Prologue
“Isabella! My sissy!” A familiar voice shouted. I looked at the classroom door and saw Carl standing there with his hands on his hips.
I ran towards him, and he, in turn, greeted me with a hug. “OMG! You’re in HUMSS too?” I asked her, smiling.
“No.” he answered.
I frowned and walked back to my seat. “You’re a jerk! Get out of here, you’re an eyesore!”
I hadn’t quite walked away from him when I felt the powerful smack on my arm. I turned to face Carl and rolled my eyes. I rubbed my arm because of the intense pain.
“Of course, I am!” He lightly slapped my cheek. “Would I be here if I wasn’t? Duh!” He returned the eye-roll, then sat down next to my seat.
He pushed my chair closer to him. I gave Carl a look, but he just smiled at me. I didn’t take my eyes off him when he suddenly started glancing around as if looking for something.
“Do we have any handsome classmates?” he whispered to me. I just shrugged. “So I can be super motivated to study.” he rested her head on her desk.
“You want hot guys, but you don’t want to study? Girl, remember you almost didn’t graduate last year.”
“Huh? Did you say something? I can’t hear you!”
I just hit him. I still laugh when I remember how he cried when he was told he might not graduate. I did everything for Carl. I talked properly to the teacher whose class he was failing. I pleaded that there might be a chance, even a slim chance, to change her grade, even if it was just a seventy-five.
And I managed it. I didn’t stop until there was progress with my appeal. Until one day, I was just called to the office for his special project. And I also helped him finish it on time because the time given to her was short.
I held my stomach because of how much it hurt from laughing. He was adding more funny high school memories that neither of us would ever forget.
“Stop it! My stomach hurts so much!” I said.
He stopped too. We both sat up properly. A group of boys entered the room. I watched as Carl’s eyes glued themselves to all of them. It couldn’t be denied that they were all good-looking.
I flicked Carl’s ear when his eyes dropped to the bulge in the pants of one of the boys. He was surprised by what I did. I glared at him. It was only the first day of class, and this gay guy already looked like he was ready to pounce.
“Be decent first, sis,” I told her. “You can reveal your inner Barbie later.”
“Noted, sis!” She fixed her posture and tried to act masculine.
I held back my laugh when one of the boys greeted Carl. How could he hide his gayness? Even when he deepened his voice, it was still obvious he was not straight.
The boys shook hands with Carl before finally leaving the classroom. There were still a few minutes before class started.
I laughed when I saw how Carl tried to hide his excitement. With just a simple handshake, my gay friend’s heart was practically exploding with giddiness.
“His name is Marcus Villanueva, sis.” Carl grinned. “He’s so handsome! Shit!”
Carl and I talked about what they discussed. Although I heard it, I still wanted to hear it from him. It was like, “feed my delusions” was the goal.
The guy with the bulge was Johannes Lopez, about five feet eleven inches tall, chinito (a person of Chinese descent), with a muscular build. Marcus was good-looking but lacked height. The one behind them earlier was Andrei Perez; they said he was the introvert of their group. They said he was kind and caring. He was also handsome, with more defined muscles compared to Johannes, and almost the same height. And last was Jeremiah Santos, the heartthrob; many people like him because he’s a member of the school band, the best-looking of the four, lean body, just the right height, and very fair-skinned.
No wonder my gay friend’s excitement was practically reaching the sky. It was also heartwarming that even though it was obvious Carl was not straight and gay, they were still totally okay with talking to him. There was hardly any disgust or anything else you often see in straight guys.
“Get your index card.” Ma’am Veronica said at the front.
Carl held out his palm in front of me. I took one, but before giving it to him, I gave him an eye-roll first. He gave me a flying kiss in return, which was a little creepy.
Carl was the one who passed our index cards to the front after we had written our names. He bumped into Marcus, and the two laughed together. He acted cool returning to his seat.
I glanced at the four boys’ spot and caught Marcus looking at Carl. I gently nudged Carl and told him Marcus was looking at him. He secretly peeked at Marcus’s spot, but he first looked at the back of the classroom so it wouldn’t be obvious, he said.
Actually, Carl himself had a lot going for him. Tall, fair-skinned, as in, a good body, clear skin, and beautiful hazel-brown eyes. Sometimes I feel it’s a waste, but I can’t do anything if that’s what his heart desires. And I’m happy that he can express his true self.
We didn’t do anything in Ma’am Veronica’s class, it was just chitchat and introducing ourselves. Carl and I immediately went out to the cafeteria. Luckily, there was a vacant table at the very end.
I left Carl at our spot to get my food. When I came back, I was surprised to see many people at our table.
They all looked at me simultaneously when I stopped by the table. “Isabella, they asked if they could sit with me. Since there are only two of us.”
I didn’t answer right away. I looked into each of their eyes. They were looking at me seriously as if waiting for my answer.
“Is it okay?” The beautiful girl at the end said.
“If not, it’s okay. We’ll just leave.” Said the guy across from her.
I took a deep breath before speaking. “It’s fine. No worries.” I forced a smile.
They moved so I could sit down. We were like sardines crammed onto this small table. Three on one side, and three on our side with Carl.
“Hey, let’s introduce ourselves first. She might think we’re weird.” Said the girl at the end again. “I am Anastasia. Anastasia Elizabeth Jimenez. STEM Student, we’re just across from your room.” She offered her hand, and I immediately took it.
