CHAPTER TWO

“SHHH. KEEP YOUR voice down, Selena. The guards patrolling nearby might hear us,” Blue reminded her in a hushed tone as they crouched low on the university field.

Blue’s friends, Green and Grey, were nearby, enjoying the thrill of their secret gathering. It had become a habit for them to gather in secluded places, indulging in whatever mischief crossed their minds. Their confidence came from knowing they could easily charm their way out of trouble.

Red, another member of their group, was noticeably absent, as usual. He wasn’t interested in their reckless antics and often chose to stay behind.

As the group stayed hidden in the field, the crunch of footsteps startled them. Everyone froze, except for Blue, who smirked as if nothing could faze him.

“Meow,” Blue called out playfully, stifling a laugh. “Meow. Meow. Meow.”

“Just a dog,” muttered the guard, scratching his head before moving along.

The group let out soft chuckles. “Seriously? Meow, and he thought it was a dog?” Blue whispered, grinning widely.

“Who’s there? What are you doing here? It’s late! Go home!” the clueless guard called out, his voice firm as he searched the darkness.

“Hold on, guard! It’s me, Blue,” he replied casually, his tone far too relaxed for the situation.

“And what exactly are you doing here?” the guard asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Just having a little wrestling match, skin-to-skin,” Blue quipped with a mischievous grin. “You can go ahead now. We’ve got it under control.”

“Sir Blue, I might get in trouble with your twin. What if he asks me about this?”

“Then don’t tell him! Come on, you work for me too, don’t you? Just move along!” Blue said, raising his voice slightly to feign authority.

The guard sighed, shaking his head in resignation. Deciding it wasn’t worth the argument, he turned and walked away.

Once the guard was out of earshot, the group burst into laughter, their relief spilling over into humor. Selena chuckled along with them, though she couldn’t help but roll her eyes at Blue’s audacity.

***

WHEN BLUE ARRIVED back at the mansion, he headed straight to the shared room he had with his twin, Red. Tossing his shirt onto the bed, he prepared for a quick shower.

“Blue,” Red called softly, not even looking up from his book.

“What?” Blue asked, his tone curious as he turned to face his brother.

Red closed the book and fixed Blue with a knowing stare. “What’s my usual reminder?”

Blue scratched his head, pretending to think. “When showering, put your clothes in the basket by the piano?”

“If you know that, then what’s this?” Red motioned to the shirt on the bed.

“I’m just messing with you. You ignored me earlier when I greeted you,” Blue said with a mischievous grin.

“So, you’re trying to get my attention?”

“Of course. I always do, don’t I? If I didn’t love you, you’d be in a coffin by now,” Blue teased.

Red shook his head with a small smile. He reopened his book, focusing on its pages. “I love you too.”

Blue laughed. “I love you too—your face! You’re so dramatic.” Despite his teasing, Blue was clearly pleased by his brother’s words.

***

THE NEXT MORNING, Red’s voice boomed through their room. “Blue, wake up!”

Blue groaned and rolled over, burying his face in the pillow. “You go ahead. I don’t feel like going.”

“Fine. But you’re doing the laundry if you stay.”

In an instant, Blue shot out of bed, stretching and yawning as he glanced at his irritated twin.

“Actually, I just remembered—I do feel like going,” Blue said quickly, darting to the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, Blue was still in the shower, and Red, now pacing the room, was growing impatient.

“Hurry up! We’re going to be late!” Red yelled.

“Hold on! I’m having a moment here. Respect the process!” Blue shouted back.

Red couldn’t help but laugh, shaking his head. No matter how infuriating Blue could be, Red loved his twin dearly.

***

“PSST,” RED CALLED out to Blue, who was seated in the backseat. He glanced at the rearview mirror. The two were heading to the university together, with Blue hitching a ride in Red’s car.

“Why? If you’re just going to scold me, shut up. The handsome one is still eating,” Blue said, chewing on a cup cake and holding his favorite chocolate drink.

“What if I make you get out of the car?” Red threatened, his gaze sharp as he looked at his twin.

