#TPTG10

If there's one thing I'm not good at...it's sports.

"Fey! To your right!" my teammate shouted

Tumingin ako sa ere at nakita ang bola papunta sa'kin. I braced myself, waiting for the ball to come. I knelt down and straightened my arms while my eyes are still fixed to the ball.

I can hit this. I can do this.

Just when the ball is about to land on me, someone suddenly pushed me and I fell on the ground. Tumingin ako doon at nakita ang isa sa teammate ko. The ball rolled on the floor approaching me. I thought she hit it but instead, it missed. 

I then heard a loud whistle, indicating that the other team scored a point. I heard them celebrated.

"Hey, you alright Fey?" Lou approached me and lend me a hand

I swallowed hard and nodded. "Yeah."

She helped me picked myself back up. I winced in pain when my hip ached. I held her shoulder for support.

"Oh? What hurts?" she asked, concerned

Hindi ako sumagot. Instead I pointed at my hip.

"You must have fell hard," she said. Inalalayan niya naman ako

"You think so?" I sarcastically said

"You want to sit first? May sub naman. Pa-sub ka muna kay Penelope."

"No. I can manage—"

Napatingin kami bigla sa nag-aaway naming teammates.

"Bakit mo inigaw kay Fey yung bola? Bakaw ka din eh."

"Ano'ng inagaw? Sa'kin nakatapat yung bola."

"No it's not. The ball's direction was towards hers, not yours Danica."

"Fine! So what if it's hers? You think she can hit it? She can't even play. Puro lang siya paganda at—"

"Danica," the team captain warned

Tumingin si Danica sa kanya at unti-unti siyang nilapitan. "We're already in a crucial situation. Isang puntos nalang mananalo na yung kalaban natin. You want our section to win right?"

Patty, our team captain, didn't even flinched. Her eyes were still fixed on Danica. "Yes but I want my teammates to still play. It's not all about winning Danica. Hindi mo rin naman natamaan yung bola 'di ba?"

Danica, on the other hand, remained staring intently to Patty. Napailing siya at mabilis na nagwalk-out sa court. Sinundan ko siya ng tingin.

"Don't mind her Fey. Ayaw niya lang talaga ng natatalo. She doesn't have sportsmanship," sabi ni Lou sa tabi ko

Inalalayan niya ako at pinaupo ako sa bench sa gilid. She left me afterwards because the second set was about to begin.

I watch them as they play. There's so good. It's fun yet nerve-racking to watch. The game was intense. Ang kalaban namin ay ang third year. They play so well too. They were all competitive. We may have lost the first set but my team didn't give up easily. Lumaban pa rin sila. I can see it in their eyes how much they want to win. Both sides are all fired up. Lou also plays so well. I didn't expect she's good volleyball.

Tumayo ako at pumunta sa water station. My hip still hurt but tolerable. As I got nearer, I saw a bunch of girls with Danica.

I chose to ignore them. I just refilled my tumbler with water pagkatapos ay bumalik sa bench.

I didn't even want to play in the first place...I just did this for my grades.

Minor subjects are the worst. Parang nagiging major na rin sila.

Another thing is that my body still hurts from the taekwondo class last week...and that's mainly the reason why I can't move that much even if I wanted to. My body just won't let me. Limited lang ang paggalaw ko.

I got back to my senses when I heard everyone shouting. Tumingin ako sa harap at nakita ang mga teammates ko. They were hugging with smiles on their faces.

"Fey! Come here! Dali," she shouted

Tumayo ako at sinalubong ako ni Lou ng yakap. "We won!" She hugged me tighter and jumped up and down. 

I winced in pain. "The g-game's already over?"

How...what the heck? Ang bilis naman.

"Yeah and we won!" she cheered

I was surprised when all the girls gathered at the center. Lou pulled me closer and we all hugged each other.

"Congrats girls! I'm so proud of each and everyone of us. You did well!" Patty said

We all happily celebrated our win in victory. I still can't believe that we won.

Ilang sandali ay pinaalis na kami sa gitna ng court ng isa sa mga teachers namin. They told us that the basketball game will start soon. They still need to remove the net.

"That's why the game ended so fast. May basketball pa kasi. Half-day lang tayo 'di ba kapag sportsfest?" Lou joked

I chuckled. "So that's why."

Sabay kaming naglakad palabas ng court. We decided to buy some snacks. The court is an open court so there are food stalls outside. It's scorching hot in the afternoon. My whole body is sweating profusely, including my armpits. I feel so dirty already.

