The End of Daylight

Ice Cream

—

"Tammy! Kanina pa kita hinahanap! Saan ka ba pumupunta?"

Muntik na akong mapatalon sa pwesto ko nang marining ang boses ni Stefhany sa likuran ko. I puffed a breath before glancing at her, nakakunot ang makinis niya noo habang nakatingin sa akin.

Handa na siyang sigawan ako pero mabilis kong itinaas ang kamay ko, lowkey saying "Wait."

I looked away to shut my locker after putting my three notebooks inside. First day palang naman, hindi pa naman siguro kami mag-aaral. Orientation palang naman siguro ang magaganap ngayon.

I glanced back at her afterwards, looking worried. "Why? What's the matter?"

She looked so tensed and tired. Hinihingal pa siya sa harapan ko, palatandaan na tumakbo siya so it made me come up with so many questions. What's happening? Is there an earthquake drill? Why was she searching for me?

"Magsisimula na ang program! Nakalimutan mo bang may production number tayo to welcome the students?" She hissed.

Shoot! "Hindi ah." I shook my head countless of times like a kid rejecting a candy from my Mom but honestly I forgot about it. I was too pre-occupied, hindi ko namalayan ang oras.

"Oh ano pang hinihintay mo? Tara na!" I wasn't able to protest when she grabbed my arm and dragged me.

We joined the crowd. Hinayaan ko siya sa gusto niya at basta nalang nagpahila. She was obviously so excited of what will happen later while I am freaking nervous about it.

While running, I noticed that there were so many students in the campus lurking and roaming around, admiring some stuffs and such. Some of them are familiar to me while some are not, newbies and transferee's maybe.

Kumunot ang noo ko nang maalala si Kendra, Claudine and Maegan. Hindi ko pa sila nakikita. Ang sabi nila kanina sa akin sa chat ay on the way na sila pero hanggang ngayon hindi pa rin sila nagpapakita sa akin.

Imbes na dumaan sa harap ay sa pinto papasok sa backstage kami pumasok. And there, I saw my Student Council Family. Mukhang ako nalang ang hinihintay dahil napahinga sila ng maluwag nang makita kami ni Stefhany. It looks like my presence removed the hindrance in order for them to breathe properly.

"Sorry po." I awkwardly smiled at them.

"Saan ka galing?" Joshua, our Vice President asked me worriedly. He walked towards my position and I was surprised when he fixed my hair, putting some strands on the back of my ear. Oh, that was really awkward.

I let out a reluctant smile. "Sa locker room. May nilagay lang ako, masyado niyo naman akong mahal, hinintay niyo pa ako." I tried to crack a joke but he just shook his head in disbelief.

"Hihintayin ka talaga namin! Aba syempre hindi makukumpleto ang council kapag wala ang isang napakagandang dilag na katulad mo." Tudyo ni Fred sa akin.

I made a disgusted face. "Huwag mo nga akong bolahin."

He laughed. "Hindi kita binobola hala! 'Di ba Joshua? Ang ganda ni Tammy?" Tumingin ito kay Joshua na nasa harapan ko.

Napatingin sa akin ang huli bago lihim na napangiti. "Obviously." Sagot niya dahilan para maghiyawan ang mga kasama namin.

After that embarassing moment my eyes searched for our President until I saw her on the side, she was busy talking with the technical group. Maybe they were talking things about what will happen later. Umupo muna ako sa bakanteng mono block chair sa gilid at inayos ang sarili habang naghahanda ang iba. My face and hair got messed up earlier when Stefhany dragged me all over here so I need to fix myself immediately before the program starts.

Halos twenty kaming lahat na nandito sa backstage. The President, the VP, the two secretaries, our treasurer, and the one representative of each courses from college department are all here including me. Well, I am the representative of the Department of Mass Communication. Hindi ganoon kalaki ang eskwelahan namin kaya mga in demand at prioritized college courses lamang ang available dito. Hindi rin naman ganoon kaliit dahil University pa rin kami kahit papaano.

