Prologue

"Si

Ezzio Martinez ang gusto ko, okay?!"

Have you ever confessed something like that in public? Well, not super public. But let's say... in the middle of a class? With your Professor and classmates around, kasama na rin ang mismong may-ari ng pangalang isinigaw mo.

Kasi ako, oo. 'Yun nga lang, hindi totoong gusto ko si Ezzio.

"Half an hour to go," I murmured right after checking my wrist-watch. Nakaupo ako sa mataas na parte ng bleachers malapit sa football field. I had been sitting here for about an hour, waiting for my next class.

It's a typical Wednesday afternoon. I was just doodling something on my notebook to pass the time. Little did I know, that simple doodle would cause me a hell of a mess later on.

I looked down on my notebook. 'Yon ang gamit ko sa last subject namin ngayong araw, which is Accounting and Financial Management. I just reviewed our lesson last meeting. Eventually, out of boredom, I decided to make a doodle on the next page. It was a half-finished doodle of the name, 'King Largo'.

A small smile crept on my lips. Si King. Ang lalaking gusto ko since first year college.

I sighed dreamily at the thought of him. Isang Mass Com senior student

si King sa university na pinapasukan ko. Bukod doon, siya rin ang captain ng Hawks- basketball team ng La Montreal- pangalan ng university namin. At sa lahat ng game nila, wala pa akong ni-isang absent.

As if naturally, an image of him flashed through my mind. His tall, athletic figure that complemented his dark hair and charming face. And the way his smile showed his perfectly white teeth and his chinky eyes.

I first met him back on my freshman year. Nagmamadali akong naglalakad sa hallway for my next class. I had my books wrapped in my arms. I was already 10 minutes late when I heard someone calling out to me.

"Miss! Miss!"

Tumigil ako sa paglalakad no'n at agad na lumingon. That's when I saw him. The King Largo of La Montreal's basketball team, Jersey #7, was walking towards me with his backpack hanging over his left shoulder, and a white handkerchief in his right hand. He stopped a few meters away from me.

"Nahulog mo panyo mo," Sabi niya. He gestured his hand and it gave me a clearer view of the handkerchief. I opened my mouth to say something but not a word came out so I closed it instead.

I hadn't known who he was back then. But something about him had me dumbfounded and speechless. Was it because his dark hair suited him very well? Or his eyes that were extremely captivating? It took me days before I realized what was it about him that struck me; It was his aura. This light aura he gave off, this aura that gave you a sense of kindness and generosity when you lay your eyes on him.

Naglakad siya palapit sa'kin.

"Late ka na sa next class?" He had asked as he handed me the handkerchief. Kinuha ko iyon. His voice sounded warm and calming. I hugged my books tighter and nodded. And then, he flashed me one of the most charming smile I had ever seen in my entire life. Muntik na akong mapabuntong-hininga.

"You better get going, then," He said. I nodded again and walked away as fast as I could because I know if I hadn't, it would've been too late for me to do so because I would've been glued on the ground, appearing completely stupid in front of him.

So, that was it. As simple and as cliché as that. Dahil lang sa pangyayaring 'yon, nagkagusto ako kay King. Siguro normal lang na magkagusto agad sa kanya tapos mawawala lang din agad. Pero ang magkagusto pa rin sa kanya after two years? Nababaliw na yata ako.

Habang binabalikan ang una naming pagkikita ni King, patuloy naman sa pagtili ang grupo ng mga babaeng nakaupo rin sa bleachers 'di kalayuan sa akin. They had been giggling and cheering since I got there. May mga football players kasi na nagf-freestyle sa field. They were probably passing time and waiting for their next class, too.

The girls continued to giggle and cheer but for some reason, they seemed louder. I lifted my head to look at them at napansin kong halos lahat sila ay nakatayo na. From what I had observed, their expressions were full of interest and admiration.

Curious, I followed their line of vision and voila! In the middle of the football field, surrounded by his peers, there he was. Ezzio a.k.a 'Z' Martinez. The Wolves' Star Player and La Montreal's No.1 Campus Crush (according to LMU schoolpaper's Daily Poll).

'Of course,' I thought. 'It had to be him, right?'

