"I’ll need you to get an exclusive interview with the owner of the farm you featured on your project," Ma'am Aquino began.
I held my breath, fearing she might add more requirements. She could do that, but I couldn't afford it. I already had too much on my plate with all the other tasks."Of course, ma'am. Noted. I’ll secure a document and a short video for the interview," I replied. She seemed pleased with my response, and after wishing me good luck, she dismissed me from the faculty. Yeah, I needed that.I released the breath I'd been holding as I exited the faculty. I can handle that. Editing the video would be easy as long as I had enough clips. But that meant I had to go back to Oxem's house.After our class, I immediately informed Yeshua and asked her to accompany me for the interview. Unfortunately, it turned out that they were working on their own project that day, so I was the only one available. Fortunately, Kenneth offered to come with me and handle the video while I conducted the interview."Are you sure you don't need our help?" Sam asked. "It would be awkward if only you two go.""It's really okay," Kenneth replied. "We're just doing an interview. I'll assist Bivianne, and besides, you guys have training for the upcoming intramurals, right?"I agreed to Kenneth's proposal. Yeshua and her cousins were participating in the competition, although I wasn't sure which sport they had chosen. It seemed like only Kenneth and I weren't part of the team.Moreover, I could handle this with Kenneth. Actually, I could do it alone. But Kenneth insisted, saying he had nothing else to do, and it would be better to have a helper. It would lighten my workload somewhat.We rode in silence on the way there, and I decided to brief Kenneth on the questions I would ask. I gave him the questions I planned to ask, and he took care of planning the shots. I trusted his judgment, so I didn't want to interfere with his preferred shots."How would you have managed this alone if I hadn't come?" he asked."It's easy. Besides, I already know the questions because I was the one who made them.""Even so. If I were the only one doing this, I'd probably run out of energy."He was right. I could handle everything, but I'd likely get tired. However, I couldn't afford to get tired. I needed my energy for studying until the early morning.In the days after the midterms exams, my schedule would likely ease up again, especially since we were going on vacation and graduating."That's why I'm thankful you're with me today. It makes my job easier."He scratched his head shyly. "It's nothing. This is for all of our grades, right? Besides, you've done more for the whole group.""As you said, it's for our grades. You know how competitive I am when it comes to grades, right?"He chuckled softly. "You're going to be the future valedictorian of our batch. I almost forgot. I need to do well to get a high grade from Ma'am Aquino."I laughed at his words. He knew Ma'am Aquino, and her standards were quite high. She often failed students, even if she knew they were graduating and gave them a chance to save their grades.That's probably why she assigned me this interview. She might have seen something in my grades that she didn't like, so she gave me a chance to improve before the grades were released. Another friend of my mom whom I didn't know how she met. My mom must have a wide circle of friends.We arrived at a computer shop where some people were playing online games. Some of them were noisy, acting as if they were far apart when, in reality, they were sitting next to each other.I scratched my head at Yeshua's information that Oxem was here. We were supposed to interview him for our project since he knew the ins and outs of the farm, not his mom or dad.But I didn't expect to find him in this noisy place. I thought he was a college student. He should be busy by now, especially since it was still early. He should be at school or something."Oxem?" I called when we got closer. But because he had large headphones on, he couldn't hear me.I called him again and tapped his shoulder. He quickly looked at me before returning his gaze to the game. His fingers paused in their rapid pressing of the keyboard and mouse as if he suddenly stopped."Oxem!" his cousin next to him exclaimed. "What are you doing? Why did you stop? I can't save you from the enemies. They're approaching. Hey!" And various curses were heard after he said that.Oxem almost fell off his chair as he turned to face me, his eyes wide like he had seen a ghost while staring at me."Bivianne?" he asked, seemingly unable to believe it. He even rubbed his eyes before facing me. "What are you doing here?""What the fuck, bro!" his cousin exclaimed again, throwing his mouse that hit the monitor. "We're dead. What are you doing?" He also looked at me, and that's when I noticed it was Peter, another cousin of his. The noisy and hyper one."Yeshua said you should be here," I explained."That girl is really messing with me," he whispered, not loud enough for me to hear. "It's not your fault. I should apologize for what my cousin did.""Is it okay if we do this tomorrow instead? We didn't know you were busy playing.""I'm sorry," I said. "If you want, we can reschedule for tomorrow. It's okay with us.""No. It's okay. Let's do it."I nodded slowly and called him to join us in the car so he wouldn't have to pay for transportation. We were all headed to the same place anyway.He sighed