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As I strode my way past Jasmine's working area, I noticed that I was, quickly, in front of Kailey's office. Medyo weird nga lang kasi hindi ako kinakabahan sa pagpunta rito ngayon. Probably, Preppy's words helped me. But. . . Peter is still in there, stuck in my skull—I mean—brain.

Agad akong kumatok sa pinto ng office niya kahit na nakabukas na ito. Kailey's presence greeted me with her busy schedule. She was busy—yes, very busy. With a telephone on her ear and with her eyes on the monitor, she, like, had no reason to make me come here. I was just an epitome of disturbance.

"Uhm. . ." I uttered. "Miss Kailey." I wasn't aware I had added "Miss."

Her tasks being done in front of me reminded me that she was so above me. Her tasks were way more into the upper positions of the company. And this had shown me that she probably, really, deserved to be successful. With that simple scene in front of me, I realized. . . success doesn't have to come just easily to lucky people. They still work a lot.

"Have a seat, Glenn," she said, not bothering to look at me. I am just here to disturb. "Hello, Kailey De Guzman speaking, please send the listed files to my account; Dave sent you the list. Thank you," she said and hung up the phone call. The one she called, I think, never had the chance to reply to what she said. She really was that busy.

"Uh. . . alis na po muna ako," I said, stepping back once.

"No," Kailey said calmly, her eyes still fixed on her screen. "Please?" she then added, her eyes on me.

I nodded, respectfully, and walked towards the vacant seat in her office. She said "please." She just did. I mean. . . she was not that kind of girl to say "please" in our high school days. Maybe, I did not really know her that much. With my thoughts still crazily running around Preppy, I sat, my eyes observing Kailey.

It made me nervous that she told someone that I should come to her office. Para siyang may sasabihing importante. At nakakatakot. Siguro.

Kailey sighed, dropping the pencil in her hand intentionally. She cracked her knuckles for a bit, smiling the tired expression off of her face. She looked gorgeous, even with her frown. For seconds, I just stared at her, and she was not doing that much work than she was when I arrived here.

"Glenn," she started. "Kumusta si Tito?"

"Tito?" I asked, slowly being convinced that she got the wrong person to call to come to her office.

"Papa mo," she giggled, finally looking at me. "Kumusta siya? 'Di ba, no'ng Saturday—"

"Ah, ayos lang siya," I answered, quite scared that I stopped her in the middle of her sentence. "Maayos na ang pakiramdam niya." Hindi ko 'yon sinasadya.

"Good to know," she smiled, turning to her paperworks again.

Okay. Naiinis na ako. Medyo lang naman. She made me come to her office, right? And this kind of scene, Kailey being busy, was flashed in front of me. Nice. Okay, again.

Like, ano pa't pinatawag niya ako rito? Para panoorin siya maging busy and probably swoon over how hot she looks while being busy?

Wait, what?

"May chika ako," Kailey said, immediately stopping what she was doing all at once. That meant she stopped staring at the monitor, holding her papers, and maybe, thinking about work. For a while.

And she said "chika." It didn't sound like her. She's not into Filipino slang. Siguro.

But the thought of her, being able to say that in front of me and being able to share whatever that chika is, made me feel special. Of all the people she could call, she made me come here. Or at least, maybe, I was one of the people she called or would call.

"H-ha?" I was lost, again, in my thoughts, but I still managed to speak a word, a nonsense one.

Kailey smiled at me and giggled, waving her hand to signal something to me like "come closer, I'll whisper something."

I leaned forward, and she did, too, whispering, "Secret lang muna 'to, ha?" My stomach fluttered a bit, like it had wings and the butterflies turned my stomach into one of them. Advanced level, huh?

"May ball," she smiled, leaning back on her chair like it wasn't a secret anymore. I did as well. "This coming 10th anniversary ng company, there will be a ball. Like, parang prom."

She giggled at what she said, as what I could see. Kailey probably thought what she said was cringe and pathetic and crazy. Well, we didn't experience prom. We never got the chance to dance with the music and in our gowns. Our school just didn't have that kind of thing. Wala lang talagang. . . gano'n. Or maybe, talagang kuripot ang school namin. It was a private school. Yeah, Preppy said, just at that moment.

She became more quiet.

Ah, that was what Jasmine was trying to not spill. How adorable. Preppy smiled.

"Really?" I smiled, my eyes wide—maybe—from her perspective. "Kailan ba ang anniversary?" I never knew when it was. I was just four months old (or young or new) in this company. I had no idea.

"This coming Saturday."

Oh. Damn.

"W-wala akong gown," I said, pathetically yet realistically. Wala naman talaga akong gown. Why would I have one? First of all, Kailey and I didn't experience prom. Second of all, I didn't have that "debut" when I turned 18. Thirdly, I didn't care if I never had a gown. That's right, Preppy mumbled. Quite ironic. Just a little.

"I got you, girl," she smiled. "Basta, don't tell anyone. Wala pang final announcement, but it's true, and it's gonna happen."

"Th-thank you," I giggled awkwardly.

"For what?" Kailey asked, still smiling.

"Wala," I laughed, waving my hand off. "I mean. . . for trusting me this and informing me about it."

"No problem," she smiled again, at me, making her face more lovely.

Now, I know why men and boys fall for her. She's damn gorgeous.

