Hey, Cupid (COMPLETED)

Chapter 4: The Rival (Part 2)

I furrowed my brows, digesting what she had told me. And then I begin laughing.

“The hell, Feb? You seriously think that I would believe that sort of nonsense? Who would even think of that kind of reason? Are you for real?” I asked, holding my stomach because I couldn’t stop laughing about her silly remark.

“But I’m not kidding. I’m telling the truth.” She said pouting and crossing her arms.

“Or are you just telling me that so I would give up and accept that I would not be able to defeat you? If that’s the reason, then no. I would still compete with you and I would still try defeating you. I am not born a Sy just to be a pathetic loser.” ‘And I would not be able to confess, if I would just accept that it will always be her who would emerge victorious.’

While I previously thought that no woman would be able to be worthy to stand on my level so I was never interested in them, Feb proved me wrong. This girl is special, just like me. I have already found my match and I would make sure she’ll be mine. I mean, who wouldn’t want to date me in the first place, right? However, I have to defeat her first or else my pride would suffer for the rest of my life. 

~-~

[Setting: 2 Months Before the Present Time]

It was during our last competition before graduating Senior High School that I decided to put my everything on the preparation. It’s now or never. We’ll be attending a colloquium and we would present our research papers. The team that I had formed consists of the top three best students in our school. We have been working for that paper for over eight months now and I’m pretty confident that we ours is really interesting. We also had already prepared for every single question that the panel might ask us. It was a three-day convention, with the first day being having some seminars, the second day being the competition proper and the third day, the awarding ceremony. 

The first day had finished in an instant without us (me and my teammates) leaving our room because we were busy perfecting our presentation. It was our team who will first present our research.

During the presentation, I could see the approving look from the panel making me even more confident in the question and answer portion. We had received positive feedbacks from the panel and I couldn’t be happier because I can now slowly grasp my triumph. We leave the stage. It was now time for the AU’s representatives to present their work.

I tried searching for Feb, but she wasn’t there. Her name was on the presentation, but it was announced by the emcee that a member of the team would not be able to participate during the event because she got sick and cannot leave her bed.

As soon as the team finished, I want to ask them about Feb’s condition but it is me we are talking about here, so I just sucked it up and worry on my own.

The next day, as expected, we won. Not that Feb’s team’s research paper is bad. The research itself was actually good. It was at par with our team’s paper, however, her members had presented with such mediocracy that I myself was neither fully impressed nor convinced.

I was lost in my thoughts when my teammate tapped my shoulders saying that it’s now time to receive our awards. After the photo op, I went down the stage. I was taken aback because I thought the smiling girl in front of me would not attend the convention anymore. After all, today’s just the awarding ceremony. ‘Oh, right. They won second place. Must be that she wanted to receive the award herself.’

She waved her hands gleefully towards me. “Al! Here!” She called me. I walked towards her direction.

“Ano nga ulit ‘yong sinabi mo, Feb? That I would not be able to defeat you? Well, that was not the case anymore because look, I just got a gold medal. Ang galing-galing ko talaga, ‘di ba?” I said, flashing her my most confident grin.