#NewClassicPFL

Chapter 1
Article

In panic, I woke up to the intense rocking of my bed. My eyes widened as I felt everything under me rumble. I even caught my wall decorations falling down.

Curious to see what was happening outside and knowing that I needed to be at an open space, I ran out to the veranda of my room. Bumungad sa akin ang nangyayari sa labas. Madaming mga taong nagsisitakbuhan sa kalsada. It all seemed like they were running for their lives.

I was puzzled to see everyone in chaos. Based on how they were acting, it felt like we weren't just experiencing a normal earthquake. I wasn't sure if I needed to leave the house and run away with them. However, my feet refused to move.

Before I knew what was going on, a huge shadow went right past me which completely blocked the sunlight. My throat went dry as my pulse raced for miles. With trembling legs, I braved myself to turn and see what was right behind me.

A gasp escaped from my lips when it parted. I was staring―face-to-face―with a giant human being. He seemed very familiar to me. That was when I realized he was the man who helped me back in Paris. He was still wearing the same outfit from that night―black leather jacket, white turtleneck and jeans.

Although I was feeling terrified, I was amazed at the same time. I was drawn to him. I couldn't stop looking. I couldn't turn away. Like I have a death wish, I just remained standing below him as he towered over me.

Just then, when I thought of him as someone who posed danger or a threat, he suddenly began dancing in a cute way by swaying his hips and doing random hand gestures. He looked like those mascots performing during children's birthday parties. His actions were totally the opposite of how he looked.

At first I found him entertaining, but as soon as he began stomping his feet as a part of his dance routine, the ground started to shake once again. And when he went hard with his dance, I could hear the cracking sounds from the veranda. I looked around and saw crack lines appearing on the concrete.

Not long after, the veranda collapsed. I screamed my lungs out as I felt myself falling along with those concrete debris. But before I could crash on the ground, I snapped out of my nightmare. Napabangon ako kasabay nang pagdilat ng aking mga mata. Hinahabol ko ang aking hininga. The weird dream gave me goosebumps. Hindi ko alam kung bakit ko napaginipan ang lalaking iyon.

I just came home from a direct, nonstop flight from Paris last night. I arrived home at around midnight. Kinuha ko ang aking cellphone upang tingnan kung anong oras na ngunit bumungad sa akin ang ilang missed calls galing kay Ritchelle.

My brows furrowed as creases appeared on my forehead. I even looked at the huge acrylic monthly planner on my wall to see if I had any schedule. But apart from a dinner with Neil, I had no other scheduled plans.

Out of curiosity, I was about to call her back when I heard someone banging on my door. It was then followed by Ritchelle's muffled voice shouting my name from the other side of the door.

"Lavi!" she kept calling out to me while knocking hard.

Kahit medyo inaantok pa ako at masakit ang ulo dahil sa jet lag ay tuluyan na akong bumangon upang pagbuksan siya ng pinto. Agad namang bumungad sa akin ang mukha niyang problemado at punong-puno ng pag-aalala.

"Buti naman at gumising ka na!" she exclaimed as she marched inside my room. "I've been calling you. Naka-silent ba ang phone mo?"

While calmly closing the door, I gave her a nod. "I don't want my sleep to be interrupted so..." I shrugged my shoulders and went back to my bed, planning to sleep again once Ritchelle's out of my room. "Is there anything wrong?"

"Meron," diretso niyang sagot. Hindi na siya nagpaligoy-ligoy pa. "Napakalaki ng problema natin."

I raised my brows. "And the problem is?"

"You're all over the internet because of your romantic Paris rendezvous with your superstar boyfriend!" she explained frustratedly. "Trending ka sa lahat ng social media."

"Superstar boyfriend?" Nakuha ko pang tumawa dahil pakiramdam ko ay pinaprank lang ako ni Ritchelle. "I don't have a superstar boyfriend. Alam mo 'yan. And why would I be trending when I'm just a small time―"

I stopped from speaking abruptly when I remembered that man once again. Superstar boyfriend? Did he appear on my very weird nightmare as a premonition?

"Ano? May naaalala ka na ba?" tanong sa akin ni Ritchelle.

"What's the name of that superstar boyfriend they are referring to?" I asked her, my heart was beginning to pound against my chest hard and fast.

She breathed out and answered, "Sic Jaranilla."

For a few seconds, it felt like I stopped breathing when I heard his name. I refused to believe that he really had the same name as the man I met back in Paris.

Sic.

The celebrities and models that night at L'Arc also called him Sic when they greeted him. Could it really be him? What are the odds?

"What the fuck..." I whispered to myself quietly.

"Hay nako, Lavinia Claryz!" Hindi na malaman ni Ritchelle ang kanyang gagawin bilang manager ko. "Ano ba ang nangyari sa Paris? Bakit sinasabi nilang boyfriend mo raw si Sic Jaranilla? At akala ko ba ay hindi ka aalis ng gabing 'yon? Lumabas ka pala?"

