Huminga ako ng malalim at pilit na ngumiti sa camera. Today is the filming of the teaser para sa debate ng school. Well actually hindi siya school battle, it was more like the battle of sections. Our subject UCSP required na mag laban-laban daw kami para mahasa ang thinking skills namin. I mean I am fine with the activity, basta hindi ako 'yong lalaban for our section.
Ang nakakainis lang ay ako 'yong nanominate para lumaban sa section namin, their reason? Magaling daw ako mag salita. Pilit kong hinahanap kung sa'n ang magaling sa sarili ko, I stutter a lot lalo na kapag nasa harap ako ng ibang tao. Nakakainis, pero wala na akong magagawa nandito na ako, filming na nga eh.
"We will give our best, therefore shout for us section Boyle." After the cameraman gave a thumbs up I immediately acted like I threw up which made my partner laugh.
"Come on Alice, Bear with it, para sa sa plus two." My partner Amore said.
We are doing British Parliamentary Debate kung kaya't kaming dalawa lang ni Amore ang rerepresent ng section namin, and my classmates just said 'Manalo or Matalo, okay lang at least may plus tayo kasi may representative.' And I hate it, pinaka-ayaw ko sa lahat ay matalo, I would probably sulk for a year pag natalo kami.
Lumabas kami sa Filming room para 'yong isang team naman ang mag bibigay ng punching line nila. I immediately inhaled the fresh air na sumalubong sa amin pagkalabas sa room, our school is big. It is labelled as 'home of the champions' pero pakiramdam ko alikabok lang ako dito.
All of the champions belong to section one, and isa sila sa makakalaban namin. Which results to me being anxious kasi ayaw ko matalo, pero highly possible na matatalo kami dahil sa section one. They're the people that our school deploy to nationals or internationals and ano? Kakalabanin namin iyon? Just thinking about it makes me lose hope to win.
I sighed heavily again, Amore noticed and gave me a soft pat on the back.
"We can do this." She sounds so positive I want to cry.
I gave her a tight smile and waited for the filming to be done. I starred at the field watching the athletes practice, as I was watching the athletes I fel a prickling sensation on the back of my neck and I turned around to see who was staring at me. I saw a stranger with an intense gaze that seemed to bore into my soul. He was looking at me like he was intrigued by me in a way that made me feel both flattered and uneasy.
The guy was sitting at a table, his spiky black hair was quite messy over his forehead. He wore a pair of glasses that perched on his nose, bumaba ang tingin ko sa suot niya, he was wearing a blue jacket and his veiny hands were busy working on a Rubik's cube. His eyes were focused on me as he twisted the rubik's and turned it, trying to solve the puzzle.
Napalunok ako, his fingers moved quickly and with precision, his long, slender digits deftly manipulating the cube's various pieces. His veins stood out prominently on the back of his hands, giving them a rugged, almost masculine appearance.
Bumabalik ang tingin ko sa mukha niya his appearance was still stylish and modern. His black hair was styled in short, spiky layers that gave him an edgy, youthful look. The glasses added an intellectual air, uh-huh I think he's from section one.
I confirmed it when my eyes saw the people surrounding him, It was Patricia and Joseph, they're from section one and was always in the school page. Puro parangal ang nandoon, winning the international math challenges and stuff.
Bumalik ang tingin ko sa lalaking nakatingin sa'kin. He was still staring at me, For a moment, our eyes met and I couldn't look away, captivated by the intensity of his gaze. I saw the side of his lip rose, agad akong napaiwas ng tingin. Bakit siya nakatingin sa akin? Bakit gano'n siya maka-tingin? Was it my appearance, my demeanor, or something else entirely?
