Feels Like Home (Wattpad Preview)

Chapter 5

When she knocks on the door, hawk-eyed girl comes out and gives her a hug, then ushers her into the room. Before I realize it, the little hint of jealousy I've been harboring flares into major envy. I've always wondered how my life would be different if I had studied in Manila like my cousins-and this is definitely one of those moments.

I run my hands through my hair and shake my head to clear out the negative thoughts. This is not the time to dwell on this. Instead, I need to prove that I can be just as good as the students from Manila. I walk down the hallway contemplating my next move. I should start doing some research, stat. But first, I need to choose a topic...

I head back downstairs, lost in my own thoughts. I look up with a start when an older student steps in front of me and shoves a flyer into my hand. "Hi! Would you like to join a trivia game? It will be fun and we have some great prizes!"

"Huh?" Before I can say anything else, she leads me toward their booth, which has the Manila Sports Network sign and a TV with a basketball game on. MSN is the go-to channel for local sports news-my parents and I watch Lucas's games there when we can't make it to Manila to watch live.

"The game is simple. We'll ask you some sports-related questions within one minute. The more questions you can answer, the bigger your prize," she explains. "What sport do you choose?"

"Umm, basketball, I guess."

"Great!" She ruffles through the cards she's holding until she finds the one she's looking for. Then she gestures to one of her companions to get the timer ready. "Okay. Your one minute starts now!"

She bombards me with basketball questions, from the names of local players to random trivia about recent games. Surprisingly, I answer more than half the questions correctly. By the end of one minute, I'm out of breath but feeling giddy from the adrenaline rush. I guess all that random basketball trivia I acquired over the years isn't so useless after all.

"Wow, that was amazing! So far, you're the first person to get a nearly perfect score," she says. "The Manila Sports Network is looking for social media reporters to cover the college games and I think you'll be perfect for the job. You should come to the audition this Friday. Details are in there. Oh and don't forget your prize!" She gestures to the flyer she had given me earlier, and then hands me a 500-peso gift certificate for a popular sports store.

"Thank you so much," I answer, pleased with her compliment and the unexpected freebie. For the first time, I look at the flyer in my hand and read the contents. Hmm, interesting... A flicker of excitement courses through me-but I douse the flame before it grows any further.

Focus, Clara. Debate tryouts are on the same day and you can't afford to miss that. You have to stick to The Plan.

* * *

"How do we solve Metro Manila's traffic problem? There are no easy answers. What we need is a long term solution."

It feels weird to see myself looking all serious while giving a speech on camera. My video diaries are usually just me ranting about my day, or shots of my surroundings if I'm making a vlog about the day's events. This time though, I'm talking for a full five minutes-but I'm hardly making sense.

I recorded myself earlier to see what I would look like during the debate tryouts. It does not look good. For starters, my hands are all over the place. My eyes blink so much, it's like there's a sand storm around my head. I keep saying "umm" and my cheeks look puffier than usual. Damn all the fried cafeteria food!

I grip the camera and almost throw it across the room. Too bad I can't afford a new one. So instead, I grab a pillow from the couch and hurl it toward the door, which opens at that exact moment.