When Nobody Fell In Love

Chapter 1 : The Rumor

May mga taong kayang gumising nang alas-singko ng umaga na parang walang nangyari—maligo, mag-ayos, kumain nang maayos, at pumasok sa school na fresh pa rin ang mukha. Hindi ako kabilang sa mga taong iyon. 

For me, waking up early was already an achievement, and getting out of bed without negotiating with myself for another twenty minutes deserved some kind of award. 

That Monday morning, halos dalawang beses kong pinatay ang alarm bago ko tuluyang tinanggap na kailangan ko talagang bumangon. Pagkapasok ko pa lang sa bathroom, kalahati pa ng utak ko nasa kama habang iniisip kung kailangan ko ba talagang pumasok o puwedeng mag-disappear for one day and pretend na may importanteng dahilan. Of course, wala akong maayos na dahilan. May class ako, may attendance, at may professor na kilalang mahilig tumawag ng pangalan kapag alam niyang may taong tulog. So I got ready, grabbed my bag, and left before I could convince myself otherwise.

By the time I reached St. Celeste University, medyo gising na ako, although I was still surviving mostly on caffeine and pure determination. The campus was already busy even though the morning had barely started. May mga estudyanteng nagmamadali sa hallway habang hawak ang coffee nila, may mga org members na nagkakabit ng posters sa bulletin boards, at may ilang grupo na nakaupo sa benches habang nagkukuwentuhan na parang wala silang klase. 

I passed the garden near the main building and slowed down for a moment when the sunlight hit the fountain in the middle, making the water sparkle against the white stone. The whole university looked expensive even on an ordinary day, with its old buildings, polished floors, landscaped gardens, and cafés that sold drinks na minsan mas mahal pa kaysa sa lunch ko. 

Hindi naman ako nagrereklamo. Growing up in a family with money meant I was used to that kind of environment, pero hindi ibig sabihin na automatically kong gusto lahat tungkol sa mayamang buhay. Money could make some things easier, sure, but it couldn't make an eight-in-the-morning lecture any less exhausting.

I adjusted the strap of my bag and headed toward the Communication building while silently preparing myself for the first class of the day. I wasn't particularly bothered by being known as a Maniego, either. Our surname was familiar enough in certain circles, and there were people who recognized my parents before they even recognized me, but I never really understood the point of making that my personality.

Oo, may pera kami. Comfortable kami. I could buy something without checking whether it would destroy my allowance for the month, and I've never had to worry about whether my tuition would suddenly become a problem. 

Pero at the end of the day, I was still a twenty-year-old student who hated exams, procrastinated on assignments, and sometimes stared at a blank Word document for an hour because I had no idea how to start an essay. Being rich didn't make me immune to stress. It just gave me a nicer place to be stressed in.

Pagpasok ko sa classroom, bumungad sa akin ang usual Monday chaos. May dalawang girls sa harap na nagkukuwentuhan tungkol sa party noong weekend, someone near the window was furiously copying homework before the professor arrived, and a group at the back was laughing over something on a phone. 

I was halfway to my usual seat when I noticed a girl looking at me. At first, hindi ko naman pinansin dahil hindi ako ganoon ka-self-absorbed para isipin na bawat tingin sa akin may meaning, pero nang tumingin ulit siya at biglang yumuko para may ibulong sa katabi niya, hindi ko maiwasang mapansin. Her friend looked at me too, then the two of them exchanged a quick glance before turning away. 

Napahinto ako nang bahagya sa tabi ng desk ko and instinctively looked down at myself, checking kung may mali ba sa suot ko. My blouse was clean, my jeans looked fine, and my sneakers weren't exactly new but definitely decent enough. I touched my hair and felt the slightly damp ends from the morning humidity, then pulled out my phone and opened the front camera just to make sure there wasn't anything ridiculous stuck to my face.