before following me. Okay. He's really mad. But what can I do? I already offered to do it tomorrow. He's the one who insisted on doing it today. He's so confusing.I sat in the passenger seat, and the two of them sat in the back. Neither of us spoke until we reached Oxem's house. I felt uneasy about going here because of his earlier behavior. What if he's not really available, and he was just forced to come because we were already here?Tita Kelly welcomed us when we arrived. It seemed like Oxem had already informed his mom that we were coming, so there was no surprise. Oxem still seemed to be in a bad mood, so I didn't know how to start the interview. Maybe later when the atmosphere lightens up, I thought."Why don't you have some snacks first?" Tita Kelly suggested while we were in the living room. "I cooked pancit for Oxem and his cousins, but there's so much left. It would be a waste if it just piled up.""Thank you so much, tita," Kenneth said before getting a plate for himself. He turned to me. "Do you want some too?"I nodded, and he was about to get a serving for me. But instead, he handed me the one he took for himself. I was about to protest when he said, "You look like you're lost. I got this for you."I was about to eat the forkful Kenneth prepared for me when I noticed Oxem's gaze. I nearly choked on my food due to the sudden observation. It seemed like he was angry because of the deep frown on his forehead. Awkward."I remember when I was still studying," tita shared. "One of the things I disliked was interviews, especially if I didn't know the person I was talking to. Why don't you talk while eating to make you feel more comfortable with each other?"It seemed like Kenneth was succeeding in making the atmosphere lighter, and soon we began our interview. I breathed a sigh of relief once it was over. I quickly grabbed a glass of water and drank it all. Speaking for hours had dried out my mouth."Are you okay?"I almost choked on my breath when I heard him whisper in my ear. I could feel his breath on my neck, and I knew he was too close. Too close for my comfort. I quickly moved away from him and went straight to the living room, where Kenneth was arranging his shots."Of course. Why wouldn't I be okay?" I still couldn't look him in the eyes."I don't know. You've been avoiding eye contact with me since earlier." I shot him a look. Kenneth might misunderstand our exchange of words."So what if I can't look at you? Is that a big deal? I just can't look people in the eye. It makes me uncomfortable.""I am making you uncomfortable, am I not?"My mouth dropped open at his words. Okay. Even though it was true, there was no way I was going to admit it."You have no problem looking at Kenneth whenever you talk to him, right?" Kenneth was now facing us. "But why won't you look at me? Did I do something wrong? Do you hate me?"I didn't answer him, caught off guard by his words. What the hell is wrong with this guy? He's making my heart beat so fast.Bivianne"What's the matter?" aunt asked. "Oxem, what's going on?"I looked away and immediately took my things to get out of there. I don't want to be rude to aunt but I don't want to stay here with her son anymore. Her son's making me uncomfortable. Really uncomfortable."Let's go first, aunt," I informed. "Sorry for the trouble and thank you very much. I have to go home too.""Okay. Be careful. I'll take you all the way outside."I couldn't look at Oxem anymore and quickly left their house. If I stay there any longer, I might not be able to breathe forever. Fortunately, Kenneth didn't ask any more questions about what happened. I don't know what to say.I said goodbye to aunt again before leaving. Oxem never left their house, thankfully, so I never saw him again.I leaned back in the chair and sighed. What the hell is wrong with that guy? How can he say that without stuttering? Pay him more attention? Why? Why do I have to do that? I pay the same attention to him and to other peopl
BivianneI sighed when our Earth Science teacher left. Our class is over for the day so I can go home.It's been a few days since Yeshua's game, but the events are still fresh for me. How could I not forget, well, Oxem was there.I sighed again.He has been the stuff of my brain for a few days. I am very thankful that it does not affect my studies. But after my eighteen years of existence, just now I was disturbed by a man. At least it's my brain.There were many people who made me feel bad even when I was in junior high school, but none of them touched me. I had a crush but not so bad that I always think about it wherever I go. I was just so focused with my studies before that I didn't have time for boys.And now that Oxem came into my life, my thoughts were divided. Before, all I could think about was studying and milk tea. Now he is with her. It has become studies, milk tea, and Oxem.And it's like fate is still teasing me because he's here right now in front of me. He was looking
