"Do you know each other?" Yeshua asked while glancing back and forth between us and her cousin.
Oxem messed up her hair, making me envy it. "Yes. I accidentally bumped into her and spilled her milk tea, so I bought her a new one.""Lucky she didn't get angry," Yeshua chuckled. "She has a temper when her milk tea is spilled or when she can't buy one.""Really?" I smiled at the amusement in her tone. "Good thing I replaced it then."Yeshua furrowed her brow. "By the way, what do you do at the milk tea place? You don't even drink it?"I shrugged and messed up her cousin's hair even more, leading them into another argument. I couldn't help but watch them bicker, even though Yeshua seemed annoyed, she appeared used to it. On the other hand, Oxem seemed to enjoy teasing his cousin.I am an only child. My mom is also an only child. So, I don't have any cousins on my mother's side. As for my father's side? I would never know. I never met him, so I wouldn't know if he had siblings or if I had cousins. My mom said he's dead, but I knew better. They just didn't get married. I was a child born out of wedlock.I averted my gaze from them before they caught me staring. I came here for a different purpose, not to witness two cousins bonding. They only make me feel more alone, emphasizing that I will grow old alone."Hey, people of the universe!"I was startled when some people entered Oxem's house without even knocking. Initially, I thought our group had arrived. However, when I saw them, I noticed that I didn't recognize any faces among the newcomers.My mouth fell open. A guy suddenly barged in and shouted when he saw me."Oops! Sorry. You have guests." He scratched his nape. "My apologies, miss." Behind him, someone slapped him and also apologized to me."Sorry for the sudden shout of this guy, ate. He's just naturally hyper. He was conceived with a whale.""Wow, really? A whale now, Jennica? It's not like you're quiet either." And they started arguing, just like Yeshua and Oxem earlier.I took a deep breath because I felt dizzy with everything happening. More people entered Oxem's living room as more of their cousins arrived. I couldn't count them anymore because they filled the entire space. Their house was big, and it seemed like there were about ten of them inside."Hey!" I looked at Oxem when he tapped my shoulder. "Sorry about my cousins. They can be noisy, but they're nice.""I know. I'm not saying anything. Sorry if I suddenly left.""You look uncomfortable back there. I thought you were annoyed by my cousins."I nodded and didn't speak immediately. He was watching me. "I'm not annoyed by them. Maybe I'm just not comfortable with noise and a lot of people. Sorry if that's how it seems. But really, I'm not annoyed with them per se."He nodded, and his gaze lingered on me again. I looked away, feeling uncomfortable. I can't handle his gaze. He's intense. Even if I caught him staring, he didn't seem to care. It's like he wants to read me through his eyes, as if I have no secrets when he looks at me like that.I started feeling awkward when our classmates arrived. They immediately saw me, so they hesitated to wave and approach."It's okay. Technically, you're not late yet. I came early." Even though I said that, their expressions remained strange. I don't understand what I did wrong, but they kept avoiding eye contact with me. Unlike Yeshua, they weren't like this."I'll call Yeshua," Oxem said before jogging inside his house.Yeshua came out soon, and we proceeded to their farm at the back of the house. Their property was vast. They owned almost a few acres, and their farm included chickens, ducks, cows, and more.Oxem accompanied us to help and answer any questions we had. He also toured us around the entire farm and poultry to familiarize us. We needed to finish our tasks here so that we wouldn't have to come back.I took out my camera from my bag for the necessary photos. I handed one to Kenneth, who would also take pictures."Wow! This looks new, huh?" Kenneth exclaimed. "It's almost scary to use. I don't have a replacement if I break it." He forced a laugh while examining the camera."Don't worry. It's a bit old," I said. "Besides, you used to be a member of the photography club, right? I'm sure you know how to handle a camera."He scratched his nape and smiled shyly. "I didn't expect you to know that."Oxem sighed beside me, but I just shrugged it off.I instructed them to start, and we quickly separated. North, Catherine, Sam, and Pin were with me at the farm, as Sam had asthma and couldn't be around animals or anything dusty.Kenneth, Roderick, and Krisanto went to the poultry with Oxem. Yeshua