André

When I woke up the next day, a text message from someone brightened up my day. We were still doing the community service. Normally, I hated doing these things, but this time, I just wanted to spend more time with her.

From Charles:

Who you?

My lips formed into a smile as I thought for a witty response.

"Commander, may bagong babae ka na naman?" Siniko ako ni Rance habang nakaupo kami sa living room area.

"Wala, gago!" Tinulak ko siya palayo sa akin.

"Kaya pala hindi ka natulog kagabi eh kasi may katext ka. Sino ba yan?"

Umiling lang ako habang nagta-type pa rin ng reply.

"Oh, ayan na pala sila," Rance announced beside me kaya napatingin ako sa harap.

I almost choked on my spit when I saw Charles walking with her hands tucked inside the pocket of her denim overalls. Nakasuot siya ng oversized na white tshirt sa likod ng kanyang overalls.

From a guy's point of view, hindi naman seductive ang suot niya. Her skin was mostly covered from the neck down to her feet.

Her face was as dull as a rock. No hint of blush on or lipstick. Her forehead was wide, but strands of her short, pixie hair covered its sides.

She was definitely not my type. Far from it.

But, for some reason, my eyes kept on following her every move... I couldn't look away.

Jesus, bakit ang bilis ng tibok ng puso ko? Mamamatay na ba ako?

"Commander, tara na daw," Rance tapped my back, catching my attention.

"W-What? Where?" I stuttered.

"Bakit, Commander? May slowmo na ba?" Rance teased.

"Gago, tara na nga!" Umiling lang ako. I immediately stood up, hiding my phone inside my pocket. I decided to dress casually today for the community immersion.

Once we got inside the bus, I smiled at the sight of Charles already sitting at the far end.

"Good morning, Charles!" I greeted, taking a seat next to her.

She just lifted her chin at me with hands folded over her chest.

Good. Hide your chest from me.

"Nahihilo ka ba ulit?" she suddenly asked, turning to me.

I burst into laughter. "Why? Concerned ka na ba sa akin?"

She squinted her eyes at me. "Hindi tayo magkaibigan. Huwag kang feeling."

"Kailan mo ba ako mapapatawad? Kapag na-expel na rin ako?" I asked this time.

"Kapag gumuho na ang mundo," she answered.

I tightened my jaw. "Why are you punishing me, Charles?"

"Punishing?" she repeated, shaking her head. "Hindi kita pina-punish ah. Wala lang point na maging magkaibigan tayo."

My brows shot up in confusion. "What does that even mean? Kailangan ba may point para maging magkaibigan tayo?"

"Okay, sige nga, bakit mo ako gustong maging kaibigan?" she asked again.

"Because..." Jeez, this lady. What does she want me to say? "You're a friend of my bestfriend's girlfriend... so, naturally, we should be friends. We have common friends."

"Break na sina Fina at Kell," she pointed out.

Damn. Wait, break na sila? How come I didn't know about this? "Wait, what?" I exclaimed a bit too loud, kaya napatingin ang mga nasa tabi namin.

"Hindi ka naman pala updated," she remarked. "Akala ko ba bestfriend ka?"

"As far as I know, sila pa," I stated, clucking my tongue. "But, point is, we should be friends."

Shaking her head, she just ignored me as she looked out the window.

This lady will be the death of me... but I'm not giving up.

Minutes later, our bus stopped in the middle of nowhere. We were told that the roads up ahead were steep and vehicles as big as a bus would not be able to reach our destination.

"Guys, kailangan nating bumaba ng bus at maglakad papunta sa barangay," Koleen announced.

"Ano ba yan? Gosh! Bakit ba ganito ang roads dito?" someone complained infront of us.

"Lubak talaga ang daan dito," I heard the woman beside me mumble as I stood up from my seat.

"After you," I gestured her to walk infront of me first, and she did, without uttering a word to me.

Sighing, I just followed her steps as we walked down the bus. Lahat ng mga kasama namin nagco-complain na tungkol sa unexpected hike papunta sa destination naming barangay kung saan gagawin ang community service.

Normally, maiinis rin ako tungkol dito. But, the moment I saw Charles with no qualms of hesitation on her face, I suddenly felt the drive to do it too.

