Chapter 2

Freya's Point Of View.

"I like Paul…" 

In a swift move, my jaw dropped by her sudden confession. I wasn't ready for it. Well, I was expecting her to tell me she has feelings for someone, but I never imagined it would be Paul, our friend.

"I like Paul…"

What Yizell said seemed to reverberate in my ears. What I just heard is unbelievable.

"Y-You like Paul?" I asked, surprised. She nodded, her face flushed with embarrassment. "Seriously?" 

"Yes, b-but don't be too loud! Don't share it with anyone!" She looked around, as if she didn't want to be overheard by anyone. "Promise me you'll keep it a secret!"

I stared at her for a couple of seconds before breaking out laughing. She shot me a death glare.

"Fine. I'm going to tell anyone, but you have to answer my question first," I said.

"All right. What exactly do you want to know?" She drew her arms across her chest.

"When did it all start? What did you like about him?" I asked. I'm kind of curious, which is why I want to hear her response.

"Paul is good-looking. He's attractive. Consider the fact that he's also intelligent and a gentleman. He's popular with the girls at our school, but he keeps a low profile, which is why I like him," she replied.

I can't stop smiling. My best friend is no longer the young girl I used to play with, she has become a woman. She knows how to like someone now.

"Good for you," I added. "But don't you think Austin is similar to him?"

"Kind of, but he's far different from Paul. Anyway, don't bring up Ton." She chuckled and flipped her hair, changing the subject. "By the way, bestie, could you please do me a favor?"

I agreed by nodding. "Of course, go ahead."

"Can you help me with Paul?"

Her request caught me off guard. Is she for real? Involving me will not help her make progress in her lovelife. I'm not a fan of romantic stuff, therefore I am the least person to believe in love. Yizell won't learn any tips from me.

"You like him that much, huh? Enough to go that far." I laughed at the idea. "And by the way, why me? Why don't you ask Austin for help? He's no different from cupid. He's a matchmaker, isn't he?"

"Because you're much closer to him. Although Paul and Ton have been friends for a long time, it's obvious that I won't get anything from Ton. It's absolute rubbish. Plus, he will only give me a headache."

I beamed. Well, she does have a point there. Austin often acts like a child. I let out a soft sigh as I thought twice about it.

"I'll give it a shot."

***

"Why did you just come back?" Austin asked when we returned to the classroom.

They are both classmates of mine. We only took one course together, Business Management. Another reason for our closeness and inseparability.

"Uh, the student before us took a long time to exit the cubicle," I just answered.

"Go ahead and take your seats," Paul said. "Our professor will be here soon."

I just sat down with Yizell. She became a bit shy because of our seating arrangement. Austin was at the end of our row, Yizell was on his right side, Paul was beside her, and I was sitting next to him.

When our English professor arrived, I sat down right away.

"Good morning, class," the professor said as he greeted everyone. "I would like to remind all of you that we will be doing a group activity today. Look for a partner."

Yizell and I exchanged glances. I teasingly smiled at her, and she laughed softly. Perhaps she understands what I intend to do.

"Let's be partners, Freya," Paul suggested. I returned my attention to Yizell, then to him again. I shook my head at him and devised an alibi.

"You and Yizell can team up. Ton is my partner," I said as I dragged Austin, who was astonished by what I said. "Right, Ton?"

He looked at me with a puzzled expression. I pinched his arm and glared at him.

Say yes, please!

"Uh, y-yes!" He feigned laughter. I breathed a sigh of relief because of his cooperation. "Freya and I are partners. We made up our minds earlier."

"Is that so?" Yizell made a move. "Then, let's just be partners, Paul."

"Yeah, sure," Paul agreed in his usual tone.

I noticed his expression changed, while Yizell smiled a lot. I don't know why, but I see it through his eyes. I shrugged and turned to face Austin.

"Let's go," I said.

We have started laying down manila papers on the floor. Although it's not the month of February, our professor wants us to report on something related to love.

Austin and I began working together on our report. I'm the one writing our topic, while he provides the materials.

"What's with you, Freya?" Austin asked me in astonishment. I had a feeling he would ask.

"I've given it some thought, and I just realized that Paul was always my partner when there were groupings, so I'd like a bit of change."

That's correct anyway. Paul has always been my partner in everything. I've only been able to partner with Austin almost once or twice, and only when Paul and Yizell are late or absent.

"Why? Are you sick of having him as your partner?"

I abruptly stopped writing because I didn't like his question, which seemed to imply something else to me.

I lightly punched him on the shoulder, and as expected from him, he overreacted. I shook my head in disbelief. I don't really get why I'm friends with him.

"It's not like that, okay? Yizell is just asking for help."

"Why would she?"

"Because she likes–" I quickly covered my mouth after a sudden realization. 

Oh my goodness! I almost spilled the beans about Yizell's crush on Paul! 