"Can we get the uhh....one hotdog stick and fries," maarteng sabi ni Lou

"Why do you have to speak like that?"

She looked at me confused. "This is my normal voice alright? Don't come at me."

I rolled my eyes and payed for my snacks.

"It's so hot! I might die!" she whined

"I brought a mini fan on my bag. You can borrow it—"

"Shut up. The basketball game is about to start! Let's go!" she squealed and ran back to the court

I sighed and walked my way there while holding my snacks.

I was surprised to see that the court was full! It wasn't like this during the volleyball match. The crowd was wild! They kept on cheering and shouting their section's name.

Hinanap ko si Lou at nakita siya na nasa pinakaunahan pa talaga ng court. She's jumping and screaming on the top of her lungs.

Wow, she just left me here.

Nanatili ako sa likod ng mga tao. There wasn't any space left that I can occupy. Ayoko namang sumingit. I still tried to look for a better spot. Maslalong nagsigawan ang tao. I got so curious. I want to watch it too. Inangat ko ang ulo ko at tumalon talon. I'm tall but it wasn't enough to see the view. Nakatayo rin lahat ng tao sa sobrang intense ng laban.

I looked around and I spotted a monoblock chair on the corner. I ran to it and took it. Naghanap ako ng magandang spot. Tumungtong ako doon at tinignan ang kaganapan. It's much better here above. I can now clearly see the game, the players, the score board, and the announcer.

"So kung titignan niyo nga po, dikit na dikit na ang laban ng 4th year St. Joseph at 3rd year St. Luke. Tatlong minuto nalang ang natitira bago matapos ang first game. Sino kaya ang magwawagi?!" sigaw ng announcer sa microphone

The game was intense. The gap is not too big. 54 points kami samantalang 47 na ang kalaban. We're in a close fight.

Nahihilo ako sa pangyayari. Their movements were so quick! I couldn't even see where the ball is.

"Reyes ipinasa ang bola kay Baron pero agad na nakuha ang bola ni Espejo! Dalawang put isa nalang ang natitirang oras. Malapit nang ishoot ni Espejo ang bola ngunit biglang naagaw ito ni Sanchez!"

My jaw dropped when I saw Keith running to their base. Mas lalong nagsigawan ang tao, especially the girls. There's only fifteen seconds left on the clock. He still has the ball. He stopped when there were attackers on the front. Nakita kong hindi siya sigurado kong ipapasa niya ba ang bola o hindi.

Fuck. I gritted my teeth while watching him. Binalik ko ang tingin sa oras. Ten seconds left! His teammates keep on calling him to pass the ball but there were attackers on front. Pinilit nilang kunin ang bola sa kanya.

I bit my lip in anticipation. Muntikan pa akong mahulog sa upuan ko. The crowd were yelling to shoot the ball.

"3 points na 'yan!" sigaw nila

Binalik ko ang tingin sa score board.

Shit! There's no time left. It's only their first game but I want our section to win.

"Just shoot the ball dammit!" I shouted

It was already too late to realize what I did. Nakita ko nalang na nasa ere na ang bola. Sinundan ko iyon ng tingin. My lips slowly parted when I it went inside the ring. I heard the sound of the buzzer. And the crowd went wild again.

Did we win?

"Congratulations to St. Joseph for winning the first game! Magkakaroon muna ng short break bago ang second game. Stay tuned!"

I sighed in relief. Napapikit ako at hinilot ang sentido. I've never felt more stressed yet excited over a basketball game. Bigla akong nabuhayan. I felt tired a while ago but now, I'm all fired up knowing that we have the momentum.

After a few minutes, the second game has started.

I unconsciously clap my hands and scream whenever we score a point. I never thought that basketball is fun to watch!

I noticed during the whole game, Keith was always scoring a point. Parang majority ata ay sa kanya. He always has the ball. As I have observed, he's a good player. I've never seen this side of him. Akala ko hindi niya hilig ang sports. It's like he's been playing basketball his whole life.

"3 points nanaman para kay Sanchez!" sigaw ng announcer

He's good alright. I get it.

I crossed my arms over my chest as I watch him intently. Hindi ko inalis ang paningin sa kanya.

I hate him.

Is there anything he can't do?

I can't let him take away my spot on the honors. We're already a tie. Parehas kami ng average score last quarter. The teacher said that we can only break the tie breaker if we participate more in extracurricular activities. Since we're both good at almost everything, the teachers are having a hard time to choose between Keith and I for the top 1.

