Love Genius

[Chapter 6]

FLASHBACKS

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(RAVEN POV)

"Mom, I need more allowance," I said.

"More allowance? Isn't what your dad and I give you enough?"

"Yes, Mom, it's not enough. I want to buy a lot of things."

"Like what, kuya?" Ravelyne interjected.

I looked at my sibling.

"Mind your own business."

"Mommy, look at him!" she tattled. Ugh.

Mom approached me.

"Raven, learn to save," she said, then went upstairs.

"But Mom?" I protested.

"Bleeee!" Ravelyne teased.

I was about to approach her, but she ran away. Ugh. Annoying!

The next day, as I arrived at school, I saw Dad in the lobby talking to Garnett the freak.

"Dad?" I approached him immediately.

"I’ve been looking for you."

"Sorry, Dad. I didn’t know you were here," I said. What was he doing here anyway?

"By the way, we have dinner later, so come home early," he said.

"Okay," I smiled slightly, glancing at Garnett, who seemed lost while staring at me.

"Alright, I’ll go ahead," Dad said.

"Congratulations again, Ms. Sardoncillo," Dad said to her. Ugh.

"Thank you again, Dad—uh, I mean, Mr. Alvarez."

When Dad left, I looked at Garnett. She looks weirder every day.

BREAKTIME

Before entering the canteen, a loser from the Moon section approached me.

"R-Raven, this is for you," he said, handing me his banana shake.

I swallowed hard. I didn’t want to accept it, but I had to look nice because of my image on campus. I took the banana shake, and his smile widened.

"Thanks," I said, giving him a wide grin before turning my back on him. Ugh. I don’t like this.

When I reached the canteen, I immediately saw Garnett’s group. Wait! Since I didn’t want this, fine, I’ll just give it to her.

I quickly went to Garnett’s table and placed the banana shake in front of her. She suddenly looked at me.

"For you," I said and smiled at her. She was obviously surprised. Ugh! She’s always shocked. After that, I went straight to Calvin’s table.

"What’s up?" I asked as I sat down.

"Wait, I know!" Jerome suddenly exclaimed.

When I looked at the four of them, they were staring at me like they were up to something. Ugh. What’s their problem now?

"What is it?" I asked seriously.

"You wanna play?" Dexter asked.

"Play? What play?"

"Make Miss Freaky fall in love," Calvin answered.

"What?! And who’s Freaky?" I asked.

The three of them laughed.

"Garnett," Arvin answered.

I looked at Garnett’s table and then back at the group.

"Oh come on, don’t involve me in your nonsense," I said.

"It’s easy, bro. Just make her admit she likes you, and we’ll give you extra money."

I was a bit surprised—I needed extra money too.

"This is a bet?!" I asked.

"No, it’s a play," Calvin said.

"That’s pretty much the same thing," I said.

"You’re not betting anything. You won’t lose money. We just want to toy with the feelings of people like Garnett," Jerome explained.

"No, do it yourselves," I said.

"Two thousand each, what do you say?" Arvin challenged.

I started to think. Two thousand times four? That’s 8,000.

"It’s easy. Just make her confess she likes you, and there you go—8K, bro," Dexter said.

Okay, that’s extra allowance. I glanced at Garnett discreetly and took a deep breath.

"So? Deal?" Calvin asked me.

I looked at them carefully.

"Until when?" I asked.

"Until the party. Don’t worry, we’ll set up a big surprise for her that day. At least she’ll feel a bit giddy," Calvin said, and they all laughed.

I just shook my head. As always!

"Okay, deal," I said.

-------------

(GARNETT POV)

"Garnett, wake up," Hazel said.

I slowly opened my eyes and saw the three of them tidying up.

I sat up.

"It's the weekend, so what’s the plan, girls?" Ami asked.

"What if we go to a bar later?" Elisha suggested.

"That’s a good idea, don’t you think, Garnett?" Hazel asked.

I took a deep breath and lay down again.

