Golden Melody

Chapter 3.2

The International Examination

His Pov

I walked home like a zombie, lost in my thoughts, only snapping back to reality when my little sister, Zadriana, ran up to me.

"Kuya!" she squealed, hugging my legs.
I picked her up and carried her to the kitchen, trying to shake off the feeling of jealousy gnawing at me. It was like a tiny, Jello monster that had taken up residence in my chest, and it was refusing to leave.

Dad's voice echoed from the living room.
"Mr. Wayne, I've told you, it was just a dinner. Nothing more. Yes, we're strictly business partners now... Good day."

He sounded frustrated.
Mr. Wayne?
That caught my attention, but I let it go.
My brain was too fried to care. After setting Zadriana down and grabbing some food, I headed to my room.

The plan?
Review for the IE.

The reality?
My brain was too focused on the idea of Thyron staying over at Mimi's.

My mind kept imagining what they were doing.
Were they eating pizza?
Were they studying?
Were they...
Okay, stop it, Zatariel!

I groaned. Screw it.

I fired up Counter-Strike instead. Maybe some virtual violence would help me forget about the real-life drama unfolding in my head.

Hours flew by-shoot here, shoot there, headshot!-and before I knew it, it was 5 a.m.

I hadn't eaten dinner, hadn't slept, and hadn't reviewed.

Classic Zatariel.

I quickly showered, cooked up some adobo, stuffed my face, and dragged myself to school.

I arrived at 6:40 a.m., two hours to spare before the IE started at 9:00. Two parts: 9 a.m. to 12 noon, then 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. A whole day of brain-melting exams.

I slumped onto my desk, letting my body sink into the chair.

Nap time.

Maybe a little sleep would help me forget about the jello monster and the real-life drama unfolding in my head.

Next thing I know, someone's shaking me awake.
My brows knitted together as I groggily raised my head, half-expecting a teacher to be standing over me, ready to scold. But no-it was Miexha.

She looked terrible.
Her eyes were red and puffy, like she'd been crying all night. "Mag-start na ang exam, kaya kita ginising," she said softly.

I blinked a few times, processing her words. Right.
Exam day.
How could I forget?
Well, it wasn't hard to forget, considering I hadn't really prepared.
She sat down next to me, thanks to the magic of alphabetical order-Verra and Wov, side by side. I couldn't help but smirk a little. Miexha Verra, sitting next to me for the rest of the exam.
Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

The first part of the exam was brutal.

My brain was already fried before it even began-no sleep, no review, just a bunch of random facts floating around in my head, half-formed and useless.

I glanced over at Miexha.
She seemed calm, almost too calm, while everyone else around us was panicking, whispering about how hard the test was.

Lunch came around, and I dug out my lunchbox, ready to eat, but I noticed Miexha just sitting there. No lunch, nothing.

"Di ka kakain?" I asked, half-expecting her to get up any second.

She looked at me, shook her head, but didn't move.

Weird.

Why wasn't she going to eat? Without thinking too much about it, I slid my lunchbox toward her.

"Sayo na 'yan. I'm full," I lied through my teeth.
My stomach was growling, but seeing her like that, I couldn't just sit there and eat while she went hungry.

She hesitated but eventually opened the lunchbox and started eating, like she hadn't eaten in days.
I handed her my bottled water, watching as she gulped it down.

"Thanks... actually, kagabi pa ako di kumakain, hehe," she said sheepishly.

Wait, what? Kagabi pa?
That hit me like a brick.
"Bakit di ka pumunta ng cafeteria?"

She looked down, her voice dropping to barely a whisper. "Pinaguusapan ako lagi dun. Nakakawalang ganang kumain."

Typical. People are the worst.
I sighed.
"Lunchbox?"

"Ah, I didn't think of that," she admitted, looking embarrassed.

It struck me how unfair it was-Miexha, an heiress, but here she was, hungry.

And... wasn't she with Thyron last night?
I pushed the thought aside.

"Paki-sabi sa nagluto ng baon mo, salamat. Ang sarap ng lutong bahay,"
she said, smiling genuinely for the first time.

"Welcome," I replied, trying to suppress a grin.
"Thanks for praising my cooking."

Her eyes widened.

Clearly, she didn't expect that.
I grinned and, without really thinking, gave her a light pat on the head.

"If you're cool with it, I can make you a lunchbox every day. You need some meat on your bones. Payatot ka na, eh." I joked, though honestly, she did look thinner than I remembered.

Her eyes lit up, and she nodded enthusiastically.
I couldn't help but feel a weird sense of pride.
Look at me, future husband material.

So smooth~ chef kiss muah!

The second part of the exam came and went, and when the final bell rang, I stretched, feeling a bit better about surviving the day. Mimi turned to me, her smile soft.

"Thank you ulit sa food-and for the future food," she said, even giving me a small, shy bow.

I was about to respond when I noticed Thyron standing by the doorway, a band-aid plastered over his left brow.
He looked like he'd been in a fight.

Miexha immediately rushed over to him.
"Ron, I'm really sorry for what my kuya did," she murmured, her fingers gingerly touching the band-aid.

Wait, kuya? What happened?

Thyron's expression darkened, his fists clenched.
"Don't blame yourself, ex. I really want to get you out of that hell. I'm sorry."

Miexha shook her head, clearly upset, then glanced my way and gave me a small wave.
I waved back as she left with Thyron.

So... Thyron got beat up? By her brother?
I couldn't help but smile to myself. That means no 'hentai' moments last night.
I felt a strange, unexpected wave of relief.

I went home feeling unexpectedly happy.
My mind raced as I thought of what to cook for Miexha next.

I even started planning a grocery list and bought new Tupperware just for her lunches.
Yeah, future husband material-right there.