You Again, Professor [GL• #2]

PART 2: CHAPTER 5

Isla's POV

13 years ago...

I would be lying to myself if I said that annoying kid wasn’t messing with my head. Ever since the moment I laid my eyes on her, she never escaped my mind. Every time she calls my name, my heart unconsciously beats faster, and it pisses me off. I hate how my body reacts before my mind can even catch up. Worse, there are moments when I couldn’t even look away.

Napapatulala na lang ako sa kaniya. It’s as if she’s a work of art, something I couldn’t take my eyes off no matter how hard I tried. And that idea annoys me even more.

Naiinis na rin ako sa sarili ko. I can’t even focus on my paperwork because she keeps invading my thoughts. Numbers blur, words lose meaning, and all I see is her face.

“That damn kid,” I murmured to myself, frustrated, as I roughly brushed my fingers through my hair. I leaned back on my chair, closing my eyes, hoping she’d disappear from my head but she didn’t.

I know she’s the daughter of that attorney. I know, I shouldn't let myself be involved with hers. She should be irrelevant to me. Yet my anger keeps telling me that I should hate her because she’s the  daughter of that damn Atty. Ignacio Sanchez. Her green eyes keep reminding me of North, and every single time that thought crosses my mind, my blood boils.

And yet… no matter how much I remind myself that she’s a Sanchez, no matter how hard I cling to that reason, the confusion doesn’t go away. My chest tightens, my thoughts clash, and I’m left wondering why someone like her has this much power over me.

I’m so confused. And what scares me the most is that I don’t even understand myself anymore or why I’m being like this in the first place?

Dahil sa sobrang pag-iisip, nagpasya akong magtungo sa bahay ni Samara. Kahit alanganing oras na, pinagbuksan pa rin niya ako. Nadatnan ko siyang may bisita—si Patrick. Hindi naman kami close, kaya hinayaan ko muna silang mag-usap habang tahimik akong naupo sa gilid.

Nang makaalis si Patrick, saka ko lamang naitanong kay Samara ang tungkol sa kaniya.

“Is he courting you?” seryosong tanong ko sabay higop sa mainit na kape.

Mabilis siyang umiling. “No… I mean, yes. Pero I don’t like him, and you know that,” diretsahang sagot niya.

Alam ko naman iyon. Kilala ko si Samara, hindi siya yung tipo na basta-basta. At alam ko rin na ang batang si Gomez ang tunay niyang gusto, lalo na’t may pinagsamahan ang dalawa noon pa man.

Tumango lang ako. “Well, you should make it clear to him,” sabi ko. “Although I don’t support your forbidden relationship with that kid, it’s just that… I hope you remember that you’re the president of the university. Doing shameless things would ruin you, Sam,” seryoso kong paalala.

Napabuntong-hininga siya. “Yeah, I know that,” sagot niya habang pinipisil ang tasa ng kape. “Kaya nga gumagawa na rin ako ng paraan para ibigay kay Kuya Zaint ang shares ko sa school. I can’t keep juggling everything forever.”

“Gising na ba siya mula sa coma?” tanong ko, sabay muling pag-inom ng kape.

She shook her head. “Not yet. But he's getting better, and I’ll talk to him if he wakes up. I just need to fix things… before they get messier than they already are.”

Tumango na lang ako. “Uhm… I hope he understands everything.”

“By the way,” bigla niyang tanong na puno ng kuryosidad, “what are you doing here? Hindi ka pumupunta ng ganitong oras for nothing.”

Maingat kong ibinaba ang mug sa mesa. “Well, it’s about Gomez’s close friend…” Hindi pa man ako tapos ay tila may ideya na agad siya.

“Si Sanchez?” tanong niya, confirming kung si Khaiy ang tinutukoy ko.