Just Let Me Love You

One - To Detention

Christian Harrison Romano

"It's already 10:15, 15 minutes more," sigaw ng professor namin sa English.

What the hell? Parang kasisimula palang namin, 15 minutes left na agad? Dinadaya lang ata kami nitong prof namin ehh.

I turned my test paper on the last page. Finally! Last page. Kanina pa akong naiinip na matapos to. Kasi naman, English? Sus, ehh napak-chicken feed naman nyan! Kaya lang naman naubos yung 1 hour and 30 minutes ko, which is now down to 12 minutes, ay dahil sa katamaran gumawa ng exam ng prof namin dito. Gawin ba namang 11 essay questions ang exam namin, at 5 sentence requirement pa per item. Sinong hindi maiinis dun? Tss, para namang ang dami niyang idiniscuss.

Natapos ko ang pagsagot exactly 5 minutes before the end of the time. I closed my folder and leaned on my desk to see my other classmates.

My eyes roamed the room to find her. I saw her at the other side of the room, since dito ako nakapuwesto sa right end ng room.

I smirked at the sight of her na nahihirapan at nagsasagot parin ng exam. A devilish laugh played in my mind. 'She won't make it!' my mind screamed.

Napailing nalang ako sa idea na nageffort pa siya para lang matalo ako pero wala paring epekto. Tsk. Pity, she can't beat me.

Ilang saglit pa ay tumunog na ang timer ng prof namin. Kasabay non ang malalakas na pag-ungol ng mga kaklase ko dahil hindi sila nakaabot sa time.

Tumayo na ako at naglakad papalapit sa table ng prof namin sa harap ng classroom. He was looking at all of us as we place our papers on the table. Nang ako na ang tinititigan niya, I just gave him my most playful smirk and immediately went out of the room.

Dumiretso nalang ako ng pantry para makapag-brunch. Late na ba naman ako nagising kanina. 9 ang start ng exam, pero 8:50, tulog parin ako. All thanks to my bedside clock na nawalan pala ng battery last night. Good thing late 'tong prof namin dumating, kung hindi, I might not be able to take this exam, to think na finals na namin 'to, which might cause my rank to go down, and make her rank 1. I won't accept that.

As long as I am over her, I have a little domination over her. But it's her constant rejection just makes me not get over her.

**

Beige Crimona Samaniego

30 minutes before the end of the time, I am staring at my blank test paper. This is literature, and I suck at it. Pinagpuyatan ko na nga to kagabi, pero bakit ganito? Last question nalang naman, hindi ko pa masagutan.

I removed my glasses and glanced up in frustration. I looked around and my eyes locked on him. Napangiwi ako nang makita siyang focus na focus sa exam. Does that mean na nahihirapan siya? I laughed devilishly in my mind. This is the end of Ice's little domination. His happy days are over. Evil me.

Tinapos ko na muna ang exam. This last question, masyado akong pinahihirapan. 15 minutes left nang matapos ko ang buong exam. I looked at him again and saw na kakaflip niya palang sa last page ng exam. Hahaha! I feel victory. I might be exaggerating, but wala lang talaga kayo sa sitwasyon ko kaya you're saying that. But if you meet this asshole, oh I bet, you'll despise him even more than I do.

I was currently plotting my final plan for his defeat nang biglang nagturn yung tingin niya sa direction ko, so I was nervous as hell kaya bigla akong napatuon uli sa test paper. I didn't dare to look back at him so I just pretended that I was still answering the test. Anyway, that's a bluff already, letting him think na nanalo na siya, but in reality he's nearly to get defeated by me.

Maya-maya pa ay tumunog na yung alarm ng prof namin signaling the end of the time for our exam. Marami ang umangal dahil hindi pa sila tapos magsagot, pero yung iba naman ay tumayo na agad at agad na ipinasa yung papers nila, katulad na ni Ice. Ang yabang niya talaga. He was walking towards the table as if he's the smartest and most famous student in campus, well in fact, maling-mali siya, and I'll prove him wrong. Just wait till he sees the results of our exam, makapagyabang pa kaya siya ng ganyan.

