I scroll through the songs on my phone and finally decide on one. A slow ballad begins to play from the small overhead speakers mounted on the ceiling around the store as I slip my phone back into my back pocket. I take the box of chocolates from its stack and carry it out of the cold room, shutting the door behind me with my foot.
My sneakers are silent on the linoleum floor as I make my way over to the ‘Chocolates and Sweets’ section of the store.
“What kind of gay-ass bullshit are you playing?”
I roll my eyes and begin stocking the top shelf with the large chocolate bars. “It’s not gay ass,” I say, unperturbed. “It’s romantic.” Not that you would know.
A slam coming from the front desk. “Gay ass music bullshit.” comes the reply.
“Break anything and it’ll get deducted twice from your pay this month.” I say, carefully lining up the chocolate nut bars next to the white chocolate ones.
“Fuck. You.” comes the hissed reply from the counter again.
You wish. “Quiet, customer’s here.”
The bell by the door rings, signaling a new visitor coming in. I pick up quiet footsteps by the front and my hand stills.
Something’s
“Hi, excuse me,” a soft, reluctant voice asks. I turn towards its direction and see a girl. She stops a few steps before me and looks me up and down, her mouth slightly agape. I clear my throat a bit. She looks back at me. My eyes linger on her pale, brown ones.
“Can I help you?” I ask, facing her fully.
Red colors her cheeks and I try not to let it affect me. She seems to collect herself again. “Um, sorry, but can you tell me where the cafeteria is? I got a bit lost." she says with a sheepish smile. "I'm a First Year…" she adds.
“Damn, baby girl, you’re a long way away, the cafeteria’s on the other side of the campus.” Diether pops up in the ‘Chocolates and Sweets’ section. “You say you’re a First Year? Come on, I’ll take you there.” He starts to reach for the girl’s arm.
Not a chance.
“No, I’ll take her.” I say, coming between them and towering over Diether. “You stay here and finish restocking the shelves.” I cross my arms in front of my chest before him.
Bulky and broad shouldered this Junior Biology boy may be, I still tower over him by a good 5 inches.
He gives me a final nasty look before walking back to the cashier counter. I give his retreating back an unimpressed look in return.
I look back at the girl behind me, uncrossing my arms. “Let’s go?” I say, tone gentle.
We both exit the mini convenience store and go to the small parking lot where my motorcycle is.
“How’d you get to this side of the campus, anyway? Didn’t the Freshman Orientation just finish?” I say, trying to make conversation.
“I,” she starts, “I don’t know. I just felt compelled to come here…”
“Compelled, hm…” We reach my motorcycle and I take the black helmet hanging off of one side of the handlebars. I hand it to her as I take my keys out from my front pocket.
I watch her for a bit as she puts my helmet on. Her dark curls disappear inside it with little black coils escaping around her neck. She looks at me, then. I slip out my phone and hand it to her. She takes it from my hand without question and I start to get on my motorcycle. I maneuver it so it faces the campus main road before she gets on at the back.
I wait for her as she adjusts and she wraps her arm around my stomach. I insert my key and start the motorcycle. We peel out of the mini convenience store’s parking lot right after.
***
Yaquel Busa paces around by the donut foodstall. He digs the blunt of his nails into his scalp. Where is she?! His eyes flit across the crowd, jumping from one head to another. His shoulder rams into something hard and something shatters.
"PANULAY KA GAD!"
Something grabs his shoulder from behind and a fist flies straight into his face. He falls to the ground from the blow. Vision doubles for a second and he doesn't wait it out before climbing back on his feet again. Where… Shaira…
"Yaquel?"
He turns to the direction of the voice and sees Jaiza. He continues pacing.
"Yaquel, you're bleeding!"
"Stop fucking talking." he murmurs, raising his hands to his head again. Nails digging and scraping.
"You need to go to theー" A shrill scream.
Hands on his shoulders again, pulling him back from strangling something. What is that something?
Yaquel blinks and sees Jaiza looking up at him, eyes wide and shaking.
"STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!"
She keeps screaming.
The air keeps pressing in all around me. Crushing my windpipe, squeezing all the breaths out of my lungs. She keeps screaming. I tighten my grip.
"YAQUEL!"
The wind slapping against my face is a constant reminder and an on-repeat wake-up call as the ride goes on. I hug the rightmost side of the road as we come up on the highway, just maintaining a reasonable speed. I catch a quick glance at the rearview mirror.
And see them.
Seban and Shaira. SEBAN AND SHAIRA SEBAN AND SHAIRA NONONONONO N ONO NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO NO N O N O
"..Ya...el?"
...
"Yaquel?"
"You need to wake up."
"..ou need ... wake up..."
Endless white. And then a room. Light blue. Sheets. Someone in a chair.
"Hello." she says, leaning forward. She stops mere millimeters from my face. Pale brown eyes look straight at me.
"How many have you been on?" she whispers, the air from her lips lightly brushing my own.
"Please," Yaquel starts.
"You weren't the first one to try it." she says, still whispering.
"Please turn it back. Please, I can't keep doing this." he begs.
Shaira smiles, and hands me a pair of scissors. "Do it."
I close my bandaged fingers around the handle and slash it across her f
YOU ARE READING
The Beats of Your Heart
RandomYaquel Busa, the current Major One of the university's Marching Band, meets Shaira Abot, the up-and-coming Band Royalty with a burning desire for the highly coveted position of Majorette One previously held by his ex. But after a series of inexplica...
