Chapter 01

"Be careful"

She waved her hands goodbye to her Mom watching them go away.

"Excited, princess?" She turned to her Dad who's driving carefully.

"Not so much" she answered honestly before looking out at the window again.

"Why? I thought this is what you wanted?" Her Dad asked curiously.

"Yes, but I think I won't enjoy it that much, anymore"

She saw at the side mirror the moment her father turned to her for a while.

"Why? Do you want to stop first?"

"No, that not what I mean. I mean I won't enjoy it because I have already studied every subject taught in our course for this year" she answered while playing with her fingers.

This last vacation she talked with her parents about her decision in shifting her course. It's not that she doesn't like the course she took last year, it's just that that's not her passion.

She's in love with numbers and business tactics so she chose to switch to business management and give up fine arts.

"Don't worry. Daddy will make and think of a way for you to enjoy this year"

She turned her attention to him when she said that.

"How?"

Her Dad smiled at her but stayed quiet all over their ride towards the school.

"Bye, Dad," she said goodbye to him and kissed him on the cheek.

Her Dad waved his hands' goodbye and she saw it left when she was already inside.

She was humming her favorite song when she bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry" she whispered and she was a little shocked to see who collided.

The girl just smiled at her and excused herself. She followed it with a look and a smile escaped his lips.

"Who would've thought that I'll bump with my idol" she whispered to herself before walking again.

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She's busy jotting down notes when a knock interrupted their class.

The door opened and their dean's secretary peeked in. Instead of ogling the beautiful girl, she continued reading and jotting down important details.

"Ms. Bella" she looked at her professor whose currently standing next to the dean's secretary.

She stood up, "Yes, Ma'am?"

"The dean's calling you" she mumbled before going back to the discussion.

She quietly put her belongings inside her bag before saying goodbye to her teacher who replied with a nod.

She walks side by side with the secretary whose busy checking the tablet she's holding and she thinks that that's their dean's schedule she's looking at.

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She silently gazes at the paper given to her by their dean after their conversation.

"Don't worry. Daddy will make and think of a way for you to enjoy this year"

Her Dad knows how to make his promises come true.

"I think you deserve it based on what I've seen on your records. Think about it carefully, hija"

She hid the paper between the pages of her book when she heard her Mom's voice.

"That's open" she shouted and pretended to be doing something on his laptop.

"How's my baby?"

She jokingly rolled her eyes when she heard her Mom's endearment to her.

"I'm already 18, Mom" she reminded her Mom but the latter just shrugged.

It stood on her back and stroked her hair. A few minutes later she and her mother were contented with the silence and doing their own thing.

She's busy on her laptop while her Mom combs and strokes her hair when she speaks.

"You look like my Mom" she nodded in agreement.

It’s not just her mother who says she looks more like her Grandma compared to her parents who brought her to the world.

"Is there something bothering you?" Her mother was worried as she watched him intently.

She just smiled sheepishly then continued on typing.

"What is it?" her Mom said and turned her chair that would face her Mom.

She could not stop her eyes from looking somewhere. She doesn't want to open up to her Mom because she knows it already hurt her when she chose business management compared to the course it wants for her.

"What is it, hmmm?"

"Go on, Mommy will listen"

She sighed and bowed as she met his understanding gaze.

She turned her swivel chair and rummaged on her books to get the paper, when she got it she turned to her mother again and gave the paper to her.

She saw how the mother opened the paper and at the same time, her sweat was forming on her forehead.

Her Mom gave her an assuring smile, "Go, take the exam"

"But ---" her Mom hushed her by putting a finger over her lips.

"Don't worry, maybe I was disappointed when you decided to shift your course, but always remember that I will support you, us, in everything that will make you happy. Do not hesitate to accept it because it is a rare opportunity that comes to a person's life once, sometimes this opportunity never happened even how good they are "

She nods her head absentmindedly at her Mom.

"Fill this up if you want to. I will go out and come down to prepare your snack" her Mom kissed her head before leaving her holding the piece of paper.

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She's savoring the food when her brother called her.

"Princess"

She looked up at her brother while munching her food, surprised.

"Avoid Castro"

She immediately frowned. Who's Castro?

"Clarenz?" she called it and she saw how her brother and her parents exchanged knowing glances.

"Who is Castro? Then why should I avoid him?"

"Just ... Just avoid him. He's danger" he vaguely answered and he shifted the topic too fast.

Even if she wanted to ask again about what he said, she chose to remain silent and shrug.

If she'll be allowed to recognize and know who Castro is, she will get to know it first before she decides whether to avoid it or not.

Sometimes, her brother could be judgmental. It just judges even if it does not know the person thoroughly.

And that's where they differ, their way of judgment, it is that she examines the person carefully before deciding for herself.

She believes that everyone is good and sometimes others just hide behind their hard and bad habits.

She smiled upon remembering her best friend, Holly, whom she met last year when she was still in fine arts.

She tried to understand her and know her deeply and she was right to know it better. Behind her bitchy attitude lies a fragile and sensitive woman.

This also supported her when she said that she wanted to shift her course and that she doesn't want fine arts.

"I think you should tell your parents that," she said while watching her.

She opted to focus her attention on her food than to look at her back, "My Mom will be disappointed and I don't want her to feel that"

Her mother loved the said course but due to her early pregnancy she was forced to stop and when she gave birth she chose to just stay in their home and be an image of an ideal mother though that time her parents could hire a nanny so her Mom can go back to school but she opted to not to.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw it roll its eyes on her, "Of course, she will. Who wouldn't be disappointed if her daughter didn't like the course she wanted? Most especially that she thinks that her daughter can do that and make that come true for her? "

"Holly!!" She frustratedly called her name.

"Why? I'm just stating a fact here. But think about whether you will continue this course but you do not like it and your heart is not here, you'll never be happy and you might live with what-ifs and regrets "

She sighed when she got her point.

It's either she'll disappoint and broke her Mom's heart or she'll forever hold her peace.

"Princess?" she was startled by the feeling of a cold object hitting her cheek.

"You're spacing out"

She just smiled and replied, "What is that again?"

"Remember what I said, Stay. Away. From. Castro" he said while emphasizing the last sentence.

She nodded even though she had no plans to follow it.

After a while, she excused herself from her parents who likely to finish eating later.

"Whoever that person is, he deserves to be recognized well before being judged" she whispered to herself as her brother's order was still in her mind.

Her brother's words lingered on her mind until she fell asleep still thinking about it.