But now...I guess we already know who earned it.

I got back to my senses when I heard a  whistle. The crowd 'booed' on the referee. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang nangyari. I saw the player of the other team pushed Keith, it's like he's picking a fight with him. They were staring at each other intensely. Keith is older and taller yet he's being threatened by a third year student.

The referee interfered. Pumagitna siya sa kanilang dalawa. Nakita kong hinila si Keith ng teammates niya palayo. Keith, being the good sport that he is, didn't fight back. Instead he slowly backed away and turned around. Tinapik naman siya sa balikat ng teammates niya.

Okay...what the hell just happened?

The game still proceeded. Maslalo lang lumaki ang tension sa kanila. The game get more and more intense each passing second. Whenever our team score, the other team scores as well. Naiinis ako kapag mabilis na nakakahabol ang kalaban.

I can see that they're all exhausted, even Keith. They were catching their breath as they wipe their sweat off their face. The girls screamed when Keith wiped his sweat by lifting his shirt, exposing a bit of his body. It was just a split second! I didn't even see it!

After a short timeout, the game started again. The player passed the ball again to Keith. He then dribbled the ball and ran his way to the ring. Sinundan ko siya ng tingin. 

Konti nalang mananalo na kami.

He jumped and was about to shoot the ball inside the ring when another player jumped too and tossed it to the other side. Nakita kong napalakas ang pagtabig niya ng bola.

The next thing I knew, the ball landed on my face and I fell on the ground.

Fuck. This is the second time!

Pinagpagan ko ang kamay ko. I checked my arm and I saw a bruise. Mahina akong napamura. I was about to stand up but someone approached me. Lumuhod siya sa harapan ko.

"I'm sorry! Are you okay?"

I lifted my eyes and saw Keith. He was offering his hand to me.

"Yeah...I'm fine," I grunted irritably

I tried to stand up but my foot betrayed me. I winced in pain and I immediately checked my foot.

"You're not fine. You sprained your ankle," he said and looked at it

Great! Just great.

"I said I'm fine," mariin kong sabi at pinilt pa rin na tumayo

He held my shoulder. "Just stay here. I'll get an ice pack," he said and stood up but I immediately grabbed his wrist back

I don't know why he's suddenly kind towards me. The last time I checked, galit siya sa'kin.

"Huwag na," sabi ko

His lips parted while staring at me. 

I raised my brow. "Tsk. Why are you here anyway? I thought you hate me?"

Instead of answering, he inspected my foot. 

"Oh! Ano'ng nangyari dito? Are you okay Fey?" sabay namin nilingon ang teacher namin. She walked towards us and knelt front of me.

Thank goodness someone came!

"I sprained my ankle," I told her

She looked at it as well. "Kailangan ito malagyan ng ice pack bago pa mamaga," nag-aalala niyang sabi. "Let's go to the clinic."

I nodded. She helped me stood up. Lumapit din sa'min si Keith at inalalayan ako. He placed his hand on my back and put my arm over his shoulder

"Don't you have a game to finish?" I asked, annoyed. "Bumalik ka na roon."

"But—"

"It's not your fault. I'll be fine alright?"

"You can't even walk properly."

I sighed. "I only sprained one foot. The other one is okay. I can manage."

Para kaming tanga ditong tatlo na naglalakad. He's no help at all. I sighed in frustration when he's still not leaving me.

"Just go back there and win the game. Ipanalo mo ang section natin. Mas ikakasaya ko pa iyon," I said seriously and removed my arm on his shoulder

He swallowed hard. Sa huli ay tumango siya at unti-unting lumayo sa'kin. Tumalikod na siya at tumakbo pabalik sa court. I rolled my eyes at him and forced a smile to my teacher.

What an obedient bastard.

****

Pagkalabas ng clinic ay nagulat ako nung biglang may tumambad na estudyante sa harapan ko.

"Uh, can I help you—"

"Don't be so full of yourself Felicity. Keith is just being nice with you out of pity. Don't misinterpret his actions towards you. Naawala lang siya sa'yo," mataray niyang sabi

I looked at her from head to foot. Nakahalukipkip siya habang nakatayo sa harapan ko. My eyes landed on her I.D.

Trisha Lopez. A grade 9 student.

Is she one of his fangirls from the lower batch? I had no idea why she's here since all of the students are in the court.

Binalik ko ang tingin sa kanya.

