Genius in Distress

Chapter XVIII: Peers

 “Hi.”

Aia glanced up to the girl who disturbed her sleep. She was once again kicked out from her class and decided to sleep the time away in the cafeteria. Itinaas niya ang ulo mula sa pagkakayupyop sa mesa at tiningnan ang mang ari nang tinig.

“What can I do for you, Miss?” she asked her. Natatandaan niya ito. She was the girl from other day. Ang sunod-sunuran sa campus bitch – este – campus president pala. Maganda ito. Ang tipo na patagal nang patagal lalong gumaganda. Tanned ang kulay nito. A true Filipina. At simpleng manamit.

“I’m Eva. Eva Mondejar.” She extended her hand towards her. Tinanggap niya iyon. “We are classmates in Strategic Management.”

“Oh, I didn’t notice. I’m Aia.” Jeez, was she really that spaced out the whole week? She couldn’t even remember the names of her professors and classmates.

“It’s okay. Can I sit?” she asked her.

Aia nodded.

“I’m here to give you this.” She placed a notebook in her table. “You missed the whole month of discussion. You might need it. The exams would be two weeks from now.”

Oh, this Eva was kind. It was nice of her to help her out. Even she didn’t ask for it. “Why, thank you.”

She smiled at her. “You know what I’m really curious about you. You are always alone and cover your face all the time. Haven’t you met any friends yet? You’re a freshman right?”

“Errrr.. no and yes?” Ang totoo hindi niya alam kung ano ang status niya.

Eva frowned.

“Well, I’m an irregular student. I have subjects in all levels. Weird right? That is one of the reasons why I don’t have friends yet.”

“Oh okay. I can be your fried you know. If you need help, you can ask me.”

Eva looked sincere and genuine.

Let’s see about that!

For one, Aia was told to select her friends cautiously for security reason. She had to check them out carefully before sharing confidential information such as her current residence and stuff.

Even before this, she had been detached from the world. Those who were close to her only mattered. It would take a great deal of effort to gain her friendship and trust, in exchange for her lifelong friendship.

But Eva is the one who offered!

It was very rare to have someone befriended her. She should give her credit for that.

“You’re nice” she murmured. “Oh, your friend is here,” Aia said when she spotted Samantha coming in. Students were fussing about her.

“Friend?” Eva didn’t bother to look and just shrugged. “Hardly.”

She sipped in her fresh milk and didn’t make a comment.

“Well, I am a provincial scholar and....”

“My assistant,” agaw ni Samantha na nakalapit na pala. She was standing behind Eva’s.

“So this is Samantha?” She was pretty all right with her fair complexion, hazel eyes and soft curly hair dressed in a haltered top and mini skirt paired with red stilettos. Is she attending school or fashion show?

“She’s a scholar of my dad and was assigned to assist me for her extra allowance. And she’s not doing a good job since she’s here gossiping with you while I’ve been searching the whole place looking for her,” Samantha said, hands in her hips. Nakataas ang isang kilay nito. A typical brat na mahilig mag power trip. “Eva, sumunod ka sakin.”  Walang lingon-likod na umalis na ito.

Eva turned pale. Aia could guess she was in trouble. She was afraid of Samantha because of her scholarship. She could lose it in just a snap. “Uhm, I’ll go ahead. If you have Immersion class, I’d be there too. See you!” she said halfway to the door.

Samantha was a typical rich girl, a spoiled brat and a snob. And because she had brains over her shoulder she used it to gain unfair advantage. Thus, her perks and privileges inside the university.

The two of them were in the same station in life but they were so different in many ways. Aia was a rich kid too, probably ten folds richer than Samantha, no doubt, and a daughter of a Senator and a member of an aristocratic clan in Russia but she treat people the same no matter what their station in life. And she didn’t have to flaunt it just to grab attention. She hated it when people abuse their power to look down on people inferior to them.

The girl acted she could control everything, could boss around as if she owned the damn place.

The gossip must be true. Samantha used her power and connections to be on top.

She hated it when someone like Eva doesn’t get a fair shot because of some circumstances in her life she couldn’t control.

If only Eva had money...

It was the like of her who needed help.

But what Samantha and her father did were plain political slavery and blackmail. Where in fact they were not the one paying for her, it was the people’s money. Instrumento lamang ang mga ito. But they took if too far, for corrupting Eva’s future.

Such attitude was unacceptable. We were born equal in this world. Equal to everything the world had to offer.

But the likes of them set a division based on wealth, power and connections which was crap.