Prologue

Operation: Make The Bad Boy Fall For You

"What, seryoso ka ba?" bungad ko sa kanya nang marinig ko ang unbelievable news.

"Yeah, you heard me right, besh. It's all over the flicker."

I calmed down for a bit. Hindi ko kinaya ang ibinalita ni Frost sa akin, she's my best friend. Parang nagliwanag ang mukha ko at may ngiti na sa aking mga mata. But still, why?

"Bakit daw sila nag-break? They're really compatible."

Megan is the campus queen bee here and she owns the title for two consecutive years. Tapos leader pa sya ng cheerleading squad. Dylan is a famous campus heartthrob tsaka captain pa sya ng basketball team. How could they just break up like that? There must be a very good reason to that. Besides, everyone in school knows about their relationship since it all began.

"Sabi-sabi dito na may third party daw si Megan. Hindi ko nga lang alam kung sino. Chichikahin ko muna sila Marites mamaya!" si Frost.

I suddenly got curious about this case. Maybe because I like Dylan even though I am an invisible-nobody in his eyes. I did lots of crazy things in school para lang mapansin nya ako. I'm one of the topnotchers in school, I joined table tennis and became the captain ball. I also joined cheerleading kahit alam ko na hindi ako magaling sumayaw. I strived hard to make him notice me and now, this is just crazy... but good for me!

"Megan's insane. Kung ayaw nya kay Dylan, sana binigay na nya lang sya sa akin. You know, donation to the poor."

Aalagaan ko pa sya nang buong puso.

"You don't know how to get Dylan's heart. Tsaka isa pa, hindi ka naman niya napapansin since grade school," si Frost na kagat-kagat ang burger.

Kaibigan ko ba talaga 'to? Ang sakit niya namang magsalita!

"That's not cool, Frost." I took a sipped from my milkshake. "Dylan knows me."

"Kilala ka nya sa pangalan at mukha because you are Minami Fletcher. But knowing Dylan's status, he doesn't see you. You're invisible, besh!"

"Alam ko, alam ko. Anong magagawa ko, e mukha syang Megan!"

"Magpakilala ka kaya sa kanya. Kaibiganin mo o kaib-gan!"

Ang lalim naman nun. Minsan, may nasasabi ring maganda si Frost sa buong buhay nya.

"Right, I'll try, besh." I took a sip just to finish my milkshake.

"Tapos ka na?"

"Yeah, I have to do something in the music room. See ya!"

I grabbed my bag and stormed out of the caf.

"Bye!"

Dumiretso ako sa Music Room kung saan kami mag-me-meeting ngayong hapon. Ako kasi ang naatasang magtago sa susi. Ewan ko nga ba kung bakit ako ang pinagkatiwalaan ng president kahit kabago-bago ko pa lang dito. He seems to trust me.

I joined music club for three months. Bakit ba? Katatapos lang ng club fair namin tsaka halos araw-araw may meeting. I was even nominated as their secretary, di porket matalino ako, ako na lahat gumagawa. I held the doorknob and opened the door.

Good, no one's here. Perfect timing! My mind said sarcastically.

I roam my eyes around the music room. Malaki rin pala ang namin at ngayon ko lang napansin. Dahil siguro sa palagi akong late sa meetings. Hindi ko naman sinasadyang magpalate. I have my cheerleading activities kaya sila na ang nag-a-adjust. It's nice to know when people try to understand your situation the way you want them to. I'm just glad that they're treating me as one of their family.

I walked towards the guitar and put my hand bag beside me. I checked my wristwatch only to see that it's already two o'clock in the afternoon. Thirty minutes before our official meeting. Masyado pala akong maaga. Oh, well. Para makapagpalipas ng oras I'll just play one song I know.

(Now Playing: Ngiti by Ronnie Liang)

Minamasdan kita ng hindi mo alam
Pinapangarap kong ikaw ay akin
Mapupulang labi at matingkad mong ngiti
Umaabot hanggang sa langit

Naku naman. While singing this song, how I wished Dylan Shapero was here in front of me so that I can comfort him a little bit. Just a bit. Sana nga lang nasa harapan ko sya ngayon.

