3rd of Spring - A Date? (P1)

"How are you going to play with that kind of injury, ha, Fontanilla?" Mr. Herrera, the basketball team's coach, asked, his brows creased.

"I'm sorry, coach," was Xander’s only answer. 

"Sorry? How could you hide such thing? Hindi ko pa malalaman na may injury ka kung hindi ko nakita ang reaksyon mo nung mabangga ni Simon 'yang kamay mo. Paano na lang kung lumala 'yan? Ano na lang ang mangyayari sa team?" His coach said continually, his tone hadn't changed.

Xander didn't say a word. He just let his coach talk, words were just passing by his ears. And besides, he didn't want to explain anything.

"Ang mabuti pa," Mr. Herrera continued, not even noticing that he was already talking to air, "humingi ka kay Ms. Lei ng medical certificate, para maipaalam natin sa administrators na hindi ka muna makakasali sa practice. At para na rin maipahinga mo 'yang kamay mo. Mahihirapan kami sa inter-school games kung wala ka doon. Kaya, magpagaling ka agad."

"Yes, coach." And faced his way to the infirmary. 

"Ace, sorry," Simon, his teammate, said as Xander passed by him. 

He glanced at him a bit. "No harm done." He then left. 

Xander thought his injury was a minor one. It was so little compared to the previous ones he got and hid from the team just to continue playing. Maybe he was just unlucky that Simon bumped the ball into his hand and their coach caught the sight. He never imagined that such a small injury would cause him that much trouble.

---

Alexis was playing differently from the usual. Typically, if there's a chance, he would be the one to kick the ball off the goal. But this time, he would pass the ball to his teammates and let them bring it to the goal. His teammates noticed this and so their coach thus, called for a ten-minute break and talked to him.

"Is something bothering you, Fontanilla? Hindi mo sinisipa ang bola papasok ng goal. You missed a lot of opportunities. Is it because you have an injury?" Mr. Cruz, soccer team's coach, asked.

He shook his head and said, "I'm perfectly fine, coach. May iniisip lang po ako." He was thinking of Selena since their practice started. He felt guilty of leaving the task to her, knowing that she just got well.

Mr. Cruz nodded. "Alam kong nag-aalala ka sa kapatid mo, but it shouldn't affect you too much. You have duties to fulfill in this team."

Alexis wondered what his coach meant. "What do you mean, coach? May nangyari po ba?" He asked. He knew his brother injured his hand, but he didn't know how bad his condition was.

"He has an injury, right? And mukhang hindi s'ya makakalaro sa inter-school games because of that," his coach answered. 

Alexis became silent and thought of his brother. He knew Xander injured his wrist helping Selena, but he had no idea how bad it was.

His coach creased his brows. "You didn't know? I thought that's why you're not concentrating?"

He ignored his coach's question, and worried about both Selena and his twin.

---

"Hindi rin naman abot-tenga 'yang ngiti mo, 'no?" Lucy asked Selena as she entered the classroom. 

"Weh? 'Di kaya," Selena said but was aware that she was. She giggled to herself.

"Weh ka d'yan?" Kringle butted in. "Ano'ng nangyari? Involved ba si Prince Charming? Ano na? Dali. Magkwento ka na!" She squealed as she bugged Selena to answer her questions, poking her arm.

Selena bit her lip, suppressing her giggles, as she tried to stop her excited friend by shoving her fingers but the latter still kept on poking her.

"At ipaliwanag mo na rin 'yung hindi n'yo sinabi sa amin kahapon," Lucy added, reminding Selena about the thing she and Sharmaine hid from them yesterday. 

Kringle stopped poking Selena. She bobbed her head, agreeing to Lucy and said, "Ayaw sabihin sa'min ni Sharmaine kung ano 'yun." And glanced at Sharmaine. 

Sharmaine fixed her glasses on her nose. "Hindi naman kasi dapat sa'kin manggaling 'yun. Si Selena ang involved d'un kaya s'ya ang dapat na magkwento, 'di ba?" She uttered while her eyes were on Selena.

Selena was about to tell them everything when the school bell rang, signaling the start of classes. Selena's friends got disappointed but she promised that she'd tell them everything later at lunch.

---

The door was open when Alexander arrived at the infirmary. He walked inside and closed the door behind him. Ms. Lei greeted him first before he could say anything. "How are you, Mr. Fontanilla? I just finished signing your medical certificate." She pulled something from her files and spoke again. "You need this, right?" She faced him and placed the paper on her table.

Xander just stared at the school doctor and wondered how she came to know he'd go there and ask for a medical certificate. 

Ms. Lei stifled a laugh. "It's part of my job to try reading people's minds, Alexander." she said, smiling. 

