What's It All About, Maine?

Part Two

So there... Maybe what made Maine cope up for three years in Architecture, is Alden. She's inspired everyday... For three long years.

She's been silently crushing on him, for THREE YEARS now, but not in a "tulo-laway" way ha. Gwapo, makulit, maingay minsan, (achiever pa!) and maybe because Alden's one of the first enrollees for the CA (College of Architecture) in their campus (5 years pa lang sa campus nila ang Architecture), almost everybody from CA know him. And, mind you, Alden excels on most of his major subjects. Makulit pero pagdating sa pag-aaral, seryoso.

Maine also knows Alden hadn't had a girlfriend yet, as far as she knew. She had not seen or heard anything about him courting or dating a girl within the campus, madalas kakulitan mga guy batchmates. They have their own group. Matitino naman. They spend most of their time inside the admin office. Because of their seniority,  they're the ones helping their professors with CA's activities.

Alden and Maine would sometimes bump into each other at the hall way. And most of the time, Alden would say hi to Maine. And she would always assume that, maybe, maybe Alden kinda fancy her. Joke! Since her first year in Architecture, every little his and hellos from Alden made her kilig secretly.

Nobody from her friends knew about her secret crush on Alden... Because her best friend and the first one who approached her on the first day of class, Judie, also has a crush on him. Judie who's been too vocal about it and had vandalized on every blackboards, whiteboards, walls, chairs, drafting tables (name it!), her special code for Alden... "dendie", is all over the campus.

Judie has been Maine's confidant for years. When it comes to Maine's personal, academic and (sometimes) financial problems, she's been there for her through thicks and thins. Maine also saw her approached Alden many times, but to no avail, palaging hanggang small talks lang si Alden kay Judie. Sometimes Judie would ask help from Alden about her made-up problems, but after a few small talks, Alden would have a hint somehow.

So she decided to give up... Architecture, that is. Judie shifted to another course last semester, interior designs. She's never been happy with architecture she said, it was her calling to become an interior designer, she exaggeratedly stated with conviction.

Her crush on Alden, can wait. Someday she said to Maine.

********

So there, Maine was left alone for this sem and for the coming excruciating years in Architecture. Her supposed-to-be thesis partner left her. She also has other friends but not as close as Julie. Kaya ngayon, ngarag siya most of the time, wala na kasing katsikahan at kakopyahan ng homeworks. School, bahay, school, bahay na lang siya.

Never the less, Maine still managed to maintain her good grades... Kahit hirap na hirap na siya sa course na pinilit ni Alden para sa kanya. Yun talaga ang feeling ni Maine, Civil Engineering sana eh. Hehe! But little by little, nagugustuhan na rin naman nya gumawa ng concept of designs, floor plans, elevations and site developmental plans, perspectives, autocad... Ok.

Sa tulong din ni Alden. Without him knowing, of course.

And also due to her egos and being competitive... She's fighting for her life. Malapit na ang thesis, huh!

At isa pa!

Si Alden, being one of their college admin's frequent visitors, Maine assumed, has access on all of the students' files and grades too. That's why she's been trying so hard, for three years, to have good grades. Mahirap na mapahiya sa crush niya.

Kaso yun nga....

This is Alden's last year in college. Paano na?

********

Finally her day ended well. Except for the fact that happened early this morning.

Maine's been contemplating under the long covered path walk on her way out the gates of the campus, when...

"Hi Maine!", she heard someone greeted her from behind. She looked... "Pauwi ka na, Maine?"

Si Alden.