Chapter 1 - Unang Pagkikita!

The Past...

Year 2029

Kausap ko ang mga kaibigan ko nang bumulong sa akin ang isa sa kaibigan ko.

"A new student at our university, tall and good-looking." they said to me and pointed to something.

"What are we going to do?" I just asked ignoring the person they were pointing at me.

"Seduce him, if you get his attention you'll get something in return." it answered me.

"Bet again? I don't feel like playing this game anymore." I answered my friends.

"He looks so naive, it's fun to play with someone like him." my friend answered.

Hindi ako pumayag sa kanilang gusto hindi dahil duwag ako o maarte ako. Nagpunta na kami sa classroom para sa susunod na subject. Umupo ako sa pwesto nang biglang pumasok sa loob ang teacher namin na may kasamang lalaki.

"Class, you have a new classmate, he's Tyler Collins, he's a few years old because he quit his studies." our teacher started to us, I turned my gaze to our teacher's side.

Namukhaan ko ang lalaki dahil siya ang gusto ng mga kaibigan ko na paglaruan ko pero tumanggi ako. Kaklase pala namin ang tinuro nila sa akin. May kumalabit sa gilid ko at nabaling naman ang tingin ko sa tabi ko.

Sinamaan ko na lang ng tingin ang mga kaibigan ko.

"It's him, what do you think?!" whispered one of my friends.

"Let's not force it, Odelia is a coward." the one of my friend said to me.

"I'm not a coward, because I don't want to get karma and I promised my mommy that I won't bully anymore." I told my friends.

I made a promise not only to my mommy but also to my siblings who are far away from us.

"I'll do it if she doesn't want to do it, his fat ass and his muscles are big!" my friend was joking before I was shaken my head by them.

They are bullied among the new students at the university they are nice once you get to know them well.

Our teacher looked at us when he heard the noise of the whole class, the one named Tyler came to us. Umupo siya sa gilid malapit sa bintana nang sundan ko ng tingin. Bumalik lang ang tingin ko sa harap nang magsalita ang teacher namin.

"Our school will create a group to be representative of each club you joined during the first school year." explained our teacher, I joined the journalist club except for the martial arts club.

Nagsalita naman ang president class namin nang pinatayo ng teacher namin.

"How about Tyler?" the class president asked, everyone looked at our new classmate.

Our class had only started for a month when Tyler arrived.

"He was a former student here, so he is still on the list of the club he chose every student who quits. We don't remove him from the list depending on whether someone like him will not return to school." the teacher answered us.

We were all silent nang marinig namin ang sinabi ng teacher namin.

What is his club?

Nang matapos ang klase namin inaya na ako ng mga kaibigan ko na pumunta sa council room isa kami sa mga namununo dun kasama ang class president namin at ibang class officer ng iba't-ibang classroom ng school namin.

Nang dumating kami sa tapat ng council room nakita namin ang ibang class officer na nakatayo sa harap nito.

"Why are they outside?" I asked my friends pointing to the other officer.

"I don't know," they said nagtataka ako kung bakit nasa labas pa sila.

"Yes, and come on." my friend is with us.

Lumapit kami at nagtanong ang mga kaibigan ko sa officer susunod na lang ang class president sa amin dahil inutusan nang teacher namin.

"Why didn't you go inside when we caught you earlier?" my friend asked and sat down on the mono block chair just to the side of the council room.

"The president is talking to one of our teachers who came back because the former member of the council quit three years ago." one of our council members answered.

"Come back? It's not that easy to get in here, is it?" I'll just say it.

"The former member was smart, he just stopped studying because his family wasn't rich, that's the story of our teacher who should be in grade 11 or 12 now if he didn't stop."

"He is boy?" my friend answered them and they nodded to us.

"You know?" I asked and was handed a piece of paper.

"He's our classmate, isn't he? Hm, Tyler Collins, he is." my friend who was next to me said when she saw who the vice president of our council was referring to.

Matalino nga ang bagong kaklase namin dahil matataas ang mga nakuhang exam nito nang mag-entrance exam at may inabot pa sa amin na resulta.

"He's one of the ones who will help us, you'll be with him at every school event." our vice president said.

"It's good that our school even accepted him." statement of one member of our council, our other members agreed.

"Because he understands." the president answered.

"If he didn't have a problem with his family, we wouldn't be able to be with him." our vice president replied that what he told us was true.

I then remembered my siblings and my second sister who was the prince's daughter was already in London.

My mommy said that we are siblings to her, and not to my father because we don't have the same father and my grandparents don't tell me who my father is and especially my mommy doesn't want to tell me.

May tatlo pa akong kapatid na sa stepdad ko na kasama nito ngayon, dugo't-laman ni mommy at ni tito dad 'yon, alam kong nilihim nila ang totoo sa kinakasama nitong babae dahil papatayin nito si mommy at si tito dad. Hindi ordinaryo ang pamilya ni tito dad at nang babaeng 'yon ang sabi ni mommy sa amin kinailangan niyang i-ampon sa babaeng 'yon ang mga kapatid ko para hindi mapahamak sa kamay ng babaeng may gusto kay tito dad sinakripisyo nila ang pagsasama nila para sa kaligtasan ng pamilya namin.

Bakit ako? Ganun din ba ang ginawa ni mommy kaya hindi nila sinasabi kung sino ang daddy ko, ayaw nilang mapahamak ako alam ni mommy na gustong-gusto ko makilala si dad mula nang mag-anim na taon ako.