Bivianne"Bivianne Cordova," called ma'am Teresa who is our Gen Math teacher. "You seem busy lately."At first I didn't get what he meant. But when I saw my grade in the exams last time, my mouth dropped. I felt as if I was frozen in place while staring at my paper."Two mistakes. You know I can't do anything when your mom asks about your grades, right?"I was just dumbfounded and stared at the two circles on my paper as if that would change. But not. Two of my answers are still wrong. And no matter what I read in the questions, that is really wrong. I don't know why even though I know the correct answer now, I still got it wrong on the exam day itself.Until the end of our class for the whole day I was just stunned. There's no use listening to the class. Because I will definitely be locked in the basement again and mom will hurt me. Thinking about it makes me shiver.I remember the last time I had a low grade. She dragged me to our basement and assaulted me there. He doesn't let anyo
BivianneMy classmates are looking at me strangely again. I know they know what happened even though I don't say anything. It is that obvious. Even if I put on a jacket, I still can't hide my wounds. Heck, I think the jacket is even one of the reasons why I'm getting so much attention right now.So even though it was irritating I still did my best to ignore their looks. It's up to them to stare at that. I do not care. I need to study more and my new Gen Math tutor called me. As I expected, I will have a private tutor.Ma'am Cynthia Joson is said to be a good teacher in any branch of math. She's a licensed engineer too but she says she really likes teaching more. She's one of my mom's few friends in high school.I can't wait to meet her. According to the information I read, he was one of those who tried to beat mom to the valedictorian position in high school. It's like Yeshua and I. I wonder if Yeshua and I will still be friends in the future when we have jobs.Before the class starte
BivianneI took a deep breath before starting to answer. Today is our midterm examinations. I need to do well. Now I have to show mom that I will once again get the first spot in our entire batch. All those sleepless nights will finally pay off.In the middle of answering, I felt something dripped out of my nose. When I wiped it, I saw that my nose was bleeding. I quickly grabbed a napkin inside my bag. Our teacher noticed that so he immediately looked up at me. But I didn't listen to her. I need to finish the test on time. I only have a few minutes left."It's okay, Bivianne," said ma'am Teresa. "I will give you time later to finish the test. Stop your nose bleeding first."I followed him. It didn't take long and it stopped, so I continued. Even though I was dizzy, I still didn't take my eyes off my paper. I just closed my eyes slowly when I finished the last equation. My head throbbed more.“Time's up! Pass your papers forward.”Two more to go and we're done for this day. We had an
BivianneI took a deep breath and blew a cool breeze. Oxem took me to a large farm that they said belonged to their family. I think it's one of his cousins."Kise's family owns this farm," Oxem began. "The Ramos family, my father's side, is not really a wealthy clan. In fact, grandma and grandpa's lifestyle is below average. Grandpa is the only one who has a job so that is enough for their daily food. They're a family with thirteen kids, after all."I stared at him as he looked at the vast field. It was as if he saw his grandfather and grandmother there with their children.I listened as he told the story. We sat on the grass that he just covered with a big blanket."Tell me more about your family," I said. "I still want to meet you. I want to know you more.”Our eyes met and he smiled. "Nothing worth telling, actually. As you can see, I grew up with my cousins so we are very close to each other. I also grew up with both of my parents.” His smile disappeared as he bowed. "I don't kn
BivianneThe smile on my lips immediately disappeared when I saw mom in the living room. He was drinking wine while reading something on his tablet. Probably about work. He never runs out of work."Where have you been?" he asked without even looking up from the tablet.I approached him while bowing. "My friend's house.""Yeshua's?" Right. She knows I'm friends with Yeshua. He is my only friend. Not until I met her cousins, though."Yeah. With her cousins."His eyebrows arched. Still not taking his eyes off the tablet. "Her cousins?""I met them when we had an activity about a farm. Yeshua's cousin owns a farm. He introduced me and my groupmates.""I remember that. Take a seat." He pointed to the empty sofa in front of him. "So, how was your grade there?"As soon as I sat down, Cassady immediately put a snack in front of me. "We received a perfect grade.""Good. And your midterms, how was it?""I answered everything. I think I'll get a good grade again this time.""You think?" I swallo
BivianneI heaved a long deep sigh before listening to our teacher. We haven't finished the lesson yet but I still have to listen because I might miss an important announcement. The finals are near. We will definitely have more requirements for the upcoming graduation.But no matter what I do, I can't really focus. I still can't hear what Sir Ohn is saying. The only thing on my mind was what Oxem said earlier before we parted in the hallway.He's bothered by my presence, too. Like me, his heart beats faster every time we touch each other. Just his mere presence gives me butterflies. And to know that he is the same made my brain and heart even more confused.It's not one of my plans to like a guy in high school. All I want is to finish my education. I can probably find someone to like when I'm working. But now, I don't know anymore.I think I just know that I like Oxem. I really like him."Are you ready?" Yeshua asked immediately after entering our room. Even before I was able to arran