"Settle everything. Tatawagin na tayo." Bigla nalang sumulpot sa harapan namin si Alyza kaya napatango kami. I breathe out a large amount of oxygen before placing my bag along with the stuffs of my co-officers before standing up to prepare.

Nakakainis man dahil kailangan naming sumayaw sa harap ng maraming tao ay kailangan ko itong gawin. I ran for this position last year and now, I don't have any rights to refuse. This is my duty and this will be my first day as the representative of our department so I should be happy but I'm not happy that we will dance in front of the people. I'm not good in dancing, para akong kawayan sumayaw.

When we heard the bell, we excitedly came out from the backstage. I am smiling from ear to ear while clapping my hands, slowly walking towards my given position because that is part of the dance. Malaki ang stage kaya nagkasya naman kaming lahat. The old students as well as the newbies clapped their hands to acknowledge our presence.

Some are smiling, taking pictures and some are looking at us with their bored face. Punong puno ang buong gymnasium at hindi na iyon bago.

We started dancing. It was just a simple energetic song just to welcome and boost up the students. Hindi ako sanay sa pagsayaw pero kailangan ko itong gawin para sa bayan.

At dahil madulas ang floor sa stage ay muntik na akong madapa, mabuti nalang at uupo ako sa susunod na step kaya hindi halatadong muntik na akong matumba. It would be so much embarrassing if I did.

"You okay?" Joshua mouthed beside me. Looks like he saw what happened to me earlier since he was grinning at me. Siguro kung nasa backstage kami ay kanina niya pa ako inasar. Geez.

I just laughed and nodded, trying to hide my embarrassment.

Nagpatuloy kami sa pagsayaw hanggang sa natapos. Nahulog mula sa itaas ang sobrang daming balloons na kulay asul at puti. The students shouted, clapped their hands and took a picture of us.

"Good Job guys, good job." Isa isa kaming tinapik ni Alyza sa balikat pagbalik namin sa backstage. Ngumiti lang ako bilang sagot sa kanya.

We are allowed to go out now so I immediately went outside because the backstage was making me feel like hell. Sobrang init kahit may electric fan naman, kulob kasi kaya mainit pa rin.

I suddenly received a text from Claudine saying that they were already inside the gymnasium while I was busy wiping my face using my handkerchief. Nagtext ako sa kanya na lumabas siya para masundo niya ako sa labas. Sa sobrang daming tao sa loob ay hindi ko alam kung kailan ko pa sila mahahanap kapag ako ang pumasok.

Naghintay ako sa entrance ng gymnasium hanggang sa lumabas mula roon si Claudine. She was wearing a simple white skirt partnered with her royal blue halter fitted top and white sandals.

"Galing mo sumayaw ah." Pang-aasar niya, tinulak pa ako gamit ang balikat niya. She was obviously saying the otherwise, I could sense it. She'll never praise me knowing that I'm not into dancing.

Napairap ako. "Tigilan mo nga ako. Anyway, where are they? You're with them, right?"

Bago pa makasagot si Claudine ay lumabas mula sa entrance si Maegan na seryoso ang mukha at si Kendra na nakakunot ang noo habang may hawak na malaking pamaypay.

"Oh my gosh, super init talaga inside. I swear!" Kendra hissed and banged her fan forcefully making her hair dance in the air. Then suddenly, pinalo niya ako gamit ang pamaypay niya nang malapitan kami.

"You're so good in dancing pala ha!" Tudyo na naman niya at mapang-asar na tumawa. "How ulit 'yon? Giling ka nga ulit. You looked super cute earlier. Come on! Dance ka ulit!" She exclaimed.

"Isa ka pa!" Pabiro kong hinila ang buhok niya. Alam kong hindi ako marunong sumayaw kaya lahat ng sinasabi nila ay purong kasinungalingan.

