Chapter 2

"No."

That was the first thing that came out of my mouth. No.

"But-!" pag alma ni Venny. "Akala ko ba ayaw mong malaman ng lahat na gusto mo si King?"

Tumango ako, sumasang-ayon sa kanya. "Oo nga. But still, I say no."

I saw her frown. Ang sama ng tingin niya sa'kin. Wow. Just wow. Mukhang gusto talaga niya na magpanggap ako, ah? E, siya na lang kaya gumawa no'n?

"Ayaw mo?" she asked and I just gave her a short nod. She frowned even more. "But why? You have a better idea, then?"

Her question got me thinking.

Okay, honestly? Wala. Wala ni isang ideya ang pumasok sa isipan ko. At sa dalawang option na sinabi ni Ven, Option #2 did make more sense, even to me. Kaya lang...

Ugh. Ayaw ko lang talagang gawin 'yon! I mean... magpanggap na baliw na baliw ako kay Ezzio? Damn, aside from it being the most clichè idea in the Book of The Most Clichè Ideas Ever (Clearly, I made that up. No such book existed), it was also a crazy one!

Ni hindi ko nga kayang mapalapit doon sa tao, what more if ako pa talaga mismo ang maghahabol sa kanya? 'Tsaka, hindi ba parang ang lala naman no'n? Yung hahabulin mo ang isang tao kahit... hindi mo naman talaga siya gusto? At isa pa, ang swerte naman niya kung ganoon! Hindi ko nga hinahabol si King, siya pa kaya?

And with that thought, I had made up my mind to not. do it. ever.

"Wala," sagot ko sa tanong ni Venny.

She gestured her hand. "O, 'di ba? Wala! That's why you should do it."

She grinned so wide, I thought her mouth might rip apart. She even wriggled her eyebrows. Well, sorry na lang siya dahil hindi na talaga mababago ang isip ko.

"Ven, my answer is no. Ayoko, okay?"

Hindi siya agad sumagot. She just stared at me na para bang naninimbang. We stared at each other for an awfully long time before she finally stood up and spoke.

"Welp! Fine, then. Suit yourself."

Medyo napakunot ang noo ko dahil akala ko mangungulit pa siya ng mangungulit. I know it was a dumb thing to think but, ganoon lang talaga si Venny. At 20 years old, mahilig pa rin siyang mangulit. That was why I was taken aback when she just... dropped the topic.

"Okay lang din naman for me if si King ang maging future brother-in-law ko," sabi niya pa at humalakhak. Napailing na lang ako. Brother-in-law? Si King? Pfft. As if may pag-asa ako doon.

I followed her with my gaze as she walked to the door. But before she could completely get out of it, she stopped and turned to me.

"But! For the record," I stayed silent and waited for her to go on. "I prefer Ezzio more."

I rolled my eyes and threw my pillow at her. It never hit her because she immediately ran out, laughing like a villain. 

"Palibhasa mahilig ka sa football players!" I yelled too late. She was gone. Sa ikalawang pagkakataon, bahagya akong humiga sa kama. Paulit-ulit sa isipan ko ang mga sinabi ng kapatid ko.

Pretend to be head over heels for Ezzio. Seriously?

I sighed. It was almost midnight. I got a 7:30 class the next day. I ought to sleep...

and yet, I spent the entire time staring at my room's ceiling.

~*~

Eyes. I had always thought of them as one of the best parts that made a person attractive. But I never had it in me to go and draw their attention. I never wanted to. However, that morning, as I walked through the crowded hallways of La Montreal, all eyes were on me; Curious eyes, joyful eyes, eyes that shot me death glares.

I couldn't believe gossips about my 'feelings' for Ezzio spreaded faster than virus. Akala ko sa mga pelikula lang 'to nangyayari. Yung maglalakad ka tapos lahat nakatingin sa'yo. I used to think it was corny. But now.. well. I still think it's corny. Corny and absolutely uncomfortable.

Nakakailang pala ang ganito, 'no? Geez. How do famous people deal with this at all? Because in my case, I just chose to ignore the fuck out of it.

That was pretty much how I made it through most of the day. They watched me, I ignored them. And it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. So far, my day was going quite alright. Almost normal, actually. Except...

"Hey, beautiful."

I jumped in surprise.

What the hell?

Muntik na akong mapasigaw dahil sa gulat. Nasa library pa man din ako. Mabuti na lang at napigilan ko ang sarili ko.

Annoyed, I turned around to look at the guy and was then again, in a state of shock. Because there, leaning on a bookshelf with his arms crossed, was none other than Ezzio Martinez. Heck. The mere sight of him almost made my blood boil. Almost.

"Ba't ka andito?" kalmado kong sabi. Nevertheless, keeping my composure around him was harder than I thought. As far as I know, malimit pumunta si Ezzio sa library. I seldom saw him study here, yes. And he was mostly with his teammates around. At kung sinuswerte ka nga naman, talagang ngayong araw niya pa talaga naisipang pumunta rito.

He shrugged coolly. "The same reason as you do."

I shot up an eyebrow and snorted. "I'm sorry, pero hindi ako nandito para mang-chix."

Having said that, I walked past him and proceeded to another aisle. I didn't find the book I was looking for on the shelf he was leaning on, anyways. At isa pa, ayoko lang talagang mapalapit sa kanya. Nakakairita siya masyado.

I had just started to search for a book again when I felt his presence beside me. This time, closer. Nagpanggap ako na parang wala siya at ipinagpatuloy ang paghahanap ng libro tungkol sa next class ko.

