Chapter 3

Partner

After class, mabilis akong pumunta ng library para gumamit ng computer doon but it took me fifteen minutes dahil kailangan ko pang mag-sign up at in-offer-an pa ako ng library card kaya balisang balisa na ako gamitin ang computer pero kung ano ano pang pinapagawa nila sa akin.

Banged up.

To do physical damage.

"What does that mean?" I murmured to myself thinking the definition of that term and I'm not satisfy yet I think it is good that I didn't make it worse because it was just making physical damage within and I think that's awesome.

I get startled when Pee shooter and Bella showed up and I immediately closed the tab before they could see anything on the screen. I turn to them and they were looking at me so curious because I just left them in the restroom just to be here instantly and to know what's behind that word because the people around says that word and laughed afterwards.

"What are you doing?" Bella asked.

I shook my head. "Nothing," shrugging off my shoulder, looking away from their eyes.

"Oh you're not." Pee shooter said. "You're watching porn."

"No, I'm not!" I defended myself, "I'm not that desperate."

"And what are you doing exactly at the computer and you immediately close the tab, so we couldn't see it, tell us." Bella said. "We're just starting a good relationship here as friends, so I think, mostly, watching porn isn't that bad but have some restrictions 'cause you're at school."

I grunted, "I'm not watching that!" I exclaimed but in minimal voice because we're inside the library and I couldn't bear to get another more of their attention. What happened earlier is enough for humiliation. "I'm telling you the truth, here! Hello?!"

"Show us." Pee shooter said.

"Why would I do that?" I asked in confusion.

""Cause you might really watching porn? Is it straight or gay?" he said and really into knowing it but it really doesn't!

I sighed in defeat and face the computer screen back and open up the tab again and show them what I've been really doing. Nilapit naman nila ang mukha sa screen, tutok na tutok sila as in na binasa talaga nila kung anong nakaindicate sa screen results from what I searched. They just nodded saka nilayo ang mukha nila sa screen and for a minute I thought it was okay and they understood it but they're laughing so quiet and that makes me feel so horrible 'cause I really don't know what they've been laughing at.

I looked around, there were students around but mostly of them are reading and busy doing their own business and they don't really care about what's happening, that's okay but these people who laughed at me aren't making me feel so embarrass.

"What are you laughing at?" I asked them 'cause they aren't stopping and also giving high fives on each other.

They needed to calm themselves down before they could answer me. I waited for more minutes before that could happen. Bella and pee shooter pulled a chair and put it beside me.

Pee shooter put his hand on my shoulder but still laughing at me, "you really don't know what's that word, huh?"

I rolled my eyes, "that's why I did a research, duh."

"And needed to go to library to do that?" Bella added. "You can check it on your phone, Alex. The building has a wifi."

Oh. I forgot. But I know that.

"So, tell me, what's funny in it?"

"That means also in sexual matters, bang up means fuck also." Pee shooter explained, "get that, 'cause if you don't, you can ask anyone around."

"No, it's okay." sagot ko na lamang sa kanya dahil nabato na lang din naman ako sa sinabi niya. "What do you mean by fuck? That's when you cursed someone right?"

When I ask that, there they goes and laugh again at me.

"It is not, Alex. It also means, sex. Bang up means fuck means sex, get it now?" Bella explained.

Nang sabihin niya iyon sa akin ay hindi na ako makapaniwala dahil from now on ay naiintindihan ko na kung anong ibigsabihin no'n. I was homeschooled, so I didn't know that word, I was just trying to cope up with everything and so I try to be cool too and being too cool really makes you feel so terrible.

"Are you fine now?" Pee shooter asked.

I shrugged off my shoulder, "don't know... can't exactly tell what I feel." Napasinghal na lang din ako saka napahilamos ang kamay sa mukha. Gusto ko na lang magtagao. I really did say that out loud all over those people who are having their break and they heard it from me, I wanna banged up.

"I think we should go next to our next class?" Pee shooter said.

"Is physical education your next subject?" Bella asked.

Pee shooter nodded, "yes, why?"

"I'm on the same class!" she exclaimed, "I think we need to go to change now."

"What if I had my period?" I asked them.

Tiningnan naman nila saka napahinto, "you do?" Bella asked.

Umiling naman ako, "no, I was just asking." Saka naman ako tumayo, "come on guys, I was ready for this... not the attention but the next subject."

They sneakily laugh at me pero hindi ko na lang din iyon pinansin hanggat sa makalabas kami ng library at lumabas ng building papunta sa gymnasium. Dumiretsyo naman kami ng locker room, pee shooter wanted to go with us but Bella pushed him away because he's literally not allowed on the girl's locker room. Even though he's gay, he can still have a hard-on—a boner I mean, if he really isn't, but still our body is so precious that we can't give it away easily.

