Define Infatuation

Transferee

I was late.

Again.

I ran up the stairs, already on the third floor, my legs burning and my breathing uneven.

Bakit ba kasi nasa pinakamataas na floor ang classroom namin?

My shoes slapped against the cement floor as I hurried toward our room. Students from other sections glanced at me-some curious, some amused. Hindi tuloy ako nakapag aurafarm.

I reached the room and quietly took my seat sa pinaka-likod, just in time for the teacher to walk to the front.

Buti na lang.

I fixed my bag under the armchair, trying to catch my breath as if nothing happened. The noise slowly died down as our Adviser faced the class.

"May bago kayong kaklase, everyone," Ma'am said. "His name is Carl Benedict V. Montejo."

I looked up-and there he was.
Curly-haired, wearing glasses, and dressed in a way that made him stand out without trying. Hindi siya yung tipikal na estudyante na basta lang naka-uniform. May dating. May sense of fashion.

And for some reason...

Na-intimidate ako dun, ah.

Tinuro ni Ma'am yung direksyon namin. Apat lang kasi kami ang nakaupo doon, limang upuan ang nasa row. Nasa pinakadulo ako sa left side, Katabi ko si Jay, my only sense of safety.

Or so I thought.

"Doon ka na lang umupo," sabi ni Ma'am, pointing straight to the empty seat beside me. Biglang tumayo si Jay at lumipat sa gitna.

iniwan ako.

Iniwan talaga ako.

At bago ko pa ma-process ang nangyari, si Carl na ang naupo sa tabi ko.

I stared straight ahead, pretending my heart wasn't racing. Ang awkward shuta. Yumuko si Carl para ayusin ang sintas nang kanyang sapatos.

I glanced at Jay and mouthed,
"Hayop ka talaga."

He bit his lip, obviously trying not to laugh and just smiled at me.

The class went on.

Carl, on the other hand, was very quiet. Not the annoying, fidgety type-just calm. Observant. He wrote in his notebook neatly, occasionally glancing up at the board, but never saying a word.

Parang may aura siya na tahimik pero nakaka-intimidate.

I stole a few glances at him, pretending to check my notes. Every time our eyes almost met, I looked away too fast, my heart suddenly louder than the lecture.

One thing I noticed was the way he sat.

Ang straight niyang umupo-hindi baluktot, hindi relaxed. As in tuwid talaga. Ilang oras na siyang ganon, parang hindi napapagod.

Lalo tuloy akong na-intimidate.

Siguro sobrang talino nito, I thought.
Or maybe he was just that disciplined.

Either way, he felt so... put together.
And beside him, I felt like a mess.

Time flew by, and before I knew it, lunch time na. Chairs scraped against the floor, voices grew louder

I took a deep breath.

"Hi," I said softly. "Ako pala si Sofia Renee Ramos."

My voice didn't crack, thank God-but my heart was pounding like it wanted to escape. For the first time since he sat beside me, he looked at me fully.

He paused for a second, then spoke.
"Call me Carl, then."

That was it.

Walang dagdag.

Walang follow-up.

Ang awkward bigla ng hangin sa pagitan namin. Just when I thought the conversation would end there, he cleared his throat.

"May mga na-topic na ba kayo?" tanong niya.

I shook my head lightly.

"Wala pa naman," sagot ko. "Kaka-start lang din kasi ng school year. Mostly ginawa namin last week, introducing pa lang tsaka settling in."

He nodded

"Parang getting-to-know-each-other phase pa lahat." i thought to myself.

Suddenly, tinawag ako ng mga kaibigan ko mula sa kabilang row.

"Sofia!"

Eunice was the first one to speak.

Eunice Mariano-the type who always knew what was happening before anyone else did. Tahimik pero observant, laging may side comments kapag kaming dalawa lang.

"So," she said, crossing her arms, "ano ang first impression mo?"

Beside her was Jadine-Jadine Galo, dramatic as always. She leaned closer, eyes sparkling like this was the highlight of her day.

Erica laughed softly; pero mas bet niya tawaging Cassidy. She was the straightforward one-no filter, no patience.

And then there was Catherine.

Wala Catherine lang. Malay ko ba anong nasa isip nang batang yan basta tanga yan sa pag-ibig.

"Ang talino niya," sagot ko, trying to sound casual. "Feeling ko top student 'to."

Jadine let out an exaggerated gasp. "Ay wow. Top student agad?"

"Bakit; ang stiff ng posture niya ilang oras siyang ganon napagod tuloy ako kakatingin sa kanya. Syempre baka isipin niya baluktot ako umupo gumaya din ako".

"Gaga basehan bayan sa pagiging isang top student? At bakit mo ba siya ino-obserbahan in the first place".

Tanong ni Eunice

"Ah basta na intimidate ako e, lunch na nga tayo".

Time flew by after that.

The lecture ended. And then, without thinking lumabas sa bunganga ko:

"Ano ba, pangalan mo sa Facebook? Ma-add kita sa GC."

I immediately froze.

God, Sofia... atat ka naman, I thought to myself. Bakit ganun ka agad?

I felt my cheeks heating up, and hoped that he wouldn't notice how flustered I suddenly felt.

He blinked at me for a moment, calm as always, and simply smiled.

He signaled me to give him my phone.
I passed it over without hesitation, trying to act normal pero ramdam ko agad ang mga tingin.

"Uy, si Sofia... paraan!" isang kaklase niyakap ang kilig sa boses niya.

"Pinagsasabi niyo e, para sa GC lang 'to!" I blurted out, half-laughing, half-defensive.

"Para sa GC?" Jay teased, tilting her head. "Hmm... sure ka diyan?"

"Oo nga daming ebas".

Carl gave me the phone back.
I took it, trying to act casual, pero ramdam ko pa rin ang init sa pisngi ko.

"Thanks," I muttered, avoiding eye contact.

I grabbed my bag and tugged Jay along with me, already waiting at the classroom door.

"Gago ka talaga Jay," I said, acting like I was gonna punch him.

"Eh?" he raised an eyebrow, pretending to look innocent.

"Naka dalawa kana ha!" I added, exaggerating my point, my voice low enough so only he could hear.