Blue scratched his head as he remembered the time Red had actually made him get out of the car in the middle of the road for answering him rudely. “N-Nevermind, I’m done eating. I remember now. So, what is it?”

“Where were you last night?” Red asked.

“At church, of course. I prayed for my twin to become kinder,” Blue replied.

“I’m not joking, Blue. Where were you?” Red demanded, his irritation clear.

“I-I’ll think about it first. Ah! At Green’s house,” Blue lied.

Red abruptly stopped the car. “Get out.”

“M-Me? W-Why? Come on, Red! I’ll be late. You know I’m a diligent student, don’t you?”

“Diligent student? Then why are all your grades barely passing? What part of that is diligent? Get out,” Red ordered authoritatively.

“Even if you tell Gree—"

“Get out.”

“Come on, Red!”

“The guard told me something different,” Red said, making Blue’s jaw drop in shock. “What? Are you still going to lie?”

Blue scratched his head again. “D-Did he really tell you everything? Tss! There’s no escape for me now.” He took a deep breath. “Fine. Yes, I was at school last night. Selena and I had s*x on the field. We double-teamed her. She was amazing, twinnie.”

“Didn’t you learn anything from your previous s*x scandal, Blue? Stop bringing shame to Mom and Dad. And at school of all places?! Get out.”

Blue sighed heavily. He opened the door and stepped out, slamming it shut in frustration. He was sick of his twin’s constant nagging.

Red sped off, leaving his brother on the side of the road. He was irritated with him. Blue still hadn’t learned from the scandal that had gone viral before. Red felt sorry for their parents. It wasn’t Blue who bore the brunt of the embarrassment from his actions—it was their parents. Red just wanted him to understand that he needed to be more careful with his behavior.

***

BLUE STOOD BY the roadside, frowning as he waited for a ride. A white van stopped in front of him. He raised an eyebrow, unfamiliar with the vehicle, and instinctively stepped back. Even though he acted recklessly, he had his fears.

His anxiety eased when the back door opened, revealing the beautiful Katleya.

“You scared me,” Blue said, clutching his chest.

Katleya smiled. “Did you think we were going to kidnap you?”

“Yes,” he admitted, stepping closer. “Miss M.U., can I hitch a ride?”

Before Katleya could respond, Blue had already climbed inside. He didn’t expect to see her parents there as well. He froze, suddenly feeling awkward and embarrassed about his actions.

“H-Hi,” he greeted.

“Good morning,” Katleya’s father, Fernando, said from the passenger seat.

“This is Blue, Dad, Mom. He’s my schoolmate,” Katleya introduced him.

“Hi again. I just needed a ride,” Blue explained.

The van started moving.

“It’s okay. No problem,” Katleya’s mother, Ezmeralda, said from beside Blue.

“Why were you by the roadside, Blue? Didn’t someone drop you off?” Katleya asked curiously.

He pouted and crossed his arms. “My genius twin kicked me out. Tsk!”

“Red?” Katleya guessed.

“Pink. Pink? Who else would it be? Of course, it was Red!”

Katleya’s parents exchanged glances at Blue’s tone.

“Mom, Dad, that’s just how he talks. Please understand him,” Katleya said before turning back to Blue. “So, it was Red. But why?”

“He found out I had some fun with Selena on the school field last night. Tsk!”

Ezmeralda’s eyes widened at the confession, while Fernando couldn’t help but laugh.

“W-What? On the field?” Katleya exclaimed.

“The church. The church. Do I need to repeat it? It was the field. Tsk!” Blue said, rolling his eyes.

“What exactly did Red say to you, Blue?” Katleya asked.

Blue mimicked his twin’s voice. “‘Haven’t you learned from your last s*x scandal, Blue? Stop bringing shame to Mom and Dad. And at school of all places?! Get out.’”

“You had a scandal?” Fernando asked, unable to resist joining the conversation.

“Yes. Have you seen it, sir? It went viral. A million views. Blue is unstoppable,” he bragged.

