Chapter 3: Meet Me My Prince

"WHAAAT?" I winced as Sabrina's shriek echoed throughout the hallway. I pulled my hoodie tighter as I tried to be invisible from people's stares. Kung pwede lang mag-melt sa wall, ginawa ko na.

 "Sab ano ba, ang ingay mo!" I scolded her.

 "Sabi na eh, summer loving!" she grinned in a deranged manner. Gahd, sana hindi ko na lang pala sinabi kasi hiyang-hiya ako sa mga taong nagtitinginan sa amin.

 "Wag ka ngang OA diyan. Bigla tuloy akong nahiya," I murmured as I felt my cheeks heat up. "Saka paano kung di naman sumipot yun, baka pinag-tri-tripan lang ako nun no."

 "Ayanna Diosa Zabala magtigil ka. Kailangang umayos ka. Hindi mo ba nakita ang effort ni Mr. Vandal a.k.a Prince Constantino at talagang ti-nype pa niya ang letter niya sa'yo? Shocks girl, super kilig ako!"

 "Sab, love letter yung in-edit ko para sa kanya. Mahiya ka nga sa sinasabi mo. Baka magselos pa yung nililigawan niya."

 "Girl, nililigawan - hindi pa girlfriend or asawa. Kaya pa yang palitan" she said with an evil smirk. I rolled my eyes at her ridiculous idea. 

 "Utang na loob Sab, shut up!" iritado kong sagot. I fiddled with the zipper of my hoodie as I stole glances at the people passing through. Most of the guys were checking out Sab in her mini denim skirt that showcased her beautifully toned legs. Nobody paid much attention to me in my jeans, white hoodie and oversized backpack.

 "Aya pwede bang tanggalin mo yang hoodie mo. Ang init kaya, taga-disyerto ka ba?" Sab pulled the hood off and I blushed.

 "Sorry, force of habit" I mumbled as I unzipped the jacket. Sanay lang talaga ako sa pagsuot ng long sleeves all the time kasi nga my dreaded allergies have pestered me for so long. Na-stuck na lang talaga yung habit at halos lahat din ng damit ko mahahaba at long-sleeved.

 "Girl seriously, you need a wardrobe change. Ano ba yung lahat ng damit mo pang-manang? Napagkakamalan tuloy minsan na anak mo ako"

I winced at the memory. One time sa mall magkasama kami ni Sab and somebody remarked na ang ganda daw ng anak ko. Like what the freak? I'm only eighteen for crying out loud!

"Halika nga dito, I'll fix your hair." Sab pulled me inside the empty classroom and brought out all her kikay stuff. She hummed softly to herself as she deftly divided my hair into sections and applied something to tame out the frizz.

"When's the last time you visited the salon? Gosh ang haba na nang buhok mo, you should definitely get a haircut soon. Gusto mo sabay tayo sa Saturday?" she pulled some of the strands together to create a cute style na mukhang pang K-pop. 

"Sure, sunduin kita ng 10am." I smiled up at her.

"Ayan, o di kita na yung face mo. Nakakainis nga yang balat mo eh, parang pang-commercial ng Ponds. May gahd, palitan na si Julia Baretto at talong-talo mo yun." she remarked and I laughed disbelievingly. 

"Oh sige na nga. Binobola mo na naman ako, kaya ko kayo bestfriend ni Kiko eh." 

"What the freak naman kasi Aya, hindi mo ba na-gets kung bakit nahumaling sa'yo si Gil nung highschool?" I shuddered at the disturbing memory of my stalker for two years.

"Oh man, don't say bad words Sab. Baka mamaya biglang sumulpot yun bigla dito. Gusto ko na ngang kalimutan yung bangungot na nagngangalang Gil Cortez. Saka I think he was obsessed with me because I am an otaku."

"Loka, otaku rin kami ni Kiko pero hindi niya kami hinabol-habol" she poked me on the head with a hairbrush.

"Kasi naman Sab, bubugbugin siya ni Roel kapag nag-drool siya sa'yo" I laughed referring to her ex-boyfriend in high school who was a six-footer.

"Well may tama ka diyan." she murmured distractedly. She brought out her make-up kit and I held my hands up.

"No way Sab, hindi ako nag-ma-make-up!"

"Just a little bit of blush. Ano ba naman Aya ang arte ha?" she frowned at me.

"No! Nangangati talaga ako diyan. Lip gloss lang ang pwede sa akin." I argued and she glared at me.

"Grabe ka talaga! You and your virgin skin!"

"Sorry Sab, alam mo naman bawal talaga sa akin lalo na kung hindi hypoallergenic."

"Okay sige fine. Baka nga sumobra na ang ganda mo at mag-propose si Mr. Vandal agad-agad."

"Grabe, propose agad? Agad-agad? Hindi pa nga alam yung pangalan ko may ganun na?"

"Oo. Pag nagparamdam sa'yo grab the opportunity agad!"
 