Wag ka lang titingin sa akin at baka matunaw ang puso kong sabik
Sa iyong ngiti ako'y nahuhumaling
At sa tuwing ikaw ay gagalaw
Ang mundo ko'y tumitigil

Sana naman mapansin na ako ng taong gusto ko, at least malaman nya na hindi ako invisible, hindi ba? Nakakainis na kasi.

Para lang sayo ang awit ng aking puso
Sana'y mapansin mo rin ang lihim kong pagtingin

I quickly put the guitar back. Oh, shit my eyes welled a bit. No, no, huwag muna takte! Nag-eyeliner ako ngayong araw. Baka magmukha akong bugbog sarado kapag kumalat ito sa mata ko. I bit my lip to stop the eye fluid from coming out. Seriously, I don't want to cry right now. That would make me look weak and I don't want to look weak.

Upang naman mabaling ang atensyon ko sa ibang bagay, I cleaned the whole music room. May twenty-five minutes pa ako bago matapos at magsimula ang meeting. After cleaning, I found myself yawning. Cleaning makes me sleepy. Pero hindi pwede, baka makita nila ang tulog at pangit kong istura. Picturan pa ako ni Kean at Ryan- ang kambal na hindi magkamukha. Fraternal twins.

Someone opened the door.

"Is anyone here?" si Tyron lang pala, ang club president.

"Tyron!" I smiled when I saw him.

"Ate Key, ikaw pala!"

Nilibot niya ang kanyang paningin sa loob ng club room.

"Did you decide to clean?"

"Yeah, tapos na. Wala kasi akong magawa."

"Sana nagpatugtog ka na lang. May maintenance naman, ate."

I smiled. Oo, tumugtog talaga ako, hindi mo lang naabutan.

"Okay lang no. Are you alone? Where are the others?"

Napatingin ako sa kanyang likuran. Hindi ko sila napapansing nakabuntot sa kanya. He scratched his head, which made him look cool. Kung magkasing-edad lang siguro kami nito, I will fall for him, but no. Tyron is too young for me. Gwapo siya and he's a head-turner. Chick magnet 'to paglaki, panigurado!

"They're fetching someone in class 4-C."

"May problema ba roon?" pagtataka ko.

"Hmm, no not really..." medyo nagdadalawang isip niyang sagot.

Tyron's acting hellish weird.

"Spill out the beans, Tyron. I know you're hiding something."

"They're fetching Dreyson Flynn."

Lumaki ang mga mata ko tsaka iyong bibig ko na parang mapapasukan na ito ng langaw dahil sa laki ng buka! Bingi ba ako o nabibingi lang?

"B-Bakit?" kabado kong tanong.

Sabi na nga ba, pangalan pa lang ng section parang may mali na, e!

"He said he wants to join Music Club."

"Dahil lang dun?" singhal ko.

They're crazy. They can't let him join here. That guy is the campus bad boy. Ang bad boy sa lahat nang bad boy dito sa campus. Everything you could imagine for as long as it's bad, it's about him. Lahat nang masasamang gawain sa mundo, nagawa na siguro ng Dreyson na iyon or gagawin pa lang.

"No way! That name is bad news!" pagtataas ko ng boses.

"But, ate Key si principal na ang nagsabi tsaka tayo lang ang binigyan nya ng task na ganito."

"Bakit tayo pa, e ang daming clubs diyan. Bakit club pa natin ang napagdiskitahan ng bad boy na iyon?"

"Look, ate. The principal gave us fund for our club. The money is helpful para ma-provide ang kailangan natin at makakabili na tayo ng kulang na gamit dito sa music room. Just look at the bright side, we just need to get along with him and try not to make him furious," Tyron said smiling.

I heaved a deep sigh. "I guess I don't have a choice. You're the club president, not me. So it's clear that you're in-charge of everything here, from planning to decision making."

He flashed me his sweetest, makalaglag-panga-smile. Galing no?

"Thanks, ate."

Natapos na ang usapan namin dahil dumating na rin iyong iba. And, the last guy who went in was the bad news I heard from Tyron. It was Dreyson Flynn.

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