A Rock Star's Guide To Getting The Promdi (A Girl's Guidebook #1.5)

Tip No. 5 - Establish A Connection

"So then, I was like, 'You're not serious, are you? HNZ's way better than The Vamps or Five Seconds Of Summer'. I lent her my CD collection after that and she's been a fan ever since."

"Some people just don't have decent taste in music. I mean, you guys are the best, obviously, pero hindi nila 'yon ma-accept."

"Exactly. HNZ wouldn't have won any local and international awards if they weren't that great."

Cue the giggles and a lot more praises.

Being surrounded by these girls annoyed the hell out of me and they're starting to make me feel claustrophobic. Ben, on the other hand, sure looked like he was having a good time.

Grateful naman ako, really, sa fans na katulad nila dahil sila ang reason kung bakit sold out lagi ang concerts ng HNZ at nag-na-number one ang songs namin sa charts pero, right now, they're nothing but a pain in the ass.

Sanay na ako sa ganitong scene at hindi ako, usually, naiirita. Madalas akong lapitan ng mga babae kahit wala pa noon ang HNZ at nagiging triple ang crowd kapag magkakasama kami ng mga best friend at kabanda ko na sina Ben, Ken at Jay sa iisang lugar. Simula naman noong nakilala na ang banda namin, dumami na sila by ten folds.

It's actually pretty convenient because girls were already throwing themselves at us and kailangan na lang namin gawin ay mamili. At, since wala sa aming apat ang naghahanap ng serious relationships dahil sa iba't-ibang reasons, na-e-enjoy namin ang easy catch.

I guess I would be sorting through this crowd for someone I could go out with kagaya ng ginagawa ni Ben ngayon if I wasn't waiting, or more like wishing, for a particular girl to show up. Ben could tell I was getting cranky pero, imbis na tulungan niya ako at paalisin na ang mga nakapalibot sa amin, the jackass was having fun seeing me suffer.

Ilang minutes na lang bago dumating ang professor namin at unti-unti na akong nawawalan ng pag-asa na makikita siya sa klase na ito. Pero, nang nabawasan na ang mga nasa paligid namin ni Ben, bumalik na lang bigla ang gana ko nang nakita ko siya.

She was talking with another girl behind her at nakapwesto sila malapit lang sa amin. Ang simple ng ayos niya ngayon katulad kahapon, naka-jeans and t-shirt lang siya, pero she was still as captivating as ever.

I didn't want to waste another minute na kasama ko siya sa loob ng isang room kaya kinuha ko agad ang phone ko at iba ko pang gamit na nakapatong sa desk bago ako tumayo para lapitan siya. Napansin naman ni Ben ang ginawa ko kaya kinuha na rin niya ang mga gamit niya at in-excuse kami sa mga nakapaligid sa amin bago ako sinundan papunta sa babaeng kanina ko pa hinihintay.

Gusto ko sanang hagipin ang mga kamay ni Yumi nang umupo na ako sa bakanteng silya sa tabi niya at gusto ko sana siyang hatakin palapit sa akin. Ngayon kasi na nakita ko na siya ulit, gusto kong paliitin ang distance sa pagitan naming dalawa.

I fought those urges, kahit mahirap, because I didn't want her to think I was some kind of a pervert. Mukha na nga siyang nagulat at hindi comfortable nang tinabihan ko siya, actually, and I didn't want to freak her out some more and drive her away.

My plan was to get to know her better and to make a connection with her. And for that to start happening, I was going to need one thing.

"Hey, give me your phone."

Kumunot ang noo niya bago siya sumagot. "Wala ako nun."

Napagaya ako sa expression niya dahil sa narinig. Was she trying to blow me off?

"Wala kang cell phone?" tanong ko sa kanya.

Umiling lang siya sa akin.

"She's definitely playing with you, bro," sabi ni Ben na naupo na sa likod ko. "Everyone has a phone these days. Unless, of course you're from a different time or a dinosaur. They're both kinda cool but which one are you?"

Binigyan niya kami pareho ng isang tingin na may halong confusion at konting amusement bago siya nagsalita ulit. "Sorry, pero hindi ako dinosaur. Hindi rin ako time traveler. Wala talaga akong cell phone."

Huh. So she really didn't have a phone. May takot ba siya o galit sa technology?

"Is that so? I'm Benedict Gil, by the way," sabi ng kaibigan ko.

Nag-alangan si Yumi na abutin ang kamay ni Ben at napatingin muna siya sa akin at sa babaeng kausap niya kanina bago siya nakipagkamay.

Her reservation made me almost certain na hindi niya nga kilala ang banda namin. Ilan kasi sa typical reaction kapag kaharap na namin ang mga babae at kapag nag-a-attempt kami ng physical contact sa kanila ay ang pag-gush o pag-blush man lang pero wala siyang ginawa na ganon. It didn't look like she was faking it either.

Hindi ko tuloy alam kung matutuwa ako dahil this felt like a brand-new start o maaasar dahil she should have done her research tungkol sa akin nang nag-meet kami kahapon.

I mean, I did try to cyberstalk her dahil I found her very attractive kahit na walang naging bunga ang efforts ko. I saw it in her eyes that she found me really attractive, too, so why didn't she do her homework?

"Mayumi Gonzales," pakilala niya.

A big smile spread across Ben's face nang tumingin siya sa akin. It was like he was giving me a mental fist bump at hindi na niya kailangan pang sabihin na nag-a-approve siya kay Yumi dahil kita ko na iyon sa mga mukha niya.

Pinigilan ko na lang ang sarili ko na matawa sa reaction niya at pinagmasdan na ulit nang mabuti ang babaeng katabi ko. I wanted to commit her pretty face to memory so I could have a clear picture of it when I think of her later tonight, just in case I won't be seeing her for the rest of the day.

It would be better sana kung makakasama ko siya buong araw para maalala ko nang mas maayos ang bawat features niya pero, after everything that I've been through, alam ko na hindi lagi umaayon sa akin ang kapalaran. Mataas ang possibility na this was the only class we have together at kailangan ko na naman maghintay ng bukas para makita siya ulit.

I suddenly found myself wishing na magkaklase pa rin kami sa sumunod na subjects ko ngayong araw habang kinakausap siya ni Ben.

"Ikaw pala si Yumi. I've heard about you."

Yumi didn't seem upset sa bago niyang nickname pero mukhang na-ko-confuse na naman siya sa mga bagay-bagay. She was getting more and more adorable by the minute at gusto ko pang makita ang iba't-ibang expression niya.

Sayang nga lang at naputol na ang pag-uusap namin dahil dumating na ang prof namin sa Science at nagsimula na siyang mag-lecture.

Speaking of Science, there's one branch that I would love to teach the hot girl beside me. I'm pretty much well-versed sa ilang topics sa Biology and I'm sure she would like the lessons I've planned just for her. Sana lang, makapagsimula na ako soon.