One day, as I walked quietly down the hallway, I was engrossed in reviewing the notes. Since other teachers frequently administer unexpected quizzes, I made it a habit to review all my notes before going to class.

Distracted by my studies, I inadvertently bumped into a woman loitering in the hallway, causing her to kick me. She laughed at me, as did the other passersby, when my belongings scattered and I stumbled to my knees.

"Ayan, tatanga-tanga kasi. Maganda, matalino, mayaman, pero bulag," pangmamaliit sa akin nung babae.

I chose to ignore her remarks and gathered all my scattered belongings. Her laughter only intensified. Once I retrieved all my items from the floor, I simply resumed walking.

Hindi pa man ako nakakalayo ng malayo ay may naramdaman na akong matigas na tumama sa aking likuran. Halos mapaubo ako sa lakas ng impact no'n sa akin.

My body is naturally weak. I become frail and sensitive to pain even from a light touch. Additionally, I easily fall ill, even from brief exposure to rain.

Humarap ako sa direksyon ng babae at nakitang nakangisi siya sa akin. Ang ibang mga estudyante ay tumatawa. Bumagsak ang tingin ko sa notebook na siyang inihagis sa aking likuran.

"Why did you do that?" mahinahon kong tanong sa babae.

She gazed innocently at the laughing students. "Did something happen? What's going on? I didn't do anything," she reasoned, seeking clarification. "Did I say or do something wrong?" She inquired of the students.

Papalampasin ko na lang sana pero hindi pa ako nakakatalikod ay may bottled water nang tumama sa hita ko.

I am aware that their bullying is excessive. However, what can I do? Initially, I was alone; now, they outnumber me. If I retaliate, I will bear the brunt of the consequences, likely enduring twice as much harm as they inflict upon me.

"What's happening here?" I recognized a familiar voice. His voice filled me with courage. I hoped he would support and defend me once more, just as he did on the first day.

"Sir Zade," nabigla ang babae noong nakita niya ang subject teacher nila.

Sir Zade glanced at me, then lowered his emotionless gaze to the bottled water and notebook in front of me. He shifted his attention to the woman who had caused me harm. "Are you bullying her?" he inquired. The woman offered no response and instead directed a hostile look towards me. The teacher then surveyed the other students. "Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

Mabilis nawala ang mga estudyante. Naiwan kami ni Sir Zade sa hallway. Lumapit siya sa akin at dinampot ang notebook at bottled water bago hinagis sa basurahan.

"Are you okay?" he inquired.

I nodded, suppressing the tears that welled up in my eyes. I refused to let this situation escalate. Steffi was correct; no one would believe me because I am the daughter of a man with many mistresses. Besides, I was outnumbered; I was always alone.

"Let's head to the classroom; we have a quiz," he announced. I followed him silently as we entered the classroom.

It was the first morning where they didn't mock me or use harsh words because Sir Zade was by my side.

"Pass your papers; when I count to three, two, if it's not here by one, you will receive a zero," Sir warned sternly.

I quickly answered the final question, confident that I had reviewed thoroughly.

As I rose to approach Sir Zade promptly, someone suddenly pushed me, causing me to fall to the floor.

The classroom fell into silence upon hearing the impact. The quiet woman who had pushed me also paused. I couldn't discern her intentions, but her expression didn't indicate malice. "Sorry, Aphle," she apologized, promptly assisting me to my feet. "Sorry, hindi ko talaga sinasadya."

"What happened?" Sir Zade asked me. "Are you okay?"

"Hindi po ako sinasadyang matulak ni Lianne," sagot ko. "Ayos lang po ako."

Sir Zade turned away, prompting my classmates to start rolling their eyes at me. I straightened my uniform before approaching Sir. I handed him my paper and then turned away from him to go back to my seat.

"Miss Poniente," tawag niya sa akin, agad naman akong humarap sa kaniya. Nakatingin na siya ngayon sa aking siko. "Your elbow has blood, go to the clinic first to get it treated."

I nodded silently before walking towards the door. I heard the whispers of my classmates near the door.

"Napaka-arte naman niya."

