Chapter 34

CHAPTER 34

C holo attended class after that weekend but I did not have the guts to face him.

The fact that he was in every single one of my classes should have made it easier but I chickened out every time. I made it a point to come in a little later than everyone so I could sit in the back and Cholo did not show any indication whatsoever that he was bothered by the empty seat beside him in every period.

I also looked like crap for having no sleep over the last few days as I tried to finish all the videos that Miss Co had asked for. After my last class, I went straight to her office to show her my hard work and it seemed the effort was worth it. She watched everything, nodded approvingly, and then folded my laptop to size me up.

“Good work. When’s your interview scheduled?”

“Next Tuesday.”

“Oh, right after Ephemere,” Miss Co said thoughtfully. “Good luck, then. You’re done with one out of three. See you on Saturday.”

I just nodded and left.

Dinner was amazing, courtesy of my stepmom, but I hardly touched the plate of paella negra I was served. I really wanted to eat, seeing how Cris was excited about it but I did not have any energy nor appetite left. Dad came to my rescue, able to sense that I was just a few minutes short of falling asleep right there on the table so he explained to Cris that I was not feeling well. They let me come upstairs early to catch some zzz’s.

I was just about to hit the sack when Liana barged inside my room, jumping in glee.

“What now?” I said, cranky because of sleepiness.

“Summer Tiu’s in trouble!” she screeched and it was so loud I half-expected our parents to run up here thinking I pushed Liana off the roof or something.

“What?”

“She copied off someone on that 115 exam your block had last week,” Liana said, jumping into the bed with me. “Someone ratted her out. Look!”

She handed me her tablet, which was showing an official-looking article that had the university logo on it. My eyes widened with every sentence. It sounded formal and was in essence condemning the act in its many paragraphs.

“Wow, she’s screwed,” I said, handing the tablet back, not even able to digest the details even after reading. “What’s going to happen to her?”

“She’ll be on disciplinary hearings and possibly the subject of a few hundred nasty posts online. I’m betting it’ll last for a couple of weeks, and that’s only if she’s lucky.” Liana said. “Her Student Council party also ditched her and deleted all of her pictures from their accounts.”

I must have gaped at Liana for a few seconds before managing a smile.

“Serves her right, I guess?” I simply said, wondering why I did not feel anything. Liana seemed to understand so she just swept my bangs away from my eyes and made me lie down.

“Looks like you’re really tired. That reaction was anticlimactic. Go to sleep.”

“Sorry,” I answered.

She looked at me for a few seconds and shook her head. “That’s fine. I just thought you’d be more… I don’t know. I mean, she was responsible for what happened and a lot of other things you wouldn’t want to mention.”

“I think we’ve settled that it’s actually my fault and not hers,” I cut off my own sentence, seeing Liana gaping at me like I was an alien. “Ugh. Sorry. I’m not myself right now.”

She laughed. “It’s nice, actually.”

“Huh? What’s nice?” I asked, confused.

“This new you,” she replied. “I mean, I know you’re conscious and touchy about that subject right now, but hearing you say this, it’s not that bad.” I thought for a moment before answering.

“You’re just saying it because I’m nicer to you now.”

“That’s a fair point,” she said with a laugh, fixing my blanket. “But you know, I don’t think Cholo was trying to change you into someone else. It’s more like he’s helping you grow and be aware of your own capabilities so you can be at your best. I mean, your grades were never bad. You’re running for cum laude. You’ve always been smart and diligent, Vinnie. And save for a couple of trips to the disciplinary office, you’ve always done well.”

“It sounds nice when you phrase it like that.”

“Look,” she said, her face serious. “I’m not just saying this to make you feel better but we all see it. We’ve all seen how awesome you can be, not just with schoolwork or club activities. Well, you’re still scary when you’re angry and you need some work on that but with everything else, you did it all on your own.”

“Really?” I said, sniffing. “Dad thought I was starting to just depend on Cholo.”

“Your dad doesn’t see you as much as we do,” she replied, wiping my face. “Sure, it started with that trip to the prefect’s office. And you talking to me and Mom again—we should give Cholo credit for that, too. But really, Vinnie. What Cholo gave you was a wake-up call, and him staying behind you for the rest of it helped, but your accomplishments, what you have done so far, that is yours and no one else’s. You had your moments of uncertainty and you will continue to have them. You’re going to need help here and there, but that’s not something you should feel bad about. Especially not if it had been offered to you in the first place.”

“I wish I didn’t throw it in Cholo’s face,” I replied, shaking my head. “He didn’t deserve that.”

