Ugly Duckling's Mr. Right

Chapter Two

                “You’re disgusting! Conceited!”  I shouted at him and ran away. I don’t know what’s going on with me, because I still looked back at that brute like some sort of a magnet draws me closer to him. My eyes glared when he raised his hands and did a puppet-mouth like gesture as if he was saying, “Blah, blah, blah.”  Then he shouted, “Miss, daan ka ulit sa susunod ha? Ang cute mo!” The whole basketball team laughed, including the water boys and the towel boys (I coined this term). I was so embarrassed because the way he said I’m cute sounds sarcastic more than sincere. And that’s when I began loathing the beautiful people of the human race.

                After that incident, everything happened so queer. That conceited guy, who I found out goes by the name of Carlo, always follows me wherever I go. I tried to go to the library, where I know jocks like him are allergic to, but to no avail. He still followed. When I go to the CR, he will wait for me to come out. Whenever I eat at the canteen and I find a vacant table (this is good, because that means I won’t have to eat inside the CR), he will occupy the table right beside me—staring at me like a crazy spy. I was starting to get paranoid. One day I blew up.

                “Are you following me?” I finally asked after seeing him outside the girls’ CR.

                “No!” he said too fast, unconvincingly.

                “Okay. Sorry, my bad.” I said nonchalantly and walked away.

                Then he followed. “Well, yes, actually I am.” He declared.

                I stopped walking and turned around, “And just why are you doing that, Carlo?”

                “Hey, that’s not fair! You know my name, I don’t know yours.” He said.

                I bit my lips, slightly disappointed. “You never bothered to ask me.”

                “Well I’m asking you now. What’s your name?” Finally.

                “Raffie.” Then I walked away.

                Things got really insane. After a few weeks, Carlo said he would like to court me. And I was like, “Pull my leg some more. I don’t buy it.” I was so cynical about it. How would this very charming tower possibly like me? But he was very insistent. Here’s a particular memory:

                I was very busy reading in the library and he came. He sat beside me.

                “Raffie, Raffie. Please naman oh, sagutin mo na ako.”

                “Carlo, can’t you see I’m busy? Exams are next week. I need to study!”

                “Sige ‘pag di ka pumayag na maging tayo na, kakanta ako dito…”

                “Suit yourself.”

                “Oooohh.. Love of my life.. Destined forever..”

                May I just say that he is SO NOT good in singing, I’d rather listen to a cow giving birth.

                “Ah, ayaw mo talaga ha.I will be right here by your side..”

                “Carlo, stop that!”

                “Yoooouuuu!! Forever starts from now, I promise youuuu..”

                The librarian rings her bell, “Quiet,please!”

                “Loving you is all that I can do- hoooo!” But Carlo kept on.

                “If you can’t keep quiet, go out, you two!” The librarian’s mad now.

                But I didn’t want to leave, I have to study.

                “Sige na! sige na! Oo na!”

                “Promise? Yesss!!” Then he jumped. His face was like a three-year old boy when his Mom bought him a balloon.

                “I’ll wait for you outside.”

                “Whatever.” But deep inside, my heart was smiling, too.

                So there, I had my first boyfriend at sixteen. I naturally had no idea of how to handle a relationship and what’s it like to be in one. I presume it meant doing his assignments, working on his research paper and treating him to lunch. I also thought at that time that it is normal that he doesn’t introduce me to his friends, (I assume he considered my being coy) and he doesn’t want other people to see us together. But later on, I knew that one thing is for sure—that it is not normal to see your boyfriend kissing other girl on one of the darker sides of the hallway.

                I found out that he has been cheating on me during the entire “RELATIONSHIP” we had. I also found out that the reason why he courted me at the first place was because he knew I was smart and I could help him do his assignments and projects.

                And so goes my first heart break. At that time, I might never understand why they call it a heart break. It feels as though my entire body is broken too. Every nerve, every bone, every fiber, every cartilage, every organ feels pain.

“Raffie, Raffie.  Gising na,anak.” The voice was my mother’s. I checked the clock. 8:15 am.

Holy shit. Not again.