SHAN
“Wow, Valeria High is so lively.”
The gates of Valeria High were open to celebrate their Foundation Day, so Hiro and I were able to come.
We just wanted to visit Acel and see how he was doing because I heard he got elected as the Student Council President and he was in charge of all of this.
They had stalls everywhere ranging from food stalls to game stalls.
“Hiro!
Shan!” I saw Acel running toward us from afar, so we stopped walking.
Hiro and I went here straight from school, so we were still wearing our uniforms.
It was obvious that we were from Lopez High.
A white short-sleeved polo shirt with red and navy blue linings on the collar and sleeves paired with a dark blue necktie and slacks.
“You didn’t have to rush.” I told him because he was trying to catch his breath when he stopped in front of us.
“Man, I’m in need of a refresher.
It’s so hot out here.” Hiro said while one hand was covering the top of his eyes.
It really was so hot.
I think it was around 3 PM, that was why the sun was hurting my skin.
“We have a café!
You should relax there for the meantime.” Acel offered.
I was inspecting the interior and exterior of the school while walking to the said café.
The school definitely did not look that much different from ours, but what really made it different was the ambiance and vibe.
It was co-ed so there were… girls.
Hiro and I kept looking around because we were not used to seeing girls in school.
“I could find a crush here.” Hiro joked, laughing a little.
“People here are nice.” Acel endorsed their school even more.
The café was air-conditioned, so I felt refreshed when I entered the room.
The smell and aroma of coffee also calmed me down.
We sat at a table with only two chairs, so Hiro tried to find another one.
“It’s okay, Hiro.
I’m leaving anyway.” Acel said.
“Stay for a bit, won’t you?” I told him.
He had just arrived, and he was leaving already?
Did he even get to rest?
He looked so busy walking around.
While we were walking, he kept talking to different people, making sure that they were doing their jobs properly.
“Hi, is this seat taken?” I heard Hiro ask the girl from another table.
My lips parted when a girl suddenly placed her bag on the chair so Hiro could no longer get it.
She even sat down without saying anything, so I laughed at Hiro’s face.
Man… He was rejected straight up.
“Shut up, Shan.” Hiro said, making me laugh a bit more.
Acel just waited for the drinks to arrive before leaving, so I offered to walk him out of the café.
“Hello, Pres!” I suddenly stopped walking when Acel did because a girl greeted him.
A pretty tall morena was smiling at him.
She looked familiar for some reason, but I couldn’t point it out.
Maybe I had already seen her around school.
“I’ll see you again later.
I just have something to do.” Acel said goodbye to me before waving.
I just smiled before going back inside the café again.
My drink might melt.
“What’s that?” Hiro asked, referring to what I was drinking.
“Iced strawberry latté.”
It looked so pretty.
I couldn’t stop looking at it.
When I tasted it, it was like tasting heaven.
The best strawberry latté I had ever tasted… which I planned to recreate.
Not just recreate but make even better because I couldn’t just keep coming back here for this.
This café was available only for their Foundation Day.
I wondered what the recipe was.
“Kuya, look!” The cup almost fell from my hand when Elyse suddenly ran toward me and pushed my shoulders.
Dang, I almost lost my strawberry latté!
“I won!
I won the game where you shoot cups!”
She showed me the doll she had won.
It was a panda doll, which she found cute.
“That’s good.” I told her.
“Can I drink?
That looks tasty!
Can I drink, Kuya?” She kept pestering me, making Hiro laugh.
As much as I wanted to enjoy my latté alone, I just gave it to her.
She said she would just taste it, but she ended up drinking everything.
I just smiled and bought her another bread.
“It’s still so hot outside…” Hiro said, looking at the window.
“Let’s just stay here for a moment.”
“Yeah.” I unconsciously said while looking at the morena girl seated near our table.
Our tables were right next to each other.
I was trying to think where I had seen her.
She looked so awfully familiar that it frustrated me because I couldn’t remember.
She glanced at me and parted her lips, then looked away awkwardly.
I furrowed my brows, still thinking and staring at her.
Hmm… I think I already knew her before.
When?
Where?
Think, Shan.
Think.
“Why is that guy looking at me?” I heard her ask the girl in front of her.
“Who’s looking at you?” The woman looked around, so I immediately looked away, but I felt her eyes piercing into my soul.