"Malamang, anak ng maraming kabit."

"Kunwari maarte pero papakarat sa kung kani-kanino lang."

After exiting the classroom, I hurried to the clinic. I ensured there were no traces of tears on my cheeks. I gently knocked on the clinic door, which swung open promptly, revealing the school's lovely nurse. She greeted me with a smile. "Hello, beautiful. How can I assist you?" she inquired, maintaining his pleasant expression.

Returning the sweet smile, I replied, "I just need to have this scratch on my elbow treated." magalang kong sagot.

"Ah, yup! May gamot dito," aniya bago nag-umpisang maghanap ng gamot.

I toured the entire clinic. There are curtains that divide to become a room for five patients. "Sino bang manggagamot sa 'yo? Ako o ikaw na?" tanong ng nurse nang makita na niya ang gamot.

"Ako na lang po," nakangiti kong sagot.

She gave me the medicine before pointing to the curtain at the end. "Doon ka na lang maggamot ng sarili mo. May pasyenteng ginagamot ang kasamahan kong nurse sa pang-apat," natatawa niyang sinabi.

Tumango ako sa nurse bago naglakad papunta sa kurtina. Natigil nang mapatapat sa pang-apat na kurtina.

"A-Aray ko, dahan-dahan lang nurse Any," reklamo nung lalaking ginagamot.

"Hindi ka kasi marunong matuto, bata ka. Palagi ka na lang nandito sa clinic. Kung wala ka sa office ng principal, nandito ka naman. Kaya palagi kang na-su-suspend. Ayaw mong magtino," sermon nung nurse.

Pumasok ako sa kabilang kwarto para umpisahang gamutin ang sarili ko habang naririnig ang usapan nung nurse at nung ginagamot niya.

"Haist. Palagi na lang ako ang gumagamot ng mga sugat mo kapag nakikipag-away ka," reklamo nung nurse. "Pasalamat ka talaga at binabayaran ako ng school. Kung hindi lang, matagal na akong naghanap ng magiging taga-gamot mo araw-araw!"

"Parang gusto ko 'yan, Nurse Any. Kailangan ko na ata ng personal nurse, pero 'yung mahahalikan ko palagi," malokong sinabi nung lalaki. Napailing na lang ako.

Mommu always warned me about boys, stating that they never know how to be content with just one girl. There is always a backup girl.

"Pero hindi ka makakahanap ng matinong babae kung ganiyan ka naman," patuloy na sermon ni Nurse Any. "Try mo kaya 'wag mang-bully sa isang araw? Tapos araw-arawin mo na para makahanap ka ng personal nurse mong palagi mong mahahalikan."

"Ako? Titigil mang-bully?" sarkastikong tanong nung lalaki. "Pangalan muna nung pinakaunang nam-bully. Kapag nalaman mo, Nurse Any. Doon lang ako titigil."

The man gave an evil laugh before I heard his footsteps leaving the cubicle. I just held my breath. Babaero na, bully pa.

After tending to the scratch on my elbow, I promptly exited the cubicle. The man was no longer present, so I expressed my gratitude to the nurse before leaving the clinic.

As I strolled down the hallway, I caught sight of Lianne quietly exiting the building. Initially glancing at the classroom sections, I then decided to follow Lianne.

"Lianne!" tawag ko sa kaniya. Kaagad naman siyang lumingon sa direksyon ko.

"Oh, hi, Aphle!" nakangiti niyang sinabi.

She stopped walking so I approached her. "Where are you going?" I asked.

"Sa stem building," sagot niya bago ipakita sa akin ang mga one-fourth sheet of yellow pad kung saan namin sinagutan ang mga tanong sa quiz ni Sir Xade. "Bakit? Sasama ka?" tanong niya pa.

"Ahm, pwede ba?" nakangiti kong tanong.

Mabilis siyang tumango. "Oo naman! Tara!" yaya niya sa akin bago kami sabay na naglakad papalabas ng building.

We hadn't even taken a step away when she suddenly stopped walking, making me stop too. Tumingin siya sa akin. "Aphle, pwedeng ikaw na lang muna ang magbigay nito kay Sir Xade? Nasa stem building siya. Hanapin mo na lang doon," utos niya.

