Jump From the Air (Erudite Series #5)

Kapitulo 1

"Happy, happy birthday, MJ!" Wren told me when we, my friends and I, met up for lunch. She was holding a box of cake.

"Thanks, Wren." I accepted her cake and smiled at her.

"My gift is on the way pa lang. Before the day ends, you'll have your hands on it," Amy whispered to me as we walked to buy lunch from a booth.

"Can I know what it is already? Or it's a secret?" tanong ko.

"You'll know once it gets here."

"How will it come? Pina-deliver mo?"

"No, well, yes, then I asked our driver to drop it off."

"Why not just have it delivered here?"

"Because it was supposed to arrive yesterday but got delayed, and now I can't change the address of where its' drop-off is. So, yeah."

"Ohh, okay. Thanks, Amy."

Dominique suddenly walked beside me.

"What gift do you want? I don't want to buy anything blindly, I mean, I feel like you already have everything you need. So, I'm asking what you want," Dominique told me.

Nag-isip ako hanggang sa makarating kami sa booth. "The new Taylor Swift album?"

"Okay, will order later tonight, it'll probably be shipped quickly. Send me your address later," he said. "Okay, thanks, Dom."

All of us bought shawarmas, pastas, and drinks. Naghanap kami ng mga benches na malapit para makakain, pero dahil karamihan ng estudyante ay kumakain na rin, wala na kaming makuha. We just ate near the elevator of Henry, standing. The sound surrounding us was a song familiar to me, but I couldn't remember the title.

"Patikim," Magnus said to me after I bit my shawarma. I took the plastic spoon I had for the pasta—yeah, they gave me a spoon and fork—and cut Magnus a portion of my shawarma. Binigay ko na 'yong spoon sa kaniya after.

"What are your topics for the final paper for miss Via's class?" asked Wren.

"I might just use the film Goyo," I answered.

"Ako, I'll use The Kingmaker," Amy said.

"Wow, really?" Magnus asked. "Yeah, I mean, it's historical," Amy answered.

"Good choice, I think miss Via will like it," Wren said.

All of us smiled, knowing well how our professor disliked it when we made everything too political. Said she was apolitical and all despite her subject being highly political. Miss Via was our History professor, and we all knew and learned how politics played a huge part in the Philippines' history. Politics and history were difficult to untangle when talking about a whole country.

"When's your next competition?" Magnus asked Dominique. "Next week, Friday, will you guys watch?" our friend answered.

"I have plans that day," Amy immediately said. Kita ko ang paglungkot ng itsura ni Dominique. He didn't exactly frown nor did his brows furrow, but I just saw it.

Sounds weird, but, somehow, we almost always know when someone becomes sad.

"I'll go," sabay na sabi naman ni Wren and Magnus.

"I'll check if I can," saad ko.

Since December of last year, I've been noticing Dominique being especially attentive to Amy. I even saw him staring at her one time. I think he liked her. There was just something different with him when it came to Amy. But Amy was all acads, she was focused on acing every exam and activity. I didn't think she noticed. It sort of looked like a high school type of thing, him hiding his feelings and her being oblivious.