After a moment of arguing, I glared at them while crossing my arms over my chest when I realized something. "By the way, why did you stepped outside? May orientation pa tayo." Gumilid kami dahil nabubunggo kami ng mga taong dumaraan.

"Kausapin niyo si Kendra, ang arte arte. Mainit daw." Maegan was obviously irritated but my brows furrowed a bit when I noticed her clothes. She was wearing a peach fitted long sleeve, she tucked it in her black pants and she also put a black leather designer belt to compliment her outfit.

"What the? Why are you wearing long sleeve in this kind of weather? Are you high?" I snorted out. Ako ang naiinitan sa suot niya. Like geez, ano bang naisip niya at nagsuot ng long sleeve? "I'm not bragging out okay? Don't get me wrong. I just want to ask. Maawa ka sa sarili mo. Hindi ka naiintan?" I asked, my voice held confusion.

She looked down on her clothes and shrugged. "Trip ko 'to, bakit ba? Eh kayo? Bakit may pa uniform pa kayo?" She sneered and arched a brow on me.

Ako naman ngayon ang napatingin sa suot kong gray v-neck polo shirt. It was our new uniform as part of the Student Council. May maliit na logo ng school sa likuran, sa bandang itaas at nasa harapan naman sa bandang puso nakalagay ang logo ng student council pati na rin ang position mo.

"Why are you so grumpy about my clothes?" I raised a brow making her looked at me furiously.

"Eh nauna ka kaya!" She hissed.

"Teka nga!" Claudine interfered. "Tama na 'yan, let's just go, matatapos na rin mamaya ang orientation kaya mauna na tayo sa mga rooms natin. Nakakabored na rin mag-stay sa loob." She grabbed and pushed us lightly.

"Omg! I agree! Super init talaga sa loob like girl, what's up? I need some aircon." Maarteng sagot ni Kendra. I just laughed when I saw Maegan's face, she was really annoyed by Kendra's choice of words.

"I saw your post in ig last week, Tammy. So you're fresh from Coron pala ha, so where's our pasalubong?" Kendra started raising her questions while we are walking in the covered walk, the sun is too bright and hot, we couldn't walk under that condition.

"Sad to say, I wasn't able to buy some stuffs but don't worry, I'll just treat you guys after class." I sweetly answered, comforting them with my words so that they won't curse me for not buying things for them. Wala na kasing akong oras bumili noon, nagmamadali rin kasi kami nila Daddy and besides, medyo malayo ang souveneir shop mula sa hotel.

"Wala ka namang laro pagkatapos ng klase di'ba, Maegan? Sabihin mo lang talagang meron at huhubaran kita dito mismo sa daan." Rinig kong asik ni Claudine.

Meagan is a volleyball player, that was why Claudine was acting that way. Mahal na mahal ni Maegan ang paglalaro na kahit bola niya ay ayaw niyang ipahawak sa amin. She was so possessive when it comes to her ball. Like hey, hindi naman namin itatakas, paglalaruan lang saglit.

"Malamang sasabihin kong wala. Sinong tao ang gugustuhing mahubaran sa gitna ng daan? Boba ka ba o boba ka talaga?"

Lumingon si Kendra na siyang katabi ko sa dalawang babae na nasa likuran namin. "Girl, don't ask if she's boba coz' it's pretty obvious naman eh."

Kendra suddenly flinched when Claudine grabbed her hair. "Hey! Don't touch me nga! Hey! Bago 'yang hairclip ko ha, kapag 'yan nasira you need to buy me one talaga!" She whimpered in pain.

Hindi ko nalang pinansin ang dalawa na nasa likuran ko. Maegan shrugged her shoulders and walked with me. We ignored the two birds fighting and grabbing their hairs behind our back.

After the long walk, we separated ways since our buildings are way apart from each other. Fortunately, Claudine and I have the same course so we are obviously classmates.

"I have a question," she spoke.

