The Engineer (Batchelor Series #2)

6

Drakon Da Vinci
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After the quiz incident, I knew it was time to make a plan to handle Renz. Hindi ko na kayang tiisin. His teasing had gone on long enough. Kung puwede ko lang siyang iwasan ng buong taon, ginawa ko na.

“Pakopya naman ako ng assignment mo, Bossing Drakon,” Renz’s voice cut through my thoughts, casual as ever. He flashed that grin, like he had no care in the world, still the same lazy burgis who couldn't even do his own work.

I shot him a glance. “Inuna mo pa kasi yang basketball mo. Now look—malinis yang notebook mo, walang laman.”

“Kung maka-pangaral ka naman, Drakon, parang si mama. Basketball is life, pre. That's my thing.” He shrugged, ang yabang.

My irritation flared. I hated this. “Bakit ka pa nag-aral kung ganyan din naman ang pangarap mo? Sana nag-basketball ka nalang.” The words slipped out sharper than I intended. It wasn’t just the basketball. It was the apathy, the way he didn’t care about anything else. Nakakainis.

Renz leaned closer, whispering dramatically. “May utang ka pa sa akin, Drakon. Dapat kiss ‘yon, pero nagbago na isip ko. Pakopya nalang ako, please.” He clasped his hands together like he was begging, eyes wide like a dog asking for treats.

Napailing nalang ako. I handed him my notebook, suppressing the urge to roll my eyes. His face lit up like he had won the lottery.

“Sabi ko na eh, di mo matitiis ang isang kagaya ko. I love you na, pare ko. Drakon for life!” He threw an exaggerated salute and laughed.

I hoped that would be the end of his antics for the day. But I was wrong—so wrong. Lalo pang lumala. In three of our classes, I had to sit next to him, and our professors had the gall to say it was for balance. Matalino daw ako, so kailangan ko ng bobong partner. Right.

In class, he would sneak whispers in my ear. “Tol, tingin ka dito.” And I’d turn, only to see him making ridiculous faces. Outside of class, he was worse, following me around, acting like some cartoon character.

Di ko alam kung paano ko kinakaya ang energy niya araw-araw. But I tried. For a while, I ignored him. Focus. Concentrate on schoolwork, I told myself. Except it never worked. Renz always found a way to pull me out of my thoughts, usually with another ridiculous joke or his mock-serious commentary.

It was during one group project that things reached another level. We were supposed to be focusing, pero si Renz, ayun, making silly voices behind me. He was doing impressions of our teacher—mukha syang tarantado. The group was laughing quietly, and despite myself, I felt my lips twitching. Damn it, why did I have to find this guy funny?

Then Renz tapped my shoulder. “Hey, tol, can I talk to you for a minute?”

I raised an eyebrow. Eto na naman siya, serious mode. Maybe, finally, he’d apologize for all the teasing.

But no. “Drakon, nakita kita kanina, tumitingin ka sa akin sa klase. Crush mo ba ako?” He flexed his face close to mine, ang pangit talaga.

I groaned. “Seryoso ka, Renz? Gusto mo masuka ako dito?” I started to walk away, but of course, he followed.

“Hindi, pre. Seryoso ako this time.” He jogged to catch up, his usual goofy grin replaced with a surprisingly genuine look. “I think we could be friends. Like, actual friends.”

I slowed down, turning to face him. There was something different in his eyes, as if he meant it this time. Was this real, or just another one of his pranks?

“Burgis, if you really want to be friends, then stop teasing me. Stop calling me pre-med. Can you do that?”

For a moment, Renz looked serious, almost hurt. “I promise, Drakon. No more teasing. I just want to get to know you better.”

I hesitated. Could he actually be serious this time? I couldn’t tell, but for some reason, I felt like giving him a chance.

The next few days, true to his word, Renz held back. Hindi na sya nang-asar sa akin—well, not as much. He still made jokes, but they weren’t directed at me. And slowly, I found myself...enjoying his company. Weird. Kapag matino si Renz, okay naman pala siya. Pag hindi lang toxic, nakakatuwa din sya kasama.

We started eating lunch together. He’d talk about his favorite anime, basketball, and even video games. Turns out, we had more in common than I expected.

“Sino favorite mo sa Slam Dunk?” he asked one day, casually wiping crumbs off his shirt.

“Si Rukawa,” I replied. “Sabi ni Papa, kamukha ko raw ‘yon, lamang pa nga ako ng isang ligo.” I smirked.

Renz nearly choked on his food, laughing. “Bulag siguro si Tito!” he managed to say before I smacked him with my sandwich, right in the face.

Sakto, dumating ang supervisor, catching Renz with his mouth full and sandwich splattered across his cheeks. “Sabi ko na sa'yo, tol. Don’t talk if your mouth is full,” I teased, barely holding in my laughter as Renz glared daggers at me.

But then, just when I thought everything was going smoothly, Renz did something that threw me off balance. We were walking down the hallway after class when he suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me into an empty room.

“May sasabihin ako, Drakon. Importante.”

My heart pounded. Ano na naman ‘to? Was he going to confess? I wasn’t ready for that. No way. But his expression was serious, his eyes locked on mine.

“I’m bored. Let’s prank our friends,” he said, grinning from ear to ear.

I blinked. Yun lang? Seriously?

I shook my head, frustrated. “Renz, I don’t know if I can trust you. You’re always playing around with me.”

He looked hurt, pouting like a child. “Akala ko friends na tayo. Thought we had something real.”

I sighed, torn. Part of me wanted to believe him, but the other part knew better. “I don’t know. I need time to think.”

Renz nodded, looking down. “Okay, Drakon. But, can I ask one thing?”

I raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Can I still tease you a little bit?”

I laughed, rolling my eyes. “Tanginamo, Renz. Burgis ka talaga.”

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