Egoist!

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The Enemy

Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away, there lived a beautiful princess named Elise. And everyone loved her for her kindness, bravery, and selflessness.

She was so perfect that no one ever found a single complaint  to throw against her. She never caused trouble, she never went outside to seek danger, and people were contended to just gaze upon her unspoiled perfection.

And in the end, she lived happily ever after.

And if we were really in a perfect world where a perfect character likewise existed, this would’ve been how the story ended.

But that would be so dull and uninteresting, right?

Buti nalang pala at hindi perpekto ang mundo.

Hindi nga talaga perpekto ang mundo. Alam na alam ko yan. Because I for one, is an example of the world’s – no, the universe’s dire imperfection.

My name is Maria Elise David, seventeen years old, high school senior - a single accident away from complete excellence.

Ang pinaka problema ko lang talaga ay ang pangit na ugali ko.

Maganda naman kasi ako, matalino rin, at maraming fans… fans, admirers, supporters, if you would like to call them that way.

But fans, eh? Truth be told, I simply see them as insecure nuisances whose purpose in my life is to annoy the hell out of me.

Parang itong isa lang na ‘to.

 “Good morning, Eli!” she cheerfully greeted me. Well, ambushed me would’ve been a more appropriate way to put it. Di ko kasi alam kung saang sulok siya nangaling.

And see? Here comes an eyesore this early in the morning. This girl came up to me, out of the blue, as I walked along the corridors. Gusto ko na sanang dumiretso sa classroom pero mukhang haharangin pa niya ako. Ang hassle lang.

At kahit pa gusto ko na siyang sigawan, I replied “Hello, good morning” instead. Nagawa ko pa siyang batiin dahil sa galing kong umarte at magtimpi. Great.

But wait, who the heck is this person again? I can’t even recall her name for crying out loud!

Sumabay pa siya sakin sa paglalakad. And as we continued walking, other people started piling into the mix.

 

Hay.

Sana maintindihan niyo din kung bakit hindi ko sila matawag-tawag na fans, o supporters, o kung ano pa man. Una kasi sa lahat, hindi ko maintindihan ang purpose ng ganitong mga fans club, group, association, or whatever they are supposed to be. I mean, is it really that fun crowding around a single person?

What sort of satisfaction can they get from following me around?

Most of them were telling me how beautifulI looked, some of them were complimenting me about my good grades while others were saying something about me being graceful and lady-like. Yung iba pa nilang sinasabi, hindi ko na gustong alamin. I was only half-listening in any case.

But seriously, why do they have to tell me this? It’s not like I need strangers to throw me those compliments.

“Eli, nagawa mo na ba yung homework natin sa Physics?” tanong naman nung isa.

Oh, buti pa siya, nagpakita na nang totoong pakay.