The Scholarship and the Conflict

Patricia were the first ones in their classes, and they could already smell the vintage scent of wood mixing with the aircon. she knew that once the classroom was filled with students, it would be filled with the scent of boys' shoes and sweat from all the students in the room.

The classroom was like a sauna, and the aircon had not yet produced cold air due to the closed windows, which were causing Trisha to sweat slightly.

Patricia drank into her Aqua flask just to dehydrate herself in the morning as she grabs her sketchpad and begins sketching her next sculptures.

Patricia starts with light thin strokes of her reference and if she's not satisfied with the size of the outline she begins erasing them one by one and after that she starts shading them and finishes some little details with a blending stamp as she waits for her classmates to enter.

There she saw Matteo and her best friend Althea who was shocked to see Patricia alone and not with Tanya; they assumed that the two broke up after the hickeys they saw, it made Althea question if Patricia gave it to Tanya or Tanya got it from someone else.

Patricia saw her friend Charlotte enter the room with her tote bag and her brand new shoes. It was quite surprising since Charlotte lived in a middle-class poor family, belonging to the indigenous people of Aita. Charlotte was wearing brand new shoes and new socks which were not something she usually had access to.

Charlotte, Patricia's friend, was jumping up and down and clapping because she had received a scholarship offered by the school. Patricia couldn't help but smile and stood up to hold her hand while watching her jump. They were both thrilled and pleased at the scholarship.

"Did my father gave you the scholarship? That's great! I can't wait to see you all around the school anymore!" Her tone was sarcastic with a hint of annoyance towards the situation, as she is aware that her father is trying to be overly benevolent and caring toward the person he gave the scholarship to.

She finds this somewhat annoying and finds it hard to hide her true emotions, as her tone and body language display her true feelings. She's being sarcastic and passive aggressive toward the situation.

Patricia knew she can't badmouth her father for it, nor say anything bad to her father since she knew her father very well and he's a smart intellectual person with a goal helping people, but on the other hand she knew something that no one knew to his father behind the scenes which frustrates her as a daughter.

She feels so happy about her friend got a scholarship from her father, but she herself isn't because of her conflict between her guilt and annoyance of her father's actions.

She feels like she should be grateful to have a father like him and be happy for Charlotte but her frustration with her father about this situation may be overpowering those feelings.

Patricia was about to open up to her brother and call him but she realized that his brother wants to be like their father which, she thinks that he won't agree to what she will say since she's the black sheep of the family and no one listens to her at all, she had been secretive towards her success.

But Mayor Ramon salgado indeed want her to be practiced as a great leader someday that's why she's in the student council.

She had to maintain her professional and mature image so that no one ca suspect how bothered she was at this point and his father's political antics.

She remained her cool the whole class while her girlfriend was at the clinic resting over what Edwin did to her girlfriend and she can't forgive her cousin in her mother's side.

"How's Tanya? I haven't seen her around!" Charlotte said which made Patricia unsure what to say to her since she's just trying to compose herself first; she let out a deep sigh and smiled back at her with her usual sly smile before replying.

"Tanya is at the clinic, don't worry, she'll be with me later." Patricia opens her bag and puts the sketchpad back and arranges her things, even though her bag isn't organized and a little, messy she knew where to put and where to find it.

She grabs her notebook that's her normal one and leans her back at the chair before starting to write down what's on the whiteboard and the presentation.

Patricia always have her separate notebook for copying and the other one for summarizing and making sure her stuff is organized even if it's slightly messy.

The class starts as the teacher explains their activities which led to patricia missing Tanya's presence with her and wishes that her girlfriend was her groupmate; but she's at the clinic suffering from what Edwin did to her before the class starts.

So Patricia texted Tanya which Tanya replied, "Sure, I would love to be your groupmate! I won't have any if I was there as well, so thanks for choosing me love… just make sure to put my name there even if I wasn't present."

Patricia grabs a 1/4th intermediate pad and write their names in it before passing it to the teacher hoping that their teacher won't notice the couple's antics.

"Tsk, Tsk, Tsk, Tsk, haishttt! Alright class, I said group yourself to three; why? who's this?" The teacher squinted his eyes first before reading what's on the 1/4th. "Tanya Luwalhati and Patricia Salgado? Hmm? The couple grouped themselves, where is Tanya?"

Patricia was caught off guard by what the teacher asks, she knew it was so suspicious since it's Tanya, her girlfriend she pared to herself which made her felt guilty but at the same time she had to accept that she made a mistake for letting Tanya herself be her groupmate even if she's not present at the moment.

She starts stuttering before swallowing her saliva, gulping as she stood up straight ready to answer the teacher's question.

"Sir, Tanya is at the clinic and I knew that absent students shouldn't be part of this but I can't help it seeing my girlfriend without a group ate" Patricia's best friend was shocked by patricia's remarks as she couldn't believe that Patricia would be so blunt to tell it in front of the teacher so she clenches her teeth and thugs her shirt a bit.

