A JOURNEY BEYOND GRADES

ESPESYAL NA KABANATA

Khalil's POV

I heard there were new students arriving today.

It’s also the day when section presidents are reassigned. I ended up in Section B — not bad, I thought.

As I walked to my newly assigned section, my eyes were drawn to a pale-skinned girl in the distance. She immediately caught my attention because she was wearing blue. I like the color blue.

There were three of them: one guy and two girls. I stopped walking, my eyes locked on the girl in blue. She was laughing with her friends, and her smile was so bright that it made me stop. I had never seen her here before.

Just then, Jayden — the president of the Special Section — approached me and casually mentioned that new students were being transferred into his section.

That’s when it hit me — the trio I had seen earlier were the new students.

Didn’t they know what this school was really about? They shouldn’t have come here.

For some reason I couldn’t explain, I offered to switch places with Jayden. He agreed without hesitation, relieved to avoid dealing with the new students and the hassle of visiting the principal’s office. Unlike him, I wasn’t intimidated by the old hag who always wore layers of thick makeup.

I learned that they were being moved to the Special Section because of their impressive grades.

I tried looking for her in the Special Section, but she wasn’t there. Chaos erupted downstairs, so I gave up and headed down.

Haven’t they adjusted to this kind of commotion yet?

I was about to go back up when, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted her again — the girl in blue.

She was stunning. I wasn’t used to having crushes, so I stayed back and watched her from a distance.

Her hair was black, slightly wavy, and shiny. I caught a glimpse of her eyes as the sunlight hit them — brown, and warm. She seemed lost in thought, her gaze wandering across her surroundings. Her side-swept bangs moved gently with the breeze.

I was mesmerized by her eyes. They had this magnetic pull, as if they could trap me in their depths. They sparkled like they were the only thing in focus, and her face — bit was soft, angelic even.

“I am the president of our section, Khalil Dixon. Ma’am Helly asked me to escort you,” I said.

She looked at me, her face full of confusion. Her brows furrowed as she studied me, and I had to hold back a laugh at her expression. I quickly turned around and started walking, not wanting her to see the smile that was spreading on my face.

After class, like I always do, I stayed alert and observed the surroundings of the school. I wanted to know what else this school was hiding, aside from the wandering eyes at night. I already knew what it could do to people. When the school grounds were quiet, that's when I watched.

Right now, I was keeping an eye on the red eyes while hiding up in a tree. I was surprised when I saw a woman appear from below.

She was running, and she stopped only when she faced the red eyes. What was she doing here?

Kakaiba ang babaeng ito.

I didn’t want to get involved. I shouldn’t. I also didn’t want her to see me. We never know, maybe this was just a trap.

I continued to watch her, but after a while, I noticed she seemed frozen, unable to move. I looked up before jumping down to her.

I quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her into a corner.

Her hand was cold. She was clearly scared by what she saw. I held her tightly as she trembled.

I never imagined that the woman I had been watching earlier would now be someone I was escorting to her dorm.

I like her smell.

For some reason I couldn't explain, I started to worry about her actions. I didn’t want to hear her voice. I felt weak inside.

When I noticed the door was opening, I quickly left. I didn’t want any other students to see me.

She was the first girl who knew about what I was doing.

I didn’t want to show her what I really felt, so I stayed firm. I kept my voice cold with her.

Until...

I kissed her.

I felt something inside me. Something I couldn’t explain. It was a feeling I wasn’t familiar with.

From that night on, I couldn’t stop myself from trying to save her from the dangers she always put herself in. It was something I only did for her. Something I couldn’t refuse when it came to her.

My feelings for her deepened. I was scared when she wasn’t in my sight. But I felt lighter whenever I sensed her presence around me.

That's when I made a promise to myself.

I will protect this woman until the last beat of my heart. Until my death, I will love you, Gladys Verlice.

As they say, "When fear meets failure, shadows eliminate."

And her, Gladys Verlice, will never lose her shadow as long as I live.

Even in the afterlife, I will never get tired of introducing myself to her again and again.

When we meet again, I will keep introducing myself to you and say the words,

"I am the president of our section, Khalil Dixon."

--END--