#WretchedChoicesWP

Chapter 9
Everyone

"Ang creepy mo."

An intentional insult woke me up from daydreaming about my future plans and expectations. I turned to look at Jerome who just sat beside me and placed his laptop on the armchair.

Who would've thought that he'd be the cause of my bad mood? Ang galing niya lang talagang manira. Alam na alam niya kung kailan siya dapat sumingit at sirain ang magandang pagpapantasya ko.

"Excuse me?" Inirapan ko siya.

He smiled and opened the Microsoft Word application on his laptop.

"You were wearing a creepy smile earlier," he said. "Para bang may binabalak kang masama. Ganoon ang hitsura ng ngiti mo."

I frowned even more. He really knew how to piss me off and he's enjoying it, knowing that I was affected.

"Bakit ka ba nandito?" Humalukipkip ako. "Nang-iinis ka lang naman."

He smirked and put his laptop on my desk instead. I was about to ask him why when he pointed in front and showed me what was written on our whiteboard.

A list of questions were written on the board. There were also almost fifteen words that we needed to define with proper citation to avoid plagiarism. A printed copy of our answers was needed to be passed today — only until 5PM.

"Hindi ka talaga nakikinig," bulong niya pa at natatawa sa aking kawalang alam. "The seatwork needs to be done today. Our professor instructed that we needed to do it by partners. Sa kasamaang palad, dinagdag niya rin na kung sino ang kapartner sa reporting ay siya rin ang kapartner ngayon para hindi magulo."

Right after he told me about the partner thingy, my eyes immediately drifted to Hope and Archer. They didn't transfer seats anymore and just stayed where they were seated earlier. Parehas na silang mukhang busy sa ginagawang seatwork. Sa sobrang seryoso nilang dalawa ay mukhang wala nang makakakuha pang iba sa kanilang atensyon.

How bad I wanted to spoil their moment together, but I would keep it cool. I'd let Hope enjoy her last moments with Archer before I take him from her.

"You're staring at them again..." Jerome lazily drowled while scanning our textbook.

"Napatingin lang..." pagdadahilan ko.

Lumabi na lamang ako at saka sinimulang gawin ang format sa word. Dahil kabisado ko na ang buong pangalan ni Jerome, tinipa ko na rin ang kanyang pangalan kasunod ng sa akin.

"In our class, you're the only one I didn't see during Hope's party last Saturday," he suddenly said, and it caught my full attention.

Natigil ako sa pagt-type para lamang ituon sa kanya ang buong atensyon ko at makinig sa kanyang sasabihin.

"You're invited, too?" I asked him.

Tumango naman siya. "Nandoon din si Archer," sabi niya kahit na hindi na niya kailangan pang sabihin 'yon dahil alam ko naman na. "He came late, though. Pero masaya pa rin si Hope na nakarating siya."

I frowned and crossed my arms. "And why are you telling me this?"

He smiled and looked at me. "Because it pisses you off?"

Kinagat ko ang aking ibabang labi at saka siya pabirong sinapak sa braso. Mas lalo lamang siyang tumawa dahil nakuha niya na ang gusto niyang reaksyon mula sa akin.

"You are hopeless." I rolled my eyes and continued typing.

He chuckled huskily. "See..." he trailed. "That's a very interesting expression of yours."

"What expression?" Muli ko siyang nilingon.

Nagtaas siya ng kilay sa akin. Akala ko'y magsasalita siya, ngunit kinuha niya ang kanyang cellphone at bigla akong kinuhanan ng litrato.

"Uy, ano ba 'yan!" reklamo ko at sinubukang kuhanin sa kanya ang cellphone. "Kung gusto mo naman ng picture ko, pagbibigyan kita. I'll smile for you, just tell me."

Once again, he laughed heartily before showing me the picture he took. I looked like a kid whining because my parents didn't allow me to buy more chocolates. But for the record, I still looked cute in this photo.

"Ang cute ko naman diyan," sabi ko. "I-send mo nga 'yan sa'kin sa messenger."

"That's the expression I'm talking about..." he said and ignored what I just said. "It's very interesting."

