Every Bad Thing

Epilogue: Part I

"I'm Silas Raphael Gallego." I finally said, just loud enough for everyone to hear. "Call me Silas."

Brief silence spread across the room. No one reacted. If disgust or any violent reaction was on anyone's face, I wouldn't be sure.

"Alright. Any available seats?" she asked the class this time, looking around for an unoccupied seat. It made me scan the room again, too.

"Ma'am, there's an available chair here!" a proud and smooth voice of a girl rang in the room. My eyes automatically searched for her. I was a little taken aback when I found her already staring at me.

She let out a smirk as our eyes remained locked. I couldn't look away from her. This will sound really cheesy but... she's the most beautiful girl I've seen in my whole life. Her face could stand out in a crowd of thousands, a face that you'd never forget... and she also looked like trouble. Why didn't I see her earlier? Right, I was too scared to focus on anything.

"Okay." Mrs. Ramones' voice snapped me out of my absurd thoughts. "Mr. Gallego, go ahead and get settled down."

I never looked away from her, even when she did. I saw how her whole face lit up when Mrs. Ramones complied with her offer. Her reaction confused me. Why does she want me beside her? would she be happy? What could she possibly benefit from being seatmates with an awkward boy like me?

It would be safer for my sanity to disagree, but a bigger part of me wanted to be near her. There's this pull... a hook that she'd cast on me the moment our eyes met. I found myself slowly walking towards her way.

"What the hell, Laurene?" someone suddenly said. My eyes fell on a guy standing from the floor near the vacant chair beside Laurene. Bakit siya nasa sahig? He fell off? He looked pissed... She pushed him off?

"Shoo, Vance." she gracefully waved him off. It made me want to smile, but I stopped myself from doing so.

"But-" the guy got interrupted from what he's about to say when Mrs. Ramones told him to go back to his proper seat.

I straightened my body when he looked at me. If looks could kill, I'd be bleeding to death right now. He looked pissed off. Like I've just stolen a candy from him. Who is he anyway? Her boyfriend?

He made a point to scowl at me. He grimaced and clashed my shoulder with his before heading back to where he's supposed to be. My brain flashed red. I don't want to be on anyone's bad side. I don't want to be involved on anyone's business.

I never glanced at the girl as I sat down. Avoiding her is the right choice if I wanted to stay away from trouble. I placed my bag on the floor and carefully sat up straight, maintaining safe distance from her. Our seats were too close that the limited space to move feels stiff.

She was silence for a few seconds, but I could feel her eyes on me. On my face. Her entire presence is so heavy that I could feel her.

"Hi." she chirped. It made me jump from my seat. My second reaction is to look at her. She's wearing a big grin. "I'm Laurene Raphaelle Serrano. People call me L, but you can call me whatever you want."

She raised her hand, offering it to me. It was a knee-jerk reaction to back away, not wanting any kind of physical contact with her. It made her laugh, like I've done something highly amusing. I stared at her hand before returning my eyes to her face.

"Mapapahiya ako kapag hindi mo tinanggap ang kamay ko." she teased, I could hear the mockery in her voice.

My face warmed in response. "S-Sorry."

I didn't think twice, not wanting to make it awkward for her anymore, I clasped my hand with hers. My chest constricted at the feeling of her soft hand against mine. It feels... nice.