Chapter 6 – A Boyfriend (Shane)

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"Did you get all that, Shane?"

"Mhm!"

"Good. Well then, everyone. Thanks for coming today. We'll meet again tomorrow after class to check in on the forms and finalization of the plan. Have a good lunch." Gary smiled warmly at everyone and nodded.

Everyone else packed their things and spoke among themselves. I looked over to Santos, fixing up his hair while Gary approached him.

"Shane, do you want to come with us?" I turned around to Lyka's tapping on my shoulder. "We're going to eat lunch here in school."

"Oh?"

Trisha excitedly popped her head behind Lyka. "We heard the school cafeteria is open today! Probably because some professors or something was also working on a Sunday."

"Well," I tapped the pen on the clipboard on my arm, "we have volleyball practice at two o'clock in the afternoon. So, Coach Salonga may have pulled some strings too."

Lyka grinned. "Sweet! Best you come with us then, too, no?"

"Sure! I'll just hand these notes over to the chief. I'll meet you guys outside?"

"Okay!"

As soon as they left, I turned around to go over the chief of the publication organization, Gary, and our treasurer, Santos, arguing about a video game again.

"You don't understand the greatness in her character, bro. She's not a meta long-ranger for no reason, you know!" Santos said, doing finishing swirls on his gelled hair.

Gary pushed his glasses up and crossed his arms. "Meta isn't going to stay on top for long. You see what happened with the red-haired guy, right? He used to be on everyone's to-get list. Now, so many people hate on him."

"You forget that he's still strong. People just hate him because of his personality. And because they never get him."

"Still doesn't prove why you keep insisting I stop using my preferred long-ranger."

"We can't have too many long-rangers in our party, dude!"

"The melting effect works well between your and my archer, anyway, especially in the new map. So, what's the big deal?"

"Ahem." I didn't want to disturb them, but this won't end until I interrupted. "Here's everything we've discussed today in order."

Gary glared at Santos before taking the clipboard from me. He smiled. "Good work, secretary!"

"See you guys tomorrow!"

They hummed in response, but I'm one billion percent positive these two would continue arguing where they left off once I left the room.

"Ah, Trisha, Shane." Lyka stopped walking and swiveled around to face me. "The library is right around that corner, and I kinda need to borrow something. Do you guys mind if I go for a bit? I'll be quick, I promise!"

Trisha perked up and fished her bag for something. "Oh, right! I forgot to return a book I borrowed last week! I'm so dead. I'll go with you, Lyka! What about you, Shane?"

"I'll go with you guys."

The two of them immediately proceeded to the counter to speak with the librarian as soon as we got here. When Lyka got her permission to borrow a book, she went to the second floor to look for it. Meanwhile, I was sure Trisha embodied the sobbing emoji while she wrote an apology note for forgetting to return her borrowed book.

Stepping in, I took in the scent of ink from the printer machine and old books sneaking beside it on the side of the librarian's l-shaped table. The atmospheric smell of a library, or any space filled with books, would always be one of the best!

"What about you, Ms. Halili?"

I walked over to the counter and slightly bowed at the librarian's warm smile. "Good noon, Mrs. Malabanan."

Trisha peeked and smiled. "Is Shane always here that Mrs. Malabanan knows you, now?" Before I could respond, Mrs. Malabanan got to do so first.

"She is."

"No wonder you're topping every class you're in!" Trisha cheered before quieting down a little at Mrs. Malabanan's playful glare. "Oops."

I smiled and waved a hand. "The library is a perfect place to study, is all!"

The park on the campus close to the open fields and the cafes in the nearby mall were also good places to study in! But a part of me insisted I should keep that in. Besides, I've only studied in cafes recently because of some... circumstances.

"I'm back!" Lyka came rushing from the library's second floor with a book in hand. "Here's the book I'd like to borrow, please!"

Trisha and I inched away from the counter to give her space. "Psst," Trisha whispered to my ear.

"Hm?"

"Isn't it boring to study?"

