Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Eyes that seem so expressive but seem so mysterious.

The gushing of the wind softly brushes on my skin as I wander on this place. The wind makes my hair freely play along with it as it flies backward, away from my face. In this place, in this open area, alongside the gushing wind are chatters, laughter, screaming, and footfalls of people walking and running all blending together. A lot of people are taking their time walking as they chitchat within their group, some are running seemingly due to excitement, I assume.

However, I have important matters attending to, as of the moment I watch my surroundings. “I told you, we should have been careful,” I wait for the person on the other line to answer.

He sighs, “Hill, I know that. It has been a month and I honestly feel sorry for you.”

“Why would you? I chose to be with Pa and you guys chose to be with Ma.”

“I know, but I know you wanted to be with Ma as well.” He whispers, “Sorry” at the end of his sentence.

An outside noise disturbs our call, the bell is ringing and it’s a sign that classes would start any minute now. “Hey, Kuya? I’ll get going now, class is about to start!”

I hold on to my backpack tighter, “I need to run! Bye!” I take my phone away from my ears and lastly bring it close to my mouth and shout on the microphone, “I love you!” then the call ends with a beep.

I quickly run to the nearest building that I spot just right in front of the school gates. “I should have woken up earlier!” My eyes busily scan the plaques on the doors of the building trying to figure out where the school administration's office was.

From afar, a few feet from me, a sight of loud and tall excited students coming out of a door are holding what seems to be flashcards from my point of view. They all excitedly step out of the door like kids who just got their Christmas presents smiling enthusiastically and some are smiling by force– talking, and patting each other but then a boy with his army green backpack facing my view turns around and exactly meets my eyes.

My eyes bug out as he suddenly nods at me. I nod my head daintily as if replying to his greeting and another option— actually a plan of escape if he wasn’t greeting me is that I just bow down my head to look at my socks? My socks seem interesting by being plain white, yes.

With no more options to defend my small act, with embarrassment and with confusion all blended by black magic together in the pit of me, I pull out my phone and try to act as if I am texting someone.

I stand like a statue for a couple of minutes still feeling his gaze burning on me. I look up from my phone just to see that he is now standing alone. That is the time I am snapped back into reality when someone taps me from behind. I abruptly turn around and step back. A girl is plastering me with her big smile. She has a hairstyle like... Dora? Especially her bangs do stand out a lot. Her eyes are round but seem to be very bright.

She hands out her palm, “I’m Joy!”

I reluctantly take her hand, “Hillary.”

We shake hands and she peaks behind me. “Were you going to the administration’s office?”

I stutter as I look back on the office, “O-oh, yeah.”

She starts to walk and urges me to do the same, “Let’s go together then?”

She walks in front of me while I follow behind her. I never knew high school would eventually bring out my introverted side. I can’t even talk to people properly and I am already late for my first class to be exact.

We enter the office and are greeted by a young lady. “Good morning,” she confidently greets us but her tone is very soft and welcoming. “What can I help you with –Oh! You need your identification cards?” She stands up from her swivel chair behind the desk and with her head held high she makes her heels click-clack with her authorize and confident walk. She walks to the huge bookshelves on the right side of the office. To all intent and purposes, it occupies almost the whole wall except for the part where the receiving area is, a few meters from where we are standing. She carefully scans the numerous brown boxes on the shelf. “Seventh grade? And names, please.”

“Joy Tan.”

“Hillary Blue.”

“Under the program?”

I and Joy unexpectedly answer in unison, “Yes.”

She pulls out a box and she pulls out the cards that I saw from the students before us. She turns and walks to us handing us our cards. “Here,” she makes eye contact with me but it’s not the intimidating one. Her eyes are beautiful, they seem to be the eyes that would make your heart flutter when she winks or when her eyes show her genuine emotions. Eyes that seem to be very expressive. “Welcome to Alora High School, enjoy your fruitful years here!”

Never did I expect that I’ll be spending my first subject outside of the classroom with, Joy and a couple of students that I saw with the guy with an army green backpack. I sit Indian-style next to the classroom’s door that is now closed. The windows are open, they are trying to be a bit more considerate to let us hear what is going on inside. The teacher inside seems to be giving a handful of the list to do and not to do in this school. “As I have said, we are not tolerating any actions such as tardiness, especially on the first day.”

“I know there are various excuses for this activity such as getting lost trying to find the administration’s office, trying to find your class, trying to understand what is going on, I know. That is why I am still trying to be more considerate leaving the windows open.” Considering that I am near the door and the windows are open, I can hear her heels clanking on the tiles, getting louder and louder. Meaning she is making her way to the door. The door swiftly opens and she peaks half of her body outside. She has a very motherly aura and the moment she makes eye contact with me, I feel a bit of comfort. “Good morning, students.”

“I’ll also leave the door open. Usually, on normal days, we teachers don’t do this. But since everyone is new here, this is the most consideration I can give.” But on the back of my mind, keeping the door and windows open—the electricity bill of this school...

Another bell slaughters my attention, break time. The first three subjects went by quicker than I expected them to be. Most of them were just introductions concerning the subjects and the lessons under them that we would tackle throughout the school year. They even mentioned the requirements to be bought and brought to school the next few days that we would be needing and using.

Joy beside me lifts herself and picks up her pink bag from the floor. I watch her as she puts it on her back while she is on her tippy toes trying to look through the window. She excitedly looks down at me since I am still sitting on the floor, “Hillary, there are two seats on the second row!”

She pulls my right arm trying to make me stand up, “Let’s go!”

Her pull makes me stand up but the force is too much for my thin body that I go flying through her side. Almost flopping on the plants on the corridor that might fall on the school ground if it isn’t for the arm that is wrapped on my waist, stopping me.

My eyes bug out as I realize that there is an actual arm stopping me. The arm is wrapped around my waist, and a hand is placed on my back for security that I am caught? Nothing is in slow motion except for my realization. I feel no small heavy strong hands wrapped around my right hand. No one is pulling it and no one is in fact in addition to my list of revelations today is pulling me out of this guy’s hold.

I abruptly take a few steps back just to meet the eyes that I saw a while ago. Eyes that seem so expressive but seems so mysterious, eyes that are green and shaped in almond, eyes that can send me flying to the sky if it blinks with its long lashes, eyes that seems to be a painting with too many wonderful details on it even that small mole on his brow bone just makes it—wonderful, eyes that can trap you inside. I can see my reflection clearly as if I am captivated inside already.

An arm pulls me from behind, “Hillary! I am so sorry!” Joy turns me around to face her but I didn’t miss the detail that this guy is still standing like a statue blinking in confusion from what just happened.

I shake my head trying to assurer her, “It’s okay, Joy, it’s okay.” I quickly turn around to face the guy who just grabbed me and prevented me from destroying the plants in front of us but he isn’t there anymore. I look around trying to find a bit of information about who that kid was but found nothing, there were like twenty students on this particular corridor right now. An equally distributed packs of girls and boys, none of them are alone.

I turn around and pick up my bag since Joy is persistent that we should definitely get inside now or else we might not get the seats and we might as well get trampled upon by the bell again. “Come on, Hillary. I am sorry so please, let’s get inside!”

As I am about to enter the door, a student stands beside me, in front of the door next to ours. I can feel him slide their door open and coolly steps inside their room but, the detail that I get from my peripheral vision is his back facing me, his army green backpack facing me.