Chapter 1

2009

I looked at my parents as they both shouted at each other. My father seemed really angry as they argue over something he saw on my mother's phone.

"Ma—", I stopped even before I was finished as my mother looked at me with rage in her eyes.

"Don't look at my child like that", my father snapped at my mother and she cursed at him in return. I didn't know what was happening, really. The last thing I remembered was my father leaving our house.

~

"Dancing has its own language. It is a way of knowing and communicating", Sir John read on his book. I rolled my eyes looking away. The large man in front of the room didn't even know what the topic was so why bother listen to what he was saying, or rather, reading. He wasn't really a P.E. teacher anyway.

I looked below from where I was sitting by the window facing south. The one-floored building behind the main building where our classroom was situated on the second floor was quiet except for the distant voices of the teachers speaking. I squinted my eyes to the furthest classroom on the left and saw Ma'am Tori, our strict, classy T.L.E. teacher, looking irked while talking, probably berating her students who didn't have etiquette.

The high-pitched tone of the old lady teaching how to be well-mannered immediately echoed in my head. I shivered, quickly looking away.

With nothing else to do, I turned my notebook until the last page to waste paper and ink and started scribbling whatever came into my mind.

'Stuck at the deep void of hollowness without a way to get out.'

'I want to be free but I don't know how.'

'Maybe someday someone will come to save me and...'

I scoffed and stopped writing. My mind was whirling with so many thoughts again.

As I was closing my eyes to ease my mind, our P.E. teacher announced, "For your task this last quarter, all of you will be performing a dance as a group", earning different reactions from my classmates. Some were enthusiastic about it and most protested, whining,

"Sir!"

"Sir, we already got tons of tasks involving all of us."

"It will be hard to manage time, Sir."

"We haven't even finished filming Noli Me Tangere."

"Show some consideration!"

Sir John interjected with a loud, "Enough! Dancing is your task in P.E. and that is final! If all of you are responsible enough, you can even do it in a week! And it isn't my fault that you aren't finished with your other tasks. Don't put the blame on me when I am not even involved with those tasks", that made my classmates shut up.

"Now, you can dance to any kind of...well, dance based on your preferences. Divide yourselves on your own in accordance with those preferences. But remember that in the end, you need to prepare a dance that will involve all of you. This task is similar to what you did last school year during your Intramurals."

"The field demo, Sir?" asked Daniella, one of my friends.

"Yes, the field demo. I will invite other teachers to judge your performance alongside me."

"Sir, when will we perform?"

"I still haven't set a date. For now, just prepare. Who can, by the way, supervise and lead all of you in this task?"

My classmates whirled their head toward my direction at the back. I mentally rolled my eyes, knowing what would happen next.

"Ms. Mercado?"

Sir John called just as how I thought.

"Yes, Sir?" I spoke after an hour of not doing so.

"You will be leader", the large man declared. He didn't even ask!

"Okay, Sir", I said anyway. It's not like I had any other options. I'm already expected to do it. The ever responsible leader who people thought could do everything, Tatiana Mercado.

Yes, that's me.

"That's settled, then. I need to go now. I will leave it to you, Ms. Mercado. Goodbye, class", Sir John hastily said, already heading towards the door.

"Goodbye, Sir John", my classmates chanted as I found my way in front of them.

When I reached the teacher's table, I looked around. All I saw were forty nine people I had spent most of my time for the last nine months.

"What can you guys say?" I said while leaning on the chair against the teacher's table.

"Let's do Kpop, Tati", Celine Malabo, the biggest Kpop fan in the room, suggested immediately.

"Also, hip-hop—"

"—and modern dance!"

And the chain of suggestions went on as I struggled to write all of them on my separate notebook where I kept tabs of the tasks and activities I was leading.

Yes, tasks and activities. When I said I was a leader who people thought could do everything, I literally meant a leader to everything. Like every single group tasks and activities. People expected me to do so ever since I was a baby, but that's just an exaggeration, of course. It was not entirely their fault anyway.

