Chapter 4 – First Condition (Shane)

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"You should've texted me!"

One of his eyebrows ascended, but his confused expression turned to realization right away.

"Oh, right. I forgot we're friends on FB." Jin took out his phone to maybe check.

I sighed, "Seriously! Then maybe we could've started way earlier!"

"My bad."

No use getting hung up on that now.

I dropped my bag on the table and took out the tutoring plan I prepared last night. Before anything else, a weird idea popped right into my head then and there. And there was no way I'm not taking a chance at saying it!

"Were you shy? Was that why you didn't text me?" I didn't stop the growing smug tug on my lips.

Jin's eyebrows twitched, so I waved my hand before he could deny it.

"So, what happened?"

He closed his flip phone and leaned forward on the table, that same slight glare still retaining, "One of the security guards came to talk to Ms. Dalisay, and it seemed like a pretty urgent personal issue."

"Ms. Dalisay...?"

"Readings of Philippine History professor."

"Ah. So, she didn't come back anymore to resume class?"

"Nope. Said we'll continue where we left off next week instead." Eh. "I decided to do some advanced reading instead then."

My eyes shot a bit wide, "Oho? Advanced studying, eh?"

He raised a brow but didn't say anything.

To think this guy would be so serious about his studies...

Then again, that was pretty much established already with how he tried so much to get help from his peers in a failing subject. Most people would give up if they couldn't get any help, or become depressed after facing many rejections. Though I do understand that's a natural reaction, the way I see it, this guy handled all that and still paved through.

I admire that.

"That reminds me, I haven't asked what program you take."

Jin's eyes shifted to my notebook, "Education..." He squinted, "major in history."

"A teacher!"

His eyebrows furrowed as he looked away hugging his backpack, "W-what about it?"

Aww, he's shy about it?

I dropped my pen and smiled.

"I can see it."

"What do you mean?" He glanced back at me.

"I can see you becoming one." I laced my fingers together. "Are you aiming on teaching history in college or something else?"

Somehow, I wasn't sure if it was just me, but something about his expression softened. As if he felt... validated? Was that the right word for it?

"High school." He faked a cough. "And... thanks, I guess. For not thinking it's a ridiculous thing."

I raised a brow. "Why would it be?"

He sighed and placed his head on an open palm, "I don't know. But a lot of people think it'd be better if I had taken a technical course. Like engineering and architecture. Or pursue a doctorate."

Ah.

"I see what you mean. It's quite common here, isn't it? If you're not aiming for anything science or tech-related programs, many people would think you're just wasting your time."

Jin slumped deeper, pouting slightly, "Mhm."

I smiled and said nothing else.

With a sigh, he took his head back up from slumping.

"And you?" Me? "What are you taking?"

I grinned, "Are you curious?"

The instant glare from him deepened when I couldn't contain my laughter after I said that was golden!

"Alright, alright. I know you want to know, so I'll tell you."

"That's nonsense. I only asked back because you asked mine."

I waved a hand dismissively, "There's no need to make excuses."

"Tch."

Please. It's not easy to contain my smile from his reactions. But alright, I'll stop joking around.

"I'm taking literature."

"Oh."

"That's why I'm willing to tutor—for some experience!"

"Do you also want to be a teacher someday?"

"No. But it'd really help to get more used to helping others understand anything related to my field of study."

"Help, in what way?"

I pursed my lips, trying not to smile too much at the recollection of my dream.

"In becoming a professional scriptwriter." I diverted my eyes back to my notebook right away at the slight broadening of his eyes, "Enough about that! Here, take a look and see if you're good with it."

Still not looking back at him again, I pushed my notebook forward. With a peek, his gaze dropped to the planned schedule on the paper.

"If you want something changed, bring it up so we can discuss it!"

He only nodded, his head tilting and brows rising a bit occasionally as his eyes go from right to left again and again in my view.

With a purse of my lips, I mentally shook my head and shoved all thoughts of my dream away.

Despite not saying much, Jin's probably just nervous, but this must mean a lot to him. So right now, I need to focus on him too, and nothing else.

"Ah, right, how did you know I had another class yesterday?" He asked without looking up.

"I guessed!"