As soon as he left the room, saka ako tumayo at ipinasa ang papel ko. Pagkalabas ko, nakita ko siyang pupunta ng pantry. Sumimangot ako dahil doon din sana ang punta ko. Pero kung mukha niya ang makikita ko bago ako kumain, I'd rather have ulcer. So I took the other direction and headed to the library.

I punched in my ID and entered the building of our library. I immediately went to the literary section and tried to kill time by searching for worthwhile books to read.

I was walking sideways as I scanned the shelves on my right while holding on the books time to time. I reached to one of the books to my left and caressed the spine of the book that read 'Being Elizabeth'. Napangiti ako. Look's interesting. May contemporary literary books din pala dito sa library.

I turned to my left while looking down on the book nang biglang may demonyong nagpakita sa harap ko.

Oh no. Not this guy again.

**

His

"Well, well, look who's here," nakangisi kong sabi. She just rolled her eyes and crossed arms while holding a book. "Miss rank 2," I addressed her, "what brings you here?"

Kontra bidang-kontra bida ang dating ko. Like those typical cool, handsome guy in high school who bullies this new timid girl in school, but ends up falling in love with her, just like in the movies, but this is reality. And she's not a new kid in school, and I'm not bullying her, and I already fell for her since then.

Ngumiwi siya saka tumayo nang ayos. "Kung makapagtanong ka, parang bawal akong pumunta ng school library. Bakit? Pati ba dito, ikaw ang hari?"

Tumawa ako ng tipid. "I'd like the idea," I smirked at her causing her to roll her eyes. "Especially you, thinking na I'm the 'king' dito sa school, thank you. But actually no. Kinukumusta ko lang naman ang pinakamamahal kong karibal," I sarcastically answered.

"Mind your own business," sabi niya saka siya tumalikod at naglakad palayo. But even before she gets too far, I grabbed her book and raised it in the air.

"What do we have here? 'Being Elizabeth'" basa ko sa title ng book.

She hurried to me para maagaw yung libro but failed because I got the height. "Give it back Ice!"

"What's with the book?" I asked her. "Are you loving it already? 'Being Rank 2'?"

She didn't answer but gave me an angry look instead. Obviously she's not pleased with what she heard.

Napamaang nalang ako sa naging reaksyon niya. I expected her to answer back at me. I was expecting that she'd say nasty things to me too, to get even with me. But seeing her with that kind of look, a mixture of anger, sadness, and surrender, parang nahiwa yung puso ko. Idagdag pa yung patulo na luha sa gilid ng mata niya, I just can't take it.

Nag-iwas ako ng tingin and lowered my hand with the book. She immediately grabbed it and stormed towards the library counter.

I'm not used to seeing her like this. Parang may nag-iba today. She's not her usual self na pinapatulan ako pag may ganito kaming away.

This is not what I planned to happen. It was just supposed to be another scene of me and her, arguing and quarrelling, but never did I think that me making her so upset and all will affect me so much.

So I walked towards her, but suddenly stopped. I can't talk to her. Of course not, kasi she won't listen to me. She'll just ignore me, at mapapahiya lang ako kapag ganun. I have to think of a way to talk to her, to make things right.

I looked around the room and my eyes locked at our old handmaid librarian. She's cruel, so I hate her.

Just when I was about to give up, I thought of something.

I walked up to her. She looked at me with surprise. I took one last glance at our librarian and breathed.

I suddenly grabbed Crim by her waist and slung her on my shoulder. Of course she would scream "Put me down! Ice ibaba mo ko dito kundi sisipain ko yang bayag mo!" Of course she would.

And library + noise + old librarian = DETENTION; just as I planned.

--
Comments please :) Thank you!