"Bes! What the heck you think you're doing!" The teacher sigh and replied to Patricia and the class who laugh, "It's fine, at least she's honest! Honesty is the best policy" he demises patricia's remarks and nods.

Alexandra who's their classmate protested, "How about us? We added our friend who's not here yet Tanya is excluded?"

The teacher replied, "Tanya is at the Clinic. Your friend, Delia, is not here today. She went out, right? I saw her story on social media yesterday. Hashtag mental health day!" The girls we're left dumbfounded and couldn't looked at each other reflecting on what their teacher had said. 

As Patricia sat on her desk, she was surrounded by her envious classmate and jealous towards Patricia and her influence that's why they became so envy of her at times.

Patricia sat and sigh, trying to compose herself feeling guilty of what happened earlier, she felt like the environment she has is too overwhelming for her but she had to stay for Tanya.

Patricia couldn't help but feel overwhelmed and somewhat lonely as she sat at her desk, surrounded by envious classmates who were always jealous of her influence and popularity.

She couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt over what had happened earlier in the day. Despite her feelings, she took a deep breath and forced herself to stay composed for the sake of her girlfriend, Tanya, who was currently at the clinic.

The atmosphere in the room was stifling, and Patricia longed for a moment of peace and quiet to collect her thoughts.

Patricia closes her eyes and takes deep breaths, reminding herself that she made the right decision by including her girlfriend in the group.

She repeats to herself that she isn't guilty and that she did what she needed to do as a caring girlfriend. Patricia opens her eyes and looks around the class, noticing the envious glances from her classmates.

Despite the negative atmosphere, she is determined to keep her composure and focus on her studies.

Patricia gathers her materials and places them in her bag, preparing to leave the classroom. She slings her bag over her shoulder and begins walking outside, feeling a sense of relief as she escapes the suffocating atmosphere within the classroom.

Patricia exits the classroom and is greeted by her bodyguards standing beside a waiting car. She lets out a deep sigh and places her bags in the backseat of the vehicle before settling into the front seat next to her driver. She is finally able to take a moment to relax and collect her thoughts after the tumultuous day she's had so far.

The air is filled with excitement as the grand unveiling of Patricia's new sculpture of Mama Mary commences. The church's courtyard is abuzz with chatter and anticipation as a towering cloth enveloping the sculpture is about to be removed.

The community members, having been informed of the event, gather in eager anticipation of the sculpture's revealing. The courtyard is filled with a sense of wonder and curiosity, as everyone seems to have gathered to witness the unveiling of this new piece of art.

"My, My, My, how wonderful! I can't wait for it to happened!" Linda gossips to her friend Vickey who was curious about the mama marry statue.

"Linda, stop it! The whole town is interested in the sculpture. I've heard rumors that Patricia's sculpture could possibly be the most realistic of all."

"Oh, Vicky, darling, those are just rumors! But who knows, maybe it's true. I mean, Patricia's sculpture is a big deal for our town."

As the women exchange their gossip, another church member, Mr. Santos, overhears them and joins the conversation.

"Ah, ladies, I couldn't help but listen in on your conversation about Patricia's new sculpture. It's quite exciting, isn't it?! The entire town is buzzing with anticipation for the unveiling. Such a young ardent artist bringing so much life to our community. It's truly remarkable. Meanwhile, my son is just...well, he's just a disappointment. He's into computers all the time, no hobbies or notable skills, just sleep and eat all day. If only he could have even a fraction of Patricia's talent and drive."

Marvin turned to his mother and gave a sarcastic remark before leaving the room.

"Well, if that's what you truly want, why don't you just adopt her as your own daughter? Given your high expectations for her, it seems that she'd make a more suitable daughter for you than me." Marvind added before walking away, his words dripping with derision.

Patricia gracefully stepped out of the car, her long hair flipping gently in the breeze. She carried a leather handbag, the weight not seeming to hinder her stride at all.

She was dressed in her school uniform with a hoody jacket, looking every bit the elegant and sophisticated young woman that she was.

Her black Mary Jane shoes clicked softly against the ground, adding a musical note to her every step. In the background, the murmurs and whispers of the crowd grew louder as they took in her sophisticated appearance, admiring the young girl's effortless elegance.

Patricia stood before the towering statue of Holy Mary, her eyes reflecting anticipation and excitement. Her fingers gripped the corner of the massive cloth that veiled the sculpture, its expanse appearing daunting yet intriguing. With a firm and steady grip, she began to lower the cloth, slowly unraveling the hidden masterpiece that lay beneath. As the cloth slipped away, whispers and gasps of wonder filled the air. The sculpture was revealed piece by piece, and the crowd's reaction was instant: a collective "ooooh!" echoed through the space, filling the air with awe and amazement.

Patricia approached a microphone set up before the sculpture, a smile playing at the corners of her lips. As she took the microphone with poise and confidence, she began to speak into it, her voice resonating throughout the area.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Thanks for coming out tonight to witness this amazing creation," Patricia stated with excitement. "I am extremely fortunate to have been able to create this piece that I hope will inspire not only our community but also the whole world."