Chapter 1
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"Nak, do you still know who I am?" I hear my dad ask, his Filipino accent sticking out in the middle of our dinner. It takes me aback, slightly confused about why Dad asked that.

"Arturo? Why are you asking that? Gosh, the things that run inside your head are unbelievable," Mom comments, continuing to eat.

"What made you ask that, Dad? And yes, I remember who you are," I answer. What Mom said was true. Sometimes, he'll come to us, asking trivial questions that didn't make sense. Or dad jokes that aren't even funny but it still makes us laugh.

I love how he's the easygoing type of dad where his kids can always go whenever they want since there isn't a wall between them. I think a relationship like that is essential.

A goofy dad is the best dad, after all.

"Nothing. It's just...you like to isolate yourself whenever you study so I thought you have forgotten about us," he says, his voice mixed with concern. "We literally have to call you so many times just to come down and eat with us. Right, hun?"

My mom nods. "You need to stop being so hard on yourself. We understand that it's your finals week, but it's quite alarming that you would rather choose your studies than your health."

I know it's bad, but I can't help it. I have always been strict on myself as soon as I learned how to pick up a pencil and write. It becomes a habit of mine, eventually. Whenever I have exams, quizzes, or even homework, you can find me glued onto my study chair, completely isolating myself. I like to get things done in one go without any distractions. There was even a day where I hadn't eaten a single meal as I was working on a project the whole day. And that's where my habit gets bad.

Worrying my parents is the last thing I want to do, but I only do it for one reason–to repay everything they had given me and offer them a life where they don't have to work every day and tire themselves.

There are times when we argue about this issue. "Don't ever feel indebted to us for giving you a life you deserve to have. You don't need to repay us since you don't owe us anything," they often say. It's not like I feel the need to. I just want to, out of my gratitude.

I wasn't born into a wealthy family. You can say we are a part of middle-class families and we can afford our basic necessities like clothes, bills, and food. But we didn't start off like that. I saw how they put their blood, sweat, and tears to get to where we are right now.  Even Lev and his family knew that.

I sigh and reply, "I'm sorry, Mom. Don't worry, it's the final day of our finals week so it won't happen again." I give them a reassuring smile which leaves them satisfied.

"Good. Make sure to have fun after that," Dad says.

After dinner, I offer to help Mom in washing the dishes, but she declines. "Just go upstairs and review. Don't mind me here," she says.

As I am going to my room, I catch a noise, sounding like someone is entering through the window. Already knowing what's happening inside, I find myself smiling.

I twist the knob to open the door, and the first thing I see is a struggling boy, attempting to climb my room. "You really should stop entering the house through my window, Lev," I remind him as I lean on the doorframe. Lucky for him, I forgot to close the window earlier when I went down. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to enter.

Wait, I forgot to close it? Good thing no one tried to rob us.

With only his whole face seen, he greets me an almost inaudible 'hey', smiling as he waves his hand. He drags himself upwards, and eventually sets foot in my room. "I tried climbing without a ladder this time. I thought trying something new," he says, removing his slippers before flopping his body on my bed, feeling himself at home.

"Why not try ringing the doorbell downstairs and enter how normal people do, hmm?" I saunter towards my study chair and plonk myself down. I spin the chair to face Lev who's lying down, eyes slowly closing. I gaze at him in awe, thankful for the wonderful genes his parents have. He was sculpted flawlessly, from his head down to his toes.

Realizing that I may have been checking him out too long, I stand up, lift a pillow, and throw it at him before he dozes off. He grabs the hurtling pillow to hug it, his leg going over it, and closes his eyes once more.

I inform him, "If you have nothing to do here, you better leave. I'm still not done studying." Half of it is a joke, though. I don't want him to leave, but if he's going to stay, then I won't be able to focus on reviewing for the last exam because I'll only gawk at him.

"It's only one subject, V. What's taking you so long?" he mumbles, still snuggling my pillow.

I bet his scent already transferred there. Not that I'm complaining.

"It doesn't feel like it's only one, especially with this many coverages Miss J gave us!" I complain, throwing myself to the backrest of the chair. You can literally write a whole book with all the topics she included in the exam. "Anyways, what exactly are you doing here?"

"To sleep."

"Then sleep in your own room."

"No."

"Go."

"Nooo!" he whines when I tug the pillow he's hugging. "Okay fine! I'm here to help you okay?"

My head tilts slightly, an invisible question mark popping out on the side of my head. "What do you mean? You're supposed to be my rival in school and rivals don't help each other, you know."

Both of us are constantly claiming the top rank in our batch. Of course, Mr. Perfect isn't perfect without good grades, is he? I remember a time, during my sophomore year, when both of us got full marks in every exam, automatically making both of us the first. Actually, I think that was the moment I earned the Ms. Perfect title, in a way that I always have a perfect score in everything.

I don't get what is it with the school community calling people names as if it's some sort of pageant or something. What's next, Miss Photogenic? Miss Universe?

It's funny how they look up to me now when just years before, they were spreading absurd rumors about me.

