Cheer Up, Captain

Chapter 01

Chapter 01

My eyes widened when I saw the face behind the voice. No... Why him of all people?! Why Finley Angelo Suarez?! He's like literally the worst! He's what my nightmares are made of! Behind that gorgeous face is a rotten personality! He's such a first-class asshole!

"What's the problem with my room?" he asked the concierge behind me. Ugh! So good at ignoring me! Kapal!

"Sir, ano po—"

"Nothing!" I interjected as I dragged my suitcase behind me. No way in freezing hell would I tell him my problem! I could still clearly remember how he turned me down back in the 7th grade. There was a formal dance in school and I needed a partner... Naturally, I wanted him to be my partner because he's the most famous guy in our school—I mean, sila ng kambal niya, but Riley's a huge nerd, so he's not a match for the image I was trying to build.

So, I made sure I looked and smelled nice and asked him to be my date... and he very publicly told me that he wasn't, in the slightest, interested. Sobrang humiliating!

He seriously told me that he'd rather go to the dance with a chair kaysa samahan ako! The nerve of that asshole!

I almost transferred school sa sobrang kahihiyan, but my parents didn't allow me because they told me that I needed to graduate from SCA because of 'connections.' The stress Finley gave me! I had to memorize his sched yearly para lang hindi magtagpo ang landas namin sa school! I even had to go to ABM kahit na STEM iyong gusto ko!

I got out of the building.

And then the realization hit me...

I got freaking scammed.

My god... I wasn't the smart girl my parents always told me I was...

Agad akong napa-upo sa gutter. I covered my face with my hands. Saan ako titira? I really wanted to live here! The school's just around the area, so I could walk... If I like someplace else pa, I'd still have to find a way to get to school.

Oh, my god... I just wanted to be rich again! Hindi bagay sa akin iyong ganito!

I was still pondering about my life when I saw Finley walking towards my direction. I didn't know if he could see me since he was talking to someone with his phone. I immediately stood up and walked away. Over my dead body bago niya malaman kung anong kamalasan ang nangyari sa 'kin!

While walking, I looked up vacant spaces near me... I still had money left, but it's supposedly for food! Gosh, did I need to find work? But I was still studying!

So stressful this life!

"This... is it?" I asked when the landlady showed me the place that I was supposed to rent. I stepped in. That was it. Iyon na 'yun! Ni walang window!

"Ayaw mo ba? Kung hindi e nagsasayang lang ako ng oras," she grumpily said.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay, fine... I'll take it," I said in complete and utter defeat. Itong place lang ang tumanggap sa akin even though minor pa ako and walang ID bukod sa school ID ko from SCA.

I had to pay 2 months advance and 1 month deposit for this small space. The only consolation I probably had was that it's kinda near school. I couldn't walk to the school, but maybe I could take public transpo and just walk to school. I'd just pretend na lang na sa condo ako naka-tira.

As they say, denial is the name of the game.

I was so tired na, but I still couldn't sleep without sanitizing the place. I got out to buy bleach and alcohol. I mean, I was probably poor, but I still needed to be clean! Hindi ako pwedeng madumihan! If my parents wouldn't be able to get past this, I needed my face to get a rich guy!