"Trisha!" Lyka hissed and shook her head. "If Shane likes studying alone in the library, let her be! Some people like silence when they're studying."

"I'm talking about studying in general, though." Trisha glanced back at me. "Don't you feel lonely here? Like no one to talk to during study breaks or something."

"Trisha, this is a library. You're not really supposed to talk much here, anyway." Lyka argued back as if defending me, and honestly, that gesture of hers made me smile.

"You girls don't need to worry about Ms. Halili." Mrs. Malabanan handed Lyka the book and a note with it that confirmed her issuing of the book. "That reminds me, will you not be studying here today?"

I shook my head. "Only on weekdays, ma'am."

"I see. I thought you two always studied together."

Before I could question her further, Lyka bid her goodbye and pulled us out, saying something about running out of time. Something about meeting with her boyfriend, was it?

The two of them talked among themselves about their shared subjects. But none of their words seem to be entering my mind.

What did Mrs. Malabanan mean? Was she talking about Jin?

Of course, he and I studied together, but not all the time. We only shared one class, after all.

Wait a minute...

"It's your fault you took your sweet time!" Trisha poked at Lyka, who was covering her ears as we neared the cafeteria. "I thought you knew exactly where to find the book?"

"I did! But one of my classmates in that subject was there too and had the book in his hand! I had to ask first if I could borrow it!"

I wasn't sure what's the big deal, but my hand held onto Lyka's shoulder to stop her from walking.

"Lyka, what subject do you need the book for?"

"Shane, didn't you see how old and thick the book was? It's obviously about some boring subject." Trisha mocked, which got her a smack on the shoulder from Lyka. "Ow!"

Lyka heaved a sigh. "History is not boring!"

"..Philippine History?" I mumbled.

"You know about it, Shane?"

"..Sort of."

Crap.

Jin was there, wasn't he?

Well, what's the big deal? The thought that he might be here got me weirdly excited for some reason. Because it'd be fun to tease him?

Oh yeah!

What if he was here because he knew I had volleyball practice? He's so sneaky!

I refrained from giggling to myself.

Of course, I didn't actually think it was that throughout lunch. After all, Jin could've also gone on a Sunday to borrow something from the library. It wasn't like it was something that I needed to think about too much since volleyball practice started.

So, why was my assumption somehow proving itself right as the coach whistled to signal a break?

"Isn't that guy the one you tutor?" George, my friend and senior on the same volleyball team, asked by the end of the whistle-blowing.

I jogged to the benches on the side. Once I sat down, I chugged on my water bottle and eagerly wiped the sweat on my face with a towel.

"Where?" I asked.

"Hm?" George wiped her chin with a towel. "You mean the guy you tutor?"

"Yeah? You said he's here?"

George stretched her arms above her shoulders, her head nodding in the other team's direction. I followed where she seemed to be looking, and why were there many people here?

"So, is he-"

I cut her off, "Why is a crowd forming in the field?"

"Uh, you didn't notice?"

"No?"

"Ah, right. You get so lost in the game that everything outside the court is invisible to you." She joked, and I couldn't contain my chuckle. She's not wrong! "Which is understandable, too, considering your position in the team."

I shrugged, a cheeky grin playing on my lips. "Defender of the court all the way!"

"Well, it looks like the great libero has forgotten she had fans." She wore a smug grin. "You were shining a lot today as well, you know! You always look so free and everything when playing."

(The libero in volleyball is the main defensive player of the team who is always at the back row to ensure the ball won't fall on their side of the court.)

"Pft." I tried not to smile, but I failed. "We're on the same team! How would you know what I look like in the game when you're playing too?"

She shrugged. "It's what I read on Twitter from our schoolmates."

I shook my head and continued wiping my face. "I'm sure many students just love watching volleyball and know me somehow because I'm a regular."

"No need to feel shy about it all over again."

"I'm not!" I threw my towel at her, who only laughed.

"You're kinda blushing, Shane!"

"It's the heat!"

"Sure, sure!" She threw my towel back at me. "So? Have you seen him?"

"Who? Jin?"

