SHUTTERED HEART

CHAPTER 1

"How do offenders repeal their rights?" The silence in our classroom was shattered by this question on our first day of school. I could feel the nervousness creeping up on me, as I didn't know what to expect.

Our professor's gaze shifted towards me, adding more pressure as he approached me. "Mr. Montemayor, can you please answer my question?" he asked. I felt the anxiety building up, afraid that I might stumble and become the subject of ridicule.

All eyes were on me as I took a deep breath before answering. "In legal terms, offenders cannot directly repeal their rights," I replied. The professor nodded, seemingly unfazed by my response.

He slowly walked back to his table and asked another question, this time with his back turned towards me: "Can you give me examples of why offenders can't repeal their rights?"

I gathered my thoughts and replied, "Sir, in some cases, offenders may have restrictions placed on their right to vote, possess firearms, hold certain positions of authority, or travel freely."

Our professor stared at me, his expression unreadable. But this was not new to me, as the school I came from had its fair share of challenging experiences. "Good job, Montemayor!" he suddenly exclaimed.

To my surprise, everyone in the classroom applauded. I didn't know how to react, feeling a mix of shyness and gratitude. I took my seat, and our professor resumed teaching. It was one of our major subjects, and it was my first class in this new school.

As the first period ended, I decided to take a break and grab something to eat. The canteen was crowded, with many students lining up.

"Transferee?" I heard a voice behind me. I turned around and was startled to see someone so close.

"Yes," I replied quickly.

I glanced at the person, and they approached the food vendor next to me. "Which school did you transfer from?" they asked persistently.

"University of Iloilo," I answered directly as I collected my order and paid. I realised that I needed to make friends here since I didn't know anyone yet.

"UI is one of the best schools and always produces top passers. Why did you transfer here? It's just a state university with a lower system," they said, following me as I walked towards an empty table.

I didn't know how to answer their question since I couldn't reveal the main reason why I transferred.

"Yes," I began to answer, but I was interrupted by a group of boys approaching us.

They smiled at me.

One of them extended his hand. "I'm Dustine. Nice to meet you, bro."

"Elijah Drake Montemayor, it's my pleasure!" I replied.

The person I was talking to earlier seemed surprised. "We've been talking for a while, but I haven't introduced myself. I'm Roswell Leigh Dela Cruz, but you can call me 'Well' if you find it too long."

After introducing myself to them, someone shouted in the distance, signalling that our teacher had arrived.

We all stood up and made our way back, joining the rest of the classmates. Our section was quite large—around 50 or more students—and we all gathered in one canteen.

"Our teacher is here! Provide your class card and present your blue form!" our teacher instructed.

I quickly took out my class card from my bag.

"How's your first day here at our school?" I heard a voice from the person next to me. I couldn't see their faces since my back was turned towards them, facing my bag.

I turned to look at them. "This school is giving me more excitement," I replied. Maybe I said that because I was used to having strict professors at UI.

They smiled. "Be careful here. There are many bullies in our section, and they might try to intimidate or trip you up," they whispered, their voice barely audible.

I already knew who they were referring to, as I could sense their attitude from the moment I entered. It wasn't new to me since I had encountered various types of people in my previous school.

I was puzzled by their statement. "Thank you, but that isn't normal for me. What I mean is, I'm not easily affected by them."

They smiled again. "Not yet, huh? Well, you should be prepared with your class card when our teacher arrives!" our professor shouted.

After collecting our class cards and blue forms, we proceeded to our next class.

It turned out to be a whole discussion that I struggled to understand. Aside from the difficulty of the subject, our professor taught at a fast pace, and I could see my classmates yawning earlier.

The chapter ends with me waking up to the sound of my alarm clock. It was already 4:30 AM. I was accustomed to waking up early, perhaps due to my body clock. Sometimes I even woke up before my alarm went off.

I quickly got up to start cooking. I live with my uncle in exchange for helping with household chores, especially cooking, every morning while my roommates are still asleep.

We have a house nearby, but my father and I no longer live there as he stays with my stepmom, who is my aunt.

"Early riser, huh?" my uncle remarked, surprising me. I didn't expect anyone to be awake upstairs yet. We slept on the ground floor, while the kitchen was on the second floor.

"I have an early schedule today, so I need to cook early. I'm also going to apply to the school publication as a photojournalist."

He finished brushing his teeth while I continued washing the pan. I always cooked eggs and hotdogs for my roommates. Ricky, one of my boardmates, usually cooks in the evenings.

"Good luck!" my uncle said briefly. He rarely spoke, as he used to be a strict teacher when I was in senior high school.

After cooking, I quickly changed and prepared to leave.

When I arrived at school, there was a programme going on. I didn't stay to watch the drug lecture; instead, I went straight to the library.