"I-I mean, Yizell likes to ask Paul to help him with studying Mathematics…"

"But our current subject is English."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. He got me there. Austin is primarily an observer. He can function as a living human lie detector.

"You ask a lot of questions, Ton. Don't you want me to be your partner? Just tell me if you don't want to." I pretended to be sulky. I want him to feel guilty rather than suspicious of my actions.

"I'm just kidding. I have no problem whether you're my partner or not," he consoled. I just smiled at him and resumed writing. 

After I finished our report, I caught Austin staring at Yizell's direction. Then, something suddenly occurred to me. Don't tell me…

"You like Yizell, don't you?"

As he turned to face me, his eyes widened and his blood was rushing.

"H-Huh? Of course not! What are you saying, Freya!?" I can hear his voice trembling.

Austin's eyes, as he looked at Rafael and Liezel, were filled with pain and... envy, despite his denial.

"Really? That's why you've been staring at her for so long?" He became inept. "Isn't it?"

But I hope I'm wrong because it's only going to be complicated. He closed his eyes for a moment before speaking.

"Fine. Yes, I like Yizell. That's why I was disappointed when Paul and her decided to become partners."

I, on the other hand, had my eyes widened. Austin will undoubtedly be heartbroken when he finds out that Yizell likes someone else, and what makes it even more painful there is that his friend is whom she likes.

"There, I admit it. Are you happy now?"

I pursed my lips when I had nothing to say. I'm not happy, Austin, especially since you're my friend. I don't want you to be hurt because the girl you like is someone you can't like because she likes somebody else. If only I could say these words to him. 

I averted my gaze when the rest of our classmates finished their work and it was time for all of us to report. Paul and Yizell presented in front first.

"Good day, everyone. We're going to talk about the difference between like and love," Yizell introduced. "Overall, the distinction between love and like has to do with the intensity of your feelings for someone."

"Love entails deeper, stronger emotions, whereas like is a tender feeling towards that special someone," Paul continued.

I'm not sure why, but he was staring at me while he was saying those things. I just shook my head and turned to look at the other side. I could be having hallucinations.

"Loving someone means he or she means everything to you, whereas liking someone means you are simply happy being with that person," Yizell explained.

Austin and I took our turn after them. We chose to report on the definition of love.

"Good morning, everyone. We are going to discuss the meaning of love with you," Austin's prelude to the class.

"Love is an intense, deep, affectionate feeling. It encompasses a wide range of strong and positive emotional and mental state, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, to the deepest interpersonal affection and to the simplest pleasure," I explained.

The depth of these lines coming out from my mouth.

"What you want is never as important as what the other person needs and wants. If you truly love someone, his or her happiness would be your top priority," Austin replied with sadness in his eyes. 

I sighed and shifted my attention. This is how complicated love is. I doubt I'll want to go through something like this. It's obviously just tear-jerking.

"Love is not a passing feeling or emotion. Emotions and feelings change on a daily or weekly basis. However, true unconditional love is eternal," I added.

Where did I get these corny phrases? Jeez! It makes me cringe.

Everyone applauded. I smiled at Paul, but he didn't even return my smile. That's new. What is his problem?

"Good job, class. Job well done! Be prepared for another impromptu speech tomorrow," the professor announced.

"What will the topic be, sir?" one of our classmates inquired.

"Why does unrequited love hurt…"

"Sir, just a quick question, why is our topic always about love?" another student asked.

"So you can relate. When it comes to love, most teenagers and college students have a greater influence. Besides, your periodicals are still a long way away, and I've finished my lessons with you this quarter, so I'm letting you enjoy our every meeting." 

I nodded and smiled as our professor spoke. Our English teacher is extremely nice. He even allowed us to bring our phones and have fun with his subject time.

"Get ready, okay? Class dismissed."

When the professor exited the classroom, Ton and I approached Yizell and Paul.

"Hey, let's go get some drinks!" I suggested.

"I'm still full," Yizell refused, touching her tummy.

"The professor is calling me," Paul mentioned.

"Great! Come on, Freya. I'll treat you." Austin dragged me out of the room. I glanced at Paul and Yizell, who were both stunned. 

I was completely out of breath when we came to a halt. I grabbed his arm and held onto my knees to catch my breath.

"H-Hey, Ton! W-Why are we running so fast? No one's chasing us!" I asked breathlessly.

"I have a favor to ask you, can I?" He pouted and acted cute.

"What is it?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Help me with Yizell."

My jaw went slack because of what he was requesting me to do. It's difficult and impossible. Even Yizell's favor bothers me. 

What am I to them? Am I their friend or what? What trouble did I enter?

Their current situation is a mess. It's a complete disaster, and I don't think it will be a good idea to be involved. Yizell wants me to help her with Paul, while Austin wants me to help him with Yizell. 

What am I supposed to do?!