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The Classic Rivalry

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THE OCCASIONAL clicking sound of the driver's wheel was the only thing that could be heard from inside the limousine.

Seated alone at the back of the car was the only heiress of the Lobris' wealth — prim, proper, petite Annaliese Gracielle Beltran Lobris, who had her legs crossed in a dainty manner. Tahimik lamang itong nagbabasa ng libro; with her short, bob-cut hair pushed behind the back of her ears.

Halatang pinalaki sa striktong pamamaraan ang dalaga. Not a speck of dirt could be found on her ironed white blouse, nor a wrinkle from her necktie and pleated maroon skirt. Sa sobrang ayos ay para na siyang manika — caricatured by her own parents to be that way.

Or so it seems.

Sa pagkakataong iyon ay nabasag ang katahimikan sa sasakyan ng biglang tumunog ang cellphone ng kaniyang ama. Without lifting her head, she narrowed her eyes and watched her father who was seated in the passenger seat, pick up the call.

"Hello?" Her father greeted, not mentioning a name.

Interesting. Ngisi ng dalaga before going back to reading. Baka mahalata pa ng kaniyang ama na pinapanood niya siya.

"Yes, I'm on my way to the meeting." He said, lifting an arm to check the time on his vintage wristwatch.

Ann flipped a page from the book she was reading. It was one of the 1997 Nancy Drew classics — old and hardbound.

But she wasn't reading it anymore. She was however, focusing on the conversation of her father and the unknown caller instead.

"I know, I'll be there." Her father said cautiously. Just from her peripheral vision, she could see that her father was eyeing her — checking if she was listening.

Nang nakita ng matanda na busy sa pagbabasa ang dalaga ay ibinaling muli nito ang tingin sa kalsada. Ann's lips curved into a smile.

I'm not that stupid, dad. She thought wearily and bitterly.

The call then ended and Ann flipped another page. Hindi man direktang sabihin ng kaniyang ama ay ramdam ng dalaga na may nililihim ito.

After all, Ann had observed these little details for as young as she can remember. The mysterious phone calls, secret deals, late night meetings, and the hushed conversations behind closed doors.

Lahat ito ay napapansin ng dalaga because of her gift of being too observant — too meticulous.

At that moment, ang cellphone naman ng dalaga ang tumunog ngayon, prompting her to snap out of her thoughts, and shut the book she was reading.

"Sino yan?" Tanong agad ng kaniyang ama as she opened the text message she had just received. It was from an unknown number.

The text read: You and your stuck-up parents deserve to die.

"Huh. So original." Ann chuckled sarcastically after reading it, tossing the gadget back into her bag.

Same old, same old. Sa sobrang rami niyang natatanggap na death threats araw-araw ay hindi na ito bago sa kaniya. She was after all, the daughter of a famous politician and a hot-shot corporate lawyer.

Everyone either wanted to be her, or was envious of her and her family who came from a long line of old money.

"Who was that?" Her father demanded again, turning around para harapin ang anak niyang nakaupo sa likod.

"Just a groupmate." She lied, shrugging her shoulders in reply as she placed the book she was reading back into her bag as well.

"Ma'am andito na po tayo." Sabi naman ni Kuya Jed, ang opisyal na driver ng pamilya. Agad na nag-angat ng tingin ang dalaga just as the vehicle had entered the large, fancy, black gates of Castillo High — the most prestigious high school in Ylando City.

Every rich, talented, or impeccably smart kid was exclusively enrolled in the academe, nothing less.

As the car passed by, hindi maiwasan ng mga dumadaang estudyante na mapatingin. Isa lang naman kasi ang pumapasok sa paaralang ito ng naka-limousine. Sure, the others students were as rich as her and also came from well-off families, but it was only Ann who came to school in a dark, fancy limousine.

"Don't forget to excel, Annaliese." Ann's father reminded her as she stepped out of the car. Nakakunot ang noo nito habang nakasilip sa likuran ng kotse. "Huwag mong hahayaang malamangan ka ni Macc—"

"Goodbye, dad." Ann said loudly on purpose before shutting the door to a close.

"My God." Ann mumbled, rolling her eyes as she turned around. Raising her nose, sinuot ng dalaga ang kaniyang shades, hanging her designer bag on one shoulder before finally walking towards the main building in a graceful strut.

Beauty, power, brains and poise. Ann Lobris is the epitome of it all as the other Castillians — students of Castillo High — watched her in awe, envy, and curiosity.