“That one?
Those two guys at the other table really are creepy.
Maybe he has a crush on you.”
“Me?
Maybe it’s you.”
I hoped they knew that Hiro and I could hear what they were talking about.
I looked at Hiro.
He was trying to stifle a smile by putting his fingers on his lips.
Yes, he heard them too.
“Have you found a crush yet?” Hiro asked, teasing me about what the girl said.
“Nope.” I shook my head at him.
“Have you?”
“The girl at the other table could be a potential crush… but she scares me.” Hiro covered his mouth to stop himself from laughing because the girl might hear it and be offended.
A lazy smile was plastered on my face when I looked at who he was talking about.
The mixed girl with nice long hair, huh?
It was obvious that she was mixed.
Hmm…
Fil-Am?
It could be.
She looked like it.
Her eyes were different.
“What is this?
He’s looking again.
Should I punch him already?
Do you want me to?” I heard the mixed girl say.
I looked away again and stood up.
“Let’s go.” I held Elyse’s wrist to help her, and Hiro followed us out after cleaning our table.
I didn’t want to start a fight in this school.
This isn’t even my school.
Acel might get even more stressed out.
“I didn’t even get the chance to ask for her name.” Hiro told me.
“You’ll forget her tomorrow.” It was true.
He would probably just forget her face the next day.
“You were staring at the other girl… Got a crush?” He continued teasing.
“Do you have a crush, Kuya?” Elyse cut into the conversation while eating her bread.
I just looked at her and told her to finish her food.
“Not a crush.
Not my type.” I told them.
“She was just familiar.”
“Maybe you saw her in your dreams.” Hiro teased even more.
I shook my head at him.
No… I definitely did not.
I think I saw her somewhere else.
Ah, whatever.
There was no point at all.
Maybe I just happened to pass by her before.
We couldn’t get a hold of Acel, so we just started playing games.
I was good at them, so I won lots of prizes.
“What the… Why are you here?”
We stopped walking when we ran into Hiro’s brother.
I didn’t know Haze was here too.
He was with another guy.
The other guy was holding someone else by the polo collar as if he had just pulled him out of nowhere.
That someone looked grumpy, crossing his arms over his chest with his back turned away from our direction.
“What?
We’re playing games!” Haze defended himself.
“I’m with my friends.”
“I’m not your friend, you fucker.” The guy with glasses was so quick to deny it.
“I’m also definitely not part of this idiot’s group.
Let me go, Cy!” The grumpy guy turned toward our direction, fixing his polo collar.
“They are my bullies—”
“Hey, hey!
That’s not the right way to talk to your elders.” Haze scolded him.
The grumpy guy studied at Heinrich International School.
His uniform gave it away.
“And why… are you wearing a uniform?” I asked Haze in confusion. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
“Didn’t you graduate already?”
“We are trying to blend in, dummy.” He shook his head as if he was disappointed in me for not knowing.
What the hell should I know about his… games?
“This is Clyden and this is KJ.
My followers.”
“I think they don’t want to be with you.” Hiro said.
“Free them, Kuya.
Bullying is bad.”
“Me?!” Haze let out a scoff of disbelief.
“They are the ones bullying me!
You should side with your brother.”
The grumpy guy suddenly vanished from the scene, having run away.
The one with glasses just rolled his eyes and hit Haze on the head before walking away, leaving him behind.
Haze immediately complained to the two of them and tried to chase after them.
“I hope he matures soon…” Hiro sighed as if his brother was already a lost cause.
“Wait…” I looked around me.
“Where is Elyse?”
Neither of us had the answer to that, so I panicked.
Hiro kept saying that Ely could manage herself because she was already grown up, but I couldn’t help worrying about her because she was not the best with directions.
She would probably get so lost in this school.
She gets lost easily.
I kept looking around and even ran into the girl from earlier.
We looked at each other, but she eventually rolled her eyes before walking past me.
My lips parted, and I placed a hand on my chest.
What was that?!
Now, I really don’t want to find out where I saw her.
Good thing I found Elyse, who was asking for directions.
I took her with me on the way home.
When Elyse and I arrived home, I was surprised to see Dad’s car parked in the garage.
I walked inside the house with Elyse behind me, being careful and aware of my surroundings.
