Hate to Love You

Kabanata I

The hallway that leads to the main building of the senior high school department of San Laurel public school is crowded.

It was not yet the time for dismissal but it seems so, the reason, it's time for the quarterly PTA meeting which means it is also the time for the bulletin announcement to be updated.

Karamihan sa mga naroon ay mga estudyanteng grade conscious, ang iba'y nahila ng kanilang mga kaibigan. Para naman sa Humaties and Social Sciences 2-A ay para malaman kung sino ang nasa rank 1.

It was the same for me, the only difference is I, myself, is part of the main show.

I bit my inner lip and clenched my hand holding the skirt of my uniform as I closed my eyes, my head still tilted upward.

One... Two... Three... Four... Five... Breathe.
I counted from one to five, slowly until I feel my breathing get even.

"Klaudia sabi ko sa'yo marami pang tao eh. Kami na lang ang titingin at magsasabi sa'yo ng resulta. Bumalik na tayo sa room." There was a hand shaking my shoulder. It was probably Equin.

It's too late, I already saw.

I counted another five as the image I just saw kept repeating on my mind.

From the first quarter where my name is listed at the top to...

HUMSS 2-Aristotle Ranking

1. Blas Santiago Benitez III
2. Klaudia Louis Buencamino

It's irritating enough that we're always seated next to each other because of our surnames, pati ba naman sa rankings ganito pa rin.

Ilang taon na itong ganitong pangyayari pero naiinis pa rin ako. If only I could erase his whole existence in San Laurel.

"Ayos lang iyan, ikaw naman ang rank one last quarter."

I nodded at Yna, one of my classmates. We were about to go back to the room when we heard loud celebratory shouts near the end of the hallway.

"Yon! patingin nga ng itsura ng rank one."

"Burger! burger! Santi, libre naman." Kitang-kita ang pagkuyog nila sa lalaking kanina pa nila tinutulak-tulak papunta sa unahan ng bulletin board. Marami man ang nakapaligid sa kaniya ay nangingibaw siya sa tangkad.

He was always the center of attention wherever he goes. He was friendly to everyone that even with the most quiet ones in our class can be talkative when conversing with him. Boys from different social classes and ages were his friends and I don't understand how he does that. There are even more girls who are friendly to him, dahil nga mas matangkad siya sa iilang mga ka-batch namin at galing pa sa kilalang pamilya, marami-rami ang tinutuksong nagagandahang babae sa kaniya even with the higher years.

He can't even properly button his uniform and cut his hair. What's there to admire?

Tuwang-tuwa naman ito at nakuha pa pumayag sa pagpapalibre ng mga kaklase.

"Buhatin niyo ang top one niyo papuntang canteen," sabi niya na mabilis sinunod ng mga lalaki naming kaklase.

Wala talagang manners.

Naagaw ang pansin ko sa pagtunog ng phone ko.

You couldn't get it? One point na lang.

That was fast.

Tapos na siguro ang meeting sa room. It was my mom, hindi naman siya umaattend ng PTA meetings dahil madalas ay busy sila ni Papa. It was usually our helper o kaya'y pag may time sila Auntie sila ang umaattend. Pero mabilis pa rin nakakarating sa kaniya ang resulta.