"And you're telling me this because?" I lazily said

Fuck. I can't stand too long. My ankle still hurts eventhough it's already been treated by the nurse. She wrapped a thick layer of bandage around it. 

She raised her chin. "Keith and I have been friends for almost 7 years. I know him more than anyone else," mariin niyang sabi at tinalikuran na ako. Sinundan ko siya ng tingin habang naglalakad palayo.

Does she likes him? What the hell? I am certainly not stealing Keith from her. I don't even like him.

"Oh, anak. What happened to you?" bungad sa'kin ni mama pagkauwi ko sa bahay

"Nothing. Just a sprain," I replied while limping

"Sprain? Paano ka naman nagka-sprain? Did you trip or fell?" she asked worriedly and looked at my foot.

It's an embarrassing story mom. You don't have to know.

"I tripped..." 

"You want me to get an ice back?"

"No. I'm good!" I said and carefully climbed upstairs

Kinabukasan ay normal na ulit ako maglakad. I still feel a tiny bit of pain but tolerable unlike yesterday. It's just a mild sprain...or should I say, I just twisted my ankle.

"Fey!" I saw Lou approaching me

I forced a smile. "Hey."

"Where were you yesterday? You just disappeared. Hindi mo na tuloy napanood yung last game."

I fixed my bag on my shoulder. "Uhh I was..." I paused while trying to think of a reason. 

I didn't want to tell her the truth because she'd ask me follow-up questions and I'm too lazy to answer. It's not a big deal anyway.

"I had a diarrhea," I lied

Her brows furrowed, confused. "Okay...do you feel better now?"

"I wouldn't come to school if I don't," I smiled sarcastically

She imitated my face. "Whatever. Anyway, we won the basketball game! Sayang wala ka roon to celebrate. We took pictures pa naman, plus nag-awarding ceremony din. Hindi mo nakuha yung medal mo."

Right, I didn't go back to the court for the awarding ceremony 'cause I decided to rest instead. I didn't regret it tho.

"It's fine..."

"Oh right. I forgot that you already have a lot of medals. Hindi kawalan sa'yo 'no?" she teased

"At least our section won!" I cheered

"Of course! Tayo pa ba? Hello? We have a reputation to maintain. The boys did great job...I mean well," she coughed. "Keith's there," she coughed again and smiled, "MVP pa nga."

"Expected."

"I swear our classmates! Damn! Dinumog nila si Keith. Nagpapicture pa akala mo talaga artista yung tao. Basta...I won't go into details."

"He's Keith after all," I said as a matter of fact.

Speaking of Keith.

Shoot! I forgot that we have a science project to do together. Napag-usapan namin iyong gawin sa science lab.

"I got to go," paalam ko kay Lou at nilagpasan na siya

I walked faster and searched for the science lab. It wasn't long when I finally found it. I fixed myself before going inside.

"Hello?"

And there I saw him doing our project. I didn't know if he saw me or he just chose to ignore me on purpose.

"Sorry, I'm late..."

I walked towards him and checked our work in progress project. Pinagmasdan ko siya. He's silently concentrating on whatever it is he's doing.

I cleared my throat. "Saan ka na?"

"I'm now attaching the 12V DC motor on the cardboard," he replied

Finally, he spoke.

"Okay...uhm. What else can I do?"

"Build the house using those cardboards. Make sure to cut it in 12 by 8 centimeters. There's also a picture there for guidance," he explained while focusing on the project

I nodded and do as I told. I saw the materials on the table. Sinumulan ko nang mag-gupit ng cardboard. I started to make the house. I attached glue on the carboard and connected the pieces that I cut to it. After a few minutes, I'm finally done! It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Ang bilis ko lang din pala na natapos.

I looked at Keith and he's still not finish with whatever it is that he's doing. I sighed and decided to check him out.

"You good?" I asked

He nodded. "Mm-hmm."

"Need help?"

"Nah."

I rolled my eyes.

Okay, smarty pants!

Mukhang mahirap din ang ginagawa niya. He's now using a soldering wire and a iron to attach the connecting wires to the battery. I didn't understand what he's doing in our project but I trust him, half-heartedly.

One thing I've observed about him is that he's super patient when handling things. He's very meticulous. I've never seen him panic, troubled, or stressed out. He's cool and composed. He got everything under control. He knows what he's doing and he's great at it. Parang ang dali lang sa kanya ang lahat.