"We're not in school, are we? We're friends, outside of that," he responds. "And friends help each other, don't they?" he says, enunciating every word like I'm a kid learning how to talk for the first time.

"Fine," I finally give in, internally smiling as I enjoy the next few minutes of us reviewing together. It's been a while since the last time we studied like this. He gave me an outline of what topics I should only study since Miss J isn't the type to put all of it in the exam. Speaking from experience, are we?

And boy, he was right.

I finish the exam with ease, being the first one to hand it over to our proctor. "As expected of our Ms. Perfect," he compliments. "You can exit the room now."

As I go outside with my backpack on one of my shoulders, silence prevails over the hall. I pass by each classroom and see students with their heads bowed and eyes fixated on the dreading paper in front of them.

My mind suddenly wanders to Lev. Did he already finish? I want to meet him.

Brushing off my thoughts, I stop my tracks when I stumble upon Amy's room. I can clearly see her from the glass door, scratching her head out of frustration. Seeming like she knew I was standing there, she looks up, and our eyes lock. Her lips twitch downwards, and her face contorts to an 'I don't get a thing' look. It amuses me how we can still communicate through facial expressions and hand gestures. Are there even best friends that don't?

Amy is one of the people I made friends with, back when Lev and I were new here. Back when the three wannabes betrayed me. She's the only one who stayed, the one who actually considered me as a friend. Ever since, both of us are like two peas in a pod, just how I am with Lev. Sometimes, people are confused about who's who since we both look the same when they're facing our backs. Both having brunette hair and the same height say it all.

I give her a good luck smile and mouth, 'You can do it'. Before the others–especially the proctor–see me, I decide to walk away and wait for Amy at the nearby bench in front of their room.

Several minutes later, the exam is over. The bell rings, and instantly, the campus is packed with students in various grades. Amy comes out of the room and as soon as she sees me, she opens her arms and dashes at me.

She cries out, "I may need to take summer classes, Val, and I don't want that!"

I break off the hug and comfort her, "Hey, don't think like that. For sure you passed."

With the same pout she gave me earlier, she asks, "You think so? I really studied my ass off last night, and I still couldn't get a thing!" She composes herself and murmurs, "Well...there were a few questions I answered though. I hope that's enough for me to have a passing score, at least."

She claps her hand, "You know what? We need to go shopping, party or whatever it may be. I just need to forget the exam for a while. You in?"

"Sure! Nothing is better than hanging out after finals week."

"Shall we invite the other two?" Just as Amy asks that, the hall is filled with sudden squeals and whispers.

"Speaking of the devils," I sing.

There's not a single day where girls don't create a ruckus and swoon over them whenever they pass this ridiculously narrow corridor. There's no one else in this school that can make girls act like wild dogs that haven't escaped their cage for a long time other than these two notorious students: Levi Alejandro and Ace Davidson.

They all make a way for the two to cross to wherever they'll go. For a second, Lev stands out among the crowd for me. Nothing else matters as he's the only one I see.

There they stride, looking all sparkly just like how you see it in cartoons. Both of them emit different auras– Lev being the calm, laid-back, good boy while Ace, on the other hand, is the frolicsome, flirty, outgoing guy who has never been in a relationship since he likes to think he's for everyone. Despite being like that, Ace is actually the most wholesome person you'll ever meet.

Amy's voice snaps me out of my thoughts as she calls Ace's name which makes both of them eye us. Lev meets my eyes, and instantly, a grin appeared on my face.

He jogs towards us with the same grin I had. "Hey, talking about something while we're not here?" he says, resting his arm on my head as he towers over me.

Amy speaks, "You're just in time. We were just planning on what to do after school. You have any idea?"

Lev removes his arm to lower it, now going around my shoulder. I know this little action means nothing to him since he always does this, but boy, he's giving me a heart attack.

"Oh! What if we go to our usual place? You know, Lucky Strike bowling alley?" he suggests. He faces Ace, who is currently ignoring the girls behind him, and asks, "You going, bro?"

I really like how Ace prioritizes his friends over his girls.

"Of course. Val will miss me if I don't. Right, mi amor?" Ace replies and winks at me.

Hearing his nickname for me makes my forehead crease and say, "As if."

After we planned, all of us go outside. We walk to the school's parking lot, excited to relieve all the stress as we are now exams free.

It's true when they say everything happens for a reason. The incident, way back freshman year, is what brought the four of us together. And since then, there is never been a dull moment in my life. What more if weeks after, summer–my favorite season–will begin? Certainly, it will be the best summer I will have, just like how it usually is.

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A/N:

Hey guys! It's me, again. As the previous chapters say that Val is actually half Filipino, I'll most likely include a few Filipino traditions, or even dialogues, along the way since I am a Filipino myself. Just like the first line "Nak, do you still know who I am?" The word 'nak' is a short term for the word 'anak' that means 'child' (can either be a girl or a boy). Most Filipino parents call their sons/daughters like that. It's an endearment, sort of.

That's it! Hope you enjoy this chapter and stay tuned for the next! ♡♡

Happy Reading~