Love Genius

[Chapter 2]

"Are you okay?"

He asked me!

"Y-Yes. I'm okay." - I answered. My god!

He nodded and returned to what he was doing. I sighed deeply, then quickly packed up my things.

Once I finished, I left immediately.

As I was walking, I couldn't stop twirling around the path, feeling so happy and giddy while looking at my wallpaper.

kieiwjsnqojnjwakwjwoiw

Holy mother fvcker?! My cellphone!

I turned to look at who had snatched it from me. Tsk, Calvin is such a troublemaker! I glared at him and was about to pick up my phone when he grabbed it. My eyes widened.

"My cellphone!" - I shouted.

I tried to grab it, but he pulled it away.

"Try to take it if you can." - he smirked.

Arrrghhhhh! I jumped to try and grab it, but he still wouldn't give it to me.

"Give it to me! What’s wrong with you, Calvin?!"

"Maybe you’ve got a secret file on here, huh? Hahaha! Let me check."

"What’s wrong with you, Calvin?! There’s nothing!"

"Wait!"

My heart was pounding so fast! M-My wallpaper is gonna be seen! Huhu!

When he tapped on my phone, it wouldn’t open. I smiled. Yes! Saved by the fake cellphone.

"The owner’s already freaky, and now the phone is freaky too." - he said, raising his eyebrows at what he said, and I grabbed my phone back.

Tsk! Good thing it turned off. If not, we’d both be in trouble. I wiped off my phone and put it aside.

"Do you want to join, Miss Freaky?"

I furrowed my brows at him.

"Huh?"

"The Star Section is having a party tomorrow after the activity, you’re welcome to join."

Tsk?

"A party for what?"

"A party for the win, because we’re sure we’ll win the quiz bee tomorrow." - he said, so full of himself!

"Really? Well, congratulations." - I said, then walked away from him.

When I got home to the unit, I heard some noise coming from inside, so I paused by the door.

"Enough, Briana! You’re lying! We know you’re fake!" - I heard Hazel shout.

"I’m not fake! You’re the fakes! You’re all delusional frogies!" - Ami said.

"Stop pretending, Briana! We’re the real Claverias!" - Elisha said.

"Sir Jaime, p-please believe us. We’re your real children!" - I heard Hazel crying.

I frowned.

"Don’t come near my Daddy! You’re all just lowlifes!" - Ami said.

I opened the door. They all looked at me as they sat on the sofa.

"What’s going on? What’s happening to you guys?" - I asked.

"Ugh, Garnett! The Prima Donnas are so annoying!" - Hazel said.

I closed the door and sat down on the sofa. My mind was still processing everything.

"So the noise I heard earlier was…"

"We were just imitating what happened earlier in the drama." - Hazel said, laughing.

I knew it!

"Tssk! Watching drama again!" - I said.

"By the way, how’s the stalking on Raven going?" - Elisha asked.

I smiled and grabbed my phone to show them the wallpaper. Their eyes widened in shock. Hahaha!

"Omg! For real?!" - Hazel asked.

"Yep. I was with him earlier in the library."

"Oh, did you get all giddy?" - Ami asked.

"Of course!" - I said, flipping my hair. Hihi!

They suddenly looked sad.

"Oh? Why do you guys look sad now?"

"Garnett, don’t you realize? We’re all ugly!" - Ami said.

"That’s an exaggeration." - Elisha said.

"We’re not ugly! It’s just that guys don’t see our beauty." - Hazel said.

I took a deep breath.

"Are you guys sad because you’ve realized you’re ugly?" - I asked them, and they all looked at me.

"Wow? Just us?" - Ami asked.

"Just the four of us, don’t think we’re ugly. There’s no such thing as ugly made by God." - I said.

"If we’re not ugly, then why do they always laugh at us? They call us freaks, and none of us have had a boyfriend!" - Hazel said.

I laughed.

"Don’t we have goals before getting into a relationship?" - I asked, smiling at them. They slowly started to smile too.

"Oh, right! We need to finish school first and be successful in the future." - Ami said.

"Yes! And we need to make sure we do that." - Elisha said.

"Thanks for the reminder, Garnett." - Hazel said.

I smiled and nodded, then held out my hand.

"We can do this, Freaky Squad!" - I smiled.

They all looked at each other, then smiled and placed their hands one by one on top of mine.

"Yes, we can do this, Freaky Squad!" - they all said together.

We all laughed together.

For now, we live separately from our parents to save on transportation expenses. Since we all met in first-year college, we decided to rent a unit near the campus so we could be close to each other. So here we are, together in this unit.

