AFGITMOLFM Part I: Euphoria

Chapter 003 - Gung Gong Pyo

 Our mind was blown away because of our quiz in Geometry. Our suffering still didn’t end as the next subject was Chemistry.

I have no idea of whoever fixed our schedule thought that they decided to join the two subjects that can blow the mind.  It's even still early the morning. Gosh! It’s so torture.

I was staring blankly at Sir’s face while he was discussing. I was really bored and it looked like Alex was also bored caused she was tapping me multiple times.

 “Why?”

“Tell a story.” Alex whispered.

“Story?”

“Well, you and Nate are so sweet. How did it start?” She asks with a grin, “Hurry up, I was absent when he confess to you, eh.” 

I stared at Alex for a while and it looked like she was really eager to know.

Even though I don’t want to... Well, fine. Forceful, eh. Just kidding.

***

“PSST.” 

It all started with a ‘psst’. Finals week of last school year, and I was excited to go home since I’ve always anticipated Spongebob Squarepants every afternoon at 5:00 PM.

“Psst.”

I should have ignored that, but someone gripped my shoulder that’s why I turned back. I even raised my head since that guy who was holding me was really tall.

It was Nate.

“Wait, why did you start from there? I said the time when he confessed.” Alex complained.

I look at her badly, “Don’t interrupt. Just listen.”

“But–“

So anyway, that happened and the he was sweetly smiling at me, “You’re so snob, Ate [1].” 

“Huh?”

So uhm, I was a little bit snob during second year.

“Hi, I’m Nathaniel by the way,” His smile was still in his lips, “But call me Nate.”

When my gaze landed on his bandmates behind him, they were laughing. What's their problem? Of all the people, why am I their trip [2]?

I know he’s Nate. His band, Burning Thunder is somewhat well known. He wasn’t really my type because he has this aura that signals number 74 [3].

 Airy [4] and has a bad storm.

I just stared at his hand that wanted to shake my hands and turned back and left him.

“Snob.”

When I turned back to look at him, he was already frowning. His bandmates laughed more loudly and I also laughed secretly deep inside.

But when third year came, I was the one who was frowning.

He became my classmate.

“Seriously, Ianne. I just want to know how he confessed his feelings for you.”

I ignored what Alex said and continued my story.

He continued to infuriate me ever since the first day. I was always the one he saw. He would point at me when there’s recitation. If there’s a partner activity, he'll always volunteers to be my partner. His trip [5]was always me. What’s more irritating is that his bandmates would tease as both. I mean hello? I don’t like him.

But one day before my birthday, everything changed.

“Hi Ianne,” His smirk that could ruined my mood hasn’t changed a bit, “I heard that it’s your 15th birthday tomorrow? So cute, July 15 is your 15th birthday.”

I took the first notebook that I saw at my bag and act as if I was reading. I was even a little bit dizzy at what I was reading because it was about formulas in Chemistry. But this is much better than confronting Nate’s boastful.

 “Aw, still snob. You know, if you have a crush on me, its fine. Promise.”

I looked at at him, “Are you talking to me?”

“Yes, because it’s so obvious that you have a crush on me-“

“Ha?” I cut him off, “What are talking about? You’re on drugs again [6].”

“Don’t be shy at me, okay. We have been friends for how many months already.” What? Friends? Since when? “What you just need to asks is that, ‘Nate, can I court?’ just that. I won’t even reject you eh, but of course I would still need to play hard-to-get. How many minutes do you want before I’ll answer you?”

“Whatever you want,” I took out a piso [7] from the pocket of my uniform, “here’s a piso, find someone else to talk to you.”

I stood up and was about to leave when he stopped me.

“Wait...”

When I turned back to look at him, my heart beats fast. His face was serious. The playfulness in his face disappeared and was replaced with a kind and innocent face. And that is the first time that I noticed... That indeed... He was handsome.

But every positive vibes disappeared when he opened his mouth, “You’re lacking 19 pesos [8], you need 20 pesos to be unli in Globe [9].”

Alex laughed at my story. She was laughing so hard that Sir Cortez had  already looked at us; that's why we silently lower our heads and act as if we didn’t made a noise.

“Nate is really abnormal.”

“True.”

“Whatever,” I said as I rolled my eyes at him, “You’re condition has worsen.”

I went out of the classroom and hang out at the corridor. I was also a little bit shock at myself at my reaction that time. My heart was still beating fast. It doesn’t want to stay calm.

“There it is, there it is!” I heard my classmates whispering, “He’s not torpe [10] anymore.”

When I looked back, my heart would have almost jumped from shock when I saw Nate was behind me already. And when did I start to become a person who gets shock so easily? So it won’t be obvious that I was nervous, I rolled my eyes at him, “Get out already.”

“You don’t want to ask?”

I raised my head so I can see his face carefully. It was wrong move because he has a serious face that’s why I got more nervous.

“What should I ask?”

“Fine, I’ll do it.”

I was surprised when he bends down to my height to meet my gaze.

“W-what’s the matter, Nate-”

“Ianne..” I couldn’t stand still, my hands were cold but it get worse when he continued what he was about to say, “Can I court?”

“Gosh, it’s so sweet.”

I laughed at Alex’s reaction but I was stopped by her next question.

“Do you love him?”

I wanted to ignore her question but she was looking intently at me. I wouldn’t have thought that I would thank  Sir Cortez because he bid his farewell to our class and dismiss us.

“Goodbye and thank you, Mr. Cortez. See you tomorrow. Classmates, study your lessons.”

I went out of the classroom and evaded Alex. I was bothered by her question even till I went home. You see, even I don’t know the answer.

Love? It’s corny. But why then did I answer Nate? Nothing. Maybe... I was just curious to have a boyfriend?