I frowned at the sight of Ezzio. I never understood why girls liked him. I had always thought of him as a show off. I mean, okay. Given na guwapo siya at magaling sa football. But then, aside from that, ano pa ba?

Ezzio was, let's say, "known" in campus. He started gaining attention when he joined the Wolves on his freshman year. But his fame reached its peak when he became known not just for his looks but also for his skills in football. By second year college, binansagan na siya bilang "Star Player" ng team nila.

Unlike King, Ezzio and I were both juniors. Magkapareho kami ng course which was Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and unfortunately, since freshman, we had always shared a class together. Of course, hindi sa lahat ng klase. But there was always one class na magkaklase kami. Pero never kaming nagkaroon ng interaction sa isa't-isa. Aside from casually bumping into each other in crowded hallways, wala na. But I was very well aware that both of us only knew each other by name and by our respective reputations. And to be honest, I preferred it that way. I wanted to keep it that way.

Because unlike King, Ezzio was way more

intense. His jet black hair which was longer than usual gave off a hint of angst, and trust me when I say that girls went crazy everytime he brushed his hand through it.

Unlike King, he was taller and leaner, which was probably the reason why he looked older than most guys his age. His every stride oozed with pride and confidence in a way that it intensified his sex appeal. Ezzio had this energy that I couldn't quite figure out. 

"Wuhooooooo!"

"Nice one, Ezzio!"

Kasabay ng pagbalik ng bola sa kamay niya ang pagtama ng mga mata namin.

I blinked.

I hadn't noticed I had been staring for too long until I realized what just happened- Kakatapos niya lang mag freestyle at eksaktong tumama ang mga mata niya sa akin. I thought I saw a flicker of surprise in his eyes but when he deliberately brushed his free hand through his hair and winked at me with a smirk on his lips, I couldn't help but glare.

'Akala ng gago guwapong-guwapo ako sa kanya.'

I scoffed. Ang kapal! See? that was what I was talking about. He oozed with pride and confidence to the point na nag-overflow na yata at sadyang nakakainis na.

I heard the horde of girls on my left giggle and sigh in delight. They probably witnessed the "Signature Wink" of Z Martinez, too. Talaga nga naman.

Choosing to ignore the girls, the players, Ezzio, and everything else, I looked down on my notebook once again and focused on doodling instead. By the time I had finished, it was already 3:30pm, which meant that it was time for my last class. Nagmamadali kong ipinasok ang notebook at ballpen sa bag at agad na tumayo. Doon ko lang napansin na kaunti na lang ang mga babae sa bleachers. Tiningnan ko ang football field at nakitang kakaunti na lang din ang mga players na naroon. They looked younger. Most probably sophomores or freshmen. There were no longer signs of the players who looked like my age; there was no longer a sign of Ezzio. At ang ibig sabihin lang noon ay pumunta na sila sa kani-kanilang klase.

I winced and hurriedly walked to my next class, hoping na late pumasok ang Prof namin. When I reached the classroom, it was almost packed with my fellow BSBA students. The arrangement of the chairs were those in the cinemas. It was in an ascending order at ang tanging upuan na libre ay nasa itaas na parte.

I walked towards it and sat. Examining the room, I saw how everyone minded their own business. May mga nakikipag-usap sa katabi, may iba na busy sa mga cellphones nila, yung iba nagre-review ng notes. And then, my eyes stopped on the guy sitting on my far right, about two rows and three chairs away from me. Naka-side view siya mula sa akin but it showed enough features of his face for me to recognize him.

Right. When I said I had Ezzio in one of my classes, I meant this class. Accounting and Financial Management.

I watched him closely. nakikipag-usap siya sa katabi niyang lalaki. Nakita ko rin 'yon sa field kanina kaya sigurado akong teammate niya 'yon.

Our Professor entered the room a couple of minutes later and everybody immediately turned silent and sat properly.

"Good afternoon, class," Professor Ledesma said. Isa siyang mid-40's na babae at ayon sa iba, wala pa daw siyang asawa. Hindi naman siya sobrang 'terror'. But she's pretty strict and reserved. Medyo mataray din. Tsk. Okay, fine. Hindi siya sobrang 'terror', pero siguro 'semi-terror' lang, if that's even considered a term for it.

