Just This Time

Chapter Three

"Caringal, nangarap ng tres, pasok!"

The crowd went wild. Cheers from the audience almost broke the sound barrier. It's the annual Inter-High School Basketball Tournament and Sta. Cornelia's basketball team is scoring a 14-point lead, drawing bigger and bigger applauses every time they shoot the ball.

The game isn't over yet, but the ladies and gents already know who's going to be the Most Valuable Player: a boy named Jayronne Caringal. He's your average varsity player: tall, handsome, and talented in the art of his sport; but sometimes, very egoistic and prideful. The girls in the school deemed him the "campus crush," the "undying heartthrob," the "catcher of hearts," the "ideal of ideals," whatever they called him. Not a single classroom is complete without at least one girl crushing on the guy. He's in everyone's morning gossip, in every girl's cup of tea, in every "boy talk" there is, and hell, even in the playful conversations of the faculty.

But amidst the thousands roaming in Sta. Cornelia, with almost half of the population admiring him, one girl successfully enchanted his golden heart: a girl named Maria Therese Adlawan.

They had something very special. Something that made many girls burst into envy, many boys hating the guy for "stealing" their dream girl, and surely divided the students between the supportive and the eyebrow-raisers.

Once again, the game ended favorably and expectedly to Sta. Cornelia. The weary Jayronne sat on the player's row to catch his breath.

"Mr. MVP, inom ka tubig," an angelic voice approaches.

Jayronne tilted his head to see who's who. Of course, it's his then-"love," Therese.

"Ang ganda naman ng water boy," he complimented.

"Anong water boy? Water girl!" She eagerly corrected.

They both share a laugh. Therese sits down.

"Gusto mo kain tayo mamaya?" She invites.

"Saan mo gusto?" The player asks.

"Kahit saan. Basta I'm with you."

He smiles.

"Sige. Game ka sa Unli Wings?"

"G!" She excitingly answers. "Pero bago muna, punasan mo muna pawis mo. Tumutulo na oh!"

"Ayy," he expressed.

Therese reaches for her handkerchief in her bag. She offers it to Jayronne.

"Ito oh," she says.

"Naku po, madudumihan na panyo mo," he replies.

"Arte naman neto!" She exclaims, and then she lightly smacks the handkerchief to her lover's face.

Jayronne laughs.

"Alam ko naman kasing ayaw na ayaw mong may ibang gumamit sa panyo mo kasi masasayang lang pabango na nilagay mo," he reasons.

"Dami mong ebas, magpunas ka na!"

Jayronne starts to wipe his face.

"Alam mo naman kasing you're the only exception," Therese mumbles.

"Ano 'yun?"

"Wala!"

"Tanda mo pa ba noong una tayong nagka-encounter? Dahil sa panyo?" Jayronne asks.

Therese faintly smiles.

"Ba't mo naman natanong?" She asks back.

"Wala lang," he answers.

When they first met, Jayronne was just returning the handkerchief that Therese accidentally dropped while she was walking.

"It feels surreal lang na dahil sa panyo, we met," he added.