Heartstruck [PREVIEW]

Chapter Four

It takes me a full day to realize how dangerous it is having Theodore James Guevarra attend New Hope, especially since we're in the same class.

The guy knows about me and my past. He could very well expose me to everyone. Not that he has any reason to do that, nor do I plan on ever giving him one. Then again, I don't really know the guy that well to even attempt to guess what goes on behind that brooding exterior.

Every day since his arrival, I brace myself for the chaos that is sure to erupt once word gets out about the true me. If he so much as plants the idea that I've been living a lie and am trying to pass myself off as someone I'm not, it's all over. A mere rumor will be enough to sully the flawless reputation I've worked so hard to build for myself. What's even worse is that they might find out what I did to him, and if that happens, I'll be left alone. Alone again.

I tried so hard to forget what happened. Our move to the metro helped in giving me a fresh start, but the memories have never really faded away. They linger in my mind, a silent, persistent plague that haunts me. Their jeers. That one mistake. The look on his face. All the threats. All the hatred. The seemingly endless pit of loneliness and loss.

It still surprises me how I manage to keep doing arnis after what happened. I came really close to quitting though. Back then, my hands would shake involuntarily whenever I'd so much as think about arnis. I worried about things getting out of control again. I worried about hurting and getting hurt. And it didn't exactly help that arnis made me miss my best friend all the more since his sudden disappearance. It took a while before I finally managed to hold a rattan stick again, but thanks to Tito Tim, I soon got my swing back and I haven't let go of it ever since.

But if the past ever repeated itself, I don't think I'll be able to take it.

Which is why my friends and classmates can never find out about the things I did and the things I can do.

Which is why I have to make sure Theodore James Guevarra keeps his mouth shut.

A week into his arrival at New Hope Academy, Theo has done a marvelous job of standing out, yet at the same time, effortlessly fitting in. My friends have basically branded him as 'someone we shouldn't get too close to,' so we don't really pay him any mind most of the time. The rest of our batchmates mostly stayed clear of him too, because they found him a bit too unapproachable. But Carlos dela Vega and his friends, the group of misfits Kate and Sarah have christened the HC, or the Hopeless Cases, were more than willing to take him under their wing. Carlos, with what must be intense persuasion skills, was able to get Theo to join their hodgepodge group.

The bell rings, finally signaling the end of Social Studies and the start of lunch break. It's time, and right away, I regret not thinking the whole thing through. I want to take Theo aside, so I can make sure he keeps my past a secret, but just pulling him aside is already going to put my reputation at risk. Alexa Zamora is no snob, so she talks to whomever she wants, including the HC, but she never makes the first move. She's the one sought after and talked to, not the other way around.

Nonetheless, I push through with my sorry excuse for a plan. I convince Michelle to head for the cafeteria first, and she agrees without a single protest. As expected, I get called over by a few of my classmates for my opinion on, of all the things, lip gloss. I flash them a smile, like I'm so eager to help them out, even though I really know nothing about the different kinds of lip gloss. But before I saunter off towards them, I toss a note on top of Theo's table as discreetly as I can.

I try to listen to the surprisingly detailed descriptions of the different glosses, but my eyes can't help but wander towards him. I see him pick up my note, unfold it, and read what I wrote silently. The 4th floor old arts room. After class. Theo doesn't give me any form of response, not even so much as a single glance. He pockets the note and exits the classroom, leaving me to deal with the much heated lip gloss debate.