With a pause, tumigil muna ang dalaga sa harapan ng newspaper stand na nakalagay sa lobby, para kumuha ng isa sa mga issue ng Castillian Gazette, which was the official school paper of Castillo High. Agad niyang hinanap ang confessions section ng dyaryo, curious as to what kind of false information about her was posted in today's issue.

"Irrelevant, irrelevant, irrelevant—ah! Complete bullcrap." She said sarcastically nang nahagilap na niya ang kaniyang pangalan.

Confessions of a Castillian

Armour_Warrior: Watch out for Ann Lobris! You can never be too perfect.

_178DizzyLizzy: Is the Lobris girl even real? Like, I'm sure may bahong tinatago 'yan. She can't be that innocent.

PrettyKitty55: Despite her pretty, good girl image, I'm sure Ann Lobris has skeletons in her own closet. The apple never falls far from the tree.

Ann didn't have to read more. "In this week's episode of absolute fuckery, today's confessions hit the jackpot." She said, sucking in a breath. Without another word, agad na kinusot nito ang dyaryong hawak — crumpling it into a small ball of wrinkled paper.

A few passersby looked at her in horror, but she merely gave them a fake, sweet smile before throwing the issue in a nearby trashcan bago tuluyang naglakad muli.

This time, she was heading straight to the office of the Castillian Gazette — the official school publication that dared to publish the stupid hate confessions from anonymous students.

Nang nakarating na ang dalaga sa office ng Gazette ay kumatok ito ng tatlong beses bago pumasok sa loob.

"Good morning," She greeted, eyeing the first person in the room who caught her eye, none other than Elysia Arcedes, one of her batchmates and writers of the publication. "Nandito ba si Calis—"

"What brings my dearest cousin to the headquarters of the Castillian Gazette?" A cheerful, feminine voice interjected, and Ann immediately turned to face a tall, slim girl with feminine facial features similar to her.

"Calista," Ann said cheekily. "I was just passing by to submit to you my essay. The one that the Gazette wanted to feature?" Tanong nito at saka inabot ang isang folder na kinuwha niya mula sa kaniyang bag.

Calista Beltran, Ann's older cousin from her mother's side, was currently a Grade 12 student and the literary editor of the Gazette. She had recently reached out to her younger cousin asking whether they could feature Ann's winning persuasive essay in a writing contest she won last week.

"Of course!" Calista exclaimed, reaching for the folder. "Muntik ko na 'tong makalimutan. Thank you for this, Ann."

"No problem," Ann smiled, trying her best to make it look genuine. But because of what had happened to her morning so far, her smile was beginning to look sarcastic.

She then turned to Elysia at pilit na nginitian niya rin ito. Elysia replied with an awkward smile, before turning back to her computer to continue writing. Just as Ann was about to walk away, she then stopped before turning back to them.

"Oh by the way," she said, cupping her chin in thought. "No offense but I think you guys should scrap the confessions section in your issues."

Agad na napawi ang ngiti sa kaniyang pinsan at kumunot ang noo nito. "What do you mean?"

Ann shrugged. "I just think that the concept is trashy." She said, looking dead straight into Calista's eyes. "Unless... the Gazette condones anonymous bullying?"

And with a flourish, sinuot muli ng dalaga ang kaniyang shades at naglakad papalayo.

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By the time Ann had finally reached her classroom, agad na sumalubong sa kaniya ang isang lalaking may kakaibang ngisi sa labi. Hands in his pockets and his frame leaning on the door, Ann immediately knew who it was. It was none other than Javier Dizon — one of her mischievous, but filthy rich classmates.

Javier let out a whistle as Ann passed him by and entered their room. "Hey Ann, have you thought about my offer?" Lokong bati ng binata habang nakangisi pa rin.

"What offer?" Ann raised an eyebrow as she placed her bag on her armchair.

"The offer to bring you on a date?" He asked, chuckling to his friend, Briden Armeda. Nag-fist bump pa ang dalawa which made Ann scrunch her nose sourly.

"Sorry, not interested." She said bluntly before plopping down on her respective seat.

"Bakit naman? Remember what your father said the last time our families met?" Javier grinned. "He said I'd make a fine husband for you. Ayaw mo ba nun? I find arranged marriages, sweet."

"Or, you could go away before I tell my father to stop doing business with your family." Ann snapped, inciting a laugh from Javier who finally got his satisfaction of annoying her.

"What an airhead." Bulong ng dalaga as she watched Javier and Briden join their equally troublesome friends.

Though Javier and his gang were annoying on most circumstances, Ann definitely didn't hate him. Minsan, nabi-bwisit lang talaga ito sa spoiled na ugali niya. But other than his teasing persona, Javier was just another person in this world for Ann.

