Freshman Girl and Junior Guy (a short story) INTERIM GODDESS OF LOVE PREQUEL

2. Tuesday Morning

"You know what I think? I think he wants me to do it."

"Submit your name to Flowers For A Cause so he has a reason to buy you flowers? Why doesn't he just buy you flowers then?"

Sol Delloro is my closest friend in school right now, but she doesn't get it. She's rich, for one. Her family owns several businesses in Naga and the Bicol region, and a donation, or buying a bouquet of roses, is nothing to her. And she has a boyfriend. It's a long distance relationship right now because he chose to stay in Bicol to study, but still. She doesn't get it.

Maybe Quin is being subtle.

Or maybe I'm the dumb one, ignoring all the signs that have been laid out in front of me. He introduced himself to me. He made the first move.

He keeps saying hi.

He walked me home last night! Who does that?

"Is he on scholarship too?" Sol asks. Also, "How many sanitary pads again?"

I peek over her shoulder. "They said five per pack, but I try to put eight if I can. Who can live on five pads their whole period?"

"But we're going to run out of donated pads if we overpack the bags."

"Thank you for giving some, by the way. It's why I asked."

I volunteered to sort the feminine products section of the relief effort today, because I have some time before my morning classes start. It's the least-manned section of the entire process, lacking not just assigned volunteers but also donations. I mean, sure, food and clothing should come first when recovering from a storm, but don't things like sanitary pads and shampoo start to make you feel more human? I saw yesterday that there weren't a lot of these products coming in, so I asked Sol to donate those instead. Since she was planning to buy relief goods anyway.

"I'm not sure if he's on scholarship. I don't think so," I continue. "He's not walking around with a phone or tablet all the time."

"And he walked you home last night, right? He doesn't have a car?"

"Not that I've seen."

"Hannah, Hannah, Hannah." Sol's eyes twinkle as she tears open a large pack of sanitary pads and sorts them into piles of eight. "Do you think this guy can't afford the flower thing? Why would he even suggest it?"

"I don't know why he'd bring it up!"

"Because if it's just the flowers or the cause, you know I can make a donation in your name."

I shake my head. People with money, they think differently. "Thank you, Sol, but what you're doing today is enough for me. The donation to the livelihood thing, I want to earn that myself." Or at least have it mean something to the person donating in my name.

Like, if he wants to, because the flowers would make me happy.

That means something.

"Sorry, what's his name again? I thought you said Quin," Sol says.

"I did," I reply. "Quin Apolinario."

Her eyes widen and her pile of pads falls. "No. What?"

"What what?"

"Oh, you don't know this because you're not into sports. Quin is...he's in the varsity basketball team, Hannah. Tall guy, right? Sort of shaggy hair, strong chin? He never mentioned it?"

No, he didn't. He hasn't.

"Well, this is interesting," Sol says. "He's from one of the most prominent families supporting Ford River College. Like, in the board of directors. He should have money to buy you flowers if he wants to, Hannah. What's he doing telling you to put your name up to be sponsored?"

Oh god.

Maybe because he wasn't being subtle.

Maybe he was just being nice. And helpful.

Maybe I shouldn't assume things.