And yes, boys and men are two different things. Or people.

---

As speedily as I could, I typed my remaining work down. I must be done with everything after thirty minutes. My fingertips tapped hardly (and unintentionally) against the keys of my keyboard. Monday had been kind to me, and I needed no more of it. So I had to finish my work agad. Before anything goes wrong, before a dead bush shows up. Preppy whispered, teasing me, Pathetic.

"Hi, Glenn," a familiar—very—voice greeted me, and as I looked up, her gorgeous face was there, before me. "Do you already have the invitation?"

"I-invitation?" I asked, tilting my head.

"Wala ka pa?" I nodded upon her question.

Kailey rolled her eyes and sighed, still gorgeously. Damn. I really admire her. Just everything about her.

But why did she roll her eyes at me?

Kailey strode away from my desk and walked towards someone who was not facing me. And I couldn't recognize who she was. Her hair was dyed strong brown that it almost looked unnatural, and the tip of her hair reaches her "bra line." I rolled my eyes at the term I used. And. . . Preppy did, too.

Who was that? I couldn't recognize her.

"Have you seen Glenn's invitation, Lyka?" Kailey asked, her voice calm yet serious. And I meant, serious. Halos wala siyang expression nang tanungin niya 'to.

Ah, Lyka. That Twitter famous girl who never. . . looked at me right.

Lyka was, like, shocked at how Kailey approached her and asked her. I didn't know if I was lucky or special to Kailey (not the way Theodore thinks about it), but Kailey rarely talked to anyone. She was hard to approach. Kinda.

Lyka held out a blue invitation to Kailey, and as Kailey received the invitation, she walked back to where I was sitting. I didn't know I was staring until she handed me the invitation. It was darker when you see it nearer. I opened it up, and it made me smile a smile that sends a fleet of butterflies into your stomach. I was really about to attend a ball!

"Glenn, I'll drive you home," Kailey said, taking my eyes away from the invitation before I could read the details.

"Okay," I casually replied. "Wait—"

"Cool, I'll drive you home." And then she gracefully yanked a chair right towards her (if that's possible) and sat on it, beside me. "I'll wait until you're finished."

"H-ha?"

"Go on, maghihintay ako," she said with a bit more volume, and as soon as that happened, I felt my co-workers' eyes on me. I did not bother to look back as their stares buried right in my head and in my skin. This is one of those plans Kailey was doing again. Well, I was sure that whatever might happen, whatever plan she had in her mind, it would certainly drive me crazy. But without any second thought, I tried to speed my work up, cleaning my desk every time I catch something not being useful.

"Alis na po ako, Miss Glenn," I heard Jasmine's voice as she stands up, giving me a look and waving at me, and then she waves good-bye at Kailey, too, quite shocked probably because she was there. "Miss Kailey," she bowed a little, reminding me of those K-dramas.

"Ingat po kayo lahat," she said and waved good-bye to all of us, including that girl named "Lyka." Lyka wasn't the in-your-face type of rude, but you could really sense the "I do not like you" in her stares, in her voice, in her actions. But it was there. And it punches fully yet stealthily. If you know what I mean.

I waved back at Jasmine, wondering if Lyka was ever rude to her in some way. If so, she does not deserve that. She's way too nice, Preppy even agreed.

I glanced at Kailey, who was beside me, to see if she was—well—bored while waiting for me. But what is she planning this time? I asked myself as I saw her just scrolling through her phone of an expensive brand. I looked away carefully so she wouldn't notice. Finally, I got to log my computer off and clean my desk a bit more, making sure my calendar, clock, and pen holders are all organized.

"You done?" she smiled, looking happy and all. Answering her question, I nodded and took my bag, zipping it up.

"Let's go," she said, putting her arm over my shoulder like a best pal of mine. "Good-bye, guys. Keep safe!"

We then walked away from our department, and I was a bit relieved—yes, a bit—when Lyka wasn't that near anymore. Wala naman akong galit sa kanya, pero duh. She always carries negativity. That was from my perspective and might be from my perspective only. I never knew what others thought of her. Kahit naman siguro malaman ko, wala akong mapapala. Siguro.

I shot Kailey a quick look, one that I wouldn't want her to know, and I saw her fresh from rolling her eyes. Agad akong umiwas ng tingin, at napatanong ako sa sarili ko, Galit ba siya sa akin? It was the question my brain made and also received, but it was pressed down and muffled in the back of my mind. Even Preppy didn't hear it, maybe, because she never, like, answered.

I don't want Kailey to get mad at me, I thought. I admire her so much. And I don't want her to get mad at me. Kahit nga ba mainis siya sa akin, hindi ko kakayanin. That will be so heavy.

She isn't just Kailey. She's the Kailey.

We continued to walk like that, so close. With her arm on my shoulder, I could hear her breathing. We reached the elevator, and she gracefully (I didn't know how she always did that) pushed the button for down. She sighed, and the elevator opened in front of us. Ang bilis nga, e. We entered, my pace unconditionally matching with hers. Maybe she isn't mad at me.

"Lyka the bitch," she said out loud after the doors of the elevator closed, shocking me. "Is she rude to you?"

Her question made me realize that she wasn't mad at me. She wasn't annoyed with me, either. It was Lyka.

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