My lips parted as I was taken aback with his subtle compliment, but that's just only for a brief moment. I smiled sweetly and rested my chin on the back of my hand while looking straight at him.

"Baka ma-in love ka sa akin niyan, ah..." biro ko sa kanya at saka kumindat.

He shook his head and smiled even wider. He leaned closer and flicked his finger on my forehead. "That would never happen."

Nang lumayo siya sa akin ay sumimangot ako habang hinihimas ang noo ko kung saan niya ako pinitik.

"Ang sakit no'n, ah!" muli kong pagrereklamo.

"That's what you get for saying absurd things," he reasoned out.

He tore a piece of paper from his notebook and placed it on the top of the laptop.

I read all the questions assigned to me in bullet points. Those were the topics I needed to research on. I counted the items he gave me. After seeing that number of items from our seatwork was equally distributed, I didn't argue anymore.

"We need to start working now," bigla niyang pagsusungit sa akin. "Wala tayong matatapos ngayon kung magda-daldalan lang tayo."

I creased my forehead and pouted. "Bipolar..." I whispered to myself as I started to do my part.

Nilingon ko siyang ulit para tingnan kung makikipagkulitan siya ulit sa akin upang hindi maging boring ang paggawa ng seatwork, ngunit masyado na siyang seryoso. Mas lalo akong lumabi at magseseryoso na rin dapat nang madaanan ko ng tingin sina Archer at Hope.

Because Jerome successfully broke my facade, I was now easily affected by their presence together. I gritted my teeth. Seeing them so close to each other wanted me to do something really bad to make me feel good.

"Your face is screaming war."

I cut myself from looking at the unpleasant view and averted my gaze back to Jerome. He reciprocated the attention I gave him with a sarcastic look at me.

He shot his brows up and smirked. "I hope it's about going to war with our seatwork."

For the third time today, I rolled my eyes at him. "Why don't you focus on your thing, and I'll focus on mine?"

Now, he looked more amused. "Well, if you'll really focus on our seatwork, then, I have no problem with that. I won't bother you."

"Oo na!" iritado kong sabi. "Gagawin ko na!"

Isang matagumpay na ngiti ang kanyang sinuot bago binalikan ang sinisimulang pagsagot sa seatwork. Binigyan ko ng huling tingin sina Hope at Archer bago ako nagseryoso.

I didn't have any idea if Jerome gave me easy items because before our period ended, I already finished answering my part, while he still had six items left. I volunteered to help him finish his part, but he refused my help and told me to just play with my phone or keep myself busy with other things.

"Minsan na nga lang ako magsipag, ayaw mo pa akong pagbigyan..." bulong ko at saka pumangalumbaba habang pinapanood siya.

"You've done your part. It's already enough," he firmly said. "If you want, you can just come with me later. Sabay nating ipasa 'tong seatwork natin."

I was about to agree when I suddenly remembered that I already had plans later. I couldn't cancel, reschedule nor be late. Zymond should have a good first impression of me.

"Hmm..." I hummed and sat up straight. "I'm busy later. I have something to do."

Saglit niyang itinigil ang ginagawa para lumingon sa akin. Nagtaas siya ng kilay, tila hindi naniniwala sa rason ko.

"And what is that?" he curiously asked.

I smiled apologetically. "I have a date."

He looked stunned for a moment. "A date?" he asked like it was absurd.

"Yes, I have a date," I confirmed.

Mula sa pagkabigla ay bahagyang kumunot ang kanyang noo. Ngayon ay tila parang naguguluhan siya.

"I thought you like Archer?" bigla niyang tanong sa akin. "Huwag mong sabihing siya ang ka-date mo?"

Panandalian akong napatigil. I wasn't expecting that he'd ask me that question. Good thing I was able to regain my composure and just chuckled.

"Hindi si Archer ang ka-date ko," paglilinaw ko.

"But you like him and then, you're about to date some other guy later?" he asked and tried to point out something. "Is he your boyfriend or what?"

He sounded like I was having an affair when Archer's not even mine to begin with. But it's good knowing he really bought one of my lies that I like Archer. It would be a great help to my plan.