May isang tao lang naman kasi sa Castillo High na talagang kinamumuhian ng dalaga.

"Rein! Thank God you're here." Ann heard Alyssa Malino, who came from a family known for their chain of five-star restaurants, suddenly exclaim.

Speaking of the devil. Ann thought cheekily, clicking her tongue.

With a quick glance, napatingin ang dalaga sa kaniyang kaklase na si Alyssa, only to see that she was waving her hand towards a tall guy with long, dark, wavy, tousled hair; deep set eyes; and a watch on his right wrist.

Ann pursed her lips. Ibinaling na lamang niya ang kaniyang atensiyon sa librong binabasa niya kanina.

"Thanks, Rein! All we need now is to write the name of our members at the back of the cartolina." Alyssa said, trying to sound cute and flirty. "Uhm, may marker ka ba?"

Ann rolled her eyes with a chuckle.

"I will never understand how he somehow has every girl wrapped around his finger." She thought to herself in amusement as she flipped a page from her book.

But just as she was about to ignore the rest of her classmates and finally get into reading again, she felt a slender finger tap her shoulder.

Agad na inangat ng dalaga ang kaniyang tingin, only to see the smirking face of none other than Reagan Iñigo Maccio.

Ann's greatest rival.

For her, looking up to Rein felt like looking up to a grinning Lucifer — rugged, handsome, and dangerously conniving. Even with his smile, no one knows what goes inside Rein's calculating mind.

"Maccio," she greeted him, raising an eyebrow.

"You look beautiful today, Lobris." Sabi ng binata, leaning dangerously close to her. Ann couldn't tell whether he was flirting, or being a pain in the ass. Maybe it was the former?

"Say, do you have a marker?"

She rolled her eyes. Now that's an answer to her question.

"Actually to tell you the truth, I don't. Now if you could please stop talking to me, it would be of great pleasure." Ann smiled sweetly before turning her back onto him.

"Oh but you see I'm pretty sure little miss perfect such as you would have a marker. Ayaw mo lang ipahiram kasi hmm, I don't know? Ayaw mo sa'kin?" He grinned tauntingly, finally straightening his back.

Ann immediately shut her book in annoyance. "You really love spiting me, huh Maccio." She remarked, smiling through gritted teeth.

"I just can't help it if the person in front of me is lying, Annaliese Gracielle Lobris." Rein smirked as he shrugged his shoulders.

Agad na nag-cringe ang dalaga as soon as she heard her full name roll out from his tongue.

"Accusations! I don't have a marker. Now go away." Ann said haughtily, crossing her legs in a futile attempt to intimidate Rein.

However, instead of being intimidated, the boy let out a low whistle as he surveyed Ann's legs that were only partly covered by Ann's short skirt.

"Pervert." Ann said scornfully. But despite her obvious irritation, Rein wasn't an easy fly to swat.

"Hmm. Kung wala ka ngang marker, ano yung ginamit mo last Friday when you volunteered to write the report for your group?" He said calmly, placing his hands inside the pockets of his pants.

Mukha siyang inosenteng heartthrob pag ginagawa ito, but Ann knew better than to fall for his looks or charms.

"Ooh. Sounds like I have a stalker. Wag mong sabihin buong araw mo 'ko tinitignan? Ang creepy ha. 'Di man lang ako na-inform na may HD ka pala para sakin?" Ann grinned devilishly, batting her eyelashes.

"HD?"

"Hidden Desire."

"Oh please. Me? Having hidden desires for you?" Rein let out a low, attractive chuckle. "Ingat ha, baka nababaliw ka na kakatira sa loob ng higanteng mansyon niyo?"

Ann's face immediately flushed red in anger at his remark. He was now crossing the line.

"I'm just stating my deductions based on your actions." She replied hotly, making Rein scoff.

"Don't be so assuming, Lobris. At hindi deductions tawag dun, it's called jumping to conclusions. Get your facts straight."

"You, get your facts straight — kasi hindi naman sakin 'yung marker na 'yun. It was Quinn's marker for your information." Ann said angrily as she shot up from her chair, leveling Rein's steady gaze.

"I doubt it." Rein taunted, taking another step forward just to intimidate Ann.

"And when have you not?" Ann retaliated back, leaning forward to overawe him as well until they were only a few inches from each other.

Isang hakbang na lamang ay pwede nang magtama ang mga labi na.

With the little space between them, both could almost feel each other's steady breaths. Doon na lamang narealize ng dalawa na biglang tumahimik ang buong classroom as the two were hurling words back and forth to one anther.

