First Day of Senior Year

The picture above is Isabel.

This is the P.O.V of Isabel and the event happens the same day when Cassy goes to school in her first year in college.

When Cassy is a freshman in college, Isabel is a senior year in high school so they have a year gap.

Words that needed to learn:

-Komunikasyon: Communication

-at: and

-pananaliksik: Research

-sa: to

-wika: Language

-kulturang: Culture

-Filipino

Communication and Research to Language and Philippine's Culture

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Isabel's P.O.V

"Isabel! If you don't wake up there, I will literally throw water on you! Count thirty seconds and I will be there!" My aunt shouts. I can imagine the smirk on her face now! Ugh...

This is the first day of my last year in high school. Finally, senior year! I am actually excited to go to college and finish my studies. My teachers said that I can easily get scholarships at every school that I wanted to because I have good grades and excels in academics and extracurricular activities. Not that my father can't afford my studies but I just want him to be proud of me.

"Isabel!" My aunt shouts again and pulls me out of my thoughts.

I force myself up and start walking to my bathroom as I hear her footsteps coming closer with a pitcher of water. Can you imagine that? How will you feel when somebody throws water at you? Scary, right? I nearly drown when she put the whole pitcher of water in my face last time when I didn't wake up on time. I was frightened after that and she literally found it funny. What a ridiculous and bully aunt. Err...

"You got lucky this time," my aunt says sadly. She finds it hilarious to throw water on me when I don't get up in time.

"Yeah..yeah". I say as I pass her going to the bathroom.

After 30 minutes, I readied myself and ironed my uniform for school. I found it an accomplishment as I realized that this is the last year of wearing this livery uniform of ours.

Why did the school design this though? A question that repeated every day when I ironed it.

As I go to the dining room I can't help myself but grin because of the aroma from the food that my aunt cook. She really is the best cook that I knew of. It is one of the reasons why I love her so much even though she is a bully.

I sit on the wooden chair and lean on a solid wood nordic style dining table while watching her cook our breakfast.

My aunt is like a mother to me, to us of my siblings. She is the younger sister of my father and his only sibling. My father and she has a 10-year gap. She has no husband and children. She chose to help my father raised us when my biological mother abandoned us and create her own family with the other man. Bitch right?

My aunt is a very gorgeous woman in her youth. She has a brain and beauty. She is witty and funny. If you can see her, even at fifty, aunt Mila still outshone me except for the height. Five-foot flat, willowy and a face cut right from the pages of a men's magazine. Any copy of GQ would show them what she looked like in lingerie.

"Call your siblings and father Isabel, the food will be ready in a minute now." She said pulling me out of my thoughts.

My father has a 300 sq m- a two-story house that strongly stands in his 2 hectares land. Yes, two hectares. He has a 200 sq m field of watermelon, half a hectare of a cornfield, and shop hop that will allow us to sell our product to people. The other part of the land is composed of a standard size basketball court and tennis court, there are houses for papa's workers and a warehouse.

I call my 3 siblings and father into their respective rooms and we gather in our dining room to have breakfast together.

"Isabel, please lead the prayer for our breakfast this morning. " My papa said.

"Okay," I said and then I pray.

"Our Father in heaven we thank you for your love and care. As we gather together to say praises unto Your name, we would like to thank you for the blessings that you bestowed upon us. We thank you for giving us another day and giving us every chance to redeem ourselves. Please bless this food and may this blessing will us give proper nourishment that we needed. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen." I finished.

I really am thankful because of the unlimited blessings that God gave me. I have siblings, an aunt, and a father who love me unconditionally. My family has enough wealth to support me and my siblings.

I am not bragging but God gave me beauty and brains with five foot three height and have a slender body with a curve (though we have enough food that can make me fat, I really do have fast metabolism), my friends told me that I have a black pupil that is surrounded by a ring of jagged silver fire swallowed by sapphire blue eyes, a cute pointed nose, and a kissable lips. Yes, I am beautiful. I got my outward beauty from my father except for the eyes because it is from my mother.

We ate our breakfast silently and I am observing everyone. My eyes linger on my father reminiscing the time when he and my mother of a bitch newly separated.

My father was devastated at that time. It took years for him to realize that he has a family and children to raise for. His friend helps him with that. When my mother cheated on my father and they separated, he became a drunkard and a gambler.

There was a Christian man in our town who became a friend of my father. A very close one. His name is Mr. Ryan. He let my father work in his cornfield when his father was in his youth days. Father was a trustworthy and hard-working man. After years of service, father became the fidus Achates of Mr. Ryan and slowly teach him everything that he needs to know about his business. Father told me that Mr. Ryan has no siblings and family which is why when Mr. Ryan died, he gave my father all of his wealth as a thank you gift for being a loyal and good friend.

Mr. Ryan helps his father when he is in his dark days by giving him advice and slowly bring him to God. Father became a Christian together with us his family, a devoted one like Mr. Ryan.

"Isabel hurry. Do you want to be late on your first day?" My father scolded me. Ugh...

"No father. Sorry." I replied

"Okay then, do you me to be your chauffeur this day?"

"Yes! Of course. Please" I said excitedly.

As my father and I have our way to the school, I ask him a question.

"Father, I have a request." I started

"What is it? Anything for your princess." He said while smiling.

"Can I go to Davao for college?" I asked hopefully while seeing that his smile slowly changed into a shocked and confuse expression.

"Why? Why not in Manila or Cebu? Why Davao?" He asked a little bit surprised.

"Hmm. because Davao is a good city. It is the safest city in the Philippines. My friends are going there and manang and her husband are also there. So please allow me to finish my studies in Davao. Please, dad." I give him my best puppy eyes while silently praying to God.

