Anakdatu

Being shocked by the shock and by seeing her face is shocking. John is right, she is outstandingly beautiful. Like imagine the most beautiful actress or the most beautiful lady you can ever imagine and think of, now multiply that beauty level in a tenfold, now you get the point. She is so soo beautiful and even I, I was awestruck.

Being shocked by the strength and the voltage of a lightning bolt made me mad, really, I was annoyed and decided to put a stop in this prank routine. But when I saw her face really, I was stopped on my tracks.

She is black brown locks of a Filipino of course; we are all Filipinos here, a very attractive upturned nose, you know, like Margot Robbie's nose, if you do not know Margot Robbie, the actress of Suicide Squad's Harley Quinn, blushed rosy cheeks, eyes that radiates kindness, and her thin lips, for short, she looks like a goddess. She doesn't seem to even have any make up! But hey, no, I'm not having goo-goo eyes with this lady, she isn't even my type.

I approached her and offered a hand. I was reluctant because I might or we might get shocked again, but she took my hand and lifted her up. I helped her pick her things too.

"Uh hi, I am sorry for what happened, my friend here," And I glared daggers at John who just beamed and scratched his head, "is very cooperative, so I accidentally bumped you, I hope you forgive me."

She smiled at me and after seconds, her faced turned sour "No. I won't forgive you, you shocked me twice, here and yesterday!" She yelled.

"What? I shocked you? I am a freshman here, and how could I shock you huh? I just got here within 48 hours and I'll be shocking other people already?" I yelled back.

"You won't forget this, mister…?" She asked, even she seems annoyed, there is a twinkle of kindness on her eyes, maybe it was her first time being not recognized as the school's most important student.

"Liwayway. Ramil Liwayway, and my friend here John Delmundo, and you are?" I asked.

"Emanuelle Elise Vertucio, seems like you've got famous in this campus within 48 hours." She gestured to the crowd.

"I don't mind," I said as if I was challenging her "I think I'll call you Beauty Queen."

"Okay, don't let your guard down easily upstart." She told me with a smile in the corner of her lips.

"Okay."

"Okay." And she finally smiled and turning back to the direction she went before, "See you at class. You still need to appease me for what you did anyway."

"What are you? A goddess?" I asked her as she walked away.

And suddenly, the crowd cheered after she went away.

I stared at John in his eyes and motioning outside because it is the perfect time to leave. And so we went now to our rooms and headed for our classroom.

"Why of a sudden they all cheered?" I asked John

John looked at me with pride in his eyes "Oh simply, because no one, may it be a boy or a girl can maintain a conversation with her, she simply radiates the charisma of a person in a very different level against us, you did great! Teach me how to flirt!"

"I didn't flirt with her!"

"You did, she even seduced you, 'see you at class' oh my, I can die right now"

"Shut up!" I concluded.

John being such a slowpoke, we got late in our afternoon class so we got to sit on the back part of the classroom and then I noticed Ms Godly Two Shoes was just on my front.

I don't want to be a jerk like challenging a lady always, that isn't manly to be honest so I decided to write a note saying :

Hey Emanuelle or Elise, I think I like to call you Elise,

I am sorry for what happened awhile ago and I didn't mean to challenge you like that. But I wanted to be friends with you, not some rival of sorts. I hope you forgive me.

-Ramil

And I passed it to her. She got the note, and after some moments, she returned back the note slip and just below my name, she wrote in a very elegant cursive, that made my handwriting hide and say 'we don't want to fight', she wrote "Give me reasons for me to forgive you and reasons that I can call you a friend"

I folded the note and I have put it on my bag and while I was listening for the lecture for this afternoon, on the other side of my mind, I was thinking on how to appease the goddess. She is kinda stupid by the way for holding grudges.

****

After class, I approached her, of course with John on my back because he is my apprentice and that will never change, and I offered to carry her hand bag.

"Sure!" She said as she gave me her handbag and then she motioned to the other paper bags on the floor. "And also that please?"

"Of course, your Highness" I grabbed those and we walked out the campus.

When we got out the campus, and tons of people looking at us, I asked her if she wants to eat street foods, and then she agreed to join us and after minutes, we got our foods and we sat on the bench by the street once again staring at the afternoon sky with Elise in the middle of me and John.

After minutes of awkward silence, I blurted out "Hey Elise, I'm really sorry again for what happened."

She smirked "So then I am appeased, thank you for carrying my stuffs and offering me company." And then she looked upwards towards the sky. "I don't know, the truth is I really have no friends at all like zero. Yes, I might look like some kind of celebrity, not being arrogant but yeah, the people seem to be afraid at me, I don't know. And awhile ago, when we maintained that conversation, even now, it did made me happy as if to let me know that I still do exist and that I am not just some kind of smart lady who can do many things and know many things. And thank you too."

And she looked at me straight in the eyes, "And hey, I really didn't shock you in anyways, are you sure you didn't do that?"

"Uh, no, maybe it's just some weather disturbance around us." I promised

As well as John's very stupid manner, he butted in "You are pretty kind of scary, I thought you were like Pinatubo – A beautiful disaster"

Me and Elise glared at him and he did a peace sign "Sorry, I was just trying to make you guys smile."

We finished eating our foods and then John and I walked with Elise to her home, still carrying her things, which is in the other direction opposite to the way to John's house so that will mean that I live in the middle of this two.

Her house is similar to The Hut jr., huge but lonely, a two floored Spanish style villa, not that big but huge enough, just the right size.

Elise gathered her stuffs from me. "Thank you Ramil, and John of course, for the good company and I hope I can know you guys better sometime. See you tomorrow!" She smiled but I saw a glint of sorrow in her eyes. But then we walked back now to the other direction as she waved at us goodbye. And then we continued walking and now I will walk John to his house.

"She is cool though, I never thought she is like that kind of girl, like you know, a suplada* type of girl right?" He asked me.

"I thought so too but you know, first impressions are never enough for a person to know who he or she really is." I told him.

He smirked "Of course, until now, I don't even fully know you even you've got this very mysterious aura that veils around you."

I punched his arm friendly, I don't want him to fly like my punching bag "Of course doofus, we just met yesterday." And we laughed.

And with that, we trudged off to the darkened streets of Batangas.

After awhile, we got to John's house and waved goodbye afterwards and then, once again, I am alone, heading to The Hut jr.

I got home, did the usual things once again and then finally, I took refuge in my bed and once again, it is a very long day. And indeed, it is going to be a very long year, but yeah, I guess I can manage. I've got friends now, Elise and John, some people I can share my burdens with. Sometimes, all you just need is a plastic cup of fishballs, a bench and a really good company. And so I closed my eyes and finished the day.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

*Suplada - a Filipino adjective used to describe girls and women who are not disposed to friendliness. If you greet a Filipino girl or woman and she doesn't greet you back, she is called suplada.