When shit happens, he knows how to adjust. He has a back-up plan. He has a solution to everything. I think he's the one who's gifted between us.

In short, he got his shit together unlike me who gets irritated at small inconvenience or when something does not go according to plan. When that happens, I'd lose my mind.

The awkward silence made me uncomfortable. I don't know if he feels the same too. It doesn't seem so 'cause he's too engrossed with our project.

We became representatives for our science exhibit in our school. It's not even our first time working together. If it wasn't of our fight, I wouldn't feel this awkward.

I cleared my throat. "Did you still go?"

I was referring to the the seminar. I wonder if he still went. I wanted to address the issue but I got scared. Tahimik akong tao pero mas tahimik pa pala siya.

"Yes," he answered

Oh, thank God. Good for him.

"Is your ankle okay?" he asked. Inutusan niya rin akong kunin iyong bahay na ginawa ko. I followed his order and gave it to him.

"Yeah."

He looked at the house that I made. Base on his expression, he seems like he's not pleased or impressed. 

"What?"

He sighed. "Nothing."

"Tell me so I can fix it," giit ko

"No, it's good. Great job."

I squinted my eyes while staring at him. I don't believe him. He's doubting my work. For me, maayos naman yung gawa ko.

Pinagpatuloy niya nalang ulit ang paggawa. I noticed he's doing something wrong.

"Why isn't the battery attached?" I said and pointed it out

"It is not connected because it is based on principle of turbine generator. In motor we have some copper windings and two magnets," he explained while demonstrating. "If we can rotate these copper wirings between those two magnets it produces some electricity—based on the principle of Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction. This electricity is transferred to L.E.D bulb that's why the bulb blinks without any battery."

Nakakunot ang noo ko habang pinapanood siya sa paggawa. He attached both wires together and twisted it.

"Here I use a permanent magnet DC motor so it can be used as a DC generator."

"Where did you get that?" I asked referring to the DC motor

"One of my toy cars before as a kid."

Kumunot ang noo ko. "What? You think it will work? I mean, we can just buy a new one. I'll pay—"

"No need. We have it already."

"But what if it won't work? That's one of the main components of this project. Kapag hindi gumana 'yan ay walang silbi ang lahat. Why can't we just buy one? I'll pay for it anyway. Mura lang naman 'yan eh."

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, I'm just being resourceful. Trust me. It will still work."

I raised my hands in defeat. Well, I did my part. It's not my fault anymore if our project will fail.

Shit! I almost forgot. May reflection paper pa pala ako na tatapusin at yung project namin sa arts. There's so many things that I forgot to do.

I ran towards my bag when my ankle ached. Napahinto ako sa sakit.

"You're ankle is still not healed completely. Masyado mong binigla," I heard him say behind me

I sighed and blew the bits of hair away from my face. "Thanks for the concern but I can manage. Ang dami ko pang kailangan tapusin."

I grabbed my backpack and took out my notebook and pens. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang uunahin. Nakatingin lang ako sa mga nilabas kong gamit. I pursed my lips and gathered all my thoughts.

Reflection paper muna.

My mind went blank. I don't know what to write. I massaged my head while tapping my pen. I shut my eyes when I remembered something.

"Magka-group din ba tayo sa Filipino?" I asked Keith

"Yeah," he simply replied while still working on our project. He looks so calm...like everything is under control.

Meanwhile, I'm here all stressed out and panic mode. I wasn't able to finish my schoolworks because of my freakin' ankle!

"Tapos mo na yung pinapagawa?"

"Uh-huh."

Bumuntong hininga ako at sinabunutan ang sarili. I need to finish first our project in Filipino since malapit na ang deadline no'n and it's also the hardest one to do. One of the reasons why I'm also stressed is because of my groupmates! Wala silang ambag. I always get the job done. I always take the credit. Lagi silang asang-asa sa'kin dahil ako naman daw ang leader.

"Can I see your work in Filipino? Don't worry. I won't copy it," paalam ko kay Keith

"It's in my bag."

I saw his black backpack in front of me. I opened in and took out his portfolio. I observed is that he's neat and organized unlike me who's bag is filled with unnecessary trash. I opened his portfolio and it was well-organized too. I saw a bunch of paperworks, quizzes, artworks, his exams. He got everything done so effortlessly. Damn him!

Naiinis ako lalo sa kanya. Para bang ang ayos ayos ng buhay niya...hindi tulad ko na magulo.

E 'di siya na perfect!