Ritchelle was raining on me with questions. Wala nga lang akong mahugot na sagot. Hindi pa rin ako naniniwala kaya kinuha ko na ang aking cellphone. I had to check the news myself.

And just like what Ritchelle said, there were so many trending articles about Sic Jaranilla's dating news. I clicked on the topmost article to read. A candid picture of us, walking out of L'Arc Paris, greeted me right away.

In the first photo, we were still holding each other's hands. Sa susunod naman ay magkaharap kaming dalawa, mukhang nag-uusap nang masinsinan. Lastly, I was about to get inside the cab while he was just watching me leave.

"New Classic's Sic Jaranilla spotted going out of L'Arc Paris with his secret model girlfriend"

The headline made me grit my teeth. At that moment, I knew I was bound to read the most outrageous fabricated story written by the media ever.

The famous international model and drummer of New Classic, Sic Jaranilla, flew to the City of Love on a Thursday morning to attend Spring Fashion Week in Paris which took place last Saturday night. After the show, he headed straight to L'Arc Paris where he decided to meet up with his secret girlfriend.

The couple was spotted holding hands while leaving the luxury club. When they were finally out of the establishment, they quickly pulled away from each other. To avoid suspicion, the superstar just watched his girlfriend take a cab to return to the hotel where he was also staying.

According to an insider who was also at L'Arc that night, Sic Jaranilla himself confirmed that they are in a relationship. Like a prince charming, he protected his girlfriend from being harassed inside the club before they left hand-in-hand.

In line with this, the media found out that the multimillionaire idol's girlfriend, Lavinia Ordoveza, is an independent model and social media influencer.

My thoughts had gone haywire while reading the story they came up with. I didn't bother finishing the article. I still couldn't believe what was happening. I checked my social media accounts and saw that I gained a huge amount of new followings.I was about to reach a million even though the news just broke out that morning. I also read comments congratulating me for being in a relationship, while some couldn't help but to curse me out of jealousy.

From being a struggling, unknown model, I became the talk of the town in an instant. It was all because of that guy's influence.

To be honest, I didn't know exactly what to feel about that. I was so confused with my own feelings while trying to take in every word I just read.

"Ano ba talaga ang nangyari sa L'Arc?" mahinahong tanong ni Ritchelle at naupo sa aking tabi. "Bakit nakalagay sa article na may nangharass daw sa 'yo?"

"I went out for a drink to relax and forget about what happened with Andres during the photoshoot. After I went to the powder room, a creepy guy was trying to hit on me," I told her as I recalled everything from my memory. "Kaya nga lang ay kahit hindi ko na siya pinansin, sinusundan niya pa rin ako. And then, I saw that man... I went to him thinking he'd help me get away from the creep."

"Hay ang gago talaga ng mga lalaki!" iritado niyang sabi. "Pero sa lahat ng puwede mong lapitan, bakit si Sic pa talaga ang napili mo, Lavi?"

"I don't know him!" I defended myself. "I thought he was just a local model in Paris. I had no idea he's a member of a famous band. Hindi ko rin alam na parehas pala kami ng hotel na tinutuluyan."

I know New Classic. I'm aware of their worldwide popularity and influence. A friend of mine was a diehard fan of them. I also heard some of their songs. However, I'm not familiar with its members. I didn't bother looking them up. I wasn't interested since I was busy with my own life.

"Kung alam ko lang na member siya ng New Classic ay hinding-hindi ako lalapit sa kanya..." mahina kong sabi. "You know me, Ritch. I don't want to be involved with famous celebrities."

The man who held the title of the Box Office King in our country tried to court me before when I met him through a commercial we filmed together. Wala akong pagdadalawang-isip na tumanggi sa kanya kahit na mukhang maganda ang kanyang intensyon.

Alam kong kapag nalaman iyon ng media ay magiging matunog ang aking pangalan. I would become relevant to the entertainment industry. But I didn't want to be on the spotlight that way. Ayokong isipin ng iba na nakikisakay lamang ako sa kasikatan ng tao. And most especially, I was already in love with someone else.

With the thought of Neil, I started to panic once again. I stood up frantically and looked at Ritchelle like it was the end of the world for me.

"Ritchelle! Oh my God! Si Neil!"

Napakunot ang kanyang noo at nagsalubong ang kilay. "Ha? Ano namang mayroon kay Neil?" pagtataka niya. "Bakit biglang napunta kay Neil ang usapan?"

"You think he's already aware of the news?" I anxiously asked. "What will he say? Magkikita pa kami mamaya! Ano ang sasabihin ko sa kanya?"

Her lips parted. She was looking at me like I was being ridiculous. But I couldn't stop myself for feeling that way. I didn't want Neil to think that I'm really in a relationship with that famous guy.