The next day!

When we arrived at school, we rushed because we forgot that the special sections were leaving.

"Why are you late, Ms. Sardoncillo?" - Sir Notpa asked us.

That’s Sir Panot, I just flipped it around.

"Sorry, Sir Gino-gino." - I said.

"Alright, go ahead and get on the bus, or you'll miss it!" - he said.

We hurriedly ran up to the bus, but once we got on, we suddenly stopped.

The Star Princess group raised their eyebrows, staring at us. Tsk! Wait, almost everyone was looking at us.

"We took the wrong bus." - Hazel said.

"Yeah, this is the Star section." - Ami said.

"Why aren’t you sitting yet?" - Sir asked.

"Ah, Sir, we took the wrong bus." - I said.

Sir looked at the students already on the bus.

"Ah, you’re from the Moon section, right? Alright, hurry up."

We just nodded and quickly got off, then got on the right bus. Finally! This one was right. Hihi! The three of them sat in a three-seat row.

"Hey, what about me?" - I asked.

"Just sit there." - Elisha pointed to an empty seat in a double-row.

I looked at the person sitting by the window, their whole face covered by a jacket. Wow, really? Sleeping here on the bus?

"Guys, are you ready?" - Ma’am Ablola asked.

I had no choice but to sit there. I looked at the three of them. Tsk, so annoying! Now I have no one to mess around with during the trip. I looked at the person next to me, still wrapped in their jacket. Cold? I checked the air conditioning above; that’s why. Two vents were pointed at them. I stood up and directed one of them to me.

I sighed deeply and leaned back in my seat, then grabbed my phone. When I turned it on, I got inspired again.

Yie! Who wouldn’t be inspired when the picture of your Mr. Dreamboy shows up? Haha!

After a while, the bus started moving.

"Garnett, food." - Elisha handed me something, and I grabbed it right away.

"Thanks!" - I said.

While on the trip, I noticed that the person next to me was slowly leaning against my shoulder.

Well, because I'm nice, I didn’t mind it. I just ate while on my phone.

"Psst!" - I looked at Hazel.

"Why?" - I asked.

They both pouted.

"Huh?"

"Your seatmate." - Ami whispered.

What? I looked at the person leaning on my shoulder.

My eyes almost popped out.

R-Raven?!

I quickly averted my gaze. My heart was pounding so fast! M-MERCIFUL NEPTUNE!!! W-What do I do?!

I looked at the three of them; they were all teasing me with their smiles.

Raven moved.

Holy... shet!

He adjusted his position, now his face was almost touching my neck. Aaaahhh!

W-What is he doing here in the Moon section? Shouldn’t he be on the other side? My god?! Of all the people he could sit next to, why me?! Hays! Raven, you’re so lucky to sit next to me! Choss!

I sighed deeply.

I looked at the three of them; they were taking pictures of us. I signaled for them not to do it.

"You’re still shy? Just one for remembrance." - Hazel said, laughing.

I wanted to look at Raven’s face but couldn’t bring myself to.

30 minutes ago…

1 hour ago…

I’m getting sleepy…

½ hour ago…

2 hours ago…

3 hours ago…

I slowly started to blink my eyes…

Suddenly, my eyes widened.

OMGGGGGG!!!!!!

I’M HUGGING RAVEN?!

T-Then, he’s also hugging me??!

OH MY GOD!!!

I felt his hand move. I quickly moved away and leaned back on my seat, pretending to sleep again.

Tsk, what’s wrong with you, Garnett?! Don’t let him know you like him?! Never! Because if he or anyone else finds out you like someone you’re not on the same level with, they’ll just laugh at you!

I opened one eye…

I saw that he was now leaning on the window and still had his eyes closed. I opened my eyes fully and sighed deeply. Hays!

A little later, I looked outside the window, and we had already arrived at Rizal Park.

I quickly fixed my things.

I suddenly looked at Raven, who was stretching and yawning. Tsk? You slept well, didn’t you? Bwahahaha!

I fixed my things again, and he stood up, about to pass in front of me, so I bowed my head and adjusted my position, but…

"Thanks." - he said.

Huh?

Did I hear that right?

No way?

He said thanks?

H-He thanked me?

I raised my head and looked at him, just as he was stepping off the bus. I feel like I’m about to faint from the giddiness. S-shet! I’ve been feeling this way for so long.

When we all got off the bus:

"Kyaaaaaaa! You guys were so sweet earlier, Garnett! It looked like you and Raven were a couple." - Ami said, still giddy.

"Tsk. Stop being loud, someone might hear you." - I said.