"Anong oras na tayo makakarating doon pag maglalakad tayo?" Someone from the group asked.

"Mga isang oras daw ang aabutin natin," Koleen answered.

"Bakit hindi niyo na-research nang maayos ang lugar bago nag-decide na dito gawin ang community service?"

"I'm sorry. I failed to do that. Hindi ko rin naisip tanungin," Koleen took the blame again.

"Hey, it's no one's fault!" I quickly butted in. I knew Jale would defend his girl if he was here now. I knew I would defend Koleen if I was her boyfriend.

"Exactly. Can you all quit complaining already?" Hailey remarked.

"Okay, let's go, people!" I yelled out on top of my lungs.

I did a few stretches and jumping jacks bago ako nagsimula sa paglalakad. Fortunately, nakasuot ako ng komportableng tshirt at shorts, instead of my usual jacket and pants outfit. That would have been a pain in the ass.

Nang makita kong nakalayo na si Charles sa paglalakad, I quickly jogged forward, catching up to her.

"Charles, are you okay?" I asked out of worry. Alam kong kaka-recover palang niya sa nangyari noong gabing yon. If I was the dean, I wouldn't even let Charles set foot in the university for at least a month.

"Bakit naman hindi?" she answered back, not even looking at me.

I chuckled, trying to lighten up the mood around us. "Taga rito ka ba? I mean, dito ba ang barangay niyo?"

She nodded quietly.

"Really?" I exclaimed, making her turn to me.

"Ikaw? Taga san ka?" She suddenly asked, causing me to stop from walking.

I wasn't expecting her to ask me that. I was just making small talk, trying to ease whatever uncomfortable feeling she had around me.

Napatigil rin siya sa paglakad. "Ano? Pagod ka na?"

"Hindi ako mapapagod basta kasama ka." I chuckled, taking off the snapback over my head. "And to answer your question, I was born in France, but grew up here since I was eight."

"Ah kaya ka pala Dux."

"Dux?"

"Di ba Alexandré Dux ang pangalan mo?"

"Actually it's Deux and it's pronounced as Doo, not Dux," I corrected her.

"Ang arte. Parehas din 'yon!"

I just chuckled at her. "Ikaw? Bakit ka Charles, I mean Charlie?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Pangalan daw ng isang hari ang Charlemaigne. Akala kasi ni papa noong pinanganak ako eh lalaki ako. Yon pala mukha lang lalaki." She flashed a smile, showing her tiny dimple on the left side of her cheek.

I immediately looked away because I suddenly felt a weird pinch in my stomach. What the fuck was that?

"Aray," she winced, stopping from walking again.

"What's wrong?" I instinctively checked her back. "Masakit ba?"

"Hindi. Wala to," she brushed it off, shaking her head at me and continuing to walk on the uphill road.

I heaved a sigh. "Buhatin na kita, Charles. Huwag ka nang pakipot."

She cocked a brow at me. "Ano kamo? Hindi ako nagpapakipot 'no. Okay lang talaga ako."

"Pwede bang magpa-baby ka naman? Willing naman akong i-baby ka." Bending down, I scooped her up in my arms.

"Ibaba mo nga ako, Andres!" She protested, but I just endured hearing her loud voice all the way to our destination.

I was out of breath the moment we reached the top. Kulang pa ang isang gallon ng tubig sa sobrang pagod ko. Hindi naman mabigat si Charles. It's just that the road was too rocky and not to mention, the scorching heat of the sun was burning me alive.

Sinimulan na nina Koleen ang mini program sa basketball court ng barangay. Nag-prepare rin kami ng games at prizes para sa mga kids.

Honestly, mas mabuti na ngang mawala ang Omega Phi. I mean, the only reason I stayed was because of dad's legacy. It was the same for my bestfriends, Kell and Logan. Our dads were once part of the fraternity. They became brothers because of it, and so did we.

But, aminado akong walang nagagawang mabuti ang frat namin. The only time we did something right was whenever we collaborated doing fundraising events and charity works with Gen L Society. Koleen was the reason Omega Phi even lasted during my years of being the Commander.

BLAG.