With her hair tied up in a tight bun and her round glasses resting on her nose-bridge, she looked around the room before speaking. "We will be having a quiz about what we have discussed last meeting including the lesson that we are about to discuss today. So I expect all of you to listen to my discussion. Are we clear?"

We all answered "Yes, Prof," and she then started discussing.

"Shoot," I heard the girl hissed by my side. "Uhm, excuse me," sabi niya sabay tapik sa akin. I faced her and I first noticed her glossy lips and her silver hoop earrings.

"Yes?" I asked.

She seemed a bit hesitant at first but still decided to go for it anyway. "Paris Villaverde, right? Venny's sister and known DL here in campus?"

Bahagyang kumunot ang noo ko. I was pretty sure the last line was unnecessary. "Paris Villaverde" would've sufficed but... whatever.

I nodded. "Yes, why?"

She flinched before saying, "Kasi I didn't take notes about the discussion last meeting. So... like... can I borrow yours na lang? Just for a little while?" She was giving me a half smile as if trying to look angelic.

O--kay.

Not knowing what to say, I slowly nodded and handed her my AFM notebook. Agad naman siyang ngumiti ng malapad at tinanggap ito. "Thanks! You're a lifesaver!" She flipped through the pages while talking. "You're so mabait naman pala! So, bakit you're always alone? Unlike Venny na super marami ang friends,"

Patuloy siya sa pagsasalita habang ako naman ay nagdadalawang isip kung kanino dapat makinig- kay Prof o sa kanya? Wouldn't it be rude if I ignored her?

It was obvious that her voice had a high pitch even though she minimized its volume dahil nga nagsasalita si Prof sa harapan.

"You know, akala ko talaga na you're mataray because.. I don't know," she shrugged while flipping and looking at the pages. "You look so serious kasi and intimidating. Pero we can be friends naman if you want! Like we could go shopping, or go to the salon, or make tambay at Starbs," she gestured her hand while making 'suggestions' of what we could do together. Meanwhile, I tried to focus on the discussion as much as I could.

"Tapos we could have sleepovers, and then paint our nails, or bingewatch Pretty Little Liars on Netfli---" She suddenly paused and I actually thought she was finally done talking.

However, a whispered, "OMG!" then followed. Tiningnan ko siya at nakita kong namimilog ang mga mata niya dahil sa gulat. Ang isang kamay niya ay nakatakip sa kanyang bibig. I was puzzled for a moment so I followed her gaze. Dumbfounded, she was looking at a certain page of the notebook. More specifically, at the doodle that says, "King Largo".

I almost cursed out loud. I didn't even had the impulse to get the notebook from her.

Lumingon siya sa akin. "You like King Largo?" She said with so much accusation.

Agad akong umiling. "Hindi. Doodle lang 'yan."

She squinted her eyes as if seeing right through me. And then she slowly shook her head.

"No. You definitely like King Largo." She concluded and I wish I could easily tell her that she concluded wrong but the thing is, she was right. She stated a fact. Dammit.

"OMG!" she shrieked. "Never pang nagkaroon ng gossip about you lalo na sa kung sino ang gusto mo. The whole campus is curious. Do you know that?"

I definitely hadn't. At kahit kailan hindi ko pinangarap na maging laman ng chismis ng mga estudyante sa La Montreal. Lalo na kung tungkol ito sa pagkakagusto ko kay King. I had been keeping this secret for two years dahil nga ayaw kong malaman ng ibang tao, lalo na ni King. Oo, gusto ko siya. Pero kontento na akong nakikita lang siya mula sa malayo. Letting him know about my "feelings" for him was the last thing I wanted to do.

Ipinaypay ng babae ang dalawa niyang kamay na para bang naiinitan siya. Her exhilaration was undeniable. "A Villaverde and a Largo together? For sure, pag-uusapan 'to ng lahat!"

I almost rolled my eyes. Asa namang mangyari 'yon. And so I opted to catch her attention instead. "Miss," I took a deep breath when she looked at me. "Hindi si King Largo ang gusto ko." Sabi ko at umiling-iling pa.