“W-Wait. You’re the one who…” Fernando took out his phone and started searching for something. “Is it this one?”

The sound of Miley Cyrus’s “Twerk It Like Miley” played as Fernando opened the video.

“Yes, that’s it!” Blue said with a laugh. “That’s me spanking my ex’s big butt.”

Ezmeralda bowed her head in disbelief as Fernando turned off his phone and looked at Blue. “So, you’re one of the heirs of Montenegro Inc. But what your twin did was dangerous. You could have been harmed. Your family is well-known. You might get kidnapped. Tell him not to do that again.”

“That’s what I said, sir! It was annoying. Tsk! That’s why, when I got out of his car, I slammed the door really hard so he’d know I was angry,” Blue recounted, clearly irritated.

“But what you did was worse. You should’ve thought it through,” Ezmeralda pointed out.

“What was wrong with it, ma’am?” Blue asked.

“What you did.”

“Oh, the bare-skin fun? It wasn’t that bad. My friends and I just had some fun.”

“W-What? Your friends too? Jesus,” Ezmeralda said, aghast.

“Gross! That’s disgusting,” Katleya commented.

“Your face is disgusting,” Blue shot back.

Blue’s phone rang. He answered the call. “Granny? What? You want me to visit you? But I don’t have a car right now. Dad took the keys this morning. Tsk! They’re mad at me again. Can you tell your son I really need a car? And guess what? Red kicked me out on the roadside earlier. What if something bad happened to me? Like I got kidnapped?”

Blue grinned widely. “What? You’ll scold him later? Yay! Oh, and come to our house later, okay? Yes! Mwah! I love you, Granny. What? What am I riding in right now?”

He glanced at Katleya. “A very beautiful schoolmate of mine picked me up, so I hitched a ride. Anyway, Granny, we’re almost at school. Make some kare-kare for me later, okay? Yay! I love you again. Bye! W-Wait. Don’t forget to scold Red later, okay? Thank you again. Bye! Yes!”

A few minutes later, the van arrived at the university. Katleya and Blue got out.

“Thank you, ma’am and sir. And to you too, sir driver. Thanks again,” Blue said.

“You’re welcome,” Ezmeralda replied without looking at him.

“Goodbye, Blue,” Fernando said.

“Bye, everyone. Take care,” Katleya said, waving as the van drove off.

When the vehicle was gone, the two walked toward the gate. Katleya stopped when Blue handed her his phone.

“What’s this for?” she asked.

“Your Facegram name. I want to be friends with you. You’d like that, right? I can even introduce you to my twin,” Blue said.

“Fine. Thank you.” Katleya added herself using Blue’s account. Once done, she handed the phone back.

Blue smiled when he saw Katleya’s display picture. She wore a two-piece swimsuit, showing off her beautiful figure and a mole on her chest. He stared at it seriously.

“You have a mole on your chest? Nice. But don’t you get upset when people stare at it, or feel disrespected?”

“Nope. It depends on how people deal with it. For me, I’m happy and confident with my body.”

“Good. I have a question,” Blue said.

“If I’m still a virgin?” Katleya guessed with a smile.

Blue’s eyes widened. “How did you know?”

“I’ve figured you out. I know you have a good heart despite your imperfections. To answer you, yes, I am.”

“Wow. Don’t you think that, with a picture like this, people might judge you? They might say you’re not a virgin anymore because of how you look.”

“What people say doesn’t matter, Blue. As long as you know who you are and you’re not stepping on anyone, their assumptions won’t matter. In this world, no matter what you wear—be it a jacket, formal attire, or a bikini—people will always have something to say.”

“Wow! I like you. You’re brave, loyal, and true,” Blue said, offering his hand. “Can we be friends?”

Katleya shook his hand. “Yes. We can be friends.”

Blue smiled. “Nice to meet you. I’m Pierce Blue X. Montenegro.”

“And I’m Katleya Yellownora Marie C. Quizo. Nice meeting you, Blue.”

They exchanged warm smiles and walked toward their respective departments. Both were happy that, in a short time, they had earned each other’s trust.