Hinanap naman namin ni Bella ang locker number namin, binuksan ko naman iyon at nandoon na ang uniform ko. Tiningnan ko naman si Bella na nagsisimula nang alisin ang kanyang damit and now, she's wearing only her bra, strip down her pants.

"Are you gonna watch me here all day?" she asked.

I get back up on my senses and shook my head, "no, no, why woud I do that?"

"You just did." She imposed. "Anyway, aren't you comfortable changing with anyone around?"

I shake my shake, "no, I mean, yes, I don't care really..." and she just look at me there for about few minutes, "what? Are we gonna play some staring game?"

"Go change, Alex before the others woud come." Nang sabihin naman niya iyon ay hindi na ako nagdalawang isip pa na hubarin ang damit ko at magpalit sa uniform ko. Mabilis lang naman ang pagpapalit ko at mukhang hindi akao magsisisi dahil nagsimula nang magdatingan ang iba naming classmates. "Glad you changed up early." Bella smirked.

Lumapit naman ako sa kanya kasi umiingay na dahil 'yong ibang babae ay kung mag-usap ay hindi magawang isarili na lang.

"Hey, Bella..." tawag ko sa kanya, "did I really messed up earlier?"

"You are so innocent, Alex." Ngisi pa nito sa akin, naupo nama kami saglit, "it just you challenge him to have sex with you and I know you weren't aware of that but the people around here knows that word and yeah, you really messed up."

Napabuntong hininga na lang din naman ako sa sinabi niya, "maybe going into an actual school wasn't really fit for me."

"No, don't say that," aniya. "You were just adjusting, maybe, that it is, because what... wait, you haven't been into any actual school but to this?"

I nodded, "yes but except the kindergarten 'cause that doesn't really count but yeah... as a grown up, I'm new to this."

"You were really in some kind of adjusting but its just a matter of time ay makakasanayan mo rin. Philippines and I have been together since elementary as a bestfriend ofcourse and that doesn't really changes until new came up."

Nagtaka naman ako sa sinabi niya dahil gustong gusto ko ring malaman mula kay pee shooter pero hindi naman niya sinasabi sa akin, "if Pee shooter has been—"

"What? Pee shooter? What does that mean?" she asked.

"Just listen, okay." sabi ko pa. "You'll get to know that soon, but I was going to ask that if Pee shooter—"

She interrupted me again, "let me clear this up, by means of pee shooter is Philippines?"

I nodded to her.

"That's brainy."

"Oh, brain." I murmured. "Anyway, if Pee shooter has been an old student, how come he attended the orientation and acted like he was a new student?"

Napataas naman siya ng kilay sa akin, "yeah... it's kind of his way to know if there's any hot guy going to be the new student." She explained. "And she didn't find exactly but he found you and he already curses you at our groupchat."

"What?!" I exclaimed.

"I was joking." She chuckles, "but he notice you, maybe, he likes you?" she shrugged of her shoulder, "I don't know... sometimes he's gay... sometimes he's more than that but most of the times, he's just neutral."

I nodded to her, "okay, I get it, and I don't think he likes me though..."

She stood up and half smiled, "let me have you that in your mind."

I nodded again to her and so I looked away, "brain..." I whispered.

We decided to get out of the locker room 'cause the other girls are already creating some gossips about me and I don't like hearing my name from the strangers mouth because it is so gross that I don't like their voice saying my name because I just don't like it.

We sat by the bleachers while waiting for everyone especially our instructor. Pee shooter comes out of the locker room together with the other boys. Bella and I looked at each other and just thought of something that really pee shooter would do to wait to see them.

Pee shooter came to us.

"Oh, whose loving the view at the locker room huh, pee shooter?" Bella said laughing while he's walking toward us.

He's face contorted when Bella said and frowned at me because I'm the only one who said that to him.

"I'm fine with Philippines, really." He said and sit beside, "and yes, I do love the view inside the boys locker room." He smirked. "I wanna watched them all day stripping off of their clothes."

"But clearly you had what they had right?" I asked.

"Yeah, a penis." Bella answered and pee shooter bump her, "you're so funny, pee shooter."

"Ugh!" he grunted, "oh here's the instructor!" he said and we looked together as we see our instructor coming.

Nang pumito ang instructor namin ay nagsilabasan naman ang ibang babae mula sa locker room at ang mga boys mula sa locker room nila. Pinatayo naman kami sa bleachers at pumwesto lang face to face sa kanya.