Lumingon ako sa kanya pero hindi ako nagsalita. Hinihintay ko ang tanong niya pero mukhang malalim ata ang iniisip niya kaya nagsalita na ako.

"What is it?" I asked, sounded impatient.

"If you were in Coron last week, I just wonder, have you seen Jieven there?" She looked at me with her narrowed eyes.

I raised a brow. Who is Jieven?

I think she saw me confused that was why she sighed in disbelief. "You don't know Jieven?"

I shook my head. I really don't know that name. I never heard it before.

"The volleyball player? The Business Administration student? Natasja's Boyfriend? Hindi mo kilala? Hala, famous kaya siya sa social media." Reklamo niya sa akin na parang kasalanan ko pa at hindi ko kilala si Jieven.

"Look," I sighed, looking frustrated because of the name. "Wala akong kilalang Jieven, okay? Why are you even asking me about him? Are you his ex? May utang ba siya sa'yo? Kalandian mo?"

"Boba," she pinched my arm, mabilis kong tinampal ang kamay niya dahil sa sakit. Para akong kinagat ng langgam, geez.

"His girlfriend posted a picture of them together in a certain beach. Coron Palawan ang nasa location so I bet baka nakita mo sila?" Puno ng kuryosidad niyang tanong.

Nakarating na kami sa building namin pagkalipas ng ilang minuto. May mangilan-ngilang tao rin kaming nakakasalubong. Sa tingin ko ay tumakas din sila katulad namin. And then it hits me, oh my gosh, I am part of the council but I am not in the gymnasium to listen about the orientation. Geez, I feel like I was betraying them.

"Hey hello? Are you there?" Claudine tilted her head on the side, trying to catch my attention. Nawala sa isip ko 'yung tinatanong niya.

"Coron? His girlfriend?" I asked when I heard her right earlier. She nodded her head twice like a kid.

"Have you seen them there?" Her eyes flickered in so much excitement.

"Hmm." I mumbled. "Chismosa ka talaga. Bakit ba ang dami mong tanong?" I rolled my eyes when she groaned in frustration. Inaasahan niya atang sasagutin ko na siya ng 'oo'.

"Curious lang okay? So ano na nga? Nakita mo ba? Yes or no lang naman sagot eh." Pagmamaktol niya.

"Curiousity kills the cat." I joked. I'm intentionally longing the conversation to tease her more.

"I don't care about the cat, I'm a dog." She said and furiously glared at me. "Jusmeyo marimar, sagutin mo na 'yung tanong ko ate kong cute." Tinulak tulak niya ako sa balikat na parang bata na hindi makapaghintay mabilhan ng candy.

I let out a laugh. "You told me that her girlfriend posted a picture right? Show it to me then."

She pulled out her phone immediately from her pocket and opened it upon hearing my answer. Diretso lang akong naglalakad habang hinihintay ko siya. We paused in the middle of the hallway when she handed me her phone. I looked at the picture and I almost dropped her phone on the floor when I saw the post.

"Hawakan mo namang mabuti, Tammy!" Reklamo niya.

I ignored her. My eyes settled on the picture, it was the man and the lady in red bikini. It was shot during sunny day. Nakatayo lang silang dalawa sa buhanginan. Nakayakap ang babae sa bewang ng lalaki habang naka-akbay naman sa kanya ang lalaki. They looked so happy together. The girl was wearing a yellow two piece while the man was shirtless. I was stunned to see his beyond perfection body. I was right, he had muscles and.. abs.

"Ano? Naglalaway ka na oh, kailangan mo ng tissue?"

I was caught off guard. Mabilis kong hinawakan ang labi ko para tignan kung naglalaway ba ako. Claudine laughed at my reaction so I realized that she was pranking me. Napairap ako bago ko binalik ang cellphone niya.

"What? What's your answer? Have you seen them there?" Pangungulit pa rin niya habang naglalakad kami.