My cheek went numb the moment a flying ball hit my face. Hindi ko nakita ang bolang lumipad papunta sa direksiyon ko kaya natamaan ang mukha ko.

What the fuck! I cursed in my head, rubbing my sore cheek with my hand.

"Sorry po," a boy with round eyes came running to where I was sitting under a tree.

Kinuha ko ang bola mula sa lupa. "Okay lang," I assured him.

"Okay lang daw po ba kayo?" the boy suddenly asked.

"Sino'ng nagpapatanong?" I queried.

"Si Ate Pogi," the boy pointed his finger towards the basketball court where a very familiar woman was standing while messing her hair with one hand.

When she looked my way, I smirked, standing up from my seat. Inunat ko ang aking leeg pati na rin ang aking mga braso habang papalapit sa kinatatayuan ng babae.

"Sorry," Charles mumbled as soon as I reached her.

"Sorry? I bet sinadya mo yon." I gritted my teeth in anger. Of course, I wasn't angry. I was just pretending to be.

I saw her pouting, her cheeks puffing out. "Sorry na nga. Kasalanan ko bang nakaupo ka malapit sa ring?"

"If you're really sorry, prove it," I challenged him.

"Prove? Paano naman?"

"One on one game. Only ten points. If I win, we're friends again. If I don't win, hindi na kita kukulitin," I proposed.

She stared at me as if judging my whole being. In that same moment, I felt my body shiver, not from fear, but from something else.

"Ano? Game?" I taunted, trying to divert that uneasy feeling inside me again.

"Game!" She finally agreed, taking the ball from my hands. Nang simulan niyang i-dribble ang bola, I just stared at her in awe. Hindi ko alam na magaling pala siya sa basketball. I mean, she did win against me that one time na pumunta kami sa arcade. But, damn, she was really good.

Next thing I knew, she already scored a point after shooting the ball into the ring.

"Wooo! Pano ba yan, Commander? Matatalo ka na naman," she stuck her tongue out at me, teasing me.

I grinned, running towards her direction and trying to take the ball away from her. But, she kept on dribbling the ball so swiftly that I couldn't keep up with her feet.

"Shoot!" She exclaimed, attempting a three-pointer... and the ball went in. "Yes! Four points na ako!"

I exhaled a long breath, turning my snapback around over my head. Hindi ako pwedeng matalo dito. Nakasalalay ang friendship namin ng babaeng ito.

"Ano? Suko ka na?" she teased again as I tried to get away from her defense. Nakataas ang mga kamay niya sa harap ko para harangin ang pag-shoot ko ng bola.

"No way! You're going down!" I told her as I felt her hand touching the side of my arm while she was waving her hands in the air. Nabitawan ko ang bola nang maramdaman ko ang kuryenteng umakyat sa aking katawan. What the fuck is that literal spark?

"Steal!" anunsiyo pa niya nang makuha niya ang bola mula sa akin. Just like that, she threw another three-pointer shot. "Seven points!"

"Wala! Foul! That's a foul!" I protested.

"Ha? San ang foul?"

"You touched me!" I pointed out, tapping my arm where I felt her touch.

"Anong touch? Wala akong tinouch ah!" She moved closer to me, her face only a few inches away from me. My eyes landed on her pinkish lips and I suddenly felt an urge inside me.

Wait, this can't be happening. Am I seriously crushing on her? Like a fucking high school crush?

I chuckled at that thought. Ain't no way.

"Panalo na ako!" She suddenly yelled as I saw the ball twirling on top of the ring. "Paano ba yan, Commander? Talo ka na."

I nodded in defeat. "Congrats. Makakalaya ka na sa akin."

Her brows knitted in the middle. "Ang OA naman talaga. Okay na. Friends na tayo."

"Friends?" I repeated. Did I just hear that right?

"Ayaw mo? Sige..." she turned her back at me.

"No, wait!" I yelled, making her turn to me. "I like you!"

She paused, looking at me in confusion. "Ano kamo?"

"I mean, I like it," I corrected myself as I felt that weird pinching in my gut again.

Oh shiiiit.... What the fuck is happening to me?

A/N: Oh may spark na! hinay-hinay para hindi kayo makuryente 😆

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