"I am your physical education instructor but its just the first and we'll take it easy," instructor said and the students were giggling or it is just because wala pa kaming gagawin na activites today? "But we're not going to leap this day without doing anything, pair yourself up and we'll do a physical fitness body mass index activity."

"Why do we need to pair up?" Pee shooter asked.

Our instructor holds up for a minutes, "to do the counting... and yes, also recording of data."

Pee shooter nodded and eaily satisfied by his answer 'cause the instructor is gorgeous and really can be called a daddy... and I don't know where that came from.

"Pair yourself! Go!" instructor shouted as everyone find themselves a partner. When I looked at pee shooter but he already paired himself with Bella and I try to go the one on my other side and he already paired up and the one from behind has been paired up.

"I don't have a pair." I said.

"I don't also have!" isang kamay naman ang nagtaas ng kamay and he showed up in front of me and I immediately step backward from him pero may bigla na lang din humatak ng kamay ko, sumubsob naman ako sa dibdib niya and I don't recognize the body 'cause the chest is so built and I think it is so good.

"You got yourself a partner." When I look up to see his face, gusto kong kumawala sa kamay niya pero hindi ko naman magawa. "Why you look so surprise?"

Umiwas naman ako ng tingin sa kanya, "I'm not, I can be paired up with anyone but you."

"Oh, you want to be partnered with that nerd?"

"No..." I murmured.

"What did you say?"

"Okay, fine... but I won't forget what you said to me."

"I didn't, and that's fair." Aniya, "but how come you show up? Are you our classmate?"

"Ah, yeah... just a little late but I get myself a partner also."

"And you were desperate to have me."

Tinaasan naman niya ako ng kilay, oh, how he does that? "I don't. You do."

Natigil lang kaming dalawa nang lumapit na sa amin ang instructor namin. Nanahimik na lang din naman ako. Tiningnan ko naman ang dalawa na sina Bella at pee shooter na hindi alam kung anong ire-react din sa akin pero si pee shooter, sising sisi na kinuha niya kaagad na partner si Bella and he can obviously have this jerk if he did gave Bella to me.

Our instructor gives us a time para simulan na ang activity namin.

"So, what do we do first?" he asked.

Napakibit balikat naman ako sa kanya, "don't know... do you know anything about this?"

He nodded and smirked, "yeah, actually, you're talking to an athlete."

Then I patted his shoulder, "then it's good you have me as a partner." I smiled to him.

"You do realize you needed me in this."

I shook my head, "don't know, tell me."

"Whatever, let's just get started."

We started in push ups, some says I was too lucky that I get to paired with Korg but I don't think that's true but I am also happy because I get to be with him—for just this time and not to be called desperate. He did almost a hundred push up and I just, well I didn't get to reach five counts because I lose the focus cause he's looking at my ass the whole time.

"You were not so physically fit, 'ya know?"

"You're distracting me!" I exclaimed and he scoffs by my accusations, "you were sight seeing on my eyes like you wanna bang there—I mean, gross you."

He just laughed, "I didn't say anything, you really mess up, you know."

I rolled my eyes and crossed my eyes, "can we finished this... but can we take it slowly?"

"Why?"

I shook my head, "no... I just thought of waiting everybody to catch up on us."

"Whatever you wish, we'll do."

"Glad to hear that!" ngiti ko pa sa kanya. "Now what do we do?"

We did sit-ups, sprint and other physical activities and at last were weighing our body and measuring our tall feet. When I looked around, and noticed that we were almost finished what were doing and everyone's are just starting up.

"We did it!" he said.

"Yes... and I thank myself 'cause I did a great job."

He scoffs, "really, huh?" he said. "Tell me, why did you help me?"

"That isn't really a question that needed an answer. I think you should figure that out."

"Oh, do I?"

I nodded, "yes... and I'm not sorry for calling you jerk."

He chuckles, "I also don't take calling you desperate blonde."

"It's natural."

"Did I say it wasn't."

"No." sagot ko pa sa kanya. "Is your hair really red?"

"Yeah... why do you ask?"

Umiling naman ako sa kanya, "nothing... I just wanna confirm that because you were so good at it and I wanna have my child looking like in a flaming head..." I stopped when I realize what did I just said. "Forget that, forget what we did. Just move on from me and go back to your bruntte girl."

"What?!" I left him confused with all the words I said.

Nang puntahan ko naman sina Pee shooter at Bella ay hindi pa rin sila tapos sa activity nila. Muli ko namang binalikan ng tingin si kord and he was talking on his phone and I really blew my chance again... I don't know, it's just, I like him but I dont like the way he treated me. I hope could change that but hey... I get to touch chest and it still lingers on my palms!