POV

11.06.24

It’s early in the morning, and here I am, already at the campus.

I shouldn’t have had to come today, but I need to meet with a former high school classmate and their peers for school-related matters.

Luckily, our teachers for the classes scheduled this morning are absent, caught up with their own commitments.

They’ve simply assigned us activities to complete online, to be submitted later through Google Classroom.

As I wander around the campus in search of a spot to sit, I try to avoid standing too long—my legs are already beginning to ache from waiting.

I finally spot an empty chair tucked in a quiet corner.

I make my way over, plopping down and placing my bag beside me.

I take a deep breath, trying to ground myself before reaching for the paperwork they need to fill out.

I count everything carefully, just to make sure nothing is missing—God forbid I have to print anything again.

Fortunately, everything checks out, so I slip it all back into my folder and place it at my side.

Then, my phone vibrates in my bag.

I quickly fish it out to see a message, saying they still have class for the next two hours, so I’ll be on my own here for a bit.

I reply with a simple “Okay” and slip my phone back into my bag, now left wondering where the rest of my classmates could be.

I guess they’ll show up later.

Honestly, I kind of wish I had come at a later time. Sitting here alone isn’t ideal.

The drowsiness is creeping in, and I can already feel myself starting to drift off.

How tempting it would be to close my eyes and just sleep.

But no, I’m here now, and if I go home, I’ll just waste more time.

So, I force myself to stay awake, trying not to let the sight of the fresh-faced students walking briskly past me in their crisp uniforms distract me.

I shut my eyes for a moment, thinking maybe a brief rest would do me some good.

But ten minutes later, I’m jolted awake by loud shouts.

My eyes flutter open, and I notice a group of students standing in front of me, clearly in the midst of something exciting.

They’re all wearing matching PE uniforms.

And then it hits me—yellow PE uniforms? Oh my goodness, is that... Rizal’s class?

I squint, double-checking the color of their shirts, and sure enough, they’re all in yellow.

My heart skips a beat.

It’s them.

The Rizal class.

Without thinking, my body seems to wake up on its own, sitting up straight as if by instinct.

There he is again.

I glance over at the group, and there he stands in the third row, right in the middle of it all.

And then it catches my eye—he’s not wearing his glasses today, just like yesterday.

Why? I wonder.

Is his eyesight okay now?

I had noticed how thick his glasses were before.

Maybe he’s fine now? Or maybe not?