One Last Smile

Entry #3

Entry #3

October 6, 2022

Today was demanding. Vaughn just had to give a long list of workloads. Feeling ko iiyak ako nang pabalik-balik ako from the ground floor to the roof deck of our building. I think it was a hell of an exercise. Sa PE subject namin hindi naman ganun ka intense. Side eye, Vaughn...He was probably laughing at my situation.

I did see a handsome guy earlier today. He was, let's say, handsome. My eyes widened when I saw a glimpse of him like my heart and my eyes were connected for they were booming with excitement. I instantly wanted to know his name. Michelle did not know about it though. As the secretary, she was giving me errands. I chatted with her just so I could eat my lunch peacefully. Thankfully, I was alone during the whole afternoon. It was an odd feeling. I saw the handsome guy once again.

The late afternoon was piping hot. I felt like I was inside the oven. I frequently hissed while making notes. Instead of going home early, umuwi ako nang matagal. I finished my homework and took notes from the previous lessons for a couple of subjects before I went home. Kuya notified me that he had already sent food to Mom's workplace and that I didn't have to go there. Dinner was already served before I could set foot in the dining room.

I did not know if I should keep on smiling or keep on sulking from past events today. Ang masasabi ko lang ay ayoko nang maging Media Officer. Para akong alipin! Char lang. I don't think that I should complain. After all, I found out about something that made my heart giddy.

_______

"What do you mean? Sinong gwapo? Saan? Patingin—naknampucha! Ano ba namang kamerang yan? Ang labo! Hopeless tayo dito ante. How would I figure that one out?" Napakamot sa ulo si Michelle. Like heck, how would I know about it too? Was it my fault that my phone's camera was blurry?

I only shrugged while sipping on my iced coffee. Iced coffee was a must kada tag-init. "Marami kang connection. I'm sure you'd figure that out. Who knows? Baka may pogi rin siyang kaklase. Tig-iisa na tayo." Fair play.

"May point ka dyan. At dahil dyan, aalamin ko." Michelle walked out just in time. I had faced our organization's president before. Ngayon, nandito na naman siya. He was supervising us. The meeting was long adjourned. Now, we're prepping the materials. Our commission was divided again to finish the task. I didn't want to keep on going in and out of the school so I volunteered to help them with the design. However, Michelle paired me up with the other MMO to buy the materials. Hindi rin kompleto ang kanilang mga utos kaya pabalik-balik kami.

"Pahinga muna kayo. I'll assign someone else. Thank you for your help," wika ni Vaughn sa amin. I gave him a timid smile and voiced out a response and waited for him to leave. Yet, he did not. "Do you need anything else?" He shook his head.

"I'm sure you know Kyan right? He's the chairperson of CCSO. He handles the HUMSS and GAS strand..." why is he telling me this?

"He's late. He's supposed to help you guys here." I furrowed my brows. "I thought STEM lang."

"Oh, it's only for the planning. The events will still have separate schedules." I nodded and gave that 'I get it now' expression. I waited for that guy to arrived without making any effort to converse with our president. He looks formal. He was tailored to stand straight and head held high. He looked stagnant. Natatakot akong tumingin sa direksyon niya.

A few moments later, dumating na si Kyan. It was the 'oh-shit-I've-met-him-before' moment. My eyes widened as soon as I saw him enter the room. Our classrooms have no doors so it was much quicker to see people entering. Napanganga nga ako nang lumapit siya kay Vaughn. Siya yung ninakawan ko ng taxi! I knew it! Siya talaga yon. Yung hairstyle niya at yung likod niya. He looked at me while they were both talking to each other. Vaughn must be talking about me. I fiddled with my phone as I waited for him to avert his eyes.

Ang gwaapoooo!

"This is Dezryl. She's the multimedia officer one of CAHA. Their secretary went somewhere so you have to wait for a while. Until then, I'm going to leave you two." Vaughn looked at me as if he was waiting for me to say something. My brows only met as I stared back at him. "Don't let her do any tasks. She's done for today. She'll only guide you." With that, they talked for a moment before he left the room.

Nahiya ako at lumingon-lingon sa paligid. I couldn't stand the awkwardness so I sat down on the same chair that I used a while ago. "I'm Kyan. I suppose you don't need to introduce yourself." He greeted amusedly. Napayuko nalang ako at iniwasan siya. Something about him was strange. I couldn't stick my nose in it.

I think I was saved by Michelle. She came at the right moment, breaking the awful silence. "Kuya Kyan, hi! These are the list of the designs." They both hugged and I swear, I saw Michelle eyeing me. Hinila niya ako kaagad and she said, "You won't believe me...the guy you saw before who you described was handsome is that guy." I scoffed at her.

"Sa tingin mo hindi ko yan ma figure out? Para akong tanga kanina." I did not tell Michelle about the taxi incident. I fear that she would only tease me for it. "Oh my gosh, Dezryl. You're missing out something!" She softly shouted at me. I scrunched my face as I looked at her weirdly. She was getting weirder too. She scoffed and laughed like an idiot, and I was a ticking time bomb, waiting for her to break the news.

"Ano ba—"

"He's gay!"