"But look!" - Elisha showed me her phone.

I was shocked by the photos.

"See? You really look like a couple!" - Ami said.

"Omg, I saw it earlier. When you fell asleep, Raven knew, and he gently laid your head on his shoulder!" - Hazel said, still giddy.

My eyes widened as my heart raced faster. Omg? R-Really??

"Share those with me later, okay?" - I said to Elisha.

"Of course, I’ll definitely share!" - Elisha said.

After that, we were the first ones to enter the National Museum of Fine Arts. I was amazed by the paintings I saw, they were beautiful... I’ve never been here before.

While walking, I couldn’t stop smiling. They were really beautiful...

"Guys—"

When I turned around, the three of them were gone. Tsk. Where did they go?

Sigh!

I took a deep breath and entered a room.

My heart almost hurts from the paintings I see now, this is the Japanese era. The conquest of the Hapones in the Philippines. They used to kill people here in the Philippines almost brutally, they spared no one even a child.

I saw a painting that almost brought me to tears, this painting. A woman was almost raped and killed in the Hapones while her husband was being beaten and while their one child was crying.

I lowered my head, removed my eyeglasses, and wiped my eyes. Sigh, Garnett, you're so shallow!

"The freaky girl is crying."

Tss. Here comes Sarrah, the potato again.

"And so what if I am crying?" I asked her.

"Why? Because you're crazy," she said, laughing.

Tss, crazy? Are these kinds of paintings something to laugh at? I asked her seriously.

She stopped laughing and came closer.

"Do you know why you irritate me? Because you're an attention seeker."

I frowned at her.

"What? Me? An attention seeker? Why didn't I know about that?" I asked.

She smirked.

"Oh, come on, Garnett. That's your ace; that's why our teachers always notice you. It's because you crave attention! And now you're crying here? What do you want? So, you're really seeking attention, aren't you?" she said with a raised eyebrow.

I sighed.

"Fine. I'm an attention seeker if that's what you want to believe. I don't care what you think of me. But hey, why are you so obsessed with meddling in my life? Try ignoring me or leaving me alone, and maybe your life will find some peace," I said, smiling at her.

She was clearly annoyed.

"I'm a tough enemy, Garnett, so don't try me."

"Sarrah, I was quietly crying here because of the paintings, but you're the one who approached me. So, between the two of us, who's really seeking attention?"

She nearly exploded in frustration.

"Argh!" she said before storming off.

Tss. Does she think I won't retaliate to her insults?

I left the room and went to look for the others. Where could they be? Sigh.

While walking, I suddenly stopped and took a step back. Raven was there, standing in front of a painting of Dr. Jose Rizal.

I glanced around, then slowly entered, pretending to look at other paintings. Occasionally, I stole glances at Raven. Yie!

He was still facing away, staring at Rizal's painting. What if you looked at me instead? Chose!

I stared at his back intently. Hmmm...

"If you turn around, you're mine."

Tsk! Nothing, he didn’t turn! Wait, one more try!

"If you turn around, you'll be my husband."

Still nothing. I took a deep breath and swallowed hard.

"If you tur—"

He suddenly turned around.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

I quickly turned my back.

TSK! GARNETT, YOU'RE SO RIDICULOUS!!!

"Hey, Garnett, you were just here!"

I immediately turned around when I heard Hazel. I looked around, and Raven was gone! Tsk. What a waste!

"Why is your face so red?" Ami asked.

I touched my face.

"Yeah, are you sick?" Elisha touched my forehead.

"No, I'm not sick."

The three of them exchanged glances.

"Ah, we know now! Your blushing face is acting up again because of Raven, huh? Yieee!" Hazel teased.

I smiled. Enebe?!

"Ms. Sardoncillo!" I immediately turned to Sir Notpa.

"Sir?" I asked.

"Are you ready for the quiz bee?" he asked.

"Yes, Sir," I replied.

"Ah, Sir Panot—uh, Sir Gino-Gino, who will Garnett compete against from the Star section?" Elisha asked.

"Mr. Alvarez will be your opponent, so be ready."

My eyes widened. Omg! Huhu! I don’t want to compete against my sweetie pie!

After that, we all started preparing for the quiz bee. Well, it was just me and Raven, who was in front of me, doing nothing but sleeping.

"In 20 minutes, we will begin, so be ready," Ma’am Ablola said.

I took a deep breath and looked at Raven, who was sitting there with his eyes closed and earphones on. Sigh! Why is he so handsome? Life is so unfair! Why am I ugly? Choss.

Sigh, what do I need to do to make you fall for me? I scratched my head. Keep dreaming, Garnett, you’ll just keep looking from afar.