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Halos ipagtulakan ako ni Sab at Kiko sa direksyon ng Main Library pagkatapos na pagkatapos ng klase.

"O yung invitation namin sa kasal niyo ha, wag kalimutang ipadala!" they laughed as I blushed to the roots of my hair.

"Mga baliw! Wala ba kayong balak samahan ako?" I am fairly panicking as it is. I've never had the habit of meeting new people. Sa sobrang introvert ko, kahit ilang beses ko na ma-meet ang mga tao, hindi ko pa rin kinakausap. "Pano kung serial killer pala yung i-me-meet ko? Sab, Kiko..." I whined softly.

"Aya ayaw naming maging hadlang sa iyong bagong adventure!" Sab laughed maniacally. Grabe, for somebody of her stature, she can really laugh the house down.

I moaned forlornly as I stared at my rubber shoes. I reluctantly started walking towards the direction of the Main Lib and decided to sit down on the steps and wait.

Paano ko kaya malalaman na siya yun eh hindi pa nga kami nagkikita saka hindi niya naman alam ang pangalan ko? I immediately felt stupid about the whole idea. 

Hay ang tanga lang talaga.

I fished out my phone from my jeans pocket and sent a message to Sab.

'Sab pg d i2 ngpakita in 10 mins I'm outta here'

Sabrina Althea Arroyo:

'Girl 5 mins p b4 5:30, wag maxado xcited :)'

I rolled my eyes at her message. Sab and her ridiculous ideas.

Suddenly I felt the presence of someone towering over me. I slowly stole a glance at my peripheral vision and confirmed that someone really is standing behind me. I raised my eyes and the breath got stuck in my throat.

Long lashes, fair skin, and a soft smile playing on those sinful lips.
 
"Hi Ms. Library Girl".

I think an angel just smiled at me.

I must have been staring stupidly at him for a full minute and his smile faltered.

"Sorry, akala ko ikaw yung i-me-meet ko," he blushed profusely and started to step away.

"Prince?"

A frown crossed his brow, "Yes?"

I recovered my composure and smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, yes I'm Library Girl. Actually my name's Aya." I extended a hand to him and I was surprised when he didn't just take it but used it to pull me up to a standing position.
 
"I'm so glad. Akala ko I made a mistake." He had dimples on his cheeks when he smiled. Wow, grabe ang tangkad niya, he towered almost a foot over me and I felt really, really small.

"It's nice to meet you Aya."

I felt really awkward and dropped my gaze to the floor, "Nice to meet you too" I mumbled.

"Are you hungry?" He suddenly asked and I raised my head to catch his eyes.

"Uh, hindi pa masyado".

"Kain tayo, then I'll lend you my book." he took my hand and I blushed profusely as he led me down towards the food stands beside the library.

"Sorry ha, about the book. It wasn't intentional on my part to deface it. Nakakahiya sa'yo".

"Hindi ka dapat sa akin mag-sorry. You need to replace that book." I covered my mouth with my hand in shock. Gahd bakit ko nasabi yun? Crap!

He stopped and stared at me, then he burst out laughing.

"Sorry, you must see your facial expression! Ang epic!" Ang gwapo naman ng tawa niya. His laugh sent shivers down my spine. Kakaiba rin 'tong lalakeng 'to, parang sobrang carefree. Nyaah! Wag kang magkaka-crush Ayanna! Hindi pwede, may mahal ng iba yan!

We reached the food stall and he ordered two hotdogs and iced tea. We sat side by side on the monobloc seats. He put down a book on the table and pushed it towards me.

"Here you go," he smiled "basta wag mo na ako singilin ng airfare for Davao ha". 

I couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out of my lips. "Sorry, I wasn't serious about that. Nainis lang talaga ako yesterday".

"No, its okay and my brother is super thankful to you. Sinagot na siya nung nililigawan niya kanina". He wiggled his brows at me and winked conspiratorially.

"Ha?" my eyes widened. Sa kapatid niya yung love letter?

"Ang kulit kasi nung kumag na yun, mangliligaw lang hindi pa marunong. Tapos yung ballpen niya epic fail."

Shocks teka lang, kinikilig ako. Hahaha! Yehey, hindi sa kanya ang sulat! I rejoiced quietly.

"Buti naman nakatul--"

"Hey Prince, bro!" a familiar voice sounded at my back. Prince stood up to give a hug to the newcomer.

"Asan na yung Library Girl mo?" my eyes widened when I recognized who the guy is, "Pakilala mo naman ako."

"Kuya Adam?" I asked wonderingly. The newcomer turned and his eyes widened when he saw me.

"Diosa? What are you doing here?" He smiled as he ruffled my hair.

"Wait, magkakilala kayo?" Prince looked between Adam and I.

"Yeah this is my little half-sister Ayanna Diosa". Adam said proudly and I blushed.

A/N:

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