"I’m not in the mood," I said.

The three of them sat beside me.

"Oh, Garnett, move on already," Ami said.

"It’s hard," I replied.

"Give her a break, Ami. It only happened last night," Elisha said.

"I feel like… I don’t want to go to school anymore," I admitted.

"What?!" Ami exclaimed in disbelief.

I sat up.

"Yeah, I feel like I don’t want to show my face on campus anymore," I said softly.

"Garnett, it’s just a guy. There are plenty of others out there," Hazel said.

"Exactly. You don’t deserve to be hurt like this over a guy who’s not worth it," Ami added.

I didn’t say anything.

"You know, we can totally outshine Star Princess. You’re way prettier than Sarrah, Garnett!" Elisha said.

I laughed a little.

"If I were prettier, Raven wouldn’t have toyed with me," I replied.

"Okay, Garnett, it’s time for a glow-up!" Ami said.

"I’m not going to look any better," I said, attempting to lie down again, but they stopped me.

"We need a beauty rest ASAP," Hazel said.

The three of them stared at me.

"Let’s fix those thick eyebrows, wash that oily face properly, and use a decent soap," Ami suggested.

"Let’s also get that brace removed. Your teeth look aligned now," Elisha added.

I touched my jaw instinctively. Removing it? That would feel strange.

"Let’s go!" The three of them pulled me up.

They started trimming my eyebrows with tweezers.

"OUCH, THAT HURTS!" I screamed. It felt like they were pulling out my soul, not just my eyebrows.

"Maybe we should use a blade instead of tweezers," Ami suggested.

"Good idea," Elisha agreed.

While they trimmed my brows, they watched YouTube tutorials.

"Make sure you do it right. If you mess up my eyebrows, I’ll shave yours off," I warned.

"Don’t worry, Garnett. You’ll look amazing soon," Hazel reassured me.

Ugh.

After they finished, my eyebrows looked fine, but I still wasn’t motivated. We dressed up and went to the orthodontist who put on my braces.

When we got there…

"Oh, Ms. Sardoncillo?" the doctor greeted.

"Hi, Doc. I’m here to get my braces removed," I said.

"Let me check first if they can be removed," he said.

I nodded and smiled.

After checking, the doctor confirmed it was fine to remove them.

Fast Forward

I felt restless without my braces, like I was missing all my teeth. I wasn’t used to it.

"So, where are we going next?" I asked.

"The salon," Elisha said.

"Why? Are you getting a haircut?" I asked.

"No, silly. You are," Hazel said.

I didn’t argue; I was too lazy to resist.

At the salon, the staff attended to me immediately and asked what hairstyle I wanted. Since I was brokenhearted, I decided to go for short hair.

As they cut my hair, I couldn’t help but feel the pain in my heart. It sounded cliché, but it was real. The weight in my chest was unbearable, like I didn’t want to live anymore.

First crush, first love… and now, first heartbreak. Ugh, Garnett, you’re so unlucky in love!

After an hour…

"Oh my gosh, Garnett, you look stunning!" Elisha exclaimed.

"You’re perfect now! See? I told you, you’re prettier than Sarrah," Ami added.

I looked at myself in the mirror. Wow, Garnett, who knew you could look this good?

I smiled and turned to the three of them.

"Guys, t-thank you," I said with a smile, feeling tears well up.

"Oh my god, Garnett, are you going to cry?" Ami asked.

I quickly wiped my eyes.

"I’m just happy because you’re helping me."

They hugged me.

"We’ll always help you, Garnett. We’re your friends. You need to look good because you’re the only ugly one left in Tropang Freaks," Elisha joked, making me laugh.

"You’re so mean," I said.

"Just kidding! We love you," Hazel said.

"Now, move on, girl. There are plenty of guys out there who’ll like you. Now that you’re gorgeous, show him what he lost. Make him regret playing with you," Ami said.

Her words made me think. I looked at myself in the mirror.

