He is inlove

I.

Elena's point of view.

As usual, Gabriel and I were arguing again over something that wasn't even that deep.

"ano ba! This seat is mine nga, can't you understand??" I shouted.

"akin nga 'to, tignan mo, mag nakasulat na 'elena anghet'" he retorted in a somewhat calm tone.

"siraulo—" I stopped mid-sentence when Ma'am Vicente, our strictest yet kindest teacher, suddenly appeared

"Ano na naman 'to, Mr. Ocampo and Ms. Rivera? Tuwing papasok ako dito, lagi na lang kayong nag-aaway. Ilan beses ko na bang sinabi sa inyo? Parang hindi kayo natututo,"  inis na sabi nya while putting her things down sa teacher's table.

shaking her head, "Every time, parang broken record na ‘to. Mr. Ocampo, Ms. Rivera, part ba ng daily routine niyo 'to? Kasi if yes, baka kailangan nating i-revise 'yung student handbook to include 'Morning Arguments with Gabriel and Elena' as an official school activity."

was Ma'am Vicente actually making a joke out of this?

Then, instead of sending us to her office,  "Hindi kayo natututo, ah. So, okay, let's try something new. Mr. Ocampo, lipat ka dito sa tabi ni Ms. Rivera. Starting today, magiging seatmates na kayo," she announced, her voice firm yet hopeful that this new arrangement might spark a change.

Caught off guard, Gabriel and I shared a quick look, pinapatay ko na sya sa isip ko ngayon.

"this is all your fault!" i grumbled quietly, directing a pointed look to Gabriel

"ako, eh ikaw 'tong laging nag sisimula ng lahat" sagot nya

"ikaw ba naman bwisitin lagi" sagot ko

"pwede na ba ako mag start ng lesson ko? kasi mukha kayo di pa tapos mag away, mr. Ocampo and ms. Rivera." inis na tanong ni Ma'am vicente

-------------------------

*/THE BELL RANG

Being seatmates with Gabriel was turning out to be a real test of patience. "Great, break time. Ready to enjoy some peace and quiet away from you," sabi ko, trying to hide my irritation as I packed my things. This setup was challenging my sanity.

"Wow, as if you're not going to miss my charming company," Gabriel replied, his usual smirk plastered on his face. His confidence was grating.

"Elena, tara na!" sabay hatak sakin ni Aria

while walking sa hallways on the way to cafeteria,
"Grabe, Elena, live entertainment kayo ni Gabriel kanina"  Aria said, barely holding back his laughter as we all headed out of the classroom together.

I groaned, "Please, 'wag niyo na 'ko paalalahanan. Trying to forget na nga e."

"Pero admit it, interesting 'yung dynamics niyo" Cleo chimed in, her eyes dancing with mischief. "Parang may spark"

"Spark ng inis, maybe" I replied

"Imagine, the whole term with him as your seatmate. Ano kaya next chapter?" joked Dana, obviously enjoying the thought a little too much.

"Eh di more headaches," I said.