Close as Strangers

Day 1.2:The Girl That Stole My Time

"I hope you have a great day today. Let us now all rise for the prayer before meals"

That was my cue to go. I thought about leaving her alone. I wanted to go back with my usual group. But I just couldn't. I blame those eyes. Those scared eyes.

She was silent so..... I made the first move.

"Saan ka maglalunch?"
I was asking her where she would take her lunch.

"Hindi ko alam." she replied.

Great. Here we go again.

"Sama kana sa akin. May dala naman akong lunch na. Ikaw?"

"Sige"

Wonderful. Why couldn't I just keep my mouth shut and be gone? Why was I being so friendly and helpful?

"First row seaters please move out of the gymnasium. "

That was us, so to the Curb we go.

The Curb was really a building in school but because the canteen was there the name has become synonymous with the canteen.

"Saan ka pala galing?" tanong ko habang kumakain.

"Arrowville Academy Araneo"

Woah. An Arrowville student here in Javier. That's new. Arrowville and Javier has had a huge rivalry since the time of the Philippine revolution.

"Araneo? I know about Arrowville it's pretty famous. But what's the Araneo part all about. "

She smiled like she got this question a lot.

"Araneo is a place. It's like another campus of Arrowville. It's smaller but we are still under the main campus. "

"And where would Araneo be? "

"Manila"

Wow, a Manila girl. No wonder she has this kind of aura.

She ate sparingly and quietly, her lunchbox was cute in a way that it was small, but had many things inside. While she ate, I couldn't help but, stop eating and just stare at her, I don't know why. 

"So are you a fourth year student, or Grade 10?" I asked.

"Grade 10, pero, I started as Grade 7," she replied.

"Ahhh so I'm technically younger than you."

"What? How old are you?"

"15"

And I see in her face shock, because if you could see how big, tall, and old I looked like, you could mistake me for an adult.

"But I was born 2000, I'll be 16 this September 29" I added.

She seemed to relax.

"I was worried, I thought I was older than you for a sec there, I'm 16, but only last May 17, just a week before we transferred here, May 30."

"Oh so you are a late enrollee? , what's your section?"

"I forgot, it starts with a C?"

"Ceres? That's the only C section here"

"Oh, so that's it, how about you?"

"Demeter. I was an early enrollee."

"Oh" 

We finished our lunch and still had a lot of time before the next activity was to start. We just sat there, the two of us, having small talk. She brought her phone out and I brought out mine too, but in truth, I didn't do much, it's not like I have someone to talk to in my phone. She on the other hand was typing, quite furiously. I glanced at her from time to time, watching how her hair fell, how she smiled, how her eyes were less worried and how her lips would break into that smirk. I didn't realize I was in a daze until she asked me.

"Ano pala ang libog dito sa inyo?"

My brain needed some time to process the question, and when it did, I couldn't hide my smile.

"Libog here means confused.  Example, libog na kayyo ang math, Math is confusing."

I couldn't help but laugh, I forgot that libog meant horny in Filipino.

After some time, I just could not take it anymore, I wanted to walk with her.

"How about I tour you around the campus?, It's still early."

"That would be nice, but wouldn't I take up some of your time?" she replied.

Well, this would would really steal some of my time, but I didn't care I wanted to spend some more of my time with her, so she wasn't really stealing, if I was going to give her my time willingly.

"Nah it's ok, I would be better of helping someone rather than going away now. I wouldn't want to leave you hanging."

So I got up, and she followed me towards the main road.

Then I thought to my self, "It seems strange that I haven't seen one of my classmates since the morning."

I spoke too soon.

I saw them before they saw me, and I knew how they would react that I was with a girl they have never seen.

"Nice ka Isaac." , said Jerry, a tall and lanky classmate of mine. 

"Isaac?! Who is this girl? Ikaw ha......" said Amanda, one of my sassier classmates.

"Hmmm.. I know how you work Isaac, but I didn't expect you to work this fast." said Edgar mockingly, Edgar was a pale boy, who had a bad case of acne.

"Uh guys, this is Aya" I look at her as I say it. "Aya, these are my old classmates."

"Hello! Taga-aha diay ka dai?" asked Ellie, a tomboyish girl.

As I look at her she seems scared and she doesn't understand them, she figuratively curled up in a ball. Well, she didn't say it, but I saw it in her eyes, those beautiful eyes.

So I answered for her, "Guys, she doesn't understand you, she's from Manila" 

"OH!"

"Hello ,is our friend ok ok you, he very mabait right?" said Jerry

She smirked a little and replied, "Yes"

So while they entertained her for a bit, one of my closer friends, Jethro, asked, "Is she like your cousin or something?"

"No"

"Classmate?"

"No"

"How did you meet?"

"We sat beside each other at the mass."

"And now she's following you where everywhere you go?

"Somewhat"

"And she's a new friend?"

"Yes"

"Hmmmm...."

With that I thought, I asked myself, what was she really?

Just the girl who stole my time? or something else?

"Hey Isaac, Aya, why don't you go with us to the next activity?" Amanda asked.

I looked at her for an answer, and she looked as if she was just waiting for mine, so. 

"Okay"

I didn't expect that this day would get any weirder, I was wrong.