"I will think about this, please give me time to decide." He finished and give a hint that does not to bring this conversation again until I am. So I leave it there.

We arrived at the school and we said goodbyes.

As I slowly walk inside the school, I see my friends in our tambayan talking animatedly with each other. When my best friend Lily see me. She grins and literally sprints towards me to hug me.

"Oh, I miss you too best friend. How was summer vacation?" I asked hugging her back.

She whispered to me and said. "Talk to you later, when we're alone."

"Okay". I said confused.

And she just smiled then literally pull me in our classroom's direction.

We quickly sit in the front because I have terrible eyesight even though I wear glasses, my head will hurt if I'll force my eyes to look at the whiteboard from the back. I look at my schedule this semester and I realize that if I want to graduate I need to study more and the subjects for this semester are:

Oral communication, Reading and writing, Media and information literacy, and Introduction to the philosophy of the human person, and the others are subjects are for Filipino students. Hence this is only applicable for the Philippines' education system: Komunikasyon at pananaliksik sa Wika at Kultura ng Filipino (Communication and Research to Language and Philippine's Culture), 21st-century literature from the Philippines and the world, Contemporary Philippine Arts from the regions.

Since we are seniors now, we are required to get "On Job Training" that is scheduled from 7:30 AM to 11:30 AM. Ugh... I really need to do this huh? Waking up at 7:30 AM and sleep at 9:00 PM because we have other subjects to finish too. I feel tired already just thinking about it. Being an adult is so exhausting but I have no choice though so I have to do it.

Today is mostly an introduction to all subjects, giving us the requirements' instructions and telling us what exactly OJT is, why we are obliged to finish it and why we need to acquire it.

The day moves agonizingly slow from how the teachers animatedly discuss everything, welcoming and congratulating us in advance, reminding us how is it important for us to be serious this time for us to graduate and so on, so forth.

The loud sound creating by the dismissal bell is music to my ears as I excitedly put my binder and other school supplies in my beautiful yellow shoulder tote by Robert Matthew allows you to bring everything with you whenever you need to, but fashionably of course!

Lily and I said goodbyes to our friends and we are alone, finally!

"Okay, spill it girl. Why do we need to be alone for you to tell me your summer adventure, huh?" I said impatiently to her.

"Amm. Please promise me that we will still be friends after this?" She asked hopefully.

"What is it?"

"Promise me first."

"Okay, I promise to still be your friend after whatever it is you're telling me," I said defeated.

"I am gay. I just discovered this last summer. I have a girlfriend Isabel---"

I cut her off...

"What? Why? How? No, no, no. This can't be happening Lily. That is not----" I was cut off by what I should have said when I look into her eyes. She's hurting and begging me not to finish what I need to say.

"You won't accept me?" She accused.

"No, I did not say that. I am sorry. You just caught me off guard here. I am just shocked." I explained

"We are still friends right?" She hopefully asked.

"Of course!" I answered and hug her. "Thank you for telling me, Lily."

"Thank you for accepting me, Isabel."

"But girl, you know that being gay is not acceptable, right? It is an abomination. The church and your parents taught you with it." I reminded her. "Wait, do your parents know about this?" I asked.

"Yes, but I can't help it, Isabel, when I saw this girl, I became infatuated with her and we decided to try this, and no, I don't know if I will tell them. Please don't tell anybody about this Isabel." Please keep this between the two of us."

"Okay." I sigh. She's my best friend I need to change her mind without judging and hurting her. But how? How will I do that? Please help me, Lord.

"Isabel and Lily come on, we'll go home now." My dad said. Surprising us.

"You nearly gave us a heart attack papa."

"Well, you two seem out of your thoughts. What's wrong?"

"There's nothing wrong papa, we are just tired from the long day. Imagine from 7:30 AM to 9:30 PM we are here in the school." I whine.

"It is okay Isabel, we will survive," Lily said.

"Okay, get in the car now. So that you can go home and rest."

After minutes of silence, papa drops off Lily at her house and he said something that completely made my day.

"Isabel, the leaders said that there will be a youth camping that will be held at Davao City. If you want to have your college there, attend this camping and we will discuss your dream. "

"Okay, Mr. Carson. You got yourself a deal!" I said excitedly to him.

He just smiled and back to driving.

Ahh, right! I did not tell you guys that my Father's name is Carlo Carson and I am Isabel Carson. We live here in Colorado, Central Visayas, Philippines. I have six siblings and the three of them are married already. The four of us are still living in my father's house and help him with his business. One of my married siblings is residing in Davao City with her husband. They have 2 children (my first 2 nephews). An 8-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy.

My thoughts are disturbed as I see our driveway and my father park the car.

When we get home, I ready myself to sleep, doing my night routine, and stare into the white hall thinking a lot of things. Ugh... I can't sleep!

I let myself get up and find a Bible to read as letting myself get sleepy. As I read, I found a verse that said:

"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds.'" Genesis 1:27-28

Romans 1:26-27: "Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way, the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion."

Leviticus 18:22: "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable."

Romans 1:18-18 "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them."

Jude 7 "Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

While reading this, I remember Lily and plan to tell her this.

Oh, Lord help me convince Lily to change her mind without breaking our friendship. I am afraid this is the start of a broken friendship.

I am thinking about that until I hear the alarm rotated between about six different annoying noises of varying pitch and volume. It sounded like a disco for the anti-Christ! And I smash the snooze button as hard as I possibly could.

Oh, I didn't know I fell asleep.

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Hi, there you guys! This is the end of chapter 2! Hope you like it. Please leave some comments and vote it