I slowly nodded. So the name is Jieven huh? Not bad. But I instantly stopped when I realized something. Napahinto rin si Claudine at nagtataka akong tinignan na parang tinubuan ako ng pangatlong mata sa noo. Claudine said something about Jieven a while ago. The business administration and stuff. Bigla tuloy akong napaisip.

I glanced at her. "Si Jieven, hindi naman siya dito nag-aaral right?"

She nudged me. "Girl, he's studying here. Hello? Kasasabi ko lang kanina. Bingi ka 'te?" She answered before flipping her hair.

Pumasok na siya sa loob ng classroom namin pero naiwan pa rin akong tulala sa gitna ng daan. If he is here, that means I will definitely see him. Oh gosh, we are studying in the same university. Hindi ko akalain na nag-aaral pala kami sa iisang eskwelahan.

We did nothing this day but to yawn and stare blankly at the whiteboard. Puro orientation lang ang naganap ngayong araw at sa sobrang boring ay mapapahikab ka nalang.

I pinched Claudine's arm when she was about to close her eyes in the middle of our professor's orientation about a certain subject. She glared at me furiously and crossed her arms over her chest. Aba, siya na nga 'tong iniiwas ko sa gulo, siya pa 'tong galit?

When lunch break came, we decided to eat at the cafeteria since all of us were too lazy to go out. Maegan wasn't even in the mood to drive. I don't know what's happening to us. First day na first day pa naman.

Nauna ang dismissal namin ni Claudine kaya wala kaming choice kung hindi ang hintayin sila Maegan dahil may usapan kaming lalabas. We stayed at the students lounge while waiting for them. I am just busy looking and counting the people walking in front of me since I have nothing to do.

"I need to pee." Claudine suddenly spoke beside me. She stood up so I did the sane, she then eyed at me, looking confused. "Are you coming with me? Sweet mo naman, sasamahan mo pa ako—"

"See me at the garden of life. I need fresh air." Pagpuputol ko sa kanya kaya napanguso siya.

"Asa pa." I teased.

Malapit lang sa students lounge ang garden of life kaya hindi na ako napagod kakalakad. There were a lot of plants, flowers and trees planted in this garden. I love staying here because of its fresh air and peaceful aura.

All along I thought there will be no one in the garden because people rarely go here but I was wrong. From my position, I could see Jieven and the lady in red bikini. I tried to remember her name. Nabanggit iyon kanina ni Claudine sa akin.

Her name.

What's her name again? Hmm.

Natalia? Nataza? Wait. Natasja.

Yes, Natasja.

I stared at Natasja. She's tall like Jieven. Hanggang balikat ang buhok niya. She's really beautiful and sexy. Her gray dress suits her body well. Maputi rin siya at makinis. Jieven tried to reach for her hand but she pushed him away even before he could hold her. I gasped and covered my mouth instantly, trying not to make any noise that might disturb them. Hindi ko marinig ang usapan nila pero sigurado akong nag-aaway sila. Natasja pointed her finger at Jieven. I know that she's mad as hell. Nakayuko lang naman si Jieven at hindi nagsasalita.

Natasja turned her back at him but Jieven reached and grabbed her arm to stop her. Natasja looked back and held Jieven's arm, I thought she will caress it but she whisked it away from her arm. I tried so hard to read the movement of her lips but I couldn't even understand any of it so I just gave up. I think these two birds are in trouble. Geez, para akong nanonood ng kdrama na walang subtitles dahil wala akong maintindihan.

"Hoy Tammy! Uwian na daw nila! Tara na—"

I instantly covered Claudine's mouth when she suddenly popped up beside me, her words were muffled because of my sudden action. We hid ourselves behind a tree, scared that they might see us. She then removed my hand afterwards and glared at me furiously with brows a bit furrowed.

"What?" I asked, acting innocent.

"What's with you? You looked so nervous. Ano bang meron dito?" Sisilip sana siya pero mabilis kong hinila ang kamay niya papalayo.