joined us girls for the tour. This way, we wouldn't waste time, and Oxem wouldn't get too tired. It would be embarrassing to bother Aunt Kelly too. We were the ones who requested to feature their farm.After taking photos, we returned to the house. We double-checked if we had all the necessary information before leaving. Kenneth arrived shortly, looking tired."Your land is vast, bro," Kenneth said to Oxem. "Your chicken coop is probably as big as our entire house." They laughed."My mom inherited this land from my grandfather because she was his only child.""You're an only child too, right?" Catherine asked. "So, you're the heir to this farm."I returned my attention to the papers containing information about the farm and poultry. I didn't realize what they were doing or talking about because I was immersed in reading. Sam and Roderick were excellent at taking notes, and it seemed like they got a lot.I took a deep breath before organizing the papers on the table. After finishing, I looked around and noticed Oxem staring at me again. I didn't know if he had been watching me all this time. The rapid beating of my heart returned.I just wished he would stop doing that. I'm really uncomfortable whenever he looks at me. But then, I remembered that this might be the last time we'll see each other. It's not like I'll be coming here again."After finishing organizing the papers, I took my bag. I wasn't planning to look at Oxem again, but our eyes met, and I couldn't resist. On the other side, he was sitting, but his gaze was still fixed on me, even though he was talking to Peter. I felt more flustered when he stood up and started walking towards me."Done?" he asked."Ahm… yeah. I should probably go ahead. They seem to be enjoying their conversation. I won't bother them. Where's Auntie? I'll say goodbye."Mang Kiko and I followed him inside the house to bid farewell to his mother. Yeshua just waved goodbye to me as I left. It seemed like they weren't planning to go home yet because they still had many stories to share. I wonder where they're getting all those topics?Inside, we saw Auntie fixing things in the kitchen. She looked at us when Oxem called her."Why don't you stay for lunch?" Auntie asked. "I'm cooking for the kids. There's plenty, and they might not be able to finish it all."I forced a smile before replying
"I’ll need you to get an exclusive interview with the owner of the farm you featured on your project," Ma'am Aquino began.I held my breath, fearing she might add more requirements. She could do that, but I couldn't afford it. I already had too much on my plate with all the other tasks."Of course, ma'am. Noted. I’ll secure a document and a short video for the interview," I replied. She seemed pleased with my response, and after wishing me good luck, she dismissed me from the faculty. Yeah, I needed that.I released the breath I'd been holding as I exited the faculty. I can handle that. Editing the video would be easy as long as I had enough clips. But that meant I had to go back to Oxem's house.After our class, I immediately informed Yeshua and asked her to accompany me for the interview. Unfortunately, it turned out that they were working on their own project that day, so I was the only one available. Fortunately, Kenneth offered to come with me and handle the video while I conduct
Bivianne"What's the matter?" aunt asked. "Oxem, what's going on?"I looked away and immediately took my things to get out of there. I don't want to be rude to aunt but I don't want to stay here with her son anymore. Her son's making me uncomfortable. Really uncomfortable."Let's go first, aunt," I informed. "Sorry for the trouble and thank you very much. I have to go home too.""Okay. Be careful. I'll take you all the way outside."I couldn't look at Oxem anymore and quickly left their house. If I stay there any longer, I might not be able to breathe forever. Fortunately, Kenneth didn't ask any more questions about what happened. I don't know what to say.I said goodbye to aunt again before leaving. Oxem never left their house, thankfully, so I never saw him again.I leaned back in the chair and sighed. What the hell is wrong with that guy? How can he say that without stuttering? Pay him more attention? Why? Why do I have to do that? I pay the same attention to him and to other peopl