"Finding a book about Business Econ., aren't you?"

No answer.

"O---kay." he said when I didn't reply.

Isang minuto ang lumipas. Isang minuto kaming tahimik lang sa aisle na 'yon. Isang minuto akong naghintay na umalis siya. Isang minuto pa lang, pero inip na inip na ako. Ba't parang wala siyang balak umalis?

"Ooooo," I heard him say excitedly as he took a book from the shelf and read its title out loud.

"The Psychology of Sex,"

he grinned playfully. "'Guess someone left this here on the wrong shelf."

I abruptly stopped from what I was doing and sighed.

That's it.

Frowning, I turned to him for the second time around and asked, as straightforward as possible, "Martinez, may kailangan ka ba?"

He seemed to be caught off guard by my question. But just like always, the surprise and shock were gone in a split second. His confidence and playfulness took over.

"As a matter of fact, yes." he uttered, nodding. "And you don't need to call me by my last name, by the way. Z na lang." Pahabol niya at kumindat pa.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

"Get it over with, then. Anong kailangan mo?" I asked impatiently.

"Atensyon mo."

Napatahimik ako, walang nagawa kundi ang tumitig pabalik sa mga mapaglaro niyang mga mata. It dawned on me that his eyes were the perfect blend of honey and chocolate.

I also realized this was our very first interaction with each other. No, scratch that. This was our first conversation. Our very first conversation and alas, he was throwing flirty lines at me. Great.

Somehow, it made me feel weird. I mean... this didn't happen everyday. We hadn't talked ever. So, ano? Dahil lang sa ginawa ko kahapon, nakikipag-usap na siya sa'kin ngayon?

Jerk.

"O, Eto na. Nakuha mo na." sarkastiko kong sagot. "Ngayon, pwede ka na bang umalis?"

Sa pagkakataong ito, siya naman ang natahimik. He crossed his arms again while his eyes stayed fixated on me. For some reason, a hint of his true reaction showed. Somehow, he wasn't fully masked by his confidence anymore. His eyes squinted a little as if trying to read a text with a small font size, or to simply put it, as if he was trying to read me.

His face told me he was appalled, and intrigued, and... in doubt?

"Akala ko ba gusto mo 'ko?"

His question popped out of nowhere. I was taken aback. Of all the questions he could ask me, 'yon ang hindi ko napaghandaan.

What should I tell him? Yes? No? What?

If I say no, then it would only serve as proof that it's King that I like and not him. On the other hand, if I say yes..

Huh. What harm would it do if I say yes?

Gaining some confidence, I answered, "Yes, I do."

"Totoo? Gusto mo talaga ako?" His voice dripped with suspicion. Parang lubha siyang naninigurado.

Tumango naman ako. "Oo nga."

Hindi siya sumagot agad. Sa halip ay nakatutok lang siya sa'kin. Akala ko magtitinginan na lang kami buong magdamag pero 'di naglaon ay ngumuso siya ng kaunti bago nagsalita.

"Then, why does it seem like you don't?"

Hindi ko mapigilan ang mairita. Grabe ang trust issues ng isang 'to!

"Look," My patience was paper thin and I tried to hold on to whatever I had left. Taking a deep calming breath, I said, "Just because I have a crush on you-"

"Like." pagtatama niya. "You like me."

I blinked.

Wow. Ang big deal masyado!

Huminga ulit ako ng malalim, pilit na pinapahaba ang pasensya. "Fine." tumango-tango pa talaga ako bago nagpatuloy. "Just because I like you, doesn't mean I should drool everytime you're around."

I uttered every word slowly. Just to make sure he understood. At sa sobrang liit ng pasensya na naiwan sa akin, napagpasyahan ko na lang na umalis na roon.

"Don't talk to me again, Martinez," I said as I walked pass him. I was glad he didn't follow me this time. When I got out of the library, I breathe in some air and let out a sigh of relief.

I told him not to talk to me again. That was... a brave thing to say.

I nodded for no reason.

Right. What I did was right.

I'd made up my mind. I wouldn't choose any of the options Ven gave me. I'd just.. let the whole thing die down. Sooner or later, people would come to forget about it— the thing with King, the thing with Ezzio. And then, I'd live my life exactly as it had been.

With that in mind, I paced down the hallways to go somewhere I could pass the rest of my free time. Marami-rami rin ang mga students nang naparaan ako sa corridor. Madalas kasi rito nakapost lahat ng announcements and other concerns. Ngunit kahit gaano man sila kabusy, they still took the time to look at me. And there it was again. The uncomfortable feeling that creeps in when the spotlight's on you.

For a moment, I felt myself weaken, even my hands. But later on, I chose to keep my head down and clutched my books tighter. I don't know why. That morning, I was perfectly fine with it. But after the encounter I had with Ezzio, it was like my confidence vanished into thin air.

'Ugh. I sooooo hate him.' I thought.

"Miss!"

Remember when I said he oozed with confidence? Maybe he has a trick behind it.

"Miss!"

Maybe he sucks the confidence out of people and make it his. It's a little farfetched, yes. But I believe everything is possible-

"Paris Villaverde!"

I halted.

What...

The rants and curses I had for Ezzio came into a pause, and I was left wondering,

Why would anyone scream my name in the middle of the corridor?

Don't tell me sinundan ako ni Ezzio rito?

Agad akong napapikit at napabuntong hininga dahil sa inis.

Aba, ang tigas rin ng ulo noong gago-

"Nahulog mo panyo mo."