“Where did you bring your sister?” Dad asked when he saw us walking upstairs.
“We visited Valeria High and celebrated their Foundation Day.” I told him, trying hard not to shake.
I couldn’t even look at him.
“It’s already late!
What if something happens to your sister, huh?” He asked me, his voice rising.
“Ely, go to your room and lock it.” I whispered to her.
She nodded and ran into her room.
When I heard the lock click, I let out a heavy sigh and looked back at my dad.
“Nothing happened to her,” I told him.
It wasn’t like I asked Elyse to go.
She went there by herself.
I thought she would go straight home, but I think she got curious about what was going on at the nearby school… or maybe she went with her friends.
I didn’t know how she ended up there.
“If something happens to your sister, it will be your fault!” he said.
I laughed sarcastically because I knew that the “something” would be his fault.
Did he change?
No… No, you can’t change just like that if you only changed your behavior toward one person.
There was no remorse.
No regrets… for what he did to me and my mom.
“Bad things could happen…” I started.
“Only if she goes near you.”
“What did you say?!” He went up the stairs and dragged me down by my collar.
I couldn’t feel anything anymore when he looked at me with so much anger, like he wanted to kill me.
This had happened too many times already.
“Kill me,” I told him, smirking.
“You’ve always wanted to do that… Do it.” I urged him.
“You’re fucking ungrateful!” His grip on my collar became tighter, making it hard for me to breathe.
“You should have died with your mother!”
“Alfred!” He suddenly let me go when Tita Erin entered through the main door, straight from work.
She looked so shocked and hurriedly ran to me.
“What the hell are you doing?!”
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I wasn’t myself for a second.” He suddenly started tearing up in front of her.
I… I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
I held my neck while catching my breath.
He wasn’t himself?
No… That was him…
That was exactly who he was.
Monster.
KIERRA
“Monster, huh?
This drink is so bad for your health.”
I didn’t know why this guy cared or why he was here in front of me while I was studying at Yesterday’s Coffee.
He was wearing casual clothes now and looked like he had already finished his barista duties.
“Outside drinks aren’t allowed here.” He said to me.
“Am I drinking it?” I replied grumpily.
He only saw it in my bag because I always carried an energy drink with me.
“Stop bothering me already, Ciandrei.
You’re causing trouble again.”
“Ciandrei is so long.
Just call me Shan.
We’re friends now, right?” He teased again.
“I don’t want to be friends,” I said to him without looking up.
I was too busy drawing the interior of Yesterday’s Coffee.
It was a nice subject for my plates.
“More than friends?” He offered with a playful smile plastered on his face.
I looked straight into his eyes.
“Less.” I said shortly and rolled my eyes at him.
“More than friends, less than lovers, huh?
I’m down.” He shrugged, having understood what I said differently.
“I’m good at that.”
“Not something to be proud of.” I said again without emotion.
He kept saying so many things, but I wasn’t listening anymore to his stories or his teasing.
He was too… noisy today, huh?
I wondered if something was troubling him.
Yes, he was loud and mischievous, but I noticed that he seemed to be using it as a distraction from whatever he was thinking about.
“Do you have a problem?” I asked as I put down my pencil.
“With you?
No… Definitely.
Nope.” He said, shaking his head and smiling.
“Do you have a problem with something else?
You’re just distracting yourself right now.” I told him.
When I stared at his face, that was when I noticed a light bruise on the side of his lips.
My lips parted in shock.
Did he get into a fistfight?
He probably noticed that I was staring at it, so he covered it with his hand in a not-so-obvious way.
“Just had a fight.” He said as if it wasn’t a big deal.
“Did a woman punch you?” I assumed.
Ever since I witnessed him getting slapped by a woman, I assumed that it happened more often.
He looked like he was already used to it.
“Not a woman.” He said, laughing a little.
“Anyway, do you want my special drink?” He suddenly changed the topic.
He did.
Obviously, he didn’t want to talk about it, so I didn’t push it anymore in case he said I was meddling.
Maybe there was a problem in law school?
Maybe he was a member of a fraternity?
Wait… That wasn’t impossible.
Maybe if I asked, he’d say I was interested in him.
I already knew how his mind worked.
“Yes, make one.” I told him.
Finally, he left me alone.
I had already finished my drawing when he placed the drink on the table.