"Are you serious, Lavi?" Ritchelle seemed so done with me. "Mas pinoproblema mo pa talaga ang iisipin sa 'yo ni Neil? This is Sic Jaranilla that we're talking about! You have a dating issue with a member of New Classic. Hindi pa ba nagsi-sink in sa 'yo 'yon?"

"You know I don't care about that Sic Jaranilla," I reasoned out, feeling wronged. "I'm more concerned about what Neil will think once he reads the news."

Why would I care about a stranger more than the man I love? It should be obvious that I would worry more about Neil.

Hindi nagsalita si Ritchelle. Hinilot niya ang kanyang sintido. Mukhang wala siyang balak na tulungan akong ayusin ang aking problema kaya ako na mismo ang nag-isip.

"I'll post something on social media," I made up my mind after I efficiently thought of a solution. "I'll deny our rumored relationship. I'll make things clear for everyone and draw a line between me and that drummer. I'll tell them what truly happened that night and thank him for helping me out."

My priority right now is to deny the claims that we're a couple. The longer I don't act on a solution, the more people will believe the news. I have to cut off ties with him immediately.

"Sigurado ka na ba riyan, Lavi?" nag-aalalang tanong ni Ritchelle. "Shouldn't we try to cooperate with Sic's agency first? Hindi lang siya basta-basta. Sa tingin ko ay mas mabuting makausap muna natin sila. Baka may iba silang plano."

"And what plan is that?" I asked nonchalantly while I was already trying to compose an open letter and explanation on my notes. "For sure, they would also deny it. A famous guy like him would be better off single in the eyes of his fans. He'll be more marketable that way."

I know exactly how the entertainment industry works. Denying a relationship would always be advantageous to artists―except if they're part of a love team. Sometimes, they would even pretend to be a couple to satisfy the thirst of their shippers. But in our case, we weren't really in a relationship so denying wasn't really the right word to use. We were just going to tell the truth.

"And most importantly..." After writing the explanation I was going to post, I blinked up to Ritchelle with a satisfied smile on my face. "I'm just a small time model. Wala silang mapapala sa akin."

Ritchelle sighed in defeat while nodding her head. "Ikaw na ang bahala kung buo na talaga ang loob mo."

I winked at her. "Thanks!"

Binasa ko muli ang aking tinype sa notes. Habang pino-proofread ko ito ay tumunog ang cellphone ni Ritchelle. Hindi ko na iyon pinansin at inabala ang sarili sa ipopost.

"Hello?" she answered right away. "Yes, this is Lavinia's manager. May I know who I'm speaking to?"

When I heard her say my name, that was the only time I looked up.

"J-Joel Lacson?" Ritchelle's body tensed up.

Tinagilid ko ang aking ulo habang pinapanood siyang makipag-usap. Hindi ko alam kung bakit bigla siyang kinabahan. I gave her a hand sign to press the voice speaker but she wouldn't even pay attention to me. She was focused listening to the caller.

"Yes po, Mr. Lacson," bigla siyang naging magalang. "Lavinia doesn't have any scheduled work for today. Yes, she's available."

My eyes went wide open as I shot a glare on Ritchelle. "What are you talking about?" I whispered emphatically. "I have dinner with Neil tonight!"

Muli ay hindi niya ako pinansin. Patuloy lamang siya sa pakikipag-usap.

"Opo. We'll be there. Thank you," pagkasabi niya ng mga salitang iyon ay hinabol niya ang kanyang hininga. She even placed her hand on her chest.

Tinabi ko ang aking cellphone upang mas lumapit sa kanya. I was dying to know what they talked about.

"Who was that?" I asked.

She exhaled deeply. "Mr. Joel Lacson."

"Who is he?"

I really had no clue.

"New Classic's manager..."

For a fleeting moment, I lost my cool but I relaxed pretty quickly. "And what did he say?"

Ritchelle finally met my gaze. "They invited us for a meeting at First Class Label today," she told me. "And I said yes to their invite."

"What?" I sounded a bit scandalous. "But I told you, I have dinner with Neil tonight!"

"Hindi naman ata magtatagal ang meeting dahil after lunch magsisimula," paliwanag niya. "At hindi rin ako makatanggi... Mr. Lacson sounds so intimidating."

Napabuntonghininga ako. "Sana ako ang pinakausap mo."

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I panicked..."

"Nevermind that..." I shook my head as I couldn't really blame her for feeling that way. "But what's the agenda for the sudden meeting? Why do they want to speak with us?"

Ritchelle swallowed her hesitation. She refused to look straight at me when she said, "Apparently, Sic wants to work on being in a relationship with you..."

As soon as I finally knew the reason, something in me had snapped. I could feel my temperature rising when the anger filled me. In the end, all I could say was...

"What the hell?"