First Encounter

12 years ago..



"Cyleen Perez Jaranilla, wake up! You're going to be late. It's your first day in San Mariano High!"

I almost fell on my bed when I heard the high pitch voice of my mother inside my room. Since my room was so tiny, I can hear her voice all over and it's sounds irritating. I thought my eardrums gonna explode.

"What time is it, ma?"

I asked lazily while sitting on my not so smooth single bed with old and faded beddings. I started scratching my head coz it feels so itchy. I badly needed to take a bath everyday, not thrice a week only. I can saw dandruffs falling on my black overlarge shirt already. So gross.

"It's already seven o'clock."

Seven o'clock!? Oh my! I'm late! 7:15 sharp is the flag raising ceremony every Monday. I'm gonna prepare all my things, eat breakfast and take a bath, that consumes 30 minutes. Maybe I'm not going to take a bath then. Less 15 minutes.

But I'm still late. I still needed to walk 15 minutes before I arrived at the tricycle station! I won't gonna eat breakfast too. Less another 10 minutes. I'm gonna be five minutes late then.

Tss. Who cares about being late, anyway. I'm just going to sing National anthem alone and do some community service for hours. It's not that hard. But it's humiliating! Argh! I hated this day!

Being a freshmen student in San Mariano High is not that easy, I think. SMH wasn't famous school at all. It's a public school. Middle class, poor up to the poorest students studied there.

I ever dreamed about studying in a famous school like what I've read on webtoon. Where I can meet those handsome bad boys whose gonna trip on me at first but in the end, they're gonna fall for me.

I'll be an instant princess and my prince charming was so handsome and to die for. I can have my own happily ever after. Those kind of story from rug to riches.

But all those dreams— I swear it won't gonna happen in San Mariano High. If I know, all my annoying classmates in primary school were gonna study there. I think my high school life is going to be so B-O-R-I-N-G. As in boring!

I don't really had a choice. We're not even in a middle class. I can consider our family as the poorest of them all. I'm just glad I've been born pretty naturally. And thanks God, at the age of 14, pubirty wasn't that hard on me.

I've always chosen to represents our section in a beauty contest since grade 1. I didn't won a crown coz I'm a little bit stupid when it comes to question and answer portion but— I won every special awards like Ms. Photogenic, Darling of the Crowd, Best in long gown, Ms. Friendship and Best in Talent.

I feel like I've already won though even the title wasn't mine. I know I'm pretty. But I also known that I'm not that brainy at all. I always had a line of seven in math. I really hated math. I don't know why I'm such a fool on that subject. The other subjects are fine though.

It just feels like everytime I'm staring at those numbers, my mind became blurry and those numbers started to bounce up and down and back and forth in my head that's why I can't focus. In the end, I've learned nothing.

"You're spacing out, Cyleen. You really wanted to be late, huh?"

Oh-oh. I almost forgot that my mother dear still inside my room. And she's right. I really did spaeced out!

"I'm going to take a bath now, ma."

"You better do that everyday! Beauty is all you had. Don't mind your useless brain. You should take care of your physical appearance coz that's your asset. Who knows you can be rich with that face of yours."

I just nodded and then she left my room. I decided to take a bath then. Our toilet and bath room are the same. It's too tiny just like my room. We don't even had an air freshener that's why it smells like poop right now. Gosh, I'm gonna die in suffocation and air pollution here.

While cleansing, I stared on my reflection at the small old mirror in front of me. My mother was right. At my young age, I do have an extraordinary beauty. Maybe because of my western father.

That jerk who don't have a backbone to fight for my mother and I. Well, what can I do? We're not his real family. My mother was just his mistress. And me? I'm just a fruit of their sins.

He left after he finds out that my mother was pregnant. He wasn't there when I've been born. He wasn't there when I needed a father. He wasn't there since the very beginning. Damn all those men like him.

Are we not that worthy to fight for? Because we're just like this? He still choose his real family and left without a traced. I'm just wondering if he ever think about me even just for once. Or did he ever know that I exist in this world?

"Cyleen! You're not done yet? It's already 7:15!"

Mama shouted outside the bath room door. Damn it! Now I'm really late! I quickly grab the towel to dry myself and hurriedly wear my uniform. I really hated SMH. First day of school, we are already required to wear our school uniform.

I didn't bother to eat breakfast. It's just the same meal everyday. Fried rice and dried fish. As if there's any difference.

"I'm leaving!"

I shouted while wearing my shoes.

She gave me 50 peso bill for transpo allowance and lunch. I'm running so fast until I've reach the station. Who cares about being a demure Filipina. This beauty can also run like a runner in a marathon, you know.

After 15 minutes, I arrived at SMH main gate. As expected, the flag raising ceremony was over and all the students are already inside their classroom. I mentally curse when I saw the guard glaring at me.

"Good morning!"

I tried to gave him the sweetest smile I've known just to let me in but it doesn't work!

"You're late, Ms.—"

"Jaranilla."

I said and showed him my school I.D.

"First day of class, you're already late. Five laps, now."

Five Laps? Is he serious? I'm gonna run all over that circular field five times? I thought I'm just going to recite the national anthem alone and do a community service! Gosh, my poise will gonna be ruined!

"You too, Mr. —"

I looked behind me when the guard says that. And that's when I find out that I'm not the only one whose late on our first day of class! This handsome guy standing behind me was late too! Gosh, why I felt so glad about it?

Is it because there's also a gorgeous guy whose gonna ruin his poise? Or because I'm excited to run together with him? Who is he by the way? I didn't see him before. Is he a transferee or from other places?

He doesn't look like a promdi. He looks like a city boy. Just look at the way he's wearing his school uniform. So neat and pleasant to look at.

That soft, smooth, nourished and fair complexion as if derma always taking care of his skin. Gosh, this guy looks so perfect! And I don't understand why my heart is beating so fast right now that I'm staring at him.

"Jordan."

That guy said and showed his I.D.

"J-Jordan? As in you're the eldest son of Mr. J—"

"Yeah. And I'm gonna run five laps now."

This guy said.

"Y-you don't need to do that Mr. —."

"But I wanted too."

He replied and looked at me.

"What are you looking at? You're supposed to do the five laps, right? What are you waiting for?"

He said arrogantly. Tss. He's handsome, okay. But he's arrogant. Who cares about his looks now!?He's not rich either coz if he is, he's not going to study here. The nerve of him to talk like he's above us. What a jerk! Such a feeler.

I rolled my eyes and started to run leaving that guy behind. I can feel that he's behind me. He's a lousy runner too. So lame! I'm sure if he's my rival at the marathon, I'm gonna win for sure. Should I challenge him to compete with me?

Nah! Never mind. I almost thought that I like him the first time I saw him. I change my mind. I simply looked behind me and like a slow motion, I saw him running gracefully, while sweat looks like a silver droplets dripping on his face down to his neck.

I sawllowed hard. Damn! Why he looks like a Greek God and he's chasing me right now!? I continued running and didn't bother to look back again.

"Shit! I think I really like that guy!"

And just like that— I tripped on the hard pavement and I've got bruises both on my knees and it's bleeding! I panicked. I close my eyes abruptly coz I'm afraid of blood. I don't know why. Everytime I'm seeing blood, I felt weak and in a minute, I'm gonna passed out.

It happens before and I don't want it to happen again. Ever.

"Are you okay? Shit! You're bleeding!"

I opened my eyes to check if he's going to help me. But to my despair, I saw him lying on the ground, lifeless. Did he just passed out? I looked on my knees and I feel so dizzy the moment I saw blood on it. And just like this useless bastard, everything went black..