Just This Time

Chapter Ten

Marco's POV

It's so hard to draw something exactly the way you drew it in your head.

Sketchpad on my lap, pencil on my right hand, and a view of the busy hallway in front of my eyes. I was trying to capture the business of Sta. Cornelia National High School, all of that for a performance task in Arts. Well, at least, kaunting backflips na lang, tapos na ako sa Junior High School.

I looked at my drawing for a second, and I was not pleased. So I tore it apart again, piling it up with the crumpled pieces of paper just beside me. I let out a sigh of frustration.

"Palitan ko kaya 'yung idradrawing ko?" I thought.

"Ako nga i-drawing mo," an approaching voice behind me said.

"What are you doing here, Ellie?" I asked her. "Don't you guys have a meeting at the Student Council?"

"Adjourned na meeting namin, mister praning," she said as she sat beside me.

"Eh ano ngang ginagawa mo dito?"

"Bawal ba umupo dito, mister?"

I let in another sigh of frustration.

"'Yang performance task sa Arts lang ba talaga ang kinaiinisan mo?" She continued to ask.

"This isn't my thing," I answered. "More on photography ako."

"That's still nice naman. We aren't good at everything."

I only gave her a poker face. Deep inside, my heart smiled. This girl would make my heart skip every time I saw her. Every time someone mentions her name, I look.

Ellie Zyra Concepcion.

She had fine black hair exceeding her shoulders, and she always liked to braid it. She had beautiful eyes, almost like a vessel of her soul. If she was Medusa, I would be stone already. She was everyone's dream girl. An academic achiever, a student leader, just a jolly girl.

"Puwede namang ako i-drawing mo," she suggested once more.

"Your face would turn out different," I said to her, breaking out a small laugh.

"I don't care, gusto ko lang naman na i-drawing mo ako."

I looked at her for a second. Then positioned myself in front of her, and I started to draw.

She clapped like a little child, and let out a little cute "yay!"

"Huwag mo akong isumpa kapag makikita mo result ha."

"Hindi ako gano'n, hoy."

As I take a look at her every time I put a line on my sketchpad, her smile becomes more and more magical. Her eyes are almost twinkling.

"By the way," she speaks.

"Huwag kang malikot kung ayaw mo ma-ruin drawing mo."

"Gusto ka naming kunin to run for Student Council Assistant Secretary this election."

I stopped drawing.

"Huh? Ba't ako?"

"Come on, Roy, huwag ka nang mag-inarte. Kasama mo naman ako. I'm running for Secretary."

"So basically, gusto mo ako maging assistant?"

She laughed.

"No, silly. I thought na we'd do great as a team."

To be honest, I don't want to run. Pero siya na 'yung nag-iinvite sa akin eh.

"Uhmmm," I uttered while I thought deeply.