Confusion flashed on his face. He kept silent and waited for the school doctor to speak again.

"Besides, what's the point of being your school doctor if I wouldn't know my patients' needs?" she continued, a smile still on her face.

Xander reached for the certificate on the table then bowed slightly, bidding goodbye to Ms. Lei. He turned his back and started walking when Ms. Lei began talking again. 

"Still hiding what you feel?" She asked out of the blue. 

He turned to face Ms. Lei again. He couldn't understand what she just said. 

"Maybe you should learn how to express yourself at times. It won't hurt," she said with concern in her tone.

Xander bowed, thanking her. As he was walking outside the infirmary, Ms. Lei's words were ringing in his head.

---

Class 3B was dismissed early. They already finished the topic for the period so their professor allowed them to have free time, in the condition that they would not be talking too loud. Selena's friends gathered around her and told her to start telling them everything. She took a deep breath and started from yesterday's events.

"Ano?! Magkasama kayo ni Axis kanina?" Kringle asked loudly to Selena, as the bell signaled lunch break at the same time. Their teacher already left the room a few minutes ago. 

“Sssshhh!” Selena pressed her pointer finger to her lips. She glanced around the room, searching for someone who might have heard Kringle. She sighed in relief as she confirmed no one heard her friend. "'Wag kayong masyadong maingay. Nakakahiya," she told her friends.

"So talagang 'Kayo'? Si Kringle lang kaya 'yun," Lucy chided, her brows creased. 

"Bakit ako lang? Curious ka din naman ah," Kringle countered. 

Lucy raised her brow. "Hindi naman kasi kailangan ipagsigawan, 'di ba?" 

Sharmaine butted in to stop the two from fighting. "Tama na nga 'yan. Kayong dalawa talaga, lagi na lang kayong nagtatalo." 

The two kept their mouths shut, but continued glaring at each other. 

Because Kringle was too curious about what happened next, she asked again, "Ano nangyari pagkatapos? Dali, bilis!", and started stomping as if she was a child waiting for her price. 

Lucy looked at her fiercely at Kringle and the latter noticed it. Kringle stopped what she's doing and pulled the invisible zipper on her mouth. Selena sighed and continued her story.

"Sayang lang talaga 'no. Hindi pa si Prince Charming mo 'yung nakasalo sa'yo. Jackpot sana 'yun," Kringle said as Selena ended, telling them everything that happened, disappointment in his voice.

Selena shook her head and smiled a little. "Okay lang 'yun. Ang importante, nakausap ko s'ya kahit sandal lang. Ayos na sa'kin 'yun."

"Kunwari pa 'to. Pinapangarap mo din na si Axis sana 'yun. Aminin mo," Lucy teased, elbowing Selena.

Selena nodded. "Pero masaya na akong nakausap s'ya kanina kasi..." She didn't end her sentence which made her friends curious.

"Wag mo kami bitinin. Sabihin mo na," Lucy said, drumming her hand on her desk. 

Selena continued speaking in almost a whisper. "Sabi n'ya, 'Take care.’" She looked down, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks. 

"Ang swerte naman ng BFF namin." Sharmaine poked Selena on the waist. 

Selena and her friends kept on teasing and tickling each other that they didn't notice a boy came into their room and seemed to be looking for someone.

The girls in the room suddenly giggled. Sharmaine lifted her head to see the cause of the commotion. There she saw what made the other girls act like that. "Si Alexis ba 'yun o si Alexander?" She asked, not exactly to anyone, while looking at the boy standing by the door. 

Selena followed Sharmaine's gaze and found a familiar face. "Alexis," she said in a low voice.

Kringle heard what Selena said. "Si Prince Charming pala 'yan e. Lapit na." She then pushed Selena which almost made her trip. 

"Uy. Ayos ka lang?" Alexis asked her. 

Selena felt blood rise to her cheeks. Ano ba 'yan. Napahiya na naman ako sa kanya. Nakakainis talaga. Ang tanga-tanga mo, Selena! She thought and mentally slapped herself. She seemed to have forgotten about Axis that he had to regain her attention. 

"Selena?" He called. 

She snapped out of her thoughts and responded to him, "Ah. Ayos lang ako. Ano nga palang ginagawa mo dito, Axis?" She asked.

"Gusto ko lang bumawi sa pag-iwan ko ng gawain sa'yo kanina." He answered, showing a princely smile.

"Ah, 'yun ba? Wala 'yun. ‘Di naman ako nahirapan," she said, though she was glad that he had some concern for her. 

"No. It's not," he insisted. "I'll treat you. After class, sa next Friday. May gagawin ka ba?" He asked, that princely smile still on his face.