Chapter 7

Pagdating ko sa school, parang may paparazzi alert na naganap. Apparently, someone saw Thorne talking to me yesterday and nagpost sa St. Ives Confessions page:

"Sino yung girl kahapon na kinakausap ni Thorne? Siya na ba ang lucky girl? Mukhang fresh. Mukhang mabango. Gusto ko siya kahit may pagkalutang."

Bambi read it aloud while we were at the canteen, grinning like a proud stage mom.

"That's you, baks. FRESH. MABANGO pero LUTANG." He laughed.

"'Di kaya ako 'yun. Baka ibang L—"

"Shut up. Ikaw 'yun," Lana said, already scrolling for more comments. "May nag-comment pa nga ng, 'Baka si Liora Cortez? mapapansin talaga yan dahil sobrang pretty and magaling magdala ng damit!'"

I choked on my siomai. "This is bad," I whispered.

"This is THE BEST," Bambi corrected, dramatically waving his iced coffee like he just won Best Supporting Actress. "Fame. Clout. Love story. Destiny, baks!"

"Mga loka kayo! Kukuyugin ako ng mga fans club ni Thorne!" I hissed, half-panicking. "Ayoko maging next meme sa X, ha! 'Yung tipong 'Sino 'tong trying hard na makeup artist na nagpapapansin?'"

"Gaga! Okay lang 'yan! This is it, the moment, the sign from the heavens!" sigaw ni Bambi, eyes gleaming with delulu energy. "Ito na chance mo para mapansin ka ni Thorne! Sawa na kami sa kakapantasya mo sa kanya—make it real, girl!"

Lana, still chewing on her kwek-kwek, nodded sagely. "Manifestation 'yan, 'te. Law of attraction."

Just then, my phone buzzed again.

New DM from @thornesilva.

Bambi and Lana gasped in unison.

"Read it. Read it. READ IT NOW," Bambi demanded like he was about to snatch my phone.

I opened it.

Thorne Silva: Hey, thanks again sa service mo kahapon. Ganda nung ayos nila and nagustuhan ng mga kasama ko. You free Friday? We might need more help.

Shet! Ibang level na ito! Finally, visible na ako sa paningin niya.

I stared at the message for a full minute before typing the most intelligent reply I could think of:

Me: Syempre maganda rin nag-aayos e! Sure. What time?

Smooth.

He replied in under a minute.

Thorne Silva: Around 3pm. Org Hall. Also, bring your kit and your vibe. 

I blinked. "Your vibe?!"

Lana leaned over. "That's flirting. That is vibe-flirting."

"Nope," I said firmly, already standing up and brushing imaginary dust off my leggings. "No assuming. I'm just gonna do my job, slay the eyeliner, then go home. Hindi nakakaslay ang landi kung walang pambayad ng tuition, mga ate ko."

Bambi gasped like I just committed a crime. "Loka! That's not you. 'Di mo bagay magpakabanal-banalan! Huwag mong pigilan 'yang kalandian mo, 'te—sayang ang makeup skills mo at ang cheekbone placement mo!"

"Exactly," Lana chimed in, dead serious. "Make up turns to make out! Strategic flirting 'yan, diyan nagsisimula lahat."

I rolled my eyes so hard, halos makita ko 'yung mga utang ko. "Guys. This is a paid gig. Not a w*****d plotline."

They both looked at me. Then at each other.

"Girl," Bambi said, clutching his chest. "You are the w*****d plotline!"

Friday came faster than my skincare budget disappears during Watsons sales. Syempre, kahit mahirap, hindi excuse ang pagiging dugyot.

Ang realization ko lately? You only get one body. One skin. So kahit pagod ka na sa life, kahit binubugbog ka ng acads, ng bills, ng lalaki chos...you take care of yourself.

Because no one else will do it for you.

Moisturize, drink water, and protect your peace. Love yourself ang atake. Kahit budget-friendly lang ang skincare ko, ang mahalaga: malinis ang mukha, mataas ang standards! Kaya nga crush ko si Thorne e.

By 2:30 p.m., I was power-walking to the Org Hall with my makeup kit in one hand, iced coffee in the other.

I triple-checked my outfit: black flared pants, cropped white tee, gold hoops, and my "Don't Talk to Me I'm Blending" tote. Chic, but may utang. Just enough aura to hide the fact na three hours lang tulog ko at ang huling kinain ko was a mentos I found in my bag.

Style is survival. Ever since bata pa ako, I've always believed that how you carry yourself is half the battle. Kahit lumaki ako sa laundry shop ng nanay ko, I never stepped out the house looking like yesterday's basahan.

People assumed I was rich just because I knew how to layer thrifted clothes like a P*******t board. Wala akong yaman, pero hindi ko tinitipid sarili ko.

Life update: Freelance makeup service left and right. Orders from my online beauty page na ako din ang nag eendorse with my facecard syempre, ganda ko kaya. Plus, tutoring two first-year STEM boys na convinced na ang PEMDAS ay new-gen boy group and syempre yung remedial class na ako ang tutor. May bayad lahat yun. All that, while my mom worked double shifts sa laundry station.

Suki namin? Mga kapitbahay. Including the Silvas—yes, those Silvas. Big-ass gate. Fountain sa garahe. Aso na naka-aircon. Bata pa lang ako, suki na sila sa amin. I practically watched Thorne Silva grow up through a pile of labada.

At hindi lang 'yon, since matanda siya saakin ng isang taon, ako ang naging Math tutor niya dahil pabalik balik ng Grade 12 ang loko at hindi maka graduate. I sat beside him, three times a week, habang inaantok siya sa algebra at ako, pilit pinapatay 'yung kilig.

The shocking part? May Math lesson kami every saturday, kaya nagtataka ako kung bakit hindi niya man lang ako mamukhaan hanggang ngayon, pakshet siya.

Pero sa totoo lang...mukha naman siyang wala talagang pake. He never really looked at me. As in, really looked. No "oh, ikaw pala 'yun" moment. No spark. No flash of memory.

Kaya ngayon, kahit sa parehong university kami ulit at kahit technically I'm part of today's glam team for their campus