I looked around; no one was there. Hihi, let’s take a selfie, my loves. Bwahaha!

I slowly walked closer to him, then positioned my face next to his. I quickly aimed the camera at us.

Okay...

SELFIEEEE!

I noticed him move, so I quickly sat down in my seat and pretended to review.

He yawned...

I looked at him. He glanced around, then looked at me. I looked away.

"What time is it?" he asked.

It’s time for you to love me. Choussss!

I checked my watch, then looked at him. He was still looking at me. Aaahhh! Why does he have to look directly into my eyes?! Huhu!

"A-Ahm, 2 p.m.," I stuttered.

"It’s already late. Aren’t we eating yet?" he asked me.

I froze for a moment, feeling like I couldn’t breathe from holding back my excitement.

"Ah, um, they said 20 minutes, then the quiz bee will start."

He sighed deeply.

Moments later, Ma’am Ablola called us to the backstage. By the way, they set up a mini stage in the park for the program.

While we were backstage, I couldn't stay still. Whoaaa! Good luck, Garnett! Set aside the flirting for now, okay? Remember, you're up against your future husband. For now, you need to win—it's the only way to ensure people stop looking down on us freaks. Tsh!

"Are you ready?"

I looked at him, swallowing hard.

"Yeah. I'm always ready," I said with a smile.

He smirked.

"Good luck," he said without looking at me, then turned away. Aaaaahhhhhhh!

I turned back to face him.

"Good luck, too," I said.

He nodded and smiled.

DUGDUGDUG DUGDUGDUG DUGDUGDUG DUGDUGDUG

H-He smiled at me?

I turned away again.

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

I took a deep breath and faced forward again. Okay, Garnett, don’t let your excitement show!

After that, we were called to go out. When we stepped out of the backstage, there weren’t too many people.

Raven and I took our positions on opposite sides of the buzzers. I took deep breaths and closed my eyes. Whoaaa, you can do this, Garnett!

"In celebration of Dr. Jose Rizal’s birthday... blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah," said the Campus President.

After their speech:

"Are you ready, students?" Mrs. President asked.

"Yes!" Raven and I answered in unison, glancing at each other. Okay, Garnett, set aside the excitement.

"In this quiz, there are three questions prepared based on what we've learned this month about Philippine history. There are no multiple-choice answers, so good luck to both of you," Ma’am Ablola said.

"The questions will come from historical environmental laws," Sir Gino-Gino added.

I sneaked a glance at Raven and took a deep breath. Hays!

"The first question," Sir said.

Here we go, whoooaaa! Deep breaths, Garnett.

"The cutting of trees in large quantities is prohibited unless it benefits foreign nationals. What is this law?" Sir Gino-Gino asked.

OMG!!! I quickly pressed the buzzer, beating Raven to it.

"Cortes de Madera," I answered confidently.

Ma’am Ablola smiled.

"Your answer is correct!" Sir Gino-Gino announced.

The audience applauded, and I smiled, especially when I saw my three friends cheering for me. Hihi! Yes! One point for me!

"Second question," Mrs. Ablola said.

Okay, focus again, Garnett.

"The Bureau of Forestry was created and referred to as the Inspection General de Montes, led by Don Juan Gonzales Valdez. What is this law?" Mrs. Ablola asked.

I was about to press the buzzer when Raven beat me to it. Tsk!

"Royal Decree of 1863," he answered, looking so handsome while doing so. GOSH!

"Yes, that is correct, Mr. Alvarez," Mrs. Ablola said, and the audience applauded again.

"Now both of you have one point each. Only one question remains. Who will triumph in this short quiz—the representative from the Moon Section or the one from the Star Section?" Sir Gino-Gino asked.

I swallowed nervously and glanced at Raven. Sorry, my sweet and lovely boy, but I need to win this.

"The final question," Mrs. Ablola said.

Whoaaaaaaa!

"The Bureau of Forestry issued a log ban declaration in Cebu. What is this law?"

I was about to press the buzzer when Raven beat me to it again.

Oh no!

"Uh… Decree of 1876?" he answered hesitantly. Aaaahhhh! He’s wrong!

The buzzer sounded incorrect, and I immediately pressed mine.

"Decree of 1867!" I shouted.

The audience erupted into applause. Aaaaahhhh!! I won!!

"Congratulations, Ms. Garnett Sardoncillo. You have triumphed in this short quiz," Mrs. Ablola announced.

I jumped up and down in excitement. Mrs. President approached me, placed a medal around my neck, and handed me a certificate.