Tropang Freaks will remain strong, but I promise that people will never look down on us again. Especially not you, Raven.

---

MONDAY

The New Look.

The New Tropang Freaks.

Whoa! Before getting out of the taxi, the four of us hyped each other up. Then we stepped out together.

As soon as I got out, everyone stared. Their eyes widened when they saw us.

We exchanged glances and smiles before flipping our hair and walking confidently into the lobby.

As we walked, I could almost hear a background song—Into the Unknown from Frozen 2. Hahaha!

(A/N: Listen to it, guys! It’s on repeat. Hahaha!)

So this is how it feels to have people staring at you, especially the boys. Before, they’d look at us, laugh, and throw things. Now, they’re practically drooling.

"Oh my gosh, I feel so beautiful," Elisha said.

"Me too," Hazel added.

"But almost everyone’s looking at Garnett. Yieee!" Ami teased.

I laughed at that and glanced at Elisha, who was walking unusually slow, like in slow motion.

"What are you doing, Elisha?" I asked.

"Hello? Isn’t this how the main characters walk in movies? Slowly, with background music?" Elisha said.

"You’re so extra sometimes, Elisha," Ami laughed.

We laughed together.

(RAVEN POV)

"What the heck, dude! Look!" Arvin shouted, pointing.

I stopped scrolling on my phone and looked.

"W-Wait… is that…" I said, standing abruptly.

G-Garnett?

Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

I clutched my chest. What the?! Why am I suddenly nervous?!

I shook my head and took a deep breath.

"Is that Tropang Freaks?! Dude, they’re gorgeous," Jerome said.

I shook my head and sat down again. They were getting closer to the corridor. I was about to look away when I saw her staring at me.

Our eyes met…

W-What is this feeling?

S-She’s beautiful…

She smiled.

Yes, she smiled at me…

I was about to smile back when suddenly…

My eyes widened at what she did.

She raised her middle finger while looking at me.

What the?!!!

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" My friends burst into laughter.

I clenched my fists. That freak?! Ugh!

Calvin sat beside me.

"Looks like Garnett’s ready to fight you, dude! Hahaha!" he laughed.

"Tsk, shut up!" I said.

"Hahaha, she won’t fall for your innocent face anymore, Raven," Jerome added.

I glared at them.

"Are you guys going to stop or what?" I asked seriously.

"Dude, why are you so annoyed?" Dexter asked, still laughing.

"Why wouldn’t I be?! I hate it when someone below me tries to challenge me."

"But Garnett’s always been rank 1, so what’s the difference?" Arvin asked.

I stood up, already feeling my temper rise.

"Exactly. She’s always at the top. Now that she’s messing with me, I’ll destroy her."

---

(GARNETT POV)

"You look so beautiful today, Ms. Sardoncillo," Mrs. Ablola said.

Her compliment made me smile. Haha! I’m currently in the faculty room because Ma’am asked me to take care of something.

"Thank you, Ma’am," I replied with a smile.

"By the way, I’ll leave you here for now since I still have a class."

"Sure, no problem," I said.

"Thank you so much," she added before leaving.

I sighed deeply.

While checking test papers, I saw Raven's name. I immediately picked his paper and looked at it.

"In fairness, even if he's a jerk, he's smart," I muttered.

I checked his paper first, and he scored 95/100.

Tsk, weak!

I got an idea and wrote something on the back of his test paper:

"With your angelic face, your attitude is like a monster from the pot."

By: Miss Freaky

Hahaha!

"Let’s see if this scares you off pots," I said while staring at his test paper.

After finishing the test papers, I was walking down the corridor when a group approached me.

Wait, it’s those freshman bullies-turned-lizards.

"Hi, Miss Garnett," one of them greeted.

I smiled.

"This is for you," one said, handing me a KitKat chocolate. Wow?

I smiled and gently took it.

"Thanks," I replied.

"Can we take a selfie with you?" another asked.

"Sure," I said.