I was looking at him while sipping it, thinking about what could be troubling him because he had stopped talking and was just staring into space.
I wonder what he’s thinking about.
“I’m going home.” I told him, packing up my things.
It was already dawn.
Good thing tomorrow—or rather today, since it was already dawn—was the weekend, so I could rest.
At least my plates only needed a few more touches before they were finished.
I could finish them over the weekend.
“Wait…” I stopped walking toward the exit when he called me.
I looked back at him, waiting for what he was going to say.
“You want another escape?”
I froze at that.
I owed him one before, and he looked troubled, so I ended up saying yes.
I kind of felt sorry for him… but why would I feel sorry for him, huh?!
I didn’t know where we were going.
I was still carrying all my things when we got into his car.
I was just wearing an oversized hoodie and a pair of shorts.
I tucked my hair inside my hoodie while the hood covered my head.
We went to a rooftop bar with a hidden entrance.
Oh… Did he want to drink with me?
We were going to have drinks together, like that?
I couldn’t use that as a reason not to trust myself because… I wasn’t even drunk when we did that before!
He ordered two beers for us and walked again toward the stairs.
He passed the Do Not Enter sign to go up until we reached an even higher part of the rooftop.
There was no one there, and the bar below could be seen from the terrace.
He leaned against the railings and felt the wind, his eyes closed.
I just rested my wrists on the railing as well while drinking my beer.
I didn’t know what to say.
He seemed to be thinking about something else, so I chose to stay quiet.
It was not one of his playful smiles.
This time, the smile was small but genuine.
His hair was being blown by the wind.
“I’m going to ask something, but don’t think I’m interested in you because I’m not.” I said before he could.
He laughed at what I said and motioned for me to ask.
“Have you ever had a girlfriend?”
“What a unique question… I never asked someone to be my girlfriend, but if you consider the girls I ‘dated,’ then yes.
Don’t ask me how many.” He said to me.
I couldn’t believe I let out a sigh.
That many?
“So you’re a cheater,” I told him.
“Careful what you say… I dated a lot, but I never dated two girls at the same time.” He let out a short laugh before drinking his beer.
“They just… don’t last long.”
“Why?”
“Because there’s no point.” He looked at me with complete seriousness.
“So I stopped dating.
The getting-to-know stage.
I’m sticking to my ‘only fucking’ rule.”
“Did you love them?” I was just curious.
Why would you get into a relationship if you didn’t love them?
“Because if not… then you’re just extending your pain to them.”
“I liked them.” He corrected me.
“We date, we fuck, then we get sick of it at some point.
We’re not in a relationship, just dating, so it’s easy to end it, right?”
“But did you love them?”
“I don’t know how to love.”
I slowly nodded before drinking from my bottle of beer again, feeling the wind on my face.
So he had never had a girlfriend before.
The way he described it… those were just flings.
He “dated” them, but he never reached the point where he wanted to commit.
I wouldn’t know… because I had never done that.
“What’s the rule of dating?”
“For us, dating means getting to know each other to see if you want to commit to the person or not.
It’s still a ‘no strings attached’ thing.
If you vibe with them, take it to the next level.
If you don’t, say goodbye.
That’s it.” He explained.
“It’s what others call the talking stage, but it’s more… exclusive.”
“And you don’t want that anymore?”
“I thought you only had one question… Now, I’m going to think you’re actually interested.” His body turned toward me, and he leaned against the railings, smirking.
“Why?
Do you want to date me?”
“I’m not that stupid to want to date you.” I told him.
“Your presence alone is already annoying.”
“I don’t think you’re annoyed right now, though…” He came closer, staring at my face.
“You look like you’re enjoying my company.”
“You’re the last person I want to be with.” I told him, staring back into his eyes.
I wasn’t going to lose to him.
“But again… who are you with right now?” He raised his brows, teasing me even more.
I didn’t answer anymore and just rolled my eyes at him.
There really was no point in arguing with this guy!
When I finished my beer, I told him we should go home because I was getting sleepy too.
He dropped me off at the coffee shop again because that was where I asked to get off.
When he got out of the car, a woman approached him and they talked.
They looked like they knew each other.
I bought some bread first for tomorrow’s breakfast.
When I came out, I was surprised to see them already kissing.
The woman was leaning against Shan’s car with her arms wrapped around his neck.