Kumunot ang aking noo. "Ha? Akala ko sasamahan lang kita?" tanong ko.

"Kailangan ko na kasing pumunta ng banyo, baka biglang bumulwak ang dumi ko rito. Ayokong mapahiya, Aphle. Please, pwedeng ikaw na lang magbigay nito kay Sir Xade? Please. Hindi niya pa kasi recorded ito, nagmamadali siyang lumabas kanina kasi sabi niya mag-uumpisa na ang klase niya sa Stem." Mahaba niyang sinabi.

Nawala ang pagdadalawang-isip ko bago ngumiti sa kaniya at tinanggap ang mga papel. "Sige. Punta ka na lang ng banyo. Ako nang bahala rito," nakangiti kong sinabi.

"Sige, thank you, Aphle. Una na ako!" nakangiti niyang sinabi bago tumakbo pabalik sa building namin.

I just kept walking until I got inside the Stem building. Suddenly it occurred to me if the disdain for me had reached this building. Pero parang hindi naman.

Tumitingin-tingin ako sa kanilang classroom, napapatingin sa akin ang mga estudyante pero bumabalik din naman kaagad sa teacher nila ang atensyon nang hindi ako iniirapan.

I ventured into another classroom to check if Sir Xade was there. Although there was no teacher present, the students were actively working on a paper. As I was about to depart, I suddenly noticed a male student seated in the farthest row, earnestly focused on his paper. He glanced up and caught my gaze.

I found myself unable to look away promptly, feeling frozen like a statue. Despite encountering numerous handsome men due to my father's political connections, the man before me stood out. He exuded a striking charm, even with visible scars on his face, resembling an angel who had descended from either heaven or hell.

The student beside him nudged him twice, prompting him to pass his paper to the person nearby. He then rested his head on his arm, keeping his gaze fixed on me unwaveringly. I was the first to divert my eyes before making my way out.

Hinawakan ko ang isa kong pisngi. "Hindi naman siguro ako kinikilig, 'di ba?" parang tangang tanong ko sa sarili.

I was about to turn in the other direction when I suddenly bumped into a man. "Sorry!" We said together before he helped me pick up my dropped papers from the floor.

I stood up to take the papers he got. "Thank you po," magalang kong sinabi. Hindi siya tinatapunan ng tingin.

"I'm sorry, again," aniya.

"Okay lang po. Thank you," sambit ko. Paalis na sana siya nang pigilan ko. Humarap siya sa akin at parang tinamaan na naman ako ni kupido nang makita ang poging lalaki. "P-Pwede pong magtanong?" nauutal kong tanong.

"What it is?" he asked.

"Kilala mo po ba si Sir Xade Pueblo?"

"Kung si Sir Xade ang hanap mo. Bakit ka nandito?" tanong niya.

"Sabi nung kaklase ko nasa Stem Building daw si Sir Xade," sagot ko.

"Nasa conference room si Sir. Samahan ba kita?" tanong niya.

Mabilis naman akong tumango. Nauna siya sa paglalakad bago ako sumunod. Hindi ko alam kung halata ba ang pamumula ng pisngi ko. Maputi pa naman ako at mabilis makita ang kakapiranggot na pamumula.

Pumunta kami sa conference room. May kausap pa si Sir Xade kaya nanatili na lang muna kami sa labas ng room. Panay ang tingin niya sa kaniyang relo kaya nagtanong na ako.

"May klase ka pa ba?" tanong ko sa kaniya. He nodded, without looking at me. "Sige, pwede ka nang mauna. Ako na lang ang mag-isang maghihintay kay Sir Xade rito."

Sa wakas ay tiningnan na rin niya ako. "Are you sure?" tanong niya. Tumango naman ako. "If that's what you want. Mauna na ako sa 'yo."

"Sige, thank you nga pala sa paghatid sa akin dito," pagpapasalamat ko. "Ano nga palang pangalan mo?" Tanong ko bago ko pa makalimutan.

"Nimuel."

-iamlunamoon