"Teka, ano bang meron 'don?" She asked, curiosity and confusion held her voice. I dragged her to nowhere while she was busy nagging behind me.

"I think they are breaking up." I mumbled while walking with her.

"What? Who?" Interesado niyang tanong.

I looked around, scared that someone might hear us. Noong masiguro kong walang nakatingin sa amin ay bumulong ako sa kanya. "Jieven and Natasja."

"Ano?!" She hissed.

Without any blink, I slapped her cheek. "Don't shout."

"Aray, ang sakit ah!" She whimpered and massaged her cheek. It turned to color red so I can't help but to let out a small laugh. It looked like a natural blush on.

"Let's keep it a secret. Kunwari wala akong nakita tapos wala akong sinabi sa'yo. Alright?" Mahirap na, baka sabihin pa nilang chismosa ako. That was an accident, I don't intent to witness their tragic break up.

"Okay! Kunwari hindi mo nakita 'yung break up—"

I slapped her again, but on her other cheek.

"Hey! Nakakadalawa ka na!" She nudged me, looking annoyed now.

Nagsalubong ang kilay ko. "I told you to shut up. Stop it, stop mentioning about it."

"Napaka OA mo." She rolled her eyes while massaging her cheeks. Para siyang nagblush on dahil sa sampal ko. "Malalaman din naman ng buong campus 'yon for sure, duh." She sneered at me. I just rolled my eyes upon realizing that she had a point, but still we should just keep it to ourselves first. I don't want to be their news anchor, that would be so much embarrassing for a person like me who cares so much about her image.

Just like my promise, I treated them in starbucks. I thought it would just be a simple hang out but they suddenly forced me to buy pizza and waffle. I wanted to protest but I couldn't resist my friends so I gave in. The sun was already down when I went home, I have no problems regarding my transportation since Dad hired someone to be my personal driver.

I'm pretty sure that Mommy and Daddy are still at work so I didn't bother asking the maids anymore. Imbes na dumiretso sa kwarto ko ay sa kwarto ni Tamara ako pumunta para tignan ang bruha kong kapatid. I also bought her a strawberry mlikshake, I know she'll love this.

Upon reaching her room I instantly opened the door. I saw Tamara watching something in the TV while eating chocolates. Kasama niya rin sa loob ang Nanny niya.

"Ate!" Tamara yelled when she noticed my presence. I smiled widely, expecting her to hug me. She walked towards my direction and grabbed the paper bag away from my grip. I thought she will give me a tight hug but she didn't pay attention to me.

"Bastos ka talagang bata ka!" I pinched both of her cheeks dahil sobrang cute niya. She winced in pain and whisked my hand away from her small face. She turned her back at me after rolling her eyes. Muli siyang umupo at nanood ng TV na parang walang nangyari, na parang hindi ako nag-exist. Wow, real quick?

"Ate, nagdinner na siya?" Tinanong ko nalang ang Nanny niya na abala sa pag-aayos ng gamit ni Tamara.

"Opo ma'am, kakakain lang po ni Tamara." Magalang na sagot niya sa akin.

"Okay good. Patulugin niyo na po siya kapag 10 pm na, kung ayaw po niya, tawagin niyo ako." I instructed her. She laughed but nodded afterwards.

"Hey," Pagkuha ko sa atensyon ng kapatid ko. Tinignan niya naman ako. "Where's my kiss?" Pasimple kong tanong.

Padabog siyang tumayo habang yakap ang shake niya. Lumuhod naman ako para magpantay kaming dalawa. She kissed my cheek harshly na pati chocolate ay dumikit sa pisngi ko.

"Goonight ate." She smiled before rolling her eyes. Tinalikuran niya ako at bumalik sa dati niyang pwesto.

I bid my goodbye to Nanny Mildred before entering my room. Mabilis akong nagshower at nagbihis. Hindi na ako nag-abalang kumain dahil busog na ako sa kinain namin kanina nila Claudine sa mall.

