Anjel Delo Santos, a Lasallian, craved affection from her parents. It wasn't easy getting it. She had to be brilliant because her parents were intellectual people who yearned for recognition in their own fields. College was her opportunity of being brilliant. As Anjel walked on the streets of Malate, she will see a disappointed-looking River Alexandre Abad. As a fan of River, who is a DLSU student, she couldn't help but be concerned with the basketball player's state. While they get to know each other, would their eyes appreciate the silver lining in the midst of the nimbus clouds around them?

Switching to a condo would be a huge shift in Eloise Danielle Madrigal's life, the Iska from UP Manila. From living in her aunt's home, she will independently live near her school. From growing up with so many hands to help her, she will face a new life alone. Since Eloise wasn't familiar with commuting from Padre Faura that well, the cousin of her block mate, Graham Anthony Laurel, will surely be of help. This walking GPS guy that was a first-year Thomasian had quite a temper as he taught Eloise. It seems as though one of them needed to teach the other beyond directions, would Graham find a calm and kind way to tell Eloise that her head was in the sand?

Cassette 381 Series #1 For Serenity Hiraya Añasco, being an honor student is a piece of cake. Madali lang naman magkaroon ng above average na grade, lalo na kung buong student life niya ay siya ang laging top one. She never knew the word "failure" because for her, she's always the best-with this, she accepted a deal with her grandmother to graduate as the class valedictorian. After all, she's always number one, what could possibly go wrong? So, when Kenji Steven Alvarez, the lead guitarist of Dynamics transferred in the same class as hers, she was humbled quickly. He also happened to have the same goal as her. What's worse is he's naturally intelligent-and she hates that he could do things better than her effortlessly. It became her motto to win over him in every aspect and not to give him a chance to turn her dreams into dust. But what if she finds herself in an unexpected situation amidst their vying psyches? But what if she finds herself in an unexpected situation amidst their vying psyches? Will she follow her mind to fulfill her part of the agreement? Or listen to her heart which screams that love is about making sacrifices? Written by: Elluneily

Dreams begin and end in school, that's what Diwata Yvon Mahalina, a student from UP Manila, thought. Because for her, after school, you must be aiming for stability. Nothing can compare to a safe life. However, Ignacio Trillano, a guy who lived in Blumentritt and studied at FEU, disagrees. A quiet life like Diwata's dream was not fulfilling and meaningful, Ignacio argues. Ignacio was a ComArts student who was loud as an airplane flying away. Would Ignacio's words and actions be enough to encourage Diwata to begin a life beyond her comfort?

Masarap talaga ang bawal. Lalo na kung araw-araw kang sinusubok ng tadhana. The more forbidden it is, the greater the urge to have it yourself. Kay daling sabihing iwasan na lang. Ngunit kung sayo na mismo hinain, makakatanggi ka pa ba? Achelous Dwayne R. Leyva is the youngest in Calle Nueva. He's smart, athletic, and responsible. Gwapo pero suplado. Uptight personality never suited anyone better than him. It's part of his charms. Ayos na sana. Perpekto na ang lahat. He got too much of everything. Too fit, too attractive, too gentle- but sadly... too young for the one he likes.

WATTY'S SHORTLIST 2023 Stuck in the never-ending responsibilities as one of the breadwinners of the family, Calisse Abigail Guillermo, an Iska from UP Manila, seeks to find true comfort between drinking and smoking. But she never does. Her desire to find consolation in everything is not found within the consumption of toxins. When she meets fellow smoker Chance Luy, a UP med student, in the bustling street of Pedro Gil, she thanks the heavens for a chance to meet him. Chance is your worn-out med student who is stingy. As they ponder about life, would they find solace as they share a moment of smoke?

They say that happy-go-lucky people bury their deepest pain behind smiles. For Maverick Evander, an architecture student, was entangled in a web of uncertainty by his parents' decision to separate. Beneath his playful image and a well-known loud circle, he was able to carry a facade-a mystery no one could ever decipher. How can you read someone when they are just black pages in the book? That's how engineering student Rade Archiel Tejano sees Mavric: a blinding sun you could only graze upon. And the more he tries to solve the puzzles in Mavric's mind games, the more Mavric's wall thickens. Will Rade be able to crush someone who is already broken? Will Mavric top someone when he's the one who's falling? In a play where one had to win, both of them fell...hard.

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Having to care for her mother since the end of grade school, Meadow Jil Carreal was no stranger to exhaustion. Being the bigger person physically, mentally, and emotionally was excruciating, but Meadow always was. When Meadow, a DLSU student, eats dinner outside her campus one day, she sees Kalon Mangundapat, the Isko who often eats near her school. Kalon liked the cheap food he consumed on Castro Street. What reasons would the two find to know why their existence in each others' lives suddenly jumped from the air?