HER

Part 9

History

" Thank you but no thank you." I took out my notebook and started scribbling what was written on the board." We both knew I don't have an escort."

" Why don't you ask... Mr.Hottie?" Mary slipped her hair behind her ear and giggled, her eyes beckoned on Xavier who was busy concentrating on the lecture about Spaniards as colonial masters from 1565-1898. " I know both of you are close."

My eyes almost got off from their sockets, " You've seen us?!"

" Well duh, last night- I was buying some sandwich by the end of the street. Thought I should say hi but I think you'll be blushing too soon so I didn't." Mary popped out a piece of gum and started chewing.

My eyes caught at Xavier comfortably seated near the entrance door, anyhow my heart fluttered senselessly.

" well, yea why don't you?" Mark second the motion. " It is never a crime to ask someone out."

" What happened to the overprotective alpha Mark I used to know? " My eyebrow creased.

He used to be telling me to not get too fond of guys. That's because the kinship we have might wreckage the bond whenever people labeled us.

People call it to love when for mark it is known as a feeling. An extraordinary emotion, a special word that exists only as a concept of mind.

Now, I'm not sure whether he was playing coy or raptly serious. However, when he didn't laugh, all I could think about was the latter.

" He died. I killed him. You are talking to the new version. Mark 2.0" Mark replied with a straight face.

" Oh, I like this new version. Does it have any promo free massage pack that came along with it?" Mary frisky asked.

Now, they are back to being friends.

Gosh, Mary has different moods!

I rolled my eyes at both of them, " What if he doesn't want to go?"

" Just make him," Mary said dead-panned.

" Don't you know that it takes a lot of persuasion with just asking him out alone?" I wanted to scream at them but I'm publicly in a classroom. Just as said by Ms. Sturdy's law in the classroom: No screaming. No talking unless it depends on your life or death situation. And no, whispering to each other unless necessary. Ms. Sturdy who was absorbed in the history of the general leaders in 1888 said otherwise. So to make things short, I have to find my decency to put a restraining order over my patience. Since patience was never my thing, I got to keep it under control at times.

" We know. But I hardly find someone that doesn't want to go unless invited to." Mark calculated his imaginary statistics. As if his computation tells me how to figure out Xavier if he likes beach parties or what. " So that's like one-fourth of the number of people you asked out will disagree from the rendezvous. Trust me, I'm an expert."

Mark even made a hesitant wink which leads to the fact that I would inconclusively have to ask Xavier about the beach party or my life will be doomed.

" Class I need you to count from one to ten. There are 23 of you in this class. With your partners or in a trio, you should create a PowerPoint presentation about the reports I would give you." Ms. Sturdy said in that monotonous tone of hers, she added," some of it would be about the political structure of Spanish in colonial times where different people reign Philippines and others the biography of the presidents that took hold of the said country."

" Five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten." The counting of the numbers started at the left front to the right from where we were seated.

We are in the third row so that makes us, me as five, mark as four, and mary as six.

" The remaining 30 minutes of this class shall be about brainstorming and researching your task, first ten people please get your reports in this bowl filled with a piece of paper." Ms. Sturdy took hold out a small bowl wherein as a tally of small cut papers. " then call for your respective same numbers and regroup."

Then as if on cue, all of the front seaters cried out their numbers, Mark was the first to find his partner while Mary and I searched for ours.

" six over here!" Shouted for a redhaired girl with a small piece of paper in her hand. Her name is Alexa with big round glasses and 4 feet tall. Even if how little she looks, she could scream louder than a wail.

" Well, this is me." Mary waved her hand and I nodded, I watched as she headed towards the red-haired and they shook hands.

" It seemed you two are very close. " A voice murmured over my shoulder." It must have been tough to be apart."

" Don't make it sound that 'tough'." A smile tugged at my lips as Xavier lifted his hand and said," Hi I'm Xavier Dawn, I hope we become great allies in the future reports."

" Yep, I'll be in your care." I claimed his hands and shook it, " Cassy Lavern at your service."

" Lavern, what a great name." Xavier grinned. He paused then all of a sudden, we enjoyed a laughing fit.

" I think it is all settled? I'll be leaving you. " Ms. Sturdy in her thin line mouth reasoned that there would an all-teacher conference for the rest of the day which means there is a cancellation of all classes.

Most of the students cheered at the information.

" So, where do you think we might do our research?"

" At my home. Saturday. " I looked at him and hoped I didn't do the googly eyes. Suddenly, a thought came straight to my head and I took this chance as bidding him about the party. Praying he'll say yes. " By the way, Are you free the whole day?"

My heart beats in a frantic race as I felt like I am about to be heart attacked. My hands have gone cold. My knees are shaking mad. I wish I didn't have to say this anymore, it makes anxiety extremely exasperating.

Gahd, please say yes!

" I might be. " Xavier shrugged, " What's up?"

I breathe out and gently spoke in a neutral tone, trying not to stutter on the way.

" I was uh..thinking. There is this... beach party my friend Mark is having and I'll be needing someone to accompany me. " I squeezed both of my hands on my back out of nervousness. " Do you... um, want to go to the beach party with me? Before that, we could make reports about History."

His lip curled into a smile as he listened to me. My heart is about to burst out in exhilaration as I watched his reaction impending with approved certainty.

" I would love to."