A Glimpse of Affection

Chapter 1: The Genesis / The Start

'Awake, Jelo!' exclaimed Mom as she persistently knocked on the door. Stirred from my slumber, I replied with a drowsy affirmation. As I checked the time: 'Oh, shoot! I forgot to set my alarm last night.' The science quiz bee was scheduled to commence at 7:30, and it was already 7:08 AM; my teacher would not be pleased. I sprinted to the bathroom and quickly showered in just 5 mins. Now, I'm dressed in my uniform, I gazed at my reflection in the mirror, psyching myself up for the challenge ahead.

"Jelo, don't forget to eat your breakfast," reminded Mom.

It's 7:25, only 5 minutes left. I dashed like a superhero, just kidding. Dad will drive me to school since he has stuff to do there.

Upon arrival, I joined my partners and our visibly displeased teacher, who wasted no time in questioning my tardiness. "You are late, Jelo. Where have you been?" she inquired sternly. I explained that I had dedicated the previous night to studying and inadvertently overslept. "At least he was studying, ma'am," Aiden chimed in while holding his laugh.

Just let it show, bro. Just laugh,' I said in a sarcastic tone. Aiden burst into laughter while Geni observed quietly, clutching a whiteboard, chalk, and eraser. She maintains a reserved demeanor, and to be honest, I had not even taken notice of her and had forgotten that she was part of our team - how amusing.

The quiz starts, and obviously, we're killing it because I'm on the team - just kidding. Well, Aiden excelled at deciphering the questions with finesse. Geni and I barely answer, and sometimes we just decide if Aiden's answer is correct or not, but mostly, his answers are all correct, and Geni will write it on the whiteboard. But at least we have teamwork.

At the end of the day, we win. Got a certificate and a gold medal. Our teacher's bouncing around like a kangaroo, so stoked.

So, we got the award and headed straight to our class. It was a total surprise when we were greeted by the surprising sight of our classmates congratulating us on our victory. My buddies rushed over, lifted me, and started chanting, "Jelo! Jelo! Jelo!" as they lifted me high. From that vantage point, I saw everyone going wild over our victory. Aiden was in the middle of a crowd of his friends, and students from other classes congratulated him as well. He has a huge fan base, of course, because he is popular, tall, brainy, sweet, and good-looking, just like me - so delusional. Then I spotted Geni sitting alone at her desk, gazing out the window. Some girls were gossiping that Geni didn't really contribute much to our success, and all she did was write down all the answers given by Aiden and me.

Although I am aware that she heard it, I am unable to personally go down and offer my congratulations on her remarkable achievement. My relief grew as I observed the teacher approaching her to convey congratulations, to which Geni simply bowed in response. Aiden also approached her with a Yakult, placing it on her table along with his
congratulations.

But still, I was so annoyed... How could they even say that!?!?!?

Class was finally quiet as the teacher went over the schedule for our quarterly exam. It's the 2nd quarter, the last one for the 1st semester. While sitting behind Geni, I couldn't help but remember the gossip about her that got on my nerves. They don't know the kind of pressure we were feeling back then in the competition. And I know Geni did her best; she wasn't just writing the answer. I vividly recall the scenario where Geni, Aiden, and I collaborated to secure victory in a tiebreaker. But Geni was smart enough to know our answer was off and changed it to the correct one, leading us to victory. And yet, they only praised Aiden, not knowing that it was all thanks to Geni.

As my gaze lingered upon her, a wave of empathy washed over me, sensing the weight of her efforts. Unbeknownst to me, my vocal cords had already articulated soothing words, acknowledging her dedication.

"You gave it your all, Geni. It's evident," resonated from my lips.