A Close Second

Eighth

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My mood for Monday was what you would call... subdued.

The entire weekend happened to pass by without any more events, which was unsurprising. Weekend was kind of hangout time with Jacob, and with him being preoccupied at the moment with 'Thea' business, I was pretty much left alone.

"What happened?" Mikki asks once na makaupo siya sa tabi ko.
I looked up at my Economics book. "What do you mean?"
"You look down."

Down? No, that doesn't even cover it.

Not a syllable from Jacob, my awkward explanation to Mom for the thing with Andrei, and then the dread of seeing 'Andrew' again.

For some reason, I couldn't shake the memory of how I found out who he was. It was like my life was turning into a badly written cliché movie all of a sudden.

So no, I wasn't down. I was generally pissed.

"I'm not." I gave her a smile. "I'm just... pensive."

Mikki looks at Amar, who had just arrived inside the room, raising an eyebrow at him.

"That means thoughtful, Miks." Amar says, sitting down at the chair infront of me.."Thoughtful, preoccupied, absorbed."
Mikki glares at him. "I get it, thank you."
"Anong problema, Courts?" Amar asks, ignoring Mikki.
I smiled. "Nothing. Wala naman akong problema." I tell both of them. "I'm fine. Nothing to worry about."

Mikki looks at me, and I don't think she actually believed me one bit but thankfully she doesn't press on. Amar just reminds us about the Economics recitation that we're gonna have, taking the attention from my issue once and for all.

The empty classroom slowly gets filled and I find myself on the usual humdrum of the whole class. My blood runs cold though, when I hear the familiar voices jeering on each other.

"Well, Curious lang ako."
"That curiousity, will kill you." A familiar friendly voice says back.
A sarcastic one seconds this. "As they say, curiousity kills the cat."
"You do know that saying should end with: 'but satisfaction brought it back." Another one says, coolly.

I knew who they were already even though they weren't inside the room yet. I knew them all too well.

Nagtatawanan silang apat na pumasok.

Nico was scowling, walking in front of the four of them, obviously sulking. Jake catches up to him, slinging an arm around him, grinning while Greg just was chuckling behind the both of them, with the last one of them smirking as he brought up the rear of their posse.

I looked away at Keith, whose eyes immediately landed on mine.

"Shit." I mumble, looking down.
"Did you just swear?"

Napatingin ako kay Mikki, who was staring at me like I grew another head. I blush, hiding myself sa may libro ko. I wasn't really ready for this. Not in the slightest way possible.

"Good morning."

I look up at Jacob, who sits down sa likod ko, while Keith sits down beside him, an eyebrow raised at me. Iniwas ko ulit ang tingin ko.

"Good morning." Tipid kong sagot.
Greg sits down at the chair next to me. "Great day, isn't it?"
I give him a polite smile. "It's fine, I guess."
"I think si Courtney dapat ang tanungin mo sa mga malahenyo mong tanong, Nicolo." Keith says, tone challenging habang nakatingin sa likuran namin where Nico had been sitting now. Of course, he's in the back row. His last name is Angeles. "Baka siya, masagot pa ang tanong mo."