I had always loved to lead among other things. It

gave me some sense of purpose. Something I never had. What I never loved though was when teachers decided to throw endless tasks at us, exactly like what was happening at the moment. Worst part was that I was leading not simply a group of five or ten people, but a group of fifty students! All of us in the room were expected to finish and perform very time-consuming tasks!

I silently read the list of tasks we needed to finish. "Filipino, film. English, theatre play. P.E., dance."

I sighed and cursed on my mind, thinking of the things I needed to prepare for all of these tasks.

"Tati, aren't we gonna throw an early birthday surprise for Ma'am Grace?" Daniella's question snapped me back to reality. It took me a few seconds before I catched on to what she said and when I did, my expression turned sour. My tasks just kept on piling up.

I sighed. "We can plan that out later", I responded while looking for someone. When I found him, I asked, voice laced with sarcasm, "Mr. President, don't you think you have a say in this matter?"

James Carlo Alejandre, the ever laid-back president of the classroom who was not really capable of handling any responsibilities—but most of my classmates still voted for him—so it all fell to the vice president's concerns, which was me, by the way.

"Just bring any food you can bring. Play some music, sing some songs, write letters for Ma'am Grace then give it to her. It's that simple", James said with so much ease as opposed to what I was currently feeling.

"Really, James?"

I looked at his carefree form dryly. He just sighed, now looking defensive.

"What do you want me to do then?" he retorted and added, "Tati, you know I'm not good at these things."

I really couldn't understand this man. He should've at least offered some help!

I rolled my eyes at him and said to no one in particular, "Can you guys remind me again why you voted that guy?"

When no answers came, I decided to just talk about more important things than James' tardiness.

"This weekend, we will continue our shooting of Noli Me Tangere. Same time, same location, same costumes. I will start to choreograph our dance piece so that we can start to practice next week. Also, at the given time during our English periods next week, we will rehearse our play again so actors don't forget to bring your costumes. And, oh, reminder to the props makers, I want results by next Friday", I instructed, "Now, Ryan, can you please repeat what I just said?" I turned to Ryan, the tardiest of all who has the tendency to forget my reminders all the time. He was already glaring at me for having to repeat my instructions again but he still did it.

"Saturday and Sunday at 7 A.M. sharp in Bay Resort, shooting of Noli Me Tangere. Bring your respective costumes. Monday to Friday at given times, rehearsal of the play. Bring your respective costumes. Props makers are expected to finish all the props by Friday. During free times next week, practice of the dance", Ryan stated dryly.

"You're getting better, Ryan. Well done" I jokingly said to the guy before turning to everyone again. "Now, I expect that you all get that since the tardiest among us did. Any questions?" I shouted for everyone to hear just as the bell rang. "Very well. Enjoy your lunch."

My classmates started to prepare to leave and I did just the same as I reached my seat at the back. I was busy returning my things back to my bag when someone suddenly talked beside me.

"Tati", I jumped a little, surprised, before I turned to the owner of the voice.

"What the hell, James! You scared me!" I snapped at him. He chuckled and I thought I heard music.

Well, I must say, although I hated to admit it, James was just one hell of a man. His thick eyebrows settled just above his round, hooded globes that glinted with mirth. His long, sleek eyelashes flirted with each other when he closed his eyes. His pointed nose and thin lips completed his boyish look that was worth swooning over. He even looked as though he just walked out of a magazine with his usual polo shirt and jean that hugged his well-built body. He was a basketball player so I guessed that was a given.

"I just thought that since I am the president, it's my responsibility to help my vice president who seems to have a lot in her hands", he said with his rather sweet and boyish voice. When I failed to reply out of confusion, he continued, "What I'm trying to say is you can ask for my help, if you need some. I have been a pain in the ass for the past months, I know, so maybe I thought I could make it up to you by at least helping in some ways?"

"Okay?", I drawled, having finally found my voice.

"Great", he chirped and smiled widely at me. "Enjoy your lunch too, Tati", he added and lightly pinched my cheeks before leaving. I just stared at him as he walked away, completely stupefied to what he did.

Did he really just pinched my cheeks?

Just when I thought James probably paralyzed me using his hands, Daniella called me back to reality asking me to hurry up. It was then when I really realized what he said.

Disbelief immediately registered in my face.

James was willing to help me?!