Hawak ko ang cellphone ko at nag-iiscroll sa ig nang bigla kong maalala ang nangyaring break up kanina. Oh, I just witnessed a live tragic break up. I was so surprised. What really happened between them? I don't want to be chismosa but I can't stop myself thinking about it. I was so curious as hell. Ganito ba ang pakiramdam ni Claudine kanina? Geez, this is really annoying. I shouldn't be bothered by them because apparently, it was their business so I'm out of it.

I suddenly had the urge to visit Natasja's instagram account but I don't know her username. I thought of asking Claudine but I immediately washed away that idea when I realized that she might accused me of something.

What should I do? But wait, why am I acting strange? Why would I want to see her account in the first place?

Maya maya pa sa sobrang pag-iisip ko ay napindot ko ang account ng isang artista. I shrugged and stalked her until I saw a familiar name in the list of her followers.

natasjanatividad

I clicked it.

She got 3057 followers, she's following 209 and she posted 80 pictures.

Isang pulang heart lang ang bio niya. Nakasuot siya ng black bikini habang nakalublob ang kalahati ng katawan niya sa pool at bahagya siyang nakatalikod na para bang pinagmamalaki ang balikat sa profile picture niya. She's indeed beautiful.

I unconsciously search for their picture in the beach that Claudine showed me but I couldn't find it anymore. I did scroll carefully with my eyes settled on the screen but I still failed. Ah, baka dinelete.

Ow, nagbreak nga talaga.

Oh well, bahala sila.

I closed my phone and tried to sleep. The next day, I got up early so I went to school as early as 7:30. Kakaunti palang ang mga students na naroon. 8am pa ang pasok ko at 7:36 palang kaya naglakad lakad muna ako. I'd rather choose to be in school than to stay in our house with my bitch little sister.

And while I am on my way to our building, my stomach is searching for food. And guess what? I'm craving for some ice cream! Bakit gusto ko ng ice cream eh umagang umaga?

Bigla tuloy akong bumalik sa dinaanan ko para magpunta sa cafeteria. Good thing ay bukas na iyon, dumiretso ako sa lagayan ng ice cream at kumuha ng dalawang cookies and cream. I paid for it and went outside while eating my ice cream. I am not allowed to eat inside the classroom so I just found myself walking towards the garden of life. I suddenly remembered what happened here yesterday kaya bigla akong nabulunan. I chocked hard even more when I saw Jieven standing under the Acacia Tree. Nakatalikod siya at naksuksok ang dalawang kamay niya sa bulsa ng suot niyang black slacks bilang uniporme namin.

Nanlaki ang mata ko nang magtama ang paningin namin. Hindi ganoon kalayo ang distansya namin. Tama lang para makita ko sa reaksyon niya. His gorgeous face held confusion.
I was about to turn around but I paused when I realized that I might look like I am ignoring him. That would look so bad so I sighed in defeat.

With just a blink of an eye, I just found myself walking towards him with head down a bit. Nang mag-angat ako ng tingin ay nagtama na naman ang mata namin. Itinigil ko muna ang pagkain ko ng ice cream dahil bigla akong nailang.

Tumaas ang isang kilay niya nang malapitan ko siya. Confusion and amusement were both visible on his eyes. It sends shiver down my spine when the side of his lips rose after a moment.

This is the first time I got to look at him this close. My gaze went to his left ear, searching for his piercing but I found nothing, I think he purposely removed it so I just looked at his eyes afterwards, meeting his dazzlingly gaze.

He has this effect on me. I'm feeling nervous and anxious at the same time and I bet it was brought by his sharp stares. Pakiramdam ko ay bigla nalang niya akong sasaksakin maya maya.

I faked a cough and showed him my ice cream, 'yung hindi pa nabubuksan.

I smiled. "Ice cream?"

—