Dying Embers

Chapter One

Chapter One: Too Much

Kagat-kagat ko ang labi ko habang nakatingalang binabasa ang malalaking letrang gawa sa metal na nasa harapan ko.

CASPIAN STATE UNIVERSITY

Kinakabahan ako. I don't know anyone in this school! Ang mga kaibigan ko naman ay sa ibang school nag-transfer for Senior year at ako lang ang nahiwalay sa kanilang lahat. My gosh! Feels like this is a torture to me. I hated it! But what choice do I have? This is what my parents wanted and I have nothing to do about it.

Huminga ako ng malalim bago tuluyang pumasok sa loob. The first thing that came to my mind was...woah!

Huge buildings, vast fields, long hallways, and many things I couldn't even name. I felt like I was in a different country as I took in the whole campus. I couldn't help but be amazed. Not bad at all, I thought. Still, it would've been better if my friends were here with me.

Pinili kong maglakad sa daanan malapit sa field kung saan may mga estudyanteng naglalaro ng baseball. Nakayuko lang ako habang naglalakad dahil hindi ako masyadong sanay maglakad mag-isa lalo na't maraming estudyanteng nakapalibot sa buong paligid. Tahimik lang akong naglalakad nang biglang may marahas at mabilis na sasakyang lumampas sa akin at halos mabangga ako dahil sa bilis niyang magmaneho.

Great! Just fucking great! Note the sarcasm.

The car screeched to a stop and parked near the side of the field, where other cars were also parked. I quickly approached it, intending to give the driver a piece of my mind, but as I got closer, I froze. The door opened, and out stepped a guy — around 183 cm tall — with messy hazelnut hair that he casually tousled as he exited the car. His pitch-black eyes were so striking that it was impossible not to stare, and his lips, slightly shaped like Cupid's bow, looked soft and inviting. His sharp nose fit his face perfectly. He was the kind of guy who could turn heads in an instant, no joke.

Feels like the world just turned slow motion when he turned his gaze towards me and now I came face to face with the guy with a set of pitch black ones looking at mine.

"Hey, beautiful." He said with a small sexy smile plastered on his cupid arrow-like lips. Bigla kong nakalimutan ang rason kung bakit ko siya nilapitan. For a seventeen year old, I guess, he has this deep baritone voice that echoed both my ears.

"Martinez, fucking watch out!" Dinig kong sigaw ng isang lalaki na nagmumula sa field, humahangos ito habang tumatakbo palapit sa amin.

Biglang napalingon ang lalaki — na kaharap ko, sa tumawag sa kaniya. Nanlaki ang mga mata niya at bumaling kaagad ang tingin niya sa akin. I gasped when he hold both of my shoulders and then the next thing I knew was I am caught off guard! Nakasandal na ako sa kaniyang kotse at kitang-kita ko ang pag-aalala ng lalaki sa kaniyang itim na mga mata habang nakatingin sa akin. What the hell did just happened?

Napasinghap ako at napapikit ng nakarinig ako ng pagkabasag — na sa tingin ko naman ay lalagayan 'yon ng mga halaman at babasagin ito.

His scent wafted towards my nose, stunning me a bit while my eyes remained shut. Damn, he smells good.

"Fuck shit! Miss Ruiz is going to kill me!" Mura ng lalaking sumigaw kanina. Pagmulat ko ng aking mata ay nakatitig pa rin ang lalaki na siyang humila sa akin.

Wow, he looked even better up close.

"Hey, Martinez! You should've catch the ball." Sisi ng lalaking sumigaw sa kaharap ko.

Nangunot ang kaniyang noo at mabilis na bumaling sa lalaki at sumigaw.

"You moron!"

But the guy just chuckled.