"So that's his name." She looked somewhere, and I instinctively followed her gaze.

From afar, his disheveled dark hair, his unimpressed gaze wandering around, and one hand fanning his face stood out, at least from my perspective. His eyes met mine, and I couldn't contain my smile from widening when he sighed and rolled his eyes, the back of his hand wiping the sweat off his thoroughly annoyed face.

Jin mouthed something, but he was too far. I raised a brow and tried not to laugh when he started using little hand gestures. Why was he even here? Was he trying to catch my attention on purpose somehow? Oh, Jin, don't worry! Despite your crush on me being unrequited, being weirdly adorable was enough to get me giggling and focused on you only.

I shrugged and shook my head. His hand smacked and wiped his face flat. He gestured a thumb to his back as if asking if he could leave now or wait for me somewhere else. Which one could it be? I just gestured a no with both hands and pointed at the ground with both pointer fingers. Hopefully, he got what I meant to say with that.

It made me smile when he sighed as he crossed his arms and shrugged his shoulders.

"Is he your boyfriend?"

I froze and almost stifled out a laugh. My eyes went back to Jin's, who was squinting at me. I waved a little before turning around to George's combination of amusement and confusion expression.

"Huh?" I asked, still holding my laughter.

Her raised eyebrow and side smile didn't falter one bit. "I asked if you're dating him."

"He wish!" I chuckled. "I'm pretty sure he has a thing for me, but I'm not really into dating right now. You know that."

"You don't have to be into dating to have a boyfriend. Sometimes you just caught feelings and went for it!"

"Come on, Georgette." I smiled when her eyes squinted a bit upon hearing her full name. "A boyfriend? You know I have that!"

"Drop the sarcasm." She rolled her eyes and dropped her towel on her water bottle. "Fine, you don't have one, and maybe you're just awfully smiley with this Jin because you're tutoring him, and that makes you happy."

"It does make me happy!"

"I know." She smiled. "You're always so bright when you taught the lower levels in our previous school."

I smiled back, which instantly faded when hers also disappeared.

She squinted at me as if a secret hid behind my eyes. "But I can tell you won't let us know immediately if you ever get a boyfriend. Or if you date him." She glanced briefly in Jin's direction.

My hands rose in defense. "Oh, no, no! Don't worry! I won't be dating anyone just because I thought they were nice and cute!"

"So you're saying you think that guy is nice and cu-"

The loud whistle blew echoed throughout the court and demanded all of our attention to Coach Salonga, who waved to signal the end of the break.

"Time to end this game with a bang!" George grinned at me. "Sweep the back floor with grace, libero!"

I saluted before we ran to our positions. We won the first set, and the opposing team managed to take the second set home. Sure, this was just a practice match against each other, but that doesn't erase the sudden rush of adrenaline that hit me when it was time for me to switch to the court.

Practice match or not, I wouldn't go easy on them or anyone for that matter.

The thought of failure to maintain the ball in the air zipped the stars I'd been aiming for so long, even farther from reach—from my vision.

Sweat dashed down my face after barely saving the ball from landing on our side of the court. We're already five points ahead of them, so maybe I should ease up a little. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, my gaze stayed on the other team's server, preparing to serve the ball.

And I didn't mean to linger around that area for too long, but Jin was right there near the other team's bench. And I didn't really know whether he liked me or not, but I was sure he was looking over my way.

I blinked and took a step back quickly to receive the serve from the other team just in time. My wrists burned softly from the sensation of receiving the force of the ball and getting it to bounce back into the air.

"Nice one, Shane!" One of my teammates yelled, getting in position to set the ball to the west wing.

Regardless of the game's intensity, my mind darted back to the awe I swore glinted in Jin's eyes a few seconds ago. But that's not what bothered me. Rather, the feeling I got after I did great with my defenses while secretly peeking over to where he stood.

Why? Did I want to impress him? Did I want to maintain his crush on me?

I almost couldn't stop myself from smiling and shaking my head at that thought. Why would I even want such a thing?

That's weird.

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A/N:

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

saLONGa
malaBAnan