Everyone's eyes pierced right through them in anticipation.

"Easy there Maccio, are you trying to steal my future wife?" Komento naman ni Javier na bumasag sa katahimikan. Agad na humagalpak ang buong klase sa tawa. Leave it to Javier to disrupt any negative energy in the room.

Ann let out a snort and immediately broke off the spell between her and Rein by widening the gap between them.

"You could've asked me if you needed a marker, you know. Kaibigan mo naman ako." A voice suddenly remarked, and both turned to face a tall boy with dark complexion and round-rimmed glasses. It was their classmate, Quinston Rhys Gintuan, who was also coincidentally Rein's friend and dormmate.

"Quinn." Rein grinned to acknowledge his friend who handed him the marker that Ann used last Friday.

"No matter how entertaining your little quarrels are, I don't think it's wise of you both to keep doing that in front of the whole class." Quinn whispered to the two of them before pushing his thick frame of glasses up his nose bridge. "Remember, almost every Castillian looks up to you both."

"Sinong may sabi na nag-aaway kami? I was just testing her." Rein smirked playfully.

"Yeah," Ann scoffed. "Testing my patience!"

"Ang sabihin niyo, na-eenjoy niyong mag-LQ." Queenie Rose Gintuan, the twin sister of Quinn who was seated nearby, remarked. "You find each other intellectually stimulating pag nag-aaway kayo."

As Quinn's twin, Queenie looked exactly like her brother — an accurate girl version of him actually. Katulad ng kaniyang kapatid ay may suot-suot rin na eyeglasses ito.

Napakunot naman ang noo ni Rein. "LQ?" Tanong nito habang inaabot ang marker kay Alyssa na mukhang na-badtrip dahil ilang minuto lamang niya nakuwha ang atensyon ni Rein.

"Lovers' Quarrel!" Sabay na sagot ng mag-kambal. Ann couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"How is it that you're my greatest opponent when it comes to academics, pero simpleng abbreviation 'di mo alam." Sarkastikong sabi ng dalaga. "Alien ka ba ha?"

"And about the lovers thing — excuse me, but I wouldn't date him even if my life depended on it." Ann remarked, flashing Rein a fake, brilliant smile.

Queenie couldn't help but scoff in response. "Really? Because the more you hate..."

"...the more you love!" Dugtong ni Quinn habang nakangisi.

Rein Maccio and Ann Lobris. The two were household names in Castillo High, and not just because they were one of the academy's top students.

Almost every Castillian was aware of the bloody feud between the Maccio and Lobris families that seemed to have started generations ago. Dahil dito ay nadamay pati ang dalawang bata sa away na namamagitan sa kanilang mga pamilya.

Both were raised with the mindset that one should be better than the other, thus resulting to them always fighting for the spot of becoming number one.

Minsan, si Rein ang nagta-top sa klase. Minsan naman ay si Ann. They were never consistent; always battling for each other's place.

Initially, Ann just wanted to feel that her parents were proud of her — just wanted them to focus on their only child. Until the idea of being this picture perfect girl stuck to her image; at wala na siyang ibang magawa kundi sundin ito. She was trapped in a cage; with the pressure and comparisons weighing on her like a stone.

Everytime Ann's parents would find out Rein had beaten Ann in something so trivial such as homework, they would be livid.

Siya daw si Annaliese Gracielle Beltran Lobris — hindi dapat na nagpapatalo sa kung sino man, lalong-lalo na sa isang Maccio.

Ngunit kahit ano pang pilit ni Ann ay para bang hindi naaalis ang binata sa buhay niya. It was as if he was destined to pester and get in her way for the rest of her life, always there to take away the spotlight from her.

"Don't you worry babe." Rein remarked with a shrug, snapping Ann out of her thoughts. "I won't be settling for someone like you." He grinned, earning a raised eyebrow from Ann. He then ignored the twins' presence as he leaned forward to whisper in her ear.

"I have high standards." Bulong nito at saka kinindatan ang dalaga before finally turning around to leave her alone.

"Why you little piece of—" Ann spluttered indignantly, her voice trailing as she noticed that her rival seemed to have a little limp on his left leg as he walked away.

"Interesting." She murmured, immediately thinking of using Rein's limp to her advantage.

But before she could further explore the evil idea, agad na napailing ang dalaga habang nakangisi.

Maybe they were right. She thought, chuckling to herself. Maybe Ann Lobris isn't so innocent after all.

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Also, the song in this chapter entitled, "Oops! I Did It Again" by Britney Spears is very much an Ann Lobris song.