classes.