“He’ll understand,” she answered. “As a couple, you’re going to fight. The next ones will probably be worse. You acted out of pent-up anger and frustration that boiled over at the worst possible moment. I know the feeling, too. But once you understand why it happened, once you’re able to explain to yourself and to him why this came to be, it’ll all get better.”

“You think he’ll take me back?”

“Well,” she said in a mock-serious voice, “seeing how he’s still liking and retweeting your last Era of Maidens tweets, I’m going to bet he’s not going to ditch you. At least, not yet.”

“Bwisit ka,” I said, finally laughing. Liana got up and walked towards the door. “Go to sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be a better day.”

I was tempted to check if Cholo was still indeed following me and liking my posts but my exhaustion won over and I fell asleep.

I had a free cut the next day because my morning profs called in sick. A student assistant just clipped a note on the door, telling us to use the extra time to study as we were going to have a quiz the next week. This was fine with me since this would give me enough time to eat a proper lunch.

I took a jeepney to the nearby mall as it was too hot to walk. I had a sudden craving for tapsilog and upon checking my watch, I figured the tapsilog place would not be as full and the best time to eat there would be now.

When I got there, I remembered that Cholo liked this tapsilog joint, and this was where we first had lunch together. The thought left me feeling like I just swallowed a ball of crumpled paper so I simply ordered two tapsilogs to-go and went back to our college building, hoping I could convince him to have lunch with me.

It was quiet as the 10–11:30 a.m. classes were still ongoing. I tried to practice what I was going to say but I could not figure out a way to say everything without sounding forced or corny. When I reached the prefect’s office on the fifth floor, the room was empty and I did not know whether I was relieved or disappointed. I went straight for his table and wondered where he was since his backpack was on the table next to his chair.

And then I heard a kettle whistling.

It was coming out of a space in the office corner that I never noticed was there. The smell of coffee wafted through the air and a few footsteps later, Cholo appeared and saw me.

He stopped in his tracks. I willed myself to smile but my face seemed to have forgotten how to do that. Cholo just blinked and took a tentative step, looking over my shoulder before shifting his gaze back, probably thinking I got myself in trouble again and that a professor was going to walk in after me any second.

“Vinnie,” he said, voice low. “What are you doing here?”

“Hi,” I said after an embarrassingly long while of just staring. “Um, I’m here on my own. I didn’t get sent by a teacher or anything. Just so you know.”

“That’s a relief,” he said, his face still impassive. He walked over and saw the food I had left on his desk. “What’s this?”

“Lunch. I thought you’d be hungry.”

“No, not really.”

Of course, he would not make it too easy. I knew I deserved this but it did not stop my ears from burning.

“Fine, give it away, then.”

“You haven’t answered my question,” he said. He seemed to notice the sudden change in the tone of my voice and was reminding me who was boss. We were in his office, after all. “Why are you here?”

“I was hoping we could have lunch together and talk,” I said with a shrug, trying to lower my own voice. “But since you’re not hungry maybe I should just, you know, say sorry.”

Breaking eye contact, I stared at my shoes instead, too ashamed to look him in the eye.

“The past few days were painful,” I began. “But I didn’t know what to say. I still don’t, actually. All I can say right now is how sorry I am for messing up. And this is in no way sufficient but it’s a start.”

I looked up at him again and noticed how he was not looking at me either. His eyes were dead fixed on his steaming coffee cup.

“Don’t worry. You don’t have to eat that. And next time, I’ll have something better up my sleeve,” I said, turning to leave. I had almost reached the door when he spoke again.

“Vinnie, wait,” he said. “Are you coming to Ephemere?”

I knew he just wanted to get me to attend and help out at the event but I jumped at the chance.

“I’m supposed to help out with the booth when gates open,” I just replied, looking back at him over my shoulder. He still had his eyes somewhere else. “But if you need me there early for ingress, just let me know.”

“We do need some extra help. I’m picking you up,” he told me, meeting my gaze. “Be ready at seven o’clock.”

“Thank you,” I just said, not wanting to sound too pleased. “I’ll see you on Saturday.”

It took all of my willpower not to start jumping happily in the hallway like a child. I was walking down the stairs towards the cafeteria when my phone beeped.

DRESDEN MAIL

FW: Requirements

I blinked, unsure of what was going to be in that email, and opened it.

I’ve attached the application form and list of requirements for the Seoul trip. Make sure you compile and submit these at least two weeks before our flight.

(Also, thanks for the food. I ~was~ hungry.)

Smiling, I put my phone away and jumped the last three steps on the stairs, feeling happier than I had been in what felt like weeks.