Umirap siya. "Oh, don't deny it. You like King Largo," Her voice was so much louder this time that it gathered the attention of the girls sitting near us. Muntik na akong mapapikit ng mariin dahil sa dumagdag na problema.

"What? Who likes King Largo?" asked the girl with the curly hair. The girl beside me didn't answer but it was quite obvious already so the curly-haired girl fixed her eyes on me.

"Woah," she said in shock. "Paris Villaverde likes King?"

I didn't know how to react. Ni hindi ako makapagsalita. Ang tanging nagawa ko lang ay ang umiling ng paulit-ulit.

Remind me not to let random seatmates borrow my notebook next time.

Our area was then filled with murmurs. nakuha nito ang atensyon ni Prof Ledesma na may sinusulat sa glass board.

"Stop the murmurs this instant or else all of you will get a zero on the quiz," She warned strictly and continued writing.

It all happened so drastically. I was confronted by many whispered questions, it made me feel pressured and irritated. I hadn't prepared for this. Never in my life did I thought that this day would come.

"Paris, totoo ba?"

"You like the Team Captain of the Hawks?"

They were like a bunch of journalists throwing questions at me. Hindi ako sanay na sa akin napupunta ang atensyon ng mga estudyante rito. All my life, I had been keeping everything low key. So you can't blame me if I think that what's happening right now is a huge disaster.

Trying so hard to maintain my composure, I gave them a tight smile as I shook my head, "No, I didn't say anything."

My statement was denied right away by the girl beside me. Her high-pitched voice was louder and determined. "She didn't say anything but she doodled it. Look!" She showed them my notes and I could feel my face flushing red because of frustration.

Bakit hindi ko pa 'yon kinuha?!

The whole thing seemed petty. Petty and incredibly annoying!

Agad kong hinablot ang notebook mula sa kanya. But of course, it was already too late. I even heard someone whispered the word, "confeyrmmmd".

"Listen," I said, as calmly as I could. This was just getting way too out of hand. "All of you are misinterpreting things-"

I was cut off by the curly-haired girl. "Paris, ayos lang. So you like the Team Captain. It's no big deal!"

Hindi ako makasagot. It's not a big deal for them but it was for me. At gustong-gusto ko siyang sabihan na huwag na lang niya akong kausapin dahil hindi naman kami close! I hate it when people meddle!

Get a grip, Paris. Pull it together.

"And don't stress out," A dark-haired girl uttered.

"It's not like it's that scandalous when the whole school finds out," she chuckled. "I mean, gossips like this isn't something new in La Montreal."

She said those words like it didn't matter. But for me, it was the last straw. God knows I tried to keep my cool so hard but suddenly there was just nothing I could do but to lose it once her words echoed through my brain.

When the whole school finds out?

Fuck, no.

"Si

Ezzio Martinez ang gusto ko, okay?!"

Hindi ko alam kung anong factor ang dahilan ng pagsigaw ko. Yung frustration ko ba? Yung mga tanong nila? Yung mga mukha nila lalo na noong babae na nanghiram ng notebook ko? Siguro lahat. And how I wish na kapag may taong sumigaw, hindi nito nakukuha ang atensyon ng mga taong nakapaligid sa kanya. How I wish na when these things happen, nakakalimutan lang din agad ng lahat ang mga salitang isinigaw mo. And how I wish na kapag isinigaw mo ang pangalan ng isang tao, wala yung taong yun sa lugar kung saan ka sumigaw.

Wala ata ni isang genie ang nakarinig sa tatlong wishes ko dahil talagang nakuha ko ang atensyon ng buong klase at lahat sila ay napatingin sa akin.

They were all in shock. The room fell dead silent. All eyes were on me and no one dared to speak... until Ezzio smirked and said,

"You like me?"

His voice dripped with utmost amusement while looking at me as if I was an odd-looking soccer ball that caught his attention.

Realizing what I had done, I let out a breath of despair and did nothing but stare at Ezzio's amused face, not knowing what to say or how to react.

Great. Ezzio Martinez thinks I like him.

Just great!