Rival Hearts

CHAPTER 5

Reign

Patagal ng patagal. Mas nagiging intense ang kompetisyon sa pagitan naming dalawa. Is it only me who treats him as my rival, or does he treat me as his rival too?

Weeks passed, and marami nang naganap. Nagkaroon na ng short quizzes, at palagi kaming tie ng hipokritong iyon. Lagi nalang may kasunod na "Hanz" sa pangalan ko. Nakakairita.

It's another Monday na naman. Siyempre, as usual, he is beside me again. Nagsimula na ang klase, and it went well. Naka-ub-ob lang si Hanz habang nagka-klase.

Then, the teacher asked about the answer for a question. Calculus na pala. This fucking Math is my weakness. 'Ano kayang gagawin ko ngayon? Ano ba talagang sagot? X = 13 or X = 15?'I thought to myself. Kase naman eh.

I was about to raise my hand when the guy beside me spoke.

"Ma'am, I know the answer," Hanz said, raising his hand.

"I know the answer too!" Pagsingit ko pa.

"Hmm, what is the answer then?" the teacher asked.

"13!/22!" We both shouted. I said 13, and he said 22. He looked at me, and our eyes met for a second. I quickly avoided it and returned my focus to our teacher.

I explained it on the board. "So, you need to transpose the 5..." pagpapaliwanag ko. But the teacher said my final answer was wrong dahil kulang daw ang huling step. Ano bang kulang? Siguro siya yung kulang-kulang, palibhasa kase panot!

Hanz stood up and turned his gaze on me. Nagkatinginan kami, then he whispered something.

"Watch and learn," he murmured.

Apaka-yabang naman ng hipokritong ito! I rolled my eyes.

"Before you transpose, you need to multiply it by 2 and add 7, so..." he explained. He seems so confident and fluent at explaining Math.

"So the final answer is 22," he added.

"Good job, Mr. Hanz," our teacher said, kasabay ng palakpakan ng buong klase-except me. Why would I clap? Eh konting mali lang naman 'yung sa akin, duh.

"I told you," he said, a smug grin plastered on his face, pissing me off even more.

"You're just lucky," I replied, crossing my arms in frustration.

Then, the bell rang-meaning lunch break na. Niyaya ko na si Ellie mag-lunch since naiinis na ako ngayon. *Ahhh!* Lagi nalang siya ang magaling.

"Why are you mad ba?" Ellie asked.

"'Cause of that fucking man!" I said out of frustration.

"Geez-kalma ka lang 'te," she replied.

"Paano ako kakalma?!" I yelled.

"Ililibre kita ngayon," nakangiting saad niya.

"Seryoso ka d'yan, 'te? Baka may nakain kang kung ano at manglilibre ka ngayon?" I asked sarcastically.

"Sasabihin ko ba if hindi ako seryoso?" she replied, brows furrowed.

"Okay," tanging katagang lumabas sa bibig ko.

I do not want this argument to be long.

Nasa cafeteria na kami, at oorder na sana ako nang may nabunggo sa likod ko-causing me to fall flat on the fucking floor.

"Shit," I muttered, glaring at the culprit. Si Hanz na naman?! Tangina! Lagi nalang siya ang sumisira ng araw ko. Ang dami pa namang tao, kaya nakakahiya tuloy.

Hanz helped me stand up, but I was still mad at him. He apologized, pero hindi naman sincere dahil sa ngisi sa mukha niya.

Bumalik na ako sa table na ni-reserve namin ni Ellie. Nakaupo na siya at halatang naiinip na.

"What took you so long?" she asked, brows furrowed.

"It's because of that fucking hypocrite!" I answered irritably.

"Sit down and let's talk," she replied calmly.

"What are we going to talk about?" I asked.

"What?! Di ba ikaw ang may problema?" she replied, confused.

"I'm just fucked up. Like, you know, these days keep getting worse every time he's near me. His presence makes me shiver in madness. I don't know why, pero I feel uneasy whenever he's near me," I said, letting out a heavy sigh.

"It's okay, babe. You're just anxious," she replied, making me more confused.

"Anxious of what?" I asked.

"Anxious that he might outshine you," she said sarcastically. *The heck?* Pero yeah, may point din naman ang babaeng ito.

"Do you feel anything aside from that?" she asked again, raising an eyebrow.

"Confusion, I guess?" I replied.

Ellie took a bite of her cheesecake, then her gaze landed back on me.

"Reign, always remember na hindi lang ikaw ang may utak sa mundong 'to. There are so many people out there who are smarter or better than you. Don't get mad just because someone gets ahead of you," she said, letting out a weary sigh.

I just nodded, but that's not really my point.

"You're right, but that's not what's bothering me, Ellie," I said.

"He's always making fun of me, ruining my day, and bothering me all the time. That's the thing I can't stand," I added, slumping in frustration.

"Let it pass for now, Reign. It'll go," she said in a soothing tone.

"Yeah, I hope so," I replied, feeling frustrated yet relieved at the same time.