"Kalma ka muna, Jerome, ah..." natatawa kong sabi sa kanya. "I like Archer, but I can still try to date other guys. My feelings might change you know. Anyway, I'm pretty single so, there's should be no problem about it, right?"

He let out a sigh. I could see disappointment written all over his face. Not that it mattered to me though.

"Why do you seem so disappointed?" I laughed and playfully slapped his arm. "Do you expect me to be a martyr for a guy I like who's not even mine to begin with?"

"No," he calmly said. "I just expect you to be like those girls who like a guy that even when it's unrequited, they still choose to stay loyal with their feelings for quite some time."

"Well, I'm sorry if I didn't reach your expectation, Jerome," I apologized half-heartedly. "Pero alam mo, hindi na uso ngayon 'yan. Some girls even have a whole damn list of guys they like at the same time, especially crushes! Wala namang masama roon lalo na kung single ka."

Nagkibit-balikat ako at saka ibinalik ang laptop sa kanya. Sinundan niya ito ng tingin bago muling itinuon ang mga mata sa akin.

"And just to make it clear..." I smiled seductively to prove a point. "I ain't nothing like those girls which you're thinking of. I'm different, and if it disappoints you, that's not my problem anymore."

Since our professor only came into our class to announce the seatwork and left right away, there's no need to stay here after I finished my part. Jerome didn't want me to help him with his share so, I should just be getting for my next class.

After fixing my things, I stood up and carried my bag.

"Saan ka pupunta?" biglang tanong sa akin ni Jerome.

Tamad ko siyang nilingon. "Pupunta na ako sa susunod na klase ko. There's only twenty minutes left and you wouldn't let me help anyway. Aalis na lang ako. See you around!"

I didn't give him a chance to say his reply and just went straight out of our room with my chin up.

Sayang... He could somehow be my boy best friend since I was pretty comfortable with him. I thought he already understood some parts of me, but the expectation he had of me was still out of line.

"So, you'll just going to leave your partner alone with your seatwork which is supposed to be by partners?"

Hearing that annoying voice saying that annoying question, I stopped from walking and turned around to face the man who didn't fail to irritate me. I crossed my arms and looked straight at him, trying my best to establish my superiority at this moment because he was wrong with his accusations.

"And who told you that I'm not done with my part?" I raised my eyebrows and took a step closer. "You should've asked Jerome first. I'm already done, and he wouldn't let me help finish his part so... you were saying again?"

He was about to say something, but I decided no to let him destroy my momentum. He might had a better rebuttal that could extinguish the fire my words spat. I didn't want to let that happen.

"At saka bakit mo pala iniwan ang kapartner mo bigla para lang sundan ako at pagsabihan?" sunod kong tanong. "Is it okay to just leave your partner alone with your seatwork which is supposed to be by partners?" I mimicked his question.

Hindi pa siya nakakapagsalita pabalik ay inirapan ko na siya saka hinawi ang aking buhok bago tinalikuran at nagmamadaling umalis. Alam na alam niya talaga kung paano buhayin ang halimaw kong natutulog. Kaunting kalabit niya lang ay agad na itong nagigising.

It's a good thing that during my next class, I was able to relax a bit. But the moment I met Sharry during lunch since we had the same break time for this day, the irritation and anger I felt came back. Inilabas ko ang lahat ng iyon sa kanya para mas lalo akong makalma nang tuluyan.

"Nanggigigil talaga ako sa kanya, Sha!" iritado kong sabi kay Sharry. Bawat salita ay mayroong diin.

Sharry nonchalantly continue eating while listening to my non ending rants about Archer. Her expression said that she had already grown tired of it.

"Instead of hating on Archer, why don't you focus on your date later with Zymond?" she asked that piqued my interest.

With that, my mood immediately shifted. I focused on the game I was about to play with Zymond. If everything would work well, even my plan with Archer would make a huge progress.

During my last class for this day, my mind was floating in cloud nine. I wasn't paying attention to any lesson discussed. While my classmates all looked like they were about to lose their minds while understanding the new equation being explained, I was smiling to myself — busy polishing my plans inside my head.

