Those Damn Dimples (BL)

Chapter 1: Best in English

Today is March 12. Graduation season is slowly engulfing the schools of Pasig City. One certain private school, Ascension High School of Pasig, was no exception. It was during this month that the top students of each batch would be gathered at the school grounds and rehearse for the upcoming Recognition Day. The students for each batch are ranked according to their grades, and the top 30 would be recognized in the ceremony. It also included other categories such as "Best in Religion", "Most Well-Behaved", or "Most Athletic".

Usually, the students gathered came from one class, Class A, or the "Star Section" as they would call it. But this year, the students of Class 8-A, from the 8th Grade, were surprised to see an unfamiliar face among them during rehearsals.

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March 10, calculations of grades and scores for subject proficiencies just finished. Ms. Cruz, Class 8-D's adviser, entered the classroom with a smile that went from ear to ear. It was almost scary how the wrinkles on her eyes curved due to the convex formation of her lips. She was holding a piece of paper, folded in two, with the school seal on its top portion. She had an announcement to make. Ms. Cruz was so ecstatic to announce that the awardee for "Best in English" was from Class D.

She called, "Caden Maximo, can you stand in front, please?" Caden, the class's consistent high scorer, stood up and walked up to the chalkboard in front. He faced the class with a shy smile, as even though he had studied for a year alongside these people cheering for him, never once had he felt that he had a connection with anyone of them. Caden wasn't "too smart" for his classmates, it's just that he's not on the same wavelength as them. His humor wasn't the same as theirs, he doesn't play basketball like most of the guys, and he thinks he's "too boring" to belong with them.

Ms. Cruz was so happy with the announcement that she hugged Caden in front of the class. Her joy was kind of exaggerated, but it could be that having a student from your class receive the "Best in English" award as an English teacher herself brought her the ecstasy. The snarls of some of his classmates weren't loud, and the twitching of the sides of their lips were visible. "What a show-off." some whispered. Caden didn't mind, though. He doesn't even belong here, so why bother caring?

Two days after, Caden would be excused by three of the top students. They were familiar faces, as they were always posted on the school bulletin boards. There was Jake Delgado, who was the top 11 of the batch. He was tall, slightly chubby, and curly-haired. There was also Theo Waddell, who was top 1 of the batch. He was much shorter than Caden, around 165 cm, and wore rectangular-shaped glasses. He raked a lot of the subject proficiency awards. Caden was also classmates with Theo in 3rd Grade, so they were a bit familiar with each other. The third person, however, left quite an impression on Caden.

His name was Oliver Silang. He was the top 4 of the batch. Caden knew that face because Oliver is an actor for the school plays. The glasses he wore with the thick, black frame, his light skin, his meticulously styled hair, and his dimples, all of these were so familiar of that guy. He also wasn't very tall; he was around the same height as Theo. He never really interacted with Oliver before, but the moment Caden stepped out of the classroom door, Oliver lightly hugged him. Caden was surprised. He thought, "What was that for? He doesn't know me at all." It seemed like Oliver was excited at the thought of adding a new guy to his circle of friends.

Caden didn't know what to do, but the small gesture from the little man awakened something in him that he couldn't describe. Caden never had a circle of friends, and no one was affectionate to him besides his family. Getting a small hug from a person in school was foreign to him, he was frozen in place.

"Okay, that's enough." Theo told Oliver. Jake then explained that rehearsals for recognition day are going to start, and they are being gathered to the school grounds for some reminders. Caden followed behind the three guys down the stairs and into the open field.

Chairs were laid out in rows, facing the grand stage the students call "The Jewel". So many unfamiliar faces surrounded him. The other students were already seated. Seeing their male classmates return from the building, their necks turned around like geese, trying to catch a glimpse of the outsider who bested Theo in English. What they saw was a tall, slim boy, with kempt hair like that of Jose Rizal, and thick framed glasses. The boy walked with a curved back, his hands glued to his sides, seemingly due to his shyness and the fear of having to interact with people he wasn't accustomed to.

"Guys! Meet Caden!" exclaimed Jake. "He's our Best in English!" The girls were smiling at him and waving. They thought Caden looked kind of cute. Well, Caden WAS a heartthrob back in 1st to 3rd Grade, his babyface didn't change a lot. A few pimple scars here and there from puberty, but he was still pretty much handsome to most.

There was already a seating arrangement settled for the students, though. So Caden couldn't just pick a seat.

"Unfortunately, we're gonna have to leave you here." Oliver told Caden. "The seats are arranged according to our ranking, so we'll have to sit at the front row." He added.

"That's fine. So where do I sit?" asked Caden.

"I think subject proficiency awardees that are not in the top 30 sit here." Answered Oliver.

"Okay. Thank you, Oliver!"

The three boys then left Caden to sit on their assigned chairs. The slender, shy boy sat on the chair right in front of him. Just 2 minutes later, a girl walks to him and sits beside her.

"Hi! I'm Claire. What's your name?"