My badboy boyfriend [PabStell]

02

The car door slammed shut, the sound echoing the dull thud in my chest. It was Monday, and the familiar dread coiled in my stomach. 

As I walked towards the school building, I felt the unusual sting – the scrutinizing stares, the whispers that followed me like a shadow.

It became worst, The closer I got to my classroom.

I stopped, my back to the group of girls huddled near a classroom door. Their giggles and hushed tones were sharp enough to cut through the morning air. 

I turned, my gaze sweeping over them. And raised an eyebrow, challenging them.

"What?" I asked, my voice steadier than I felt.  "If you want to say something, say it to my face."

The challenge hung in the air, heavy and defiant. Their eyes darted away, their whispers dying into embarrassed silence.  The sudden shift in their demeanor was almost comical, but underneath the surface, a familiar anger simmered.

I ignored them and went straight to the room. he was just about to enter when my friends gathered together giving me a silly grin.

"What!?" inis na sigaw niya.  "Ang aga-aga galit ka agad," sagot ni Justin. "Meron ka ba?" tanong naman ni Jaz, na agad namang nabatukan ni Stell.  "Aray!" daing nito.

"Ano ba kasing meron? Kanina ko pa nararamdaman ang tingin sa akin ng mga tao. May alam ba kayo?" sunod-sunod na tanong ni Stell.  Tinaasan siya ng kilay ni Mikha. "Seriously, Stell? Wala kang alam? Hindi ka ba nagbubukas ng socmed mo?"

"Tingin niyo ba ay magtatanong ako kung alam ko?"

"Look," Jaz said, shoving her phone in my face. I snatched it and stared.

The photo showed a man in a library, his back turned, but it was unmistakably Pablo  in the hushed sanctuary of the library. 

He was kissing someone.  The person's face was obscured, but a flash of auburn hair – the same fiery shade as Stell's – was unmistakable. My eyes widened.

The air in the room crackled with tension. Mikha’s words hung heavy, each syllable a hammer blow against Stell’s carefully constructed facade. He was about to offer a flimsy excuse, a desperate attempt to deflect the accusation, when she cut him off. 

“Don’t try to deny it,” Mikha stated, her voice unwavering, “because we know you, even down to the last strand of hair.”

Beads of sweat sprang up on Stell’s forehead, glistening under the harsh morning.

He frantically shrugged off his jacket, the movement revealing the source of their scrutiny. 

A collective gasp escaped their lips, their eyes widening in disbelief. I followed their gaze, a silent scream forming in my throat.  “Shit!”  The realization hit Stell like a physical blow. It was too late.  He’d been so careless.

He scrambled to cover the marks with his jacket, but the damage was done. They had seen.  “See? I told you,” Jaz commented.

Then, all eyes, including mine, dropped lower.  My neck was a landscape of tiny band-aids, a desperate, ultimately futile attempt to conceal the constellation of hickeys that adorned it.

The air in the lecture hall crackled with anticipation, a nervous energy that vibrated through the wooden benches. 

I felt a tug on each arm, a firm grip that propelled me towards the back row. "Spill," they urged, their voices hushed but excited, a conspiratorial whisper against the backdrop of the lectures room.

My mouth felt dry, words caught in my throat. There was nothing to say, nothing I could articulate that would capture the whirlwind of emotions swirling within me.

Jaz, ever the dramatic one, sighed dramatically. "Boooring," she declared, her voice echoing slightly in the quiet space.  The other two nodded in agreement, their eyes sparkling with a mixture of mischief and disappointment. 

I waved them away, a shooing gesture meant to dismiss them and their prying curiosity. But then, the lecturer's sudden appearance cut short their interrogation. A sigh of relief escaped my lips as they reluctantly retreated to their seats, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

The usual lunchtime clamor – the clatter of trays, the boisterous laughter of my classmates – had faded into an unnerving silence. My stomach rumbled, a counterpoint to the sudden quiet.

I’d left my friends earlier, their persistent prodding for a story finally becoming too much to bear. My hunger had won. I was focused on choosing my lunch, carefully selecting each item, when it happened.

Hindi ko ito pinansin at patuloy sa pagpili ng pagkain.  Ang daming masasarap!  Iniisip ko pa kung kukunin ko ba yung adobo o yung kare-kare, Nang biglang ...

Isang mainit na yakap ang bumalot sa akin mula sa likuran.

I gasped, a soft whimper barely audible. The tray I was holding, laden with delicious food, almost slipped from my grasp. But a hand caught it—a strong, careful hand.

"Careful," he whispered, his voice familiar but I couldn't place it. His chin rested on my shoulder, his hot breath on my neck. My neck was so sensitive, I shivered suddenly. It was as if an electric current had coursed through me.

I turned to face him. And immediately regretted my decision. Our faces were so close, our noses almost touching. One slight movement, and we would be kissing. My heart nearly leaped out of my chest. As his eyes, filled with a strange emotion, were fixed on me.

Stell cleared his throat and asked, "Kung may kailangan ka pwede pakibilisan," he said with a hint of annoyance, but then the man just laughed at him. Pablo tightened his grip around my waist before taking the tray of food from me. He looked at it and whispered,

"Ginugutom ka ba sa inyo?" Even though it was a whisper, I heard it clearly.

The cool air whipped around me as he guided me, his hand firm on my waist.  Panic clawed at Stell throat. "Wait, where are we going?" I blurted, my voice trembling slightly.

"I have company… my friends are just over there," I gestured vaguely towards the corner, "so if you could please let go of me?"

My eyes scanned the scene, searching for my friends. There they were, a tableau of casual nonchalance. 

Seated comfortably, sunglasses perched on their noses, munching on popcorn, their faces betraying a disturbing lack of concern.

My relaxed posture suggested they were enjoying a movie, oblivious to my plight.  A wave of disbelief washed over me as I stared at them, a silent question hanging in the air.

"Do you mind?" he asked, his voice low, directed at my friends.  Stell, ever the smug one, offered a knowing smirk.  I knew my friends wouldn't approve, wouldn't let this happen… but their response sent a jolt of icy betrayal through me.

"Ah, yes, we're fine," Mikha replied, her voice smooth and unconcerned. Jaz added, with a sickeningly sweet tone, "Enjoy your date!" Justin waved, a careless flick of his hand.  My jaw dropped. "Mga traydor!"  I mouthed, as he pulled me further away,