"Hi! My name's Caden." the boy replied. "So, what award are your receiving?" he added.
"Oh, I got Best in MAPEH." Claire answered. MAPEH stood for Music, Arts, PE, and Health. In the Philippines, these disciplines are all categorized under one subject in the report cards.
"So, we're the underdogs huh? We got these awards without even climbing the top 30." Caden joked.
"You bet! I couldn't even believe I'm going to walk the same stage as my classmates!"
Classmates? Claire is classmates with them? This might be Caden's opportunity to start widening his circle among these people. Who knows, he might be in the same class as them soon, right? In Ascension High, the star section is comprised of students that consistently get good grades. Caden wasn't really counting on being part of it, as he only had one thing in his mind - finishing Junior High.
Claire isn't a clear contender, though, if Caden was planning to get close to the Star Section. Claire just transferred this year, too; and although she has been with Class 8-A for a long time, she hasn't exactly established a circle with any of them.
"So that makes us both outsiders too, 'no?" Caden joked again. "Yeah, I guess." answered Claire.
"Wanna sneak out and get some chicken skins?" Claire asked.
Caden thought, "Woah, what is this girl thinking? Is she not afraid of getting reprimanded?"
"Come on, it's not like they'll revoke our award anyway. We're already on the list!"
"Let's do it!"
Caden liked his first interaction with Claire. For some time, he thought that the students from 8-A were always so prim and proper. Like they were a different breed of students. It wasn't only Caden who thought of them like this. In fact, the whole batch does. They think the Star Section is above them, looking down on them like how the Volturi looked down from his balcony. This is also one of the reasons why the thought of striving to join the Star Section never crossed Caden's mind. He didn't want to be one of the "geeks with no lives."
That night, Caden opened his Facebook to find a friend request notification on his page.
"Claire Santiago has sent you a friend request."
Damn, how did this girl find him so fast. He didn't even give his surname. Perhaps she checked the list and looked meticulously for the awardee. Without hesitation, Caden accepted her friend request. Nothing really happened after that, though. He waited around 10 minutes, maybe she'd send a message. Caden wasn't really expecting anything, but he was just surprised that his new friend looked him up on the internet on the same day they met. Caden also didn't have his own phone, so he couldn't wait long as he only used his older brother's laptop.
Caden woke up the next morning to find that Claire was inviting him to go eat out with her after their Saturday rehearsals. It was sent 5 hours ago. Caden, wanting to get close to his new friend, obviously obliged.
Saturday rehearsals came, the agenda for this day was to practice how they were going to walk the stage. They were being instructed where to stop, where to bow, where to exit etc. Caden was getting so sleepy from the repetitive speaking of the teachers on their microphones. The whole day was filled with "Walk slowly! Mind your blockings! Very good! Stop there!" and many more instructive phrases you can think of. The consistency of it all was equivalent to counting sheep for him.
But then one name was called.
"Oliver Silang! 3rd Honorable Mention & Best in Mathematics!"
YOU ARE READING
Those Damn Dimples (BL)
RomanceA lot of Caden's later years were spent with the absence of his father, a man whom he had always wanted to feel by his side. He longed for his father, to feel safe in his arms when he's in peril. The man was always abroad, working. Caden had conside...