His eyes stopped moving around the words in my notebook, and they slowly shifted to me, prompting me to tilt my head in confusion. Well, a fake confusion, rather.

I raised my arms in defense. "Okay, okay. It's because I saw your schedule a bit at some point in class yesterday. When you flipped to a page on your notes and stayed there for some time."

"Oh." Jin's gaze went back to my notes, and a finger traced one column. "About this one, can we adjust it a bit? I have a part-time job on Saturdays..."

"Hmm, sure!" I took my pencil and leaned over, encircling the box he was referring to and making arrows to the other areas he pointed at. "Here works too, right? And then maybe shift this one slightly..."

He straightened up and had a small smile on his face. Admittedly, he looked more laid back and relaxed with that soft expression. If only he'd stop feeling too nervous around me, then maybe he'd loosen up more.

But, I get it. I had multiple crushes back in high school, and it's hard not to feel anxious when I'm alone with them!

"Better?"

"Yeah." He shrugged a bit and placed crossed arms on the table. "By the way, not rushing you or anything, but have you thought of... something?"

Something? Ah, yes, about what he can do in return.

There's nothing much, really. It's not like I'm helping him out because I want something in return but the additional experience of tutoring. But, something did come to mind earlier today.

I would've joked about something, but here are his fidgeting fingers desperately hiding behind his arms again with the silent tapping of his shoes on the floor. It's better if the all-too-professional vibe between us could just go poof!

It's a bit suffocating. Don't you think so too, Jin?

"I did some thinking, and, yes." I laced my fingers together and swayed my head around as if following an energetic beat. "My first condition is for you to accompany me during my club activities once all your classes for the day are over!"

How's that? He's probably wondering why, right? And he should start to notice something in what I've said, right?

"..That's it?"

My eyes nearly closed as I nodded with a smile.

"Mhm!"

"Alright. I can do that."

Wait for it...

Jin's forehead creased after a few seconds and shot squinting eyes at me. Took him long enough!

"..Did you say... first condition?"

That one eyebrow of his ascended high up got my smile widening. And he seemed to have guessed what that meant.

He ran a palm over his forehead and slid it down to his chin, "..So there's going to be more?"

I raised two fingers and posed with it, "Just two!"

He sighed, his tensed shoulders lowering down, "..Alright. What's the second?"

"I haven't thought of it yet. But it's there just in case!"

He closed his eyes with that same furrowed eyebrows. One of them rose, and he grimaced. Whatever it was that he was thinking so hard about, his outside reactions got a giggle out of me.

"Alright! Let's start with a review!" I proposed, and Jin suddenly perked up and scrambled his bag for some of his notes, nearly cracking me up.

He's so cute.

-

"Wrong! Too stiff! Again!"

"Darn it!"

Jin held the textbook in his hands tightly as he sat back with a thud, his eyes glued intensely to the contents of the book.

With the back of my pencil, I pressed on the top middle part of the open book and pushed it down the table, and tapped lightly on different texts.

"Make sure you get the message that the important figures here are trying to get across to our generation. This one passage, for example, includes themes about the illegal acts of the authorities in the past. Although they are expressed quite obscurely."

A trail of sweat ran down Jin's cringing expression. His eyes skimmed through it again, before they shot back at me.

"I.. I don't get it."

I suppressed a sigh with a small smile, "When it comes to history, we tend to look for something logical and make sense of it. Why these people in the past resorted to such tactics, to such an extent—all that good stuff!"

He nodded enthusiastically. His eyes somewhat sparkled. Or were those sweat reflecting through his eyes by the afternoon rays of the sun?

"But in literature, it's not always so logical, nor is it something we can often make sense out of at face value."

"And that's why it's hard..." His eyes squinted, and I couldn't contain my chuckle.

"Different people have different expressions and interpretations of their experiences. Figures one and two on this page, for example," I slid a finger to the lower part of the textbook on the table, "may share similar experiences, but interpret it differently based on their upbringing and personal senses of creative expression."

"That all sounds like it makes sense."

"It does!"

He squinted and pouted slightly, "But it still quite doesn't!"

Oh boy.

