LESSON IN CONTROL

Part 2

Week after
Canteen – 12:15 PM

“Okay, pero seryoso,” sabi ni Maloi habang pa-slide ang tray sa mesa sa gilid ng canteen. Maingay — may mga naglalakad, sumisigaw, nagtatawanan, at may blender pang naghahalo ng fruit shake sa dulo — pero sa mesa nila, parang may sariling mundo. “Parang hindi talaga siya from here. Prof Aiah gives… AI-generated perfection.”

“Or like, main character in a dark academia thriller,” dagdag ni Sheena habang sinisipsip ‘yung juice box niya. “’Yung parang she’s either gonna grade you… or kill you in a candle-lit library. Or both. With Beethoven playing softly in the background.”

Tumawa si Stacey, while placing her iced tea sa mesa. “Grabe kayo. Pero legit, kung siya prof ko buong college, baka hindi ako makagraduate sa kakatingin. Like, zero productivity. Stuck sa delulu.”

“Same,” ani Maloi, sabay kagat sa kanyang tinapay. “Pero kung magpapabagsak man siya, I’m sure naka-Garamond yung font ng fail slip. Classy ‘di ba?”

Sheena laughed. “Tapos may margin pa. May quote from The Art of War sa baba: ‘Know thy enemy.’”

“Exactly,” tawa ni Maloi. “Formally brutal.”

Tahimik si Jhoanna.

Nasa dulo siya ng mesa, phone in hand, kunwaring nag-i-scroll sa Twitter — pero wala naman talagang binabasa. Her mind was stuck somewhere else — sa moment kanina sa klase. The way Prof. Aiah slightly tilted her head habang nag-eexplain about structural failure. The subtle arch of her brow. The way she spoke — every word felt planned, precise, parang sinukat muna bago bitawan.

Sharp. Controlled. Dangerous in the most intellectual way.

“Jho?” tawag ni Stacey, leaning closer. “You okay?”

“Huh?” napatingin si Jhoanna. “Oo. Sorry, may inisip lang.”

Sheena raised a brow, teasing. “’Yung iniisip mo ba… six feet tall, naka-white polo, tapos may death stare?”

“Hindi ah,” sagot ni Jhoanna, a little too quickly, sabay balik ng tingin sa phone.

Pero kahit anong ingay ng paligid, kahit anong dami ng distraction sa canteen…

Her thoughts stayed fixated — looping over and over — on one woman standing too still, too composed, at the front of the classroom.

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Twitter | @jhoannarbls
📅 July 10, 10:03PM

There’s a certain kind of silence when someone powerful walks into a room. Hindi siya tahimik — it’s like everyone’s holding their breath. #Thoughts

↳ @StaceOnTop:
tell me you’re talking about prof navarro without telling me you’re talking about prof navarro 😏

↳ @maloiheartsyou:
HELLO? JHO THIS ISN’T EVEN SUBTLE 😭

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Three Weeks Later

Three weeks in, something didn’t feel right.

By all accounts, Jhoana was doing everything right — reciting with clarity, submitting her problem sets ahead of schedule, even staying behind after class to double-check concepts on her own. She was meticulous, borderline obsessive, in trying to meet Ma’am Aiah’s impossible standards.

And yet…
It was always her.

The one getting called out.
The one being corrected in front of everyone.
The one being watched too closely.

It wasn’t just critique — it felt like she was being studied.

“Ms. Santillan,” Aiah said during one lecture, her voice smooth but firm, arms crossed, expression unreadable. “If you’re so confident in your equation, would you care to explain it at the board? Since you seem comfortable skipping necessary steps.”

Jhoana looked up, startled. “Tama naman po ‘yung sagot ko…”

“Then prove it,” Aiah replied, already stepping aside, eyes on her like she was both a challenge and a puzzle.

It didn’t feel like a correction anymore.
It felt like a test.
One she couldn’t afford to fail.
Not in front of her. Not in front of the class.

So Jhoana stood up, chin lifted just enough to hide the knot forming in her throat. She walked to the board, her heart pounding with every step. She solved the equation again — this time more slowly, painfully aware of every number, every variable, every pair of eyes watching.

And when she finally finished and turned around…

Aiah was no longer looking at the board.
She had already turned her gaze away, flipping through papers as if it hadn’t meant anything.

But Jhoana caught it.
Just for a second — a flicker. A shift.
Like softness breaking through steel.
Like regret.

Or was it just wishful thinking?

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Twitter | @jhoannarbls
Don’t ask me about today. Just know I almost choked on my own brain. #ProfNavarro #neveragainpls

↳ @StaceOnTop:
she totally grilled you and you lowkey liked it 😭

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@aiahnavarro
Saw brilliance and arrogance in one line of work today.
Skipped steps, but not confidence.
I made her explain it on the board.
She did. Flawlessly.
Noted.

↳ @coletfiles
👀 girl just say you’re obsessed and go

↳ @mikhalogic
“brilliance and arrogance” ate just say Jhoana Santillan next time 😭

↳ @gwenberryyy
“Skipped steps but not confidence” is SO poetic for a prof na galit sa mali 😭 just admit it ma’am, you watched her solve it like it was performance art 😌

↳ @coletfiles
Also not Aiah pretending to flip through papers like we didn’t see the microsecond of softness in her eye 😭 you’re not slick!

↳ @aiahnavarro
You’re all insufferable.
She still skipped a step.

↳ @mikhalogic
And you still skipped a heartbeat don’t lie 🤭

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📱 Group Chat – “CE GIRLIES 💅💻🛠️”

Maloi:
Huy Jho dito ka mag-rant. Bakit parang galit sa’yo si Ma’am?

Stacey:
Fr fr. Like, sa dami ng pwede niya i-recite… bakit lagi ikaw?
Na-insecure ata siya sa talino mo 🤭

Jhoana:
Maybe she just hates me.
Or thinks I’m a threat.

Sheena:
Or baka she sees you as a younger version of herself.
‘Yung version na hindi niya pinayagang maging expressive or emotional.
Lol. #professorpsychology

Maloi:
O baka naman gusto ka niya…
Tapos hindi niya gets kaya lagi kang pinapansin 😏

Stacey:
Yesss. That’s so enemies-to-situationship coded 😌

Jhoana:
Grabe kayo.
She’s just... strict.
That’s it.

But even as she typed it, Jhoana knew she was lying — at least to herself.

It felt personal.
And oddly intimate.