Countless Stars

Chapter 3

Oh God! He was so close, so close dinama ko ang dibdib ko at nandon pa rin yung kabog. Buti na lang dadalawa pa lang kami sa loob ng classroom. He wasn't here nung first semester siguro transfer student siya. Nilingon ko ulit siya at sa kamalas-malasan nakatitig pa rin siya sakin. Agad kong binawi ang aking tingin. I heard him cough, probably to get my attention but I fixed my gaze on my notes. 'No Yana compose yourself '  mahirap na baka mamaya akalain niyang affected ako sa presensiya niya, 'Hindi nga ba? ' tanong ng maldita kong utak.

" I'm sorry if I startled you. Nagandahan lang kasi ako sa sulat mo and I'm amazed na kaya mong gumawa ng ganyan kadetailed na reviewing notes" sabi niya, I felt him shuffle in his seat. Sana naman before ka magandahan sa sulat ko inalam mo rin sana kung gaano ka kalayo pupwesto. I can still feel his hot breath fanning my nape.

I cleared my throat, " It's fine basta ba wag ka na lang masyadong lumapit " nadidistract kasi ako sa bango mo. I wanted to add but that would be shameless.

He smiled at napahawak na lang siya sa batok niya na para bang nabasa niya ang nasa isip ko, " I'm James by the way" he offered his hand and I shook it. Ang lambot ng kamay niya parang di nagtratrabaho. Sabagay halata naman sakanya na anak mayaman siya. he clasp my hand tightly and stared at my eyes. What is wrong with this guy?

Binawi ko na ang kamay ko sa pagkakawak niya and I averted my gaze. " My name's Reiko but everyone calls me Yana" I said in a small voice,

He smiled at me, " How come that it's Yana when your name is Reiko?" 

" Well it's because of my second name. My friend calls me Yana " I explained to him. I thought that he looked cute now that I faced him. He got chinky eyes and and his simple smile revealed dimples. Get a grip Yana kung gwapo siya imposibleng wala siyang girlfriend.

" I dont really understand your friends, why call you Yana when you have a cool name like Reiko?"  he asked,napakamot na lang siya sa ulo. Napatawa na lang ako sa sinabi niya.

he looked at me wondering why I laughed, " Eh kasi naman she hates anime my first name reminds her anime and mangas, Saka it's just a friend nagiisa lang siya' sagot ko

"Huh? Nagiisa lang siya?" gulat na sabi niya. Napatango na lang ako everytime someone asks me about friends nabibigla na lang sila because I always tell them that i only have one friend.

His eyes lingered a bit more on my face and then he said " Oh sige, friends na tayo whether you like it or not " 

The defense mechanism of my brain suddenly went haywire. this is a first for me. I have a hard time making friends since elementary. No, since I was born nahihirapan akong makipagusap sa mga tao. i dont know Mimay always drags me to meet her friends but they never talk to me. it became normal for me afterall, I'm gerateful to have one friend. 

"Basta wala ng bawian ha?" tumayo siya sa inuupuan niya at lumipat sa tabi ko, I watched him get settled sa tabi ko. " Ayan since friends na tayo maybe I can sit beside you" Ngayon mo lang sinabi kung kailan nakaupo ka na?

I just shrugged, Ano pang magagawa ko eh you settled yourself before you even asked.

"What?" he asked na para bang wala siyang ginawa. Umiling na lang ako, okay I admit medyo naiilang ako sa ganitong sitwasyon. It never happned to me before and I dont know how to react on it. Maybe it's not going to be bad. I returned my attention to my reviewer. I felt him join me nung mas lalong lumakas yung amoy niya.

We just reviewed the whole time totally ignoring the fact na wala palang klase. Saka ko lang nalaman na wala kaming klase when I checked my messenger, Minsan talaga being socially inept is such a nuisance. I apologized to James hoping na hindi siya magdadalawang isip na nakipagkaibigan siya saakin with this minor mistake. Kung bakit ba sa lahat ng araw ngayon pa um-absent si Dumayas. He insisted na sabay kaming mag-lunch pero I'm stil not ready for that. Kailangan ko pang i-condition ang sarili kong wag pumikit habang pasimple ko sinasamyo ang pabango niya. Mahirap na baka pagkamalan niya akong weirdo.