I received a message from Zymond that he was already on his way a few minutes ago. He said he was just around the vicinity, hanging out with his basketball friends.

When I felt someone trying to kill me with a stare, I turned to face the source of those eyes. I found Archer looking at me like he was already accusing me of something bad.

I made face and raised my right eyebrow.

He just shook his head and finally stopped staring at me. I resumed smiling and daydreaming until the end of our class.

Immediately, I checked my phone to read Zymond's recent message while I was going out of our room.

From: Zymond Ambrioso
I'm waiting for you here in your school's Gate 3. Is your class finished already?

I smiled, reading his message. I was about to type my reply when I bumped to someone who intentionally blocked my path.

And of course, the man I hated the most is the culprit.

"Pwede bang tumabi ka?" pabalang kong tanong sa kanya dahil nakaharang siya sa pintuan. "Nagmamadali ako."

"What if I don't want to?" he asked back.

"E 'di bahala ka riyan," sabi ko at saka siya tinalikuran para lumabas sa kabilang pintuan.

Hindi na niya ako magawang maharangan ulit dahil sa pagmamadali ko. I was half running on my way to the nearest gate from our building. Buti na lang at doon naisip ni Zymond na maghintay sa Gate 3 dahil malapit lang ang lalakarin ko.

Nang medyo malapit na ako ay bahagya akong huminto para tingnan ang sarili ko sa salamin ng aking pressed powder. I hissed when one of the girls running bumped into me without even bothering to apologize. Nagulat ako nang makitang halos madami ang tumatakbong mga babae.

"Talaga? Nandyan si Zymond?" Dinig ko sa isa sa mga nagtataka kung bakit nagsisitakbuhan papunta sa Gate 3 ang ilang mga babae.

I was amazed that Zymond can cause this kind of chaos for some girls here in our campus. He's totally a heartthrob, huh? I suddenly wondered about his status in his own university.

"May hinihintay raw ata si Zymond mula sa school natin!" dagdag pa ng isa.

I bit my lower lip and I was filled with proudness because I was the one Zymond's been waiting for.

Because of that, I took my time fixing myself on a near bench. I wasn't looking haggard, but I needed to look fresh as possible. This is our first meeting. Kailangan kong masiguradong makukuha ko kaagad ang buong atensyon niya sa ganda ko. I wouldn't let his eyes drift to some other beauty here in our campus.

After I was contented with my look, I stood up tall and began to walk leisurely when I suddenly received a call from Zymond. I answered his call while I continued to walk.

"Hello?" I sweetly answered his call.

"Did you read my message?" he asked. "I'm waiting for you here in Gate 3, in case you haven't read it yet."

"Malapit na ako," sabi ko na lang at dahil matangkad siya, natanaw ko siya sa gitna ng madaming babaeng nakapalibot sa kanya. Palibot-libot ang kanyang tingin sa paligid. "I can actually see you already."

I saw him stopped his eyes from wandering for a moment. "Where are you?" he asked and at the same time, his eyes met mine.

I smiled and said, "Looks like you already found me."

His lips slightly parted, and I ended the call. I almost let an evil smile escaped my lips as I was so satisfied with his amused expression while looking at me.

I stopped halfway from walking up to him because it was so crowded. He was flocked by girls taking pictures of him. Hindi ko kailangang makipagsiksikan sa kanila para makalapit ako sa kanya. Siya mismo ang lalapit sa akin.

The moment he realized why I didn't continue walking towards him, he smiled and faced his admirers to ask for space.

While excusing himself to his sea of admirers, he focused looking at his final destination — me. And when he finally reached me, he stopped in front of me and that's the only time I noticed that he's holding a bouquet.

"Keiandra Ariolla..." he recited my name with a husky voice and offered me the bouquet. "Thank you for accepting my invitation. It's nice to finally meet you."

I got the bouquet from him and smiled. "Oh, please. It's a pleasure of mine to meet the famous Zymond Ambrioso."

Mas lalo lamang siyang napangiti.

I was well aware that everyone watching us was already taking photos to post on social media and be the first one to share the new interesting gossip about the college basketball star.

Go on and share it, guys. Make sure that everyone will be informed.

Everyone.