I scanned through the pages and saw his quizzes and exams. Ang tataas ng scores niya. He almost got all the subjects perfect.

"Stop looking at my scores Fey."

I gulped. "I'm not. H-hinahanap ko yung sa Filipino!"

Pagkadating ko sa dulo ay nahanap ko din. A summary of El Filibusterismo. I took the paper out and I was shocked by his beautiful penmanship. Ang sipag naman niya. I mean, he can type it and print it. Why did he have to write it down?

Ilang sandali ay nagsimula na akong magsulat. I was having a hard time writing the summary. Ang naka-aasign sa'kin ay apat na chapters. I have read and already finished the book but it's kinda difficult for me to understand the story because of the deep tagalog words. Ilang minuto nang nakalipas pero iisang sentence palang ang nasusulat ko. I sighed in frustration and erased it. This is so annoying! My brain is not functioning well right now!

"Fey—"

"What?!"

My lips parted when I saw Keith standing in front of me. He stared down at my blank paper. "Need help?"

I shook my head and diverted my attention back to the paper. "No. I'm good. Are you done with our project?" I asked coldly

"Almost."

"Just finish it already. Don't mind me. Matatapos na rin ako dito,"  I said irritated and held my pen tightly

"I can help if you want. Filipino 'yan diba? Magkagrupo naman tayo—"

I slammed the pen on the table. "What part of my sentence did you not understand?!"

Seriously? Hindi ba siya nakakaintindi? Sa tingin niya ba hindi ko matatapos lahat ng ito? I cram and procrastinate a lot and guess what? In the end, I can still finish all my work.

He didn't even react. Nanatiling blanko ang mukha niya. I rolled my eyes and went back to paper. Nakita kong napunit iyon. Mahina akong napamura.

It's funny how the tables have turned. Parang kanina lang siya yung mukhang may kailangan ng tulong...turns out that I'm the one who needs help the most.

"Just go away—"

"You know what? I don't understand you. You always complain that no one is helping you that's why you take all the responsibility. And now I'm here who's willing to help you, pero sa huli, ayaw mo pa rin magpatulong. Stop taking full credit for everything will you?" he said

I swallowed hard. Nanatili akong nakatingin sa papel ko.

I must admit, he's right. I felt guilty. Hindi kasi ako sanay na may tumutulong sa'kin. Lagi kong inaangkin ang lahat...that's why I chose to work individually. I hate groupworks 'cause most of the time they depend on me. Nakalimutan kong matinong member pala si Keith na willing akong tulungan. I'm not used to it.

"It's not my fault if I prefer to work individually," mahina kong sabi

"That's why you're so stressed out. I get that you're independent and all but there's nothing's wrong if you seek for help every once in a while. Hindi yung sinasalo mo lahat."

Okay he's being way too personal.

I hate that he makes sense. I give him that. This is probably the longest thing he said today...at may kabuluhan pa. 

This is why we can't work out. We can't communicate well with each other. We can't work with a group project without arguing. We had a lot of misunderstandings before in the past. Sa mata ng tao ang tingin nila ay parehas kami. They often say we have a lot in common

But on our own perspective, we're very different.

He sat beside me and helped me with my homework. "Saan ka ba nahihirapan?"

I crossed my arms over my chest. "I hate Filipino."

"Then let us work on that together," he said calmly

I saw him reading my work. He revised some of the sentences that I've written.

"Tsk. I thought you hate me so why are you helping me?"

He chuckled bitterly. "You're the one who secretly hates me."

My jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"

Bigla siyang tumingin sa'kin. "Am I wrong? I remember you didn't like me when I first transfered here. Hindi mo pa ako nakikilala no'n pero ayaw mo na agad sa'kin. I didn't even feel welcome at all. I felt like you wanted to get rid of me or something."

Umiwas ako ng tingin at tinikom ang bibig ko. Why would he even bring up the past? And making me feel bad about it. He's so good at reading people.

"You're just difficult to deal with sometimes. I'm used to it anyway. Kilala na kita," he added

I scoffed. "So tintitiis mo nalang gano'n?" 

Tumingin siya sa'kin. "Yes. Marunong akong makisama. It's not like I have a choice."

We stared at each other for a long time. His eyes were gentle but I know that behind it lies his hatred towards me. Para bang nahihirapan siya kapag kasama niya ako. Para bang isa akong malaking pabigat sa buhay niya.

I don't even know what to call him. My Frenemy, I guess? That's too childish.

He's way out of my league.