Can you be my Chammak Challo?

ANGELLE

Sunday morning, my classmates decided to visit me at home and invited me to go scavenging for the sake of our grades. I know that some of us really don't want to come, and I'm one of them hehe. Who would enjoy scavenging, right? But we need to do it for the sake of our grades. I would normally stay at home and read. But here I am now, standing on the street while picking up recyclables, whether it's plastic or bottles.

It's difficult, but we endure it for students who don't want to fail. We endure it just to improve our grades.

"Hey, guys. Don't you plan to take a break?" Iya asked in her usual sassy manner. She's one of my classmates who joined me in scavenging.

"Yeah, guys. We haven't had a break for two hours," Kenya said. Ernest chuckled and gave us a teasing glance.

"Okay, guys. Let's take a break for a while. Angelle looks tired," Ernest said.

Everyone turned to look at me and gave me a mischievous smile that made me furrow my brow. They're really crazy. And what's with the mischievous smiles?

We stopped at a local eatery and had our lunch. We were all hungry, and Ernest felt sorry for us as he thought someone might collapse from exhaustion.

We occupied a table that could fit six people.

"Do you want more food, Angelle?" Ernest asked as he glanced at me.

I shook my head. "This is enough." He smiled and nodded in response.

I remained silent beside him as they continued to chat as if we were still in school. Do they still gossip about school even here?

"Hey, Angelle. You're still quiet even outside of school," Ernest said when he noticed that I wasn't engaging in their conversation.

"Well, I don't really know much about the topic you're discussing," I replied, and he smiled.

"Ah, what are your interests?" he asked.

"Reading books, watching K-dramas, and etcetera," I answered, trying to hide something.

"That's why you're the silent type," he said.

"Huh? How did you say that?" I asked.

"Most of the bookworms I know are quiet, as if they prefer to live in a very peaceful place," he replied with a smile.

"It's more enjoyable and you can think more clearly when you're in a quiet place," I said.

"Will your boyfriend pick you up?" he suddenly changed the topic, which made me furrow my brow. My boyfriend picking me up?

"Boyfriend?"

"Um, yeah, that's what I heard from Prof's friends."

Ah.

"I don't have a boyfriend, but I have a suitor. Maybe what you heard was about my suitor," I nodded in response.

"So, you're single?" he asked. I nodded as my answer.

He smiled and didn't say anything more.

After finishing our meal, we started scavenging again. Not the literal kind where we scavenge for trash, but rather going to houses or stores and asking people if they have any scrap metal, bottles, or plastic.

"Will we reach one thousand with these three sacks?" Brenda asked, looking at the three sacks of recyclables we collected.

"I don't think so. We don't know the worth of each item per kilo. And we still have some classmates who didn't help," Ernest replied.

"So, let's add another sack to make it right or even more," Ernest nodded in agreement while glancing at me.

"Hey, do you think you can handle it?" I smiled and gave a thumbs up as my answer, which made him smile back.

We started going around again. Unfortunately, they decided that we should scavenge on our street, which concerned me. Correction: I'm not afraid of my neighbors seeing me scavenging because it's for our grades. I'm just worried that Hero or Jr might see me and tease me.

Those two are experts at teasing. They won't stop until they see you cry or get angry.

"Guys, how's our film shooting going? Are we still going to shoot it in Cavite?" Iya asked while Brenda and Ernest were pulling the sacks.

Oh yeah, I remember our short film, the horror genre. The deadline is on December 5, and we only have three months left to finish it. Did the leaders and officers forget about it?

We looked at Ernest. Well, he's the leader or director for our short film. As far as I remember, I'm the leading lady and the leading man is Ven. If you want someone handsome but slightly rude, Ven is the perfect choice. He's good at acting, which is why Ernest chose him for the lead role.

"We're still looking for a location for the shoot. Just wait for our update," he replied.

"But Ernest, are you sure you want to pair Angelle with Ven? That guy is a troublemaker, he might develop feelings for Angelle," Harry said.

"It was Allie's suggestion, but we'll still try to see if we can change our male lead," they all nodded in agreement.

"Um, Ernest. Why don't you just be Angelle's partner instead? You're both intelligent and well-suited for each other," Iya said, making me tilt my head in confusion. How embarrassing of her to say that out loud. It's so embarrassing if someone hears her.

"You guys, stop that! Angelle is already feeling embarrassed," Brenda scolded our classmates.

They stopped and we continued with our scavenging. We stopped at one house, and I realized it was Ate Jove's house.

At the door, I saw a girl striking a pose. I mean, she wasn't just posing randomly. She was trying to get a signal that's why she was in that position. I heard my classmates softly giggle, so I cleared my throat to get my cousin's attention.

"Ehem..."

She looked at us and quickly stood up from her pose, blushing shyly.

"Hehe, h-hi?" she greeted with shyness and buried her face in her cell phone.

"Do you have any recyclables, Couz?" I asked.

"I don't have any left, Couz. Lica already took them," I nodded in response.

I remembered that Lica needed recyclables for their class representative's contribution.

"Okay, thanks."

She nodded and we left along with my classmates, continuing our scavenging route. And now, we're on Link's street. Eeeeeh! I don't want to be seen scavenging by him! It's not embarrassing, but still. That guy is crazy.

"Hey, guys. Let's go to another street. There are too many dogs here," I suggested, causing my classmates to look at each other.

