"For you," I handed him the love letter that his admirer had asked me to give to him yesterday.
Bakas ang pagkagulat sa mukha niya nang kunin niya iyon sa 'kin. "Z-Zein, bakit—"
I cut him off. "That letter is from one of your girls. She must have liked you a lot."
Napaawang ang aking labi nang walang awa niya iyong punitin sa harap ko at mabilis na pinatakbo ang kanyang bisekleta. Kaagad ko naman siyang hinabol at napasigaw nung bigla akong matumba.
He shook his head in disbelief before he went back to let me stand up on my knees. I rapidly held his shoulder for support when he pulled up the sleeves of my slacks to check if it left a bruise.
I pinched his cheek, feeling annoyed. "Why do you look mad? Don't you like it that a lot of girls admire you?"
He stood up from kneeling down to face me. "Zein, ayoko ng binibigyan mo ako ng love letters na galing sa iba. Nakita mo naman kung paano ako tumanggi di 'ba?"
I pouted my lips because of the guilt that I'm feeling. "Why? Do you like someone already?"
"Ikaw?" He blurted.
My forehead creased. "Ako?"
He swallowed the lump in his throat.
"I-I mean, ikaw? May nagugustuhan ka na ba?"
I shrugged. "Wala pa naman," I replied before we continued walking while holding our bicycles.
It was already class breaktime when I decided to use the restroom. The empty cubicles and the rusty noise outside send shivers down my spine. My heart leaped when I heard footsteps entering the restroom when I was inside of a cubicle.
A loud knock on the door made me shrug. "Pretty boy, remember what I asked you yesterday? It looks like you didn't give my letter to Gellian."
Pinilit kong buksan ang pinto pero mukhang hinarangan nila ito. "I promise I did. P-Please let me go..."
I screamed the hell out of me when I saw a spider on the floor making an entrance towards my direction. Kaagad akong humagulgol sa sobrang takot habang tumatawa ang mga babaeng estudyante sa akin. Napatigil ako sa pag-iyak nung makarinig nang mahinahong boses.
"Hindi ka pa rin pala nagbabago, Cindy?"
"Look who's here? Levi Miles Sullivan," She emphasized this while slowly clapping her hands.
The guy with the resonance voice chuckled sarcastically. "Hindi mo pa rin pala ako nakakalimutan?" He took a few steps closer to the girl before he whispered. "Aalis kayo ng mga alipores mo o tuluyan na kayong hindi makakalabas ng buhay? You choose."
"H-Hindi pa tayo tapos, Levi. Let's go girls!" She warned him before leaving the restroom.
Huminga ako nang maluwag nung tuluyan ng makaalis ang mga babaeng estudyante. Umigting ang aking puso nung makarinig ng sunod-sunod na katok mula sa cubicle kung nasaan ako.
The guy cleared his throat. "Okay ka lang? You can now open the door. They already left, and I'll make sure they won't do it again."
Dahan-dahan kong pinihit ang doorknob at napansing wala na itong harang mula sa labas. "Thank you—"
My eyes sparked when I finally saw my savior's angelic face. He's a guy, but he can also pass as a goddess. Hindi ko napansing nakatulala na pala ako nang matagal sa sobrang pagkamangha sa kanyang mukha.
He bent down and grabbed the spider with his bare hand before he smiled at me. "Hi, I'm Levi! Freshman?"
I instantly nodded my head. "T-Thank you for saving me, Levi. I'm Zein. Yes, I'm a freshman." I answered while extending my hand to him.
Kaagad naman niyang tinanggap ang kamay ko. "You're so cute, Zein. Let's be friends." That doesn't sound like an offer from Levi.
"Sure, let's be friends!" I squealed.
Tuluyan nang nawala ang takot ko dahil kay Levi. He's a year older than me, and he's now a second year high school student. Levi is the president of media arts in our school, and I've seen some of his photos on the bulletin board. He's not just charming, but also oozing with talent.
"Mr. Carson, what is photosynthesis?" Tanong ni Mrs. Villaruiz kay Ezra.
Ezra removed the pods from his ear and stood up from his seat. "Photosynthesis is the process through which plants use water and carbon dioxide to create their food, grow, and release excess oxygen into the air." He answered without stuttering, then sat on his chair before the prof's advice.
Ezra is really a genius. We'd already finished our first semester, and I wasn't surprised when our adviser announced that he was the top student in our class. Ezra is the type of student who's not fond of being active in class. Most of the time, he's just listening to music, and he will shock everyone when he's always perfect in our quizzes.
He's really different from me. I'm really focused on our class. I always listen to our professors and make everything so complicated. I'm a perfectionist, which is why I tend to look for what's beyond our lessons, which makes me struggle most of the time. I'm only a few points lower than Ezra's grade, and I ranked second this semester, so I'm content enough.
"Ang tagal niyo naman, kanina pa ako dito." Pagre-reklamo ni Levi nung makarating kami ni Ezra sa loob ng cafeteria.
Ezra put his laptop on the table and gracefully sat on the chair.
"Sorry, Levi. Ang tagal kasi nito ni Zein kumilos."
Nagkibit balikat ako bago umupo sa tabi ni Ezra. "Sorry, I finished writing my notes, that's why it took me so long."
Malinaw pa rin sa alaala ko kung paano kami naging magkakaibigang tatlo. Hindi kami mapag-hiwalay ni Ezra sa loob ng classroom at sumasabay naman sa 'kin si Levi tuwing recess.
Ezra and Levi's personalities are miles apart from each other, which is why I find it hard to make them reconcile. After so much bragging, persuading, and convincing, I was able to accomplish my mission. And that's for the three of us to become a squad.
The sound of chimes from the cafeteria's door stopped me from chuckling because of Levi's jokes. I waved my hand when I saw Gellian with some guys that I'm not familiar with. Nakita ko ang pagtapik ni Gellian sa balikat ng kanyang mga kasama bago lumakad palapit sa akin.
"Zein, nandito ka lang pala. Kanina pa kita hinahanap," Gellian uttered when he finally sat beside me, making Ezra move on the edge of the long chair.
"Hi, Gellian." Levi greeted him before he sipped on his milk tea.
"Nice to see you, Ezra and Levi," Gellian said in a flat tone before he focused his eyes on me.
I pouted my lips at the charming guy on the counter. "Who's that, Gellian? Is he one of your friends?"
Tiim bagang na sinulyapan ni Gellian ang lalaking pinagmamasdan ko.
"Y-Yeah, that's Aaron Delgado. Why?" Curiousity was evident in his eyes when he turned his face back at me.
Ezra cleared his throat. "He's a varsity player of our basketball team."
Levi chuckled, which caught my attention. "Bakit? Crush mo, Zein?" He teased before he looked at Gellian with a grin on his face.
Napalingon sa direksyon namin ang grupo nila Aaron, dahilan para mapayuko ako sa kahihiyan. My shoulders quivered when Gellian blocked me with his back to cover my face. I tilted my head when I saw Aaron looking at me.
I feel like my heart wants to go out of my ribcage,
because of Aaron.
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🌈💅