It’s really different when you’re beautiful because when you are, everyone loves you.

After their selfie session, I continued walking toward the classroom, only to bump into Raven.

He was about to turn a corner but stopped when he saw me. I swallowed hard. You can do this, Garnett. Face him!

I continued walking, and he walked toward me.

When we were face-to-face, we both stopped.

He smirked at me.

Tsk, now I know the real Raven Alvarez.

I smirked back.

"I want to congratulate you. Your Accounting score is high—you got 95 out of 100," I said.

"Really? Well, I knew it."

Tsk!

"But, I’m on top again."

His expression turned serious.

"I got 100 out of 100," I said, smiling.

His brows slowly furrowed.

"Don’t let your looks and arrogance take over. Brain first, dude," I said, rolling my eyes before walking away.

I smiled.

Yes! Finally, you stood your ground, Garnett! Wow, I can’t believe I did that! Hahaha!

---

BREAKTIME

We’re at the canteen, but it’s hard to eat because everyone is staring at us.

"It feels like it’s better to be ugly, right? At least then we could eat properly here," Hazel said.

"What are you saying? It feels amazing to be like this," Ami said excitedly.

"Amazing? Are you full?" Elisha asked her.

"You guys are so boring," Ami replied.

I just laughed at the three of them.

Then I noticed the Star Princess group entering the canteen. They immediately looked at us, and Sarrah raised her brow upon seeing me. I gave her a mocking smile.

"Oh no, it’s Sarrah the potato," Hazel muttered.

They walked toward us, crossing their arms. Why do they always cross their arms?

"So it’s true? You four are attention-seekers on campus again?" Sarrah said.

"Do you hear something?" Elisha asked.

"I do, a potato speaking," Ami said, making me laugh.

Sarrah seemed annoyed.

"I’m talking to you!" Sarrah said, raising her voice.

We looked at her.

"Oh, look! The potato is alive," Ami said.

"What?!" Sarrah yelled in frustration.

"She said you look like a potato, Sarrah," Jeniel added.

Sarrah's nostrils flared as we laughed.

"Aargh! This isn’t over, Garnett!" she shouted before storming off.

We high-fived each other, laughing. Hahaha! They thought they had us. Turns out they’re just sore losers.

---

CLASS OF BUSINESS ETHICS

We were ready for recitation. Since I was seated at the front, I was the first one called.

"Number one, Ms. Sardoncillo. What is the meaning of Work Simplification?"

I stood up immediately.

"Yes, Ma’am. Work Simplification describes making daily tasks easier to reduce strain or decrease the energy required to complete an activity."

"Very good. Next, Process Analysis."

Hazel answered.

"Yes, Ma’am. Process Analysis is subdividing a manufacturing operation into basic elements and material movements. The analyst studies operations and movements."

---

DISMISSAL

"Finally, the recitations and quizzes are over," Elisha said.

"At least now we just have to review for prelims," I replied.

"That’s easy," Ami said.

"But we need to rest," Elisha said.

"So, what’s your plan?" I asked.

"Our plan from Saturday—going to the bar," Elisha said.

"Seriously? Are we really doing this?" I asked.

"Of course," Elisha said.

---

AT THE BAR

We danced as soon as we got in, enjoying the music. Later, we ordered drinks and laughed nonstop.

Feeling dizzy, I excused myself, but I accidentally bumped into someone.

Looking up, it was Raven.

"Garnett?!"

I tried to walk away, but he stopped me and pinned me against the wall.

"What are you doing in a place like this?" he asked.

"Let me go!"

"You’re acting so different."

I glared at him.

"Excuse me? Acting different? Don’t forget, you’re the award-winning actor here for pretending to be a decent guy."

He was speechless.

"What? Can’t answer? That’s because it’s true," I sneered.

"Don’t make me lose my temper, Garnett," he said seriously.

I smirked.

"Really? What are you going to do? Hit me? Kick me? Or maybe—"

HE KISSED ME!

To be continued ...