Rival Hearts

CHAPTER 3

Pagkauwi ko ng bahay, bumungad sa akin ang kapatid kong nakasimangot. Ang bilis niya naman-nandito na agad siya, ah.

"Your early naman ngayon," I said, may paghanga sa tono ng aking boses.

"You are just late," he replied.

"Aba! Anong 'late' ka diyan?!" I yelled.

"Tumabi ka nga!" I added.

Nakakainis na nga sa school, tapos maiinis pa ba ako sa bahay? Kailan at saan ba ako magiging masaya araw-araw?

As I entered the room, I took off my shoes and went upstairs. Ibinaba ko ang aking bag at magpapalit na sana ng damit nang may maalala ako.

That's when I realized that I am still wearing his fucking hoodie.

"Ahh!!" I said in frustration. My voice echoed through the whole house, but it doesn't matter right now. Nakakainis talaga!

Padabog akong pumunta sa kwarto ko at nagpalit ng damit. I just changed into something casual-an oversized black shirt and shorts. Boyish ang style ko, pero wala rin namang makakakita dahil hindi naman ako lalabas ng bahay.

I let out a heavy sigh and lay on my bed. I was about to check my phone when suddenly, the door opened.

"Ate, bumaba ka na daw! May dinner na," Levi said-my brother.

"Okay," I said in frustration. Hindi pa nga ako nakakahiga, bababa na naman?

Anyways, my brother's full name is Leonel Vincent Ramirez. He's a Grade 9 student, at ang tangkad-tangkad pa. Nakakahiya tuloy, kasi hanggang leeg lang ako.

I prepared myself to go downstairs. Pagbaba ko, nakahain na ang mga pagkain.

"Oh, prinsesa, bababa ka rin pala," my mom said. I rolled my eyes-she's always calling me prinsesa. Alam ko namang maganda ako, Ma.

"Aba! At may pag-ikot-ikot pa 'yang mata mo, ha! Halika nga rito!" my mom yelled.

Kinurot niya ang bewang ko, kaya napasigaw ako sa sobrang sakit. On the other hand, Levi was laughing, which made me even more annoyed. Padabog akong umupo at humalukipkip.

We ate together and shared thoughts while eating. It wasn't that fun, but it made my day. After eating, Levi washed the dishes since Mom doesn't want a maid in the house. Sabi niya, dapat daw kaming matuto sa sarili naming mga paa at hindi puro asa na lang.

Halinhinan kasi kami ni Levi sa paghuhugas ng pinggan. Hindi ko maipagkakailang mas masipag siya kaysa sa akin, kaya ako lagi ang napapagalitan ni Mommy.

A/N: Reign came from a rich family, but her mother didn't want them to be spoiled so they could stand on their own feet when she dies.

I brushed my teeth and rinsed my face afterward. Umakyat ulit ako papuntang kwarto ko and closed the door.

I quickly took my phone to check for notifications.

Naalala ko na kailangan kong ibalik 'yung hoodie sa kanya, pero hindi ko alam kung saan siya ima-message. Ni hindi ko nga alam ang account niya sa Facebook.

A brilliant idea came to mind-I'll message Elli. Alam kong marami siyang alam pagdating sa kalandian.

I typed and clicked send afterward.

To: elliedafaq

Hoy! DYK Hanz's account?

From: elliedafaq

Ayiee, sabi na eh! Crush mo siya.

To: elliedafaq

Shut up! Just tell me if you know. I don't have time for bullshits.

I was furious this time because she was making me sick, as always.

From: elliedafaq

Sorry, pero yeah, alam ko. IG account lang, though. It's hanzsome.

I was shook by what I read. Hanzsome? Gagong username 'yan, ang hangin.

To: elliedafaq

Omki, thanks!

I searched his username to see if Elli was telling the truth. I saw an account with that username-naka-mirror shot pa siya with his iPhone 15. Naks, ang yaman. Sa akin nga, Realme lang, okay na.

I sent him a message and clicked send.

To: hanzsome

Hey, your hoodie is still with me. I'll return it to you tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll wash it.

Antagal mag-reply ng hipokritong 'to. I was about to turn off my phone when it beeped. It was a notification from him.

From: hanzsome

How did u know my un? Nvm. Just give it to me tomorrow. I won't wear it, don't worry. Baka may virus pa 'yan.

To: hanzsome

Aba! Anong virus ka diyan? Humanda ka sakin bukas!

I typed fast out of frustration. Aghh.

Padabog kong inilapag ang cellphone ko sa study table and turned off the lights. Tanging lampshade na lang ang nagsisilbing liwanag sa room ko. I pulled my blanket and closed my eyes to sleep.

- - Fast Forward - -

I was already at school, waiting for him to arrive.

A/N: Her school is Feinheir High School, though I didn't mention it earlier.

Nakakainip. Ang tagal-tagal naman ng hipokritong iyon, ah. I was about to put the hoodie back in my bag when, suddenly, I bumped into someone's chest.

I looked up and saw Hanz's face-so angelic and... handsome.

"Where's my jacket?" he asked.

"H-here," I stammered. I handed him his jacket, then quickly turned away out of embarrassment. Shit! Ang pogi niya pala kahit hipokrito siya.

"Thanks," he said, then went to his seat-which was beside mine. Naiinis ako sa kanya, pero may kung anong feeling akong hindi maipaliwanag.

My heart skipped a beat when he sat next to me, but I knew he was my academic rival.

The classes went well. Nagpa-pretest lang si Ma'am tungkol sa Photosynthesis.

After 15 minutes, nag-check na kami ng mga papel. Dahil katabi ko siya, wala akong choice kundi magpalitan kami ng papel.

I checked his paper. The quiz was up to 35 points, and habang nagche-check ako, napansin kong wala siyang maling sagot.

My heart was racing-feeling ko matatalo niya ako. No way!

After checking, we passed our papers forward, and our teacher announced the scores.

"The highest among all of you is Mr. Hanz Arseo," our teacher said. The class clapped-everyone except me. What the fuck? Bakit siya pa? Dapat ako 'yun! Since elementary, wala pang nakakatalo sa akin.

A playful smirk was plastered on his face.

"His score is 34.5 out of 35," our teacher added. Half a point lang ang nawala dahil kulang ang label niya.

"The next highest is Ms. Reign Ramirez with a score of 34 out of 35," she said. They all clapped, and what caught my attention was his smirk while clapping. Shit! Ano 'yan? Naka-batak siguro 'to ng drugs.

"Congrats," he said, grinning. Aba, at tuwang-tuwa pa siya na inisin ako, ah!

"Congrats too," I said grumpily while rolling my eyes.

Our teacher bid goodbye, and we all stood up to say farewell.

"Don't be so happy. Matatalo kita sa susunod," I said irritably.

"Good luck," he said, still pissing me off.