BivianneI sighed when our Earth Science teacher left. Our class is over for the day so I can go home.It's been a few days since Yeshua's game, but the events are still fresh for me. How could I not forget, well, Oxem was there.I sighed again.He has been the stuff of my brain for a few days. I am very thankful that it does not affect my studies. But after my eighteen years of existence, just now I was disturbed by a man. At least it's my brain.There were many people who made me feel bad even when I was in junior high school, but none of them touched me. I had a crush but not so bad that I always think about it wherever I go. I was just so focused with my studies before that I didn't have time for boys.And now that Oxem came into my life, my thoughts were divided. Before, all I could think about was studying and milk tea. Now he is with her. It has become studies, milk tea, and Oxem.And it's like fate is still teasing me because he's here right now in front of me. He was looking
Bivianne"Bivianne Cordova," called ma'am Teresa who is our Gen Math teacher. "You seem busy lately."At first I didn't get what he meant. But when I saw my grade in the exams last time, my mouth dropped. I felt as if I was frozen in place while staring at my paper."Two mistakes. You know I can't do anything when your mom asks about your grades, right?"I was just dumbfounded and stared at the two circles on my paper as if that would change. But not. Two of my answers are still wrong. And no matter what I read in the questions, that is really wrong. I don't know why even though I know the correct answer now, I still got it wrong on the exam day itself.Until the end of our class for the whole day I was just stunned. There's no use listening to the class. Because I will definitely be locked in the basement again and mom will hurt me. Thinking about it makes me shiver.I remember the last time I had a low grade. She dragged me to our basement and assaulted me there. He doesn't let anyo
BivianneMy classmates are looking at me strangely again. I know they know what happened even though I don't say anything. It is that obvious. Even if I put on a jacket, I still can't hide my wounds. Heck, I think the jacket is even one of the reasons why I'm getting so much attention right now.So even though it was irritating I still did my best to ignore their looks. It's up to them to stare at that. I do not care. I need to study more and my new Gen Math tutor called me. As I expected, I will have a private tutor.Ma'am Cynthia Joson is said to be a good teacher in any branch of math. She's a licensed engineer too but she says she really likes teaching more. She's one of my mom's few friends in high school.I can't wait to meet her. According to the information I read, he was one of those who tried to beat mom to the valedictorian position in high school. It's like Yeshua and I. I wonder if Yeshua and I will still be friends in the future when we have jobs.Before the class starte
BivianneI took a deep breath before starting to answer. Today is our midterm examinations. I need to do well. Now I have to show mom that I will once again get the first spot in our entire batch. All those sleepless nights will finally pay off.In the middle of answering, I felt something dripped out of my nose. When I wiped it, I saw that my nose was bleeding. I quickly grabbed a napkin inside my bag. Our teacher noticed that so he immediately looked up at me. But I didn't listen to her. I need to finish the test on time. I only have a few minutes left."It's okay, Bivianne," said ma'am Teresa. "I will give you time later to finish the test. Stop your nose bleeding first."I followed him. It didn't take long and it stopped, so I continued. Even though I was dizzy, I still didn't take my eyes off my paper. I just closed my eyes slowly when I finished the last equation. My head throbbed more.“Time's up! Pass your papers forward.”Two more to go and we're done for this day. We had an
BivianneI took a deep breath and blew a cool breeze. Oxem took me to a large farm that they said belonged to their family. I think it's one of his cousins."Kise's family owns this farm," Oxem began. "The Ramos family, my father's side, is not really a wealthy clan. In fact, grandma and grandpa's lifestyle is below average. Grandpa is the only one who has a job so that is enough for their daily food. They're a family with thirteen kids, after all."I stared at him as he looked at the vast field. It was as if he saw his grandfather and grandmother there with their children.I listened as he told the story. We sat on the grass that he just covered with a big blanket."Tell me more about your family," I said. "I still want to meet you. I want to know you more.”Our eyes met and he smiled. "Nothing worth telling, actually. As you can see, I grew up with my cousins so we are very close to each other. I also grew up with both of my parents.” His smile disappeared as he bowed. "I don't kn