***

 Since I was always with Nate, I began to know him little by little. The old airy [11] Nate? He was swept away by the wind.  And actually, he became more childish. So cute; you just want to squeeze.

“Let’s go, common.” He was pestering me to go to the rooftop for a while now. Eh, the place is so far, I might just die from walking.

“What do you want to say, anyway? Just say it here. It’s so tiring to walk the stairs.” I complained. I was about to sit at the stairs when he pulled me to stand.

“Don’t sit!”

“I’m tired”

“This child is so kulit [12].”

I started to get nervous when he suddenly carried me.

“Uy, what are you doing?”

“My girlfriend is lazy; I’ll just carry her then.”

I was still complaining but he was just grinning. He was carrying me as he walks the stairs. So this is Nate’s look at this angle, I can see the hole of his nose. In fairness, it’s so clean right now.

I just remained silent for the rest of the walk until we reached the rooftop.

“Let go of me already!”

He let me down. Good. Obedient. I was feeling a little bit sick because we were at the side and we were really high above.

“I have a question.” He started.

 “What?”

He gave me a smile as he wraps his arm around my shoulders, “What type of man do you like?”

“Ha? Why?” I oddly asked.

“Just answer it. What type of man do you like?”

I was thinking... But I didn’t have any idea.

“Uhm, if it was in the past, there was nothing, but when I met you, I already have one.”

“Oh, you! You’re so flirty!”

I laughed when he flutter his eyes. He even weakly pushed me continually.

 “You’re a feeler [13], ah? I just realized that my type is actually the opposite of you. That’s why it’s so bad, eh.” I said, laughing.

I was surprise when he hit my head! I also did the same thing and hit him in the head. We just hit each other's head and laugh until we both went quiet. I just stared at the heaven– naks [14], heaven.  Everything remeained quiet until he pushed me!

“What are you doing?” I tightly grip his shoulder, “I almost fell!”

He smiled at me as he said, “Don’t worry. If you fall, I’ll catch you.”

I couldn’t contain myself, “You’re corny.”

BOOG!

I was surprised when he slapped me. I touched my right cheek and look at him with a scary look in my face.

“Wa- why... Why are you doing this to me?”

“You’re so crazy, it was just a touch, eh,” he said, chuckling, “you’re so OA.” 

We laughed for a while until he became serious again. What is this, why is this guy so serious?

“Do you see that?” He pointed below.

I shivered when I noticed that it was a view of the cemetery at the side of our school. I didn’t notice it before because the air felt wonderful and the sky was really beautiful.

 “Can you see the tombstone that has a heart formation?”

Even if I was confused, I gazed at the cemetery again. I analyze what Nate said and I saw it. The tombstone were arrange in a shape of heart. Amazing.

 “I used to tell myself when I was still a kid that I’ll show that tombstone to the person that I love the most.”

I shivered intentionally because he went on with the coming month, November [15]. Is this supposed to be sweet or creepy? Please explain it to me.

But wait, that line seems familiar, ah?

“Gung Gong Pyo [16], is that you?”

He laughed at what I said. He wraps his arm around my shoulders as he messed my hair, “My girlfriend is so great.”

We laughed again. Then it turned serious again.

“But seriously, Ianne. You’re my only reason for living,” We look at each other, “even if I would die and would join those, promise,” He raised his right hand like when we’ll recite the Panatang Makabayan [17], “only you, Ianne, only you.”

I wasn’t sure why I was trembling, is it from kilig or because November is coming?

[1] Ate – big sister 

[2] [5] Trip – an activity or thing that someone is engaged in; in this case, it would be like, “why are they pranking (engaged in) her?”

[3] [4] [11] this refer to typhoon signals that identify how strong it is, I don’t know why it’s 74 as the max signal is 4 but the meaning is still the same: he’s so airy – [mahangin] which means someone who’s so much boastful and prideful of themselves -in . I kept it cause get it? He’s so airy that its signal is high XD

[6] He’s not really in drugs, what she meant is that he looked like he’s in drugs because he is so in blast –by balst I mean he’s in his joking mood..

[7] [8] Piso – currency of Philippines; piso here is describe as a P1 coin which value you can buy a one cheap lollipop.

[9] Globe – a major provider of telecommunications services in the Philippines,

         Unli – a promo that lets the user text/call someone they know unlimited for a period of time.

       So basically, he’s asking for 19 pesos more because 1 peso is not enough to subscribe to a promo that will let him talk to someone –in the past the cheapest promo is an Unli promo that only cause 20 pesos. In the Philippines most people doesn’t have a monthly bill for their phone, and because they don’t have this they need to manually load their phone so they can call and text, since Filipino loves to text, promos where you only need to pay up this and you’ll have unlimited time to call/text pops up.

[10] Torpe – a person who doesn’t know how to approach the person they like. 

[12] kulit –  a light-hearted context that describe someone who is annoying in being repetitive, stubborn, or persistent in asking for question/favor.

[13] Feeler – a word that Filipinos used to describe someone who easily assumes that the one the other is talking about is them. 

[14] Naks  – an expression when someone is amaze, in this case, she’s saying amazing cause in the raw she said [kalangitan] which is somewhat a deep Filipino word. So take it like instead of using sky she used another deep word like heaven.

[15] November is the Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Where October 31 and November 1, Filipinos would visit the people they loved that died, and some would even sleep there for the night.

[16] Gung Gong Pyo – the male lead in Boys over Flower –a Korean show that’s based from a Japanese drama, Meteor Garden. The previous line Nate said was also said by this character to the female lead.

[17] Panatang Makabayan – in eng: Patriotic Oath, is one of the two national pledges of the Philippines.