"It's only just our third day." The wind from the opened window blew the pages of the open books on the table to random topics. "For now, to prepare for our upcoming quiz in two weeks, we'll need to at least be able to memorize and imitate the way these people in the past have recited some of their most popular book quotations."

"I know."

My clapped hands brought his lazing eyes back to me. Good.

"So, try this one again, and don't forget where you pause and stress!"

With a sharp inhale, he nodded and exhaled quickly.

That oddly endearing determined expression of his as he pumped himself up by wiggling his fists in the air and staring straight at the wall, though, was a sight that made me smile with the same energy.

"Alright!"

-

"Do you think I did alright?" He mumbled.

His hands clutched to his chest as he slowly sunk to the seat beside me after his presentation.

I leaned over to him and whispered with a teasing monotone, "Better than two weeks ago, that's for sure."

"Tsk!" He glared and seemed to have muttered something under his breath. "Just because you did amazing earlier, you're criticizing me..."

"I didn't quite catch that. But, you've probably fallen even more for me when I presented, didn't you?" When he flinched and suddenly hid his face, I couldn't suppress a gasp.

"No. Before you say anything—no!" He hissed.

But he reacted!

"Then why are you covering your face?" Good thing the professor was occupied with a sudden visitor, or else we might get scolded for whispering in class.

He peeked through his fingers and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Because that stupid expectant and assumptive expression of yours is irritating."

With that, I could no longer hold off my laughter. To avoid getting too much attention on us, I did my very best to seal any noise from my mouth with both hands.

He crossed his arms. "For the record, I was just surprised that you figured out I said something about your performance earlier."

"So, you did find that something worth mumbling about without letting me hear it. You're definitely crushing so hard on me right now, aren't you?"

"Save it."

I grinned, "Or should I go with present tense and say you're starting to crush on me?"

He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "There's no way that's ever happening."

"So, why is it happening now?"

"Like hell it is!"

"Mister Lacanilao, do you have something you want to share with the class?" Pft!

With the sudden call from the professor, Jin sat properly and apologized while I had to hide my face with a textbook and resort to letting my body shake in response to my suppressed joy.

Why did he have to shout? He's being so defensive!

"Damn you, Shane." He hissed later on, and that almost did it for me.

If only we weren't in class, I would be crying and my stomach hurting so bad with the insistent daggers Jin's eyes kept shoving at me while another student went to the platform to present.

He's definitely going to go all out with retorting later once we're done with class.

-

"Really?"

"Yup! You're getting better at making your own interpretations of these two authors now!"

"Yes!"

Jin with a grin that reached his eyes paired with more waves of energy as I continued to tutor him stuck to my mind for quite some time. It was a rare sight, and it blew a surge of warmth and satisfaction in me.

This must be the start of that feeling. Similar to when teachers see their students succeed and everything after watching over them and guiding them throughout their journey.

"See you next week, Jin! Don't miss me too much over the weekend!" I waved an arm watching Jin walk away, who stopped and pulled up an annoyed expression at me before resuming his walk past the school gates.

Next week was already our third week since we started meeting up for tutoring sessions, and luckily for him, my volleyball training has been going on every morning instead of noon lately. This sort of renders the first condition I asked for as useless, but it may come to use at some point.

After I sat down beside the jeepney driver and handed over my payment for the ride home, I took my phone out and checked FB for some possible new notifications.

There were new ones, but nothing to take note of.

She... still hasn't accepted my friend request or my message requests, huh?

The muscles holding my lips upward from teasing Jin lost their energy as if tired out from the day and drooped. But, no. I hid my phone and slapped my face from either side.

Smile, Shane. There's nothing good that follows a frown!

She's probably just confused with the interface of the app. She's never gotten a social media account before the start of the semester, so, yeah. That's it. She'll get used to it eventually!

My eyes drifted to the people in the streets looking up at the sky and holding up their hands, later running to somewhere with hands covering their heads, or taking out their umbrellas as the white puff of clouds in today's cloudy weather darkened.

Do I have an umbrella with me? Oh, good, I do.

With one last sigh as I prepare myself to take off soon, I pursed my lips and forced myself to cheer up despite the unruly weather.

"I hope she accepts me soon..."

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A/N:

Stress in the pronunciation of the surnames mentioned here is capitalized:

daLIsay