They looked at the street and saw that there were no dogs or anything. Yeah, right. There are no dogs because I lied about it just so we could move away from here and avoid being seen by Link.

"Let's go to another street, guys," Ernest suggested, and we turned another direction.

Ernest walked beside me while the rest of our classmates walked behind us, lost in their own worlds. Ernest gave me a smile that I didn't know the meaning behind.

"Are you tired?" he asked, and I noticed he had been asking me that multiple times.

"Not yet. We've already taken a break," I smiled back, and he nodded in response.

We continued walking together, and Ernest suddenly pulled something out of his pocket—a handkerchief.

"You're sweaty," he said.

I stopped, and Ernest handed me the handkerchief. "Thanks," I expressed my gratitude. He smiled and nodded.

I was about to wipe my sweat when a handkerchief flew and hit my face. I was so shocked, as were my classmates, that we all looked in the direction where the handkerchief came from. Dammit!

My eyes widened when I saw Link approaching with Wendell. Shit! What am I going to do? Has he seen me?

It seemed like his mood wasn't good, as he walked towards us with a poker face. I heard whispers from my classmates behind me, but I ignored them because I was focused on the shameless guy. How dare he throw a handkerchief at me?

As he got closer, he glanced at me, then at my classmates, and back at me, specifically at the handkerchief I was holding. He forcefully snatched it away from me, just as I was about to grab it myself.

"She doesn't need a handkerchief. Her house is right there," he said, looking back at Ernest and handing the handkerchief back to him, which Ernest accepted.

"What are you doing here, Link?" Harry asked.

"I live here," he replied.

"Ah, so you know Angelle?" Wendell grinned.

"He knows her very well." Link interjected, which annoyed me.

"Tch! We're leaving." I said irritably, signaling to my classmates that we should continue.

"And where are you going?" Link asked.

"Tch. Can't you see? We're scavenging." I snapped.

He glanced at our sacks and then back at me.

"You're scavenging?" he asked.

"Yes." I replied, annoyed at the obvious question. And he had to ask again.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he furrowed his brow.

"Tch." I let out a frustrated sigh and was about to walk away when he blocked my path.

What is wrong with him? Should I give him a good punch so he can understand how it feels to be tired and annoyed?

"Don't scavenge. I have two sacks of recyclables at home, and I can give it to you instead," he said, causing me to look at him.

"What about yours?" I asked.

"I know a lot." He replied with a smug grin as if he knew what he was doing.

He glanced at Ernest and gave him a teasing smile.

"I'm sorry, but I owned her," he said to Ernest, who showed no reaction.

I discreetly gave Link a pinch on the side, making him flinch. But he didn't let Ernest notice it, so he just smiled.

"Are you two together now?" Iya asked in surprise.

"Not yet." Link replied with a smile, glancing at Wendell. "Bro, you handle giving the recyclables to them." He instructed, pulling me along.

I would have struggled, but he held my arm firmly. I glanced at Ernest and gestured for him to understand what I wanted to convey.

I reluctantly let Link pull me, and he gave a mischievous smile at me as he did.

"Can I know why you did that?" I asked, looking at him.

"Which part?"

"The pulling and throwing the handkerchief on my face." I said irritably.

"Ah. It's just for fun." He said, grinning, which annoyed me even more.

So, it was just for fun that he hit my face with a handkerchief?

"Are you jealous?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

He chuckled and gave me another irritating smile.

"No, why would I be jealous?"

"Because I have Ernest with me."

"As I said at the cafeteria, I know you won't replace me."

"And how can you be sure?"

He didn't immediately answer my question. He stood up and grabbed the remote control from the top of the TV.

"Why can't you answer?" I challenged him.

He returned to sit next to me and looked at me. "Angelle, I don't get jealous no matter what angle you look at it. Because you know why?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Do I know why?"

"Because..."

He was pausing for suspense.

"Don't tease me like that, or else you might get punched."

He ignored my words and continued speaking.

"Because... when I know something is mine, it's mine, and no one else can have it."

I was left speechless at his words. My tongue retreated, and I couldn't speak because of what he said. How did I even get to know this guy? And how did I end up in this situation with him?

He adjusted his position next to me and smiled again. Doesn't his mouth get tired from all the smiling?

He stared directly into my eyes, and I couldn't help but feel an uneasy sensation. Hey, I'm not used to being stared at by guys, especially not by Link. His tantalizing eyes, ugh. Why does it feel like he's sucking me in? I know it sounds cheesy, but I find it cute. Having that eye contact with a guy I like.

As our noses were almost touching, I closed my eyes tightly, and my heart started pounding faster and faster.

We were just moments away from our lips touching when the door suddenly opened. We both jumped back from each other, caught off guard by the interruption. I quickly swallowed and looked down, biting my lower lip. We were almost caught by whoever it was.

"Sup!" Kervin greeted with a paper bag in hand, accompanied by Prof and Andre.

Prof nodded at me, and the crazy Andre approached us and gave us a blessing.

"Hey, Link. Check the item you asked for," Prof said.

Link let out a sigh and glanced at me before going to the kitchen where Prof went.

Once he was inside, I was about to smile when he peeked ba

ck and gave me a sweet smile.

"I forgot to ask," he said as he approached me. And when he was in front of me, he suddenly knelt down, causing me to furrow my brow.