Naalala ko ang sinabi ni mommy nung magtanong ako sa kanya noong graduation namin.

"Mom," tawag ko na lang sa mommy ko nang tumingin ako.

Bumalik ako realidad nang magsalita ang mga kaibigan ko.

"Odelia?" tawag nila sa akin napatingin ako sa kanila bago magsalita.

"He's right, if there wasn't a problem he wouldn't be here." I just answered them and returned the paper.

"What's he going to do here? We're full of members." one of the members asked.

"We will bring our supplies here and help you, or the president will help us, he will help." the vice president answered.

"Where is he?! We saw them he's leave in the classroom." my friend's statement made me and our friends shrug.

Oo nga, nasaan na kaya 'yon?

Iniba na lang ng president namin ang topic at nagsimula na kami kumilos sa loob ng council room bagong renovation ang kwarto dahil nagka-sunog noon sa dating council room.

"We will add some rules to the policy of each club that participates in the game." said the president council, the meeting was about to begin and the new member still did not arrive.

"Game of what?!" our fellow member asked as I looked at them again.

Ano kaya ang nangyari dun? Hindi na niya kabisado ang school at baka naligaw?

"Our school sports games, and the principal mentioned it to me last week." the president answered him I'm listening but my mind is on the new transferee of the school.

Hindi ko maintindihan ang sarili ko kung bakit mabilis nakuha ng transferee ang atensyon ko, kahit unang pagkikita lang naming dalawa hindi na siya maalis sa isip ko.

"Odels, are you alright?" tanong ng kaibigan ko nabaling naman ang tingin ko sa kaigan ko.

"Yeah, why?" I asked my friend with amusement and she just patted my shoulder.

"It's not what our president is saying that gets your attention, what are you thinking?" my friend asked me is the attention not on the president and they noticed?!

Umiling na lang ako sa mga kaibigan ko at tumingin ako sa mga officers ng council namin.

"Are you thinking about our transferee who is with us here at the council?" said my friend who was next to me causing me to look at him.

I didn't answer right away because it's true that we saw him come out of the classroom first and we heard that our prof ordered him to come here so I thought he was already here.

"That should have been before us," our friend exclaimed in front of us.

"He's not there yet, the one you're talking about should be here." Our council's vice president replied that he called the treasurer to order him to find the person we were talking about.

Kaagad akong sumabat sa kanilang pinag-sasabi tungkol sa transferee ng school namin.

"Maybe he got lost? Even though he studied here, a lot has changed here at school in the past year that he didn't come back." I told them because what I said was true and they knew it.

We noticed that our president hastened to find the transferee who will join us here in the council.

"Don't let anyone try to bully him," our secretary answered, we were silent when it came out of her mouth and we all looked at each other.

It is possible for that to happen especially since he is a new transferee at the school.

"Fuck!!!" we all cursed and couldn't stop it from coming out of our mouths before laughing to divert our attention to something else.

Tumayo sila tinaas ko na lang ang isang paa ko at nag-de kwatro ng pwesto.

"Baka nga nabully na ito kaya natagalan dumating," sambit ko na lang sa salitang hindi nila maiintindihan.

"Are you saying something, Odelia? In the language from your country." the secretary mentioned to me.

They looked at me before laughing at them.

"No, I'm just wondering what will happen to us while we wait for him." I lied to them and I was telling the truth.

Gumawa na kami ng plano para sa binigay na trabaho ng principal sa amin. Napapansin ko na tumitingin sila sa labas ng council office naiiling na lang ako ng palihim.

"He will also come, pres they can find him," the member said who handles money for all school activities.

Nang uutusan ng presidente ng council ang dalawang lalaki na ka-member namin.

Napalingon kami sa pintuan na bumukas kumunot ang noo ko nang makita ko si Tyler na sumilip sa siwang ng pintuan.

"Why did you come now?" our council president asked as we looked at the newcomer.

I saw the intimidated look on his face towards us.

"The direction of the students I asked led me astray, I don't know where the council office is." the newcomer said to us, I could see the nervousness in his speech.

"The student you asked was bully you, Mr. Collins." the president said shaking his head.

He told us who pointed him in the direction.

"Girls, just accompany him every time he going to the council." the secretary statement to our mutual friends.

"Why me?" they said together with my friends.

"You are his classmates in the classroom, aren't you and so we come to the office together, he doesn't know anyone at school." the vice president said to all of us bowed down that I know is ashamed of what happened.

"Don't because it's bothering them, miss, I've already locate the way to get here." he told us that they looked at him with a surprised look.

I don't interfere in their conversation anymore, I'm just a member of the school council.

"That's how he already knows the way to the office, vice." the member next to my friend said to our vice president when he spoke.

The president explained the plan for the activity at the school to the new person we were going to be with and instructed him to go with me and one of our members. Nabaling ang tingin nila sa akin at sa tinutukoy ng presidente namin wala naman akong choice at tumango ako ganoon ang isa sa member.

"The three of you work together, we'll each have something to do and we even have a game at school that we'll also take care of the event," the president explain to us, standing behind my friend who introduced himself as Tyler Collins.

Nang matapos ang meeting nagpaalam na ang ibang member ng council pati ang nangangalang Tyler nagpaalam na binigay niya sa amin ang contact number niya para may communication kami sa kanya ganoon din ang ginawa namin nag-salitan ng pag-bigay ng contact number huminga na lang ako bigla ng sundan ko siya ng tingin pagkatapos umalis sa opisina.