“I’m Alexandra Victoria Lopez; Anastasia and I are classmates, along with that jerk next to Carl.” Introduced the one across from me.
“I’m Troy Xyrelle Novicio,” he winked at me. But they didn’t see any response on my face.
“And I am Catherine Meghan Brooks,” introduced the one between Alexandra and Anastasia. “ABM Student.”
I looked at them one by one. Anastasia had those soft, almond-shaped eyes that seemed to hold a quiet kind of warmth, the kind that makes people want to stay a little longer. Her nose was small, slightly upturned, and her lips carried a natural curve, like she was always on the edge of a smile. Alexandra’s face wasn’t the kind that stopped you in your tracks, it was the kind that made you feel at home. Her round cheeks, a small freckle near her lip, and eyes that curved into half-moons when she smiled, all of it came together in a way that felt effortlessly real.
Catherine’s features were delicate, almost unreal, long lashes framing eyes the color of dusk, a straight nose, and skin that caught light like porcelain. Even when she wasn’t smiling, her face carried that quiet glow that made her seem halfway between a dream and a memory. Troy’s features were clean and defined, a strong jaw, straight nose, and eyes that seemed to read more than you said. When he smiled, just a little, it felt deliberate, like he knew the effect it had. Even the way the light hit his cheekbones made it unfair.
“I am Beatrice Isabella Tan, HUMSS.” I introduced myself to them.
At first, we were quiet, as if still figuring each other out. But soon enough, our table became noisy. It started with Troy’s corny jokes, and then the conversation just flowed. I tried not to laugh at their corny jokes, but I couldn’t stop, especially when Troy was the one delivering them. It wasn’t the jokes that were funny, but the way he delivered them.
The conversation at the table also gradually became serious. The first topic was about family. Anastasia’s father is a congressman, and her mother is a well-known and excellent general surgeon. Alexandra’s mother owns a convenience store, and her father is a tricycle driver at night and a construction worker in the morning. Both of Catherine’s parents are CPA-Lawyers; they both topped the CPA and Bar exams. Troy’s mother is a clinical psychologist, and his father is an architect, but now they have a business, which he didn’t tell us what it was.
“Have you two been friends for a long time?” Anastasia asked Carl and me.
Carl nodded. “Yes, actually we’ve been friends since seventh grade.”
I cleared my throat to second Carl’s statement. “We had a circle before, but we two are the only ones who really got along in everything.”
Anastasia nodded. The table was silent for a few seconds before someone spoke again.
“As for us, we all met at graduation last year. That’s when our friendship formed. Then, we decided to enroll in the same school.” Said Catherine.
“No,” Anastasia corrected. “Troy and I already knew each other even before we met you.”
“Oh, right. Sorry!” Catherine laughed.
Troy was about to speak when the bell rang.
Troy was about to add another comment, but Anastasia already pulled him toward their classroom. When I got back to the room, that’s when I realized how easygoing they were to be with. I didn’t know if Carl felt the same way.
In the following subjects, all we did was introduce ourselves, and listen to the teacher’s rules and regulations inside the room. Except for one subject. We immediately had groupings in General Mathematics. There were no rules, or limits, as long as one group ended up with six members.
Carl and I looked for another group that was still lacking, but almost all of them only needed one more person. Until Carl saw Marcus, Jeremiah, Andrei, and Johannes on the side. They were sitting, just chilling while others were stressed looking for groupmates.
I immediately pulled Carl towards them. The four looked at us simultaneously. I couldn’t speak right away because their stares were a bit uncomfortable until Carl spoke first.
“Do you have a group yet?” Carl smiled at them.
The four slowly shook their heads at us.
“Let’s just group up together,” Carl’s gaze went back and forth between me and the four boys. “With Isabella, of course.”
The four nodded. It was a bit weird because earlier they seemed very talkative, and now not a single word came out of their mouths, but I didn’t mind it, thinking maybe they were just like that.
We sat next to them. I was between Marcus and Jeremiah, while Carl was between Johannes and Andrei. I glanced over several times to look at him in his seat while I was writing our names on the paper, and I couldn’t help but secretly laugh because he looked like a statue unable to move from his spot. I also saw Carl’s face redden every time his elbow bumped Johannes’s.
I also became the leader of our group. No one objected to that. In fact, they wouldn’t lose out because my math grade was always the highest. Also, I sometimes tutored in mathematics during the summer to earn extra money even though my mom and dad could provide for me.
I changed clothes before lying down on my bed when I got home. I have a rule of ‘no outside clothes on bed.’ I first checked my notes, which were just rules and regulations. I also took out my phone but didn’t use it.
I closed my eyes briefly. After a moment, my phone suddenly rang. When I checked, I saw eight friend requests and notifications for two group chats that I didn’t know who added me to.
I frowned while looking at the names one by one. I just took a deep breath as I accepted the friend requests from Anastasia’s group and Marcus’s group one by one.
In Messenger, there were two group chats. The quiet group chat was named Math Wizard, created by Carl himself. The group chat was silent after it was made. No messages from anyone.
The other one was noisy. Mga PokePoke. I frowned when I read the name. When I opened it, I was greeted by Troy’s mischief and corny jokes. Everyone was active except me. Troy mentioned me when he saw that I had seen the messages, but I just reacted.