"Congratulations," Mrs. President said.

"Thank you," I replied.

After that, my three friends came rushing over.

"Aaahhh, congrats, Garnett!" Elisha said.

"I knew you'd win!" Hazel exclaimed.

"Wait, is there a cash prize?" Ami asked.

I laughed and checked the envelope with my certificate. My eyes widened when I saw a 1,000-peso bill inside. Hahaha!

"There’s 1,000 pesos," I said.

"Omg! You’re treating us, right? Mang Inasal!" Elisha said excitedly.

"Hahaha! Sure, later, before we head back to the unit, we’ll celebrate!" I replied.

I scanned the room but couldn’t see Raven anymore. My excitement turned into a little sadness.

"Ah, guys, wait a moment," I said, handing my certificate to Hazel.

"Why? Where are you going?" Ami asked.

"You’ll see," I said as I went back to the backstage.

I immediately spotted Raven packing up his things. Slowly, I walked toward him.

"A-Ahm, Raven?"

He turned to me right away, looking at me with a questioning expression.

"Hmm, are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, I’m okay. Why?"

I swallowed hard.

"Ahm..." Gosh, why is my mind going blank?!

"By the way, congrats," he said with a smile.

"C-Congrats to you, too," I said, still dazed.

"You deserve the top spot. Keep it up," he said.

I bit my lip as a wide smile spread across my face. Aaaahhh! Even if his smiles are rare, it’s more than enough for me! Huhu!

"T-Thank you," I said.

He nodded and continued organizing his things. I felt like I was floating as I walked out of the backstage. Huhuhu! Omg! I still can’t believe I talked to him like that today!

I was on my way out of the backstage when Sarrah arrived with her entourage. She stared at me and then bumped into me before walking away.

Tsk, did you see that? Argh.

"Raven, baby, are you okay, huh?" Sarrah asked.

Hmp, “Raven, baby, are you okay, huh?” Tsssshhhh! Acting like a girlfriend. Argh!

After that, we decided not to ride the bus back and instead went out for a little stroll. After roaming around, the four of us decided to eat at Mang Inasal. As soon as we ordered, we immediately dug into our food. Whoaaa, we were super hungry since we hadn’t eaten anything all day.

When I looked at our plates, we were already out of rice.

"Ami, call the crew and ask for more rice," Elisha ordered.

"Alright. Kuya, more rice, please!"

The crew ignored her.

Tsk, what’s up with that? Is he deaf or what? Hazel said.

"Kuya! Extra rice for four!" I also called out, but it seemed like he had no intention of coming to us.

"KUYA, I SAID WE NEED RICE!"

We were all shocked when Ami suddenly yelled. Everyone turned to look at us, and the crew carrying rice immediately came over.

"Sorry, ma'am, I didn’t hear you," the crew said.

"Because of that, we’re taking this!" Ami said as she grabbed the small bucket of rice from him.

"B-But—"

"No buts, kuya. This is ours now," Hazel said.

"Yeah, kuya, that’s a good idea, right? This way, we won’t have to call you over every time we need rice, right?" Elisha added.

The crew just scratched his head and walked away. We couldn’t stop laughing, then we continued eating. After we finished, we were all stuffed and completely wiped out.

Whoaaa, I’m so full! Just one serving of ulam, but the extra rice was worth it! Hahaha!

I glanced at Ami, who was struggling to remove something stuck in her teeth.

"What’s wrong? Is it hard to get it out?" Hazel asked.

Ami didn’t respond to Hazel, as she was too busy trying to remove the food from her teeth. A little while later, we decided to head home.

When we arrived at our unit, we all rested immediately. While lying on my bed, I looked at the pictures of Raven on my phone. I couldn’t stop smiling. I turned off my phone and let out a deep sigh.

I looked out the window, where I could see the stars. Hays, if only I could wish on the stars, I’d wish to be prettier. Just kidding!

I mean, if wishing on stars were real, I’d wish for Raven and me to become friends. Yes, just friends—because I know it’s impossible for someone like him to like someone like me.

Bakit lagi na lang ba ako mag-isa?

Aasa na lang ba ako sa pantasya?

Nasa'n ka na ba? Maghihintay nga ba?

Para 'kong tangang nalulungkot sa wala

Kahit sa'n tumingin, ang daming nahuhulog sa isa't isa

Ba't sa 'kin ay wala?

Lumapit ka, asa'n ka na ba?

Wala naman akong gusto na iba

Ang sakit kahit walang nananakit

Maghihintay ako, hinahanap kita

[Featured Song: Asan Ka Na Ba? by Zack Tabudlo]