In Those Eyes

KABANATA Four

"Welcome to this year's intramurals!" I said with excitement. I became the host kasi biglang nagkasakit yung naka assign sa hosting kaya heto ako ngayon kahit labag sa loob ko. Ni-hindi ko alam ang flow ng program kaya kada tapos namin umimik ay tinatanong ko sa co-host kung anong next agenda.

Ngayong araw din gaganapin ang Mr. and Ms. Intrams kaya naman medyo natataranta pa ako kasi wala manlang script na binigay sa akin. Puro adlib lang ako at natatakot ako mabulol.

I went backstage to check the candidates kung ready na ba sila. I saw some of them finalizing their make ups and sports attire kaya naman tumalikod na ako para lumabas.

"Hey..." someone grabbed my arm kaya tiningnan ko kung sino 'yon. It was Jem. He was wearing his team shirt and jeans. "Hindi mo ba ako sasabihan ng goodluck? Kawawa naman ako new bff oh." He said dramatically. Luh? Wala pa kami masyadong interactions tapos feeling close na agad siya? Pasalamat siya... crush ko siya hihi.

"Uy! Hindi kita napansin. Pero goodluck! Galingan mo!" I said in a nervous manner because I was not prepared and he might notice na kinikilig ako. I just smiled at him and patted his shoulders.

"You're so cute." He chuckled. "Kaya naman pala marami ang nagkakagusto sayo eh. Gusto mo pakilala ko pa sayo yung isa?" He laughed. I rolled my eyes at him. Ikaw ang gusto ko tanga, pakialam ko sa iba?

Naglakad na ako papunta sa gilid ng stage kasi mag sta-start na raw. I prepared myself and fixed my hair first before entering the stage. I hyped the crowd up before welcoming the candidates for this year's intramurals.

Kaniya-kaniyang sigaw ang mga estudyante sa kanilang mga kaibigan at kaklase. I saw some banners and some of their head photos printed out which, obviously, are the ones they look funny in. The candidates entered and went to their position para sa opening dance.

"Ang galing nung host!" I heard Aisle's voice somewhere in the crowd. I scanned the crowd a bit and found her with Jace and Kali holding a banner with my face on it. 'BESTIE NAMIN YUNG HOST!', it said. I sported my best 'what the fuck' look because I couldn't raise my middle finger at them.

After the performance, all the candidates returned backstage to prepare for the sports attire event. They were swiftly changing their clothes in their assigned area. I prepared and practiced myself to call each candidate to introduce themselves and pose for the judges.

As I called each pair of candidates, I noticed that most of their attire were either badminton, volleyball, or basketball. I guess it was the most convenient attire since it is easy to obtain and they were given very limited time to prepare.

There were obvious crowd favorites based on the screams and cheers they all got. Some were louder than the others.

"For our last pair of candidates, let us welcome another pair from the STEM strand!" My co-host said. My eyes were glued to the male candidate because it was Jem. The crowd went wild when he appeared on stage. I saw a lot of banners and such and I felt like he would win instantly.

He was wearing an all black attire with a gun, which I'm guessing is fake. He looked like a hot movie actor shooting an action movie. He could headlock me and I wouldn't mind one bit.

"Good morning everyone, I am Jeremiah Trace Houston, 18, representing the STEM Strand!" The crowd was ballistic. I even saw Rieve and his friends screaming from the top of their lungs while holding a photo of Jem's face up. I laughed a bit because it was a picture of him when he was still young.

After the introduction, Jem and his partner modeled on the stage and posed for the audience and judges. Jem walked smoothly and boy does he know how to pose. He utilized the gun well and flexed his arm. They posed one last time in the middle and Jem winked. Oh please, marry me. I DO!

I was in the middle of my daydreaming when my co-host elbowed me lightly.

"Hey, mag stastart na yung question and answer." He whispered. When I checked my surroundings, nandon na yung mga candidates sa pwesto nila for the question and answer portion. I lost my focus for that long?! Jem, what are you doing to me?!

Each candidate was called and were asked an ice breaker question before they picked their real question. Its purpose is to make the candidates less anxious and nervous for their real question.

"Do you want to thank anyone before we ask you?" I said, running out of questions to ask kasi wala naman to sa script.

"I want to thank my friends and family for supporting me. Also, I would like to thank my special someone for supporting me and encouraging me to participate in this year's Mr. and Ms. Intramurals. Lastly, I want to thank my classmates for keeping me updated with the lessons I have missed during practice time. HUMANISTAS THIS IS FOR YOU!" She said proudly and I smiled at her confidence. Proud humanista here as well.

Everyone answered the question, although some stuttered, they were able to push through.

It was Jem's turn and I thank all the saints because I wasn't the one who's going to converse with him. I'm scared that I might stutter or be lost while staring at him.

"Hi Jem!" My co-host said. "Before you pick your question, I'm quite curious about your height." He asked, looks like I'm not the only one running out of questions to ask. As I've said before, Jem looked like he was six feet tall but I just based that on my height so I might be off by an inch, I guess?

"I'm 6'1." He answered before sticking his hand on the bowl I was holding to pick his question. "Please be my lucky charm, Red." He whispered, only enough for me to hear. "May this question be something I can answer." He whispered again before getting the paper out of the bowl.

Jem handed me the paper even if I looked at him and my co-host to imply that it should be given to him. He looked at me teasingly and proceeded to still give me the paper. I had no choice but to put the bowl down and get the paper from him since it would look awkward if I would get it and give it to my co-host.

I opened the paper and read the question.

"How would you convince us that you deserve this title?" I read the question aloud.

"I deserve this title, not only because I play sports, but because I know its values such as  fairness, discipline, respect, sportsmanship, and perseverance, which I apply on and off the court." He answered and the crowd roared. It was a simple answer, but among the male candidates, I think he has a higher chance of winning.

The special awards were announced first. Jem bagged most of it in the male category which was no surprise since he did well on most parts.

I was right, he won. After the event a lot of women were lined up to take a picture with him.

"Scared!" I heard Rieve called me from somewhere. Andaming tao kaya hindi ko agad siya mahanap. I was looking for him when someone spoke from my back. "Layo naman ng pagtingin mo sakin."

I looked back and saw that he was standing behind me with Waq and Soqi, if I'm not mistaken.

"Sama ka na samin sa lunch, kasama namin si Jem." Alok sa akin ni Rieve. He smiled at me like he was teasing me so I glared at him and rolled my eyes. Pumayag rin naman ako kasi may mga kasama din naman sina Aisle sa lunch.

"Hoy, mister intrams! Tama na yan! Gutom na kami!" Waq shouted at Jem kaya napatingin siya sa amin. He waved at me so I waved back. Sana hindi ako assuming na ako talaga kinawayan niya.