“Uh…” I didn’t know whether I should say goodbye or not.
I just turned around and walked away.
Whatever!
It was Saturday.
I woke up to finish my plates, but when I looked for my bag, I couldn’t find it!
I tried to remember… I was able to buy something, right?
I had my wallet, so… Oh, shit!
My wallet was in my pocket, and I left my bag in Shan’s car!
My plates!
I went to the coffee shop after taking a bath and getting dressed to look for him, but he wasn’t there, and they said it was his day off until tomorrow!
They just offered to call him for me!
I really needed my bag, so I wasn’t even embarrassed to call.
I already had two missed calls, and he still wasn’t answering!
I asked for his address and said it was important.
The staff gave it to me because they knew that guy knew me anyway!
Good thing the condo was allowing visitors at that time!
I just left my ID and went up to his unit to knock.
I got the unit number right, didn’t I?
This was definitely it!
Why wasn’t anyone answering?
Did that idiot leave?
I knocked again but immediately stepped back when the door opened and the woman from last night hurried out.
“See you!” She shouted as she walked past me, looking all giddy.
I guess my timing was wrong, but I really needed my bag already.
I knocked again, and after a while, the door finally opened.
“What?
Do you want more—” Ciandrei froze when he saw me standing in front of his unit.
He was wearing nothing but his boxers.
“Fuck.” He immediately closed the door, and I heard noises coming from inside his unit.
I just stood there with my arms crossed over my chest, waiting for him to come out again so I could talk to him properly!
When he opened the door again, he looked much more presentable.
He was already wearing a shirt and shorts, and his hair was fixed too.
“My bag… It’s in your car.” I said to him irritably.
“Ah… Wait.
I’ll get it.
You can stay inside for a moment.” He told me.
Damn!
I don’t even want to go in there!
It might still smell like whatever unbelievable things they did!
I might start thinking about all sorts of things if I went inside.
“I don’t want to because what if—”
“Shan!
I knew it!
You fucker!” I immediately stepped aside when I saw an angry woman walking toward us.
Shan pressed a hand against his forehead and looked away.
He looked so stressed.
“Is this why you won’t answer my calls?!
You have another girl now!
Why?!
Don’t I satisfy you?!”
“Oh my God…” Shan massaged his temple.
“Go inside, and we’ll talk.” He told the woman, looking serious.
“Are you sure we’re just going to talk?” The woman suddenly changed her tone.
“I mean… what if we do other things…”
“Didn’t you come here for that?” Shan asked with no emotion on his face.
“Either you go inside, or you leave.”
“Excuse me…” The woman looked me up and down before walking into Shan’s unit with a catwalk.
I blinked, not expecting that.
“I’m so sorry.” He told me.
“Let’s get your things from my car.”
I just followed him as we walked toward the elevator.
Wow… I didn’t know he had such an… active sex life.
I didn’t expect it to be like this.
When we reached the parking area, he immediately got my bag and handed it to me.
Then we stared into each other’s eyes in silence.
“Don’t worry… I’m not judging you.” I said before he could, raising both my hands.
“Don’t worry… I’ll make the girl leave.” He replied.
“Don’t worry… I don’t care.” I answered back.
The corner of his lips lifted before he ruffled my hair.
Annoyed, I slapped his hand away so he would move away from me.
“Alright, then.
Don’t leave your things in my car next time.”
“Why?
Because your women might see?” I raised an eyebrow at him, challenging him.
“And I thought you didn’t care…” He stepped closer and held my chin, making me look up at him.
“You do, huh?”
I stared back at him and grinned.
“Yes, I care…” I began.
“…for the girls.
Duh!” I removed his hand from my chin and walked back toward the elevator.
“Wait for me!
I’ll walk you to the lobby!” He quickened his pace to catch up with me.
“No need!
Someone’s waiting for you upstairs!” I repeatedly pressed the elevator’s Close button, but he still managed to get in.
Laughing, he stood beside me and watched the elevator doors close.
“Yes, you really don’t care.
Of course.”
When the elevator opened at the lobby, I walked out ahead of him.
“See you never.”
“See you yesterday, Zylene.” He said, earning a reaction from me.
His smirk before the elevator doors closed was the only thing left on my mind.
What the heck…
How did he know my name?!