Dreams of Youth

Chapter 9: Rejection

Chapter 9:
Rejection

Freya

I still remember the day when our rival started. It was when our first day in high school. It announced that there would only be one winner to as the model student of SVA. Kaz was never the one to get perfect scores. For me, he's just a student who doesn't try his best in anything.

In fact, most of the times before, I just saw him sleeping while there's a discussion and the bastard hid very well as he's hunching in the corner.

I won't pretend that his sudden perfect scores didn't surprised or alarmed me. Because it did.

There was one time when his scores are higher than mine and it made me feel distraught. I wasn't planning on giving up.

Before I knew it, we were competing, debating, and arguing with each other. I don't agree with his opinion and he don't agree with mine. And that's fine.

Hindi ko naman siya pinilit para sumang ayon. It's just that... we have different opinion in other matters.

Meron namang mga oras na kami lang dalawa ang palaging nag tataas ng kamay during oral or when the teachers asked us some questions. Sanay na ang mga classmates namin sa aming dalawa.

“So, who can answer the problem on the board?”

Our math teacher, Mrs. Sanchez, wrote a complicated math equation on the board and I wrote down the solution to it. I count the time and it only took me eleven seconds to get the answer.

Smiling confidently, I raise my hand and look at Kaz who doesn't even have a paper or a pen on his desk. His face looks bored, as if he didn't care.

Before the teacher can call my name, and to my surprise, Kaz stood up.

“The answer to the problem, maam is 7.14. With the solution of...”

Inirapan ko siya at binaba na ang aking kamay while he explained how he got his answer.

So he was just calculating silently in his mind? Talaga naman oh!

“That's the correct answer, Mr. Lionhart.” with what our teacher said, nagpalakpakan ang aking mga kaklase except for me.

There's no way I would clap for him. I don't care if it's immature or childish of me. Kahit na i save pa niya ang mundo ay hindi ko siya papalakpakan.

As for being the model student of SVA, there can only be one and I was planning to be the  one who's worth it for the title.

Kaz was secretly interested of it and I immediately knew he would be one of the toughest competition. At alam kong alam niya rin iyon.

Hindi ko man alam kung ano ang rason niya but we have the same goal here and the thing is, we're not allies.

If he's not doing it for the rewards or the money, then he's doing it for some other great reason, I'm sure.

As for me, siguro if I will be chosen as one, my parents will be overjoyed and come home in our graduation. Most of the times, they're not here or that they're too busy with their work. But maybe, just maybe, this will make them come home.

Ever since I was a kid, during plays or recognition, I don't know why I always look for my parents amongst the crowd. When I know that they're not here anyway.

I even earned a gold medal, a blue ribbon, and other accomplishments in volleyball. All I get as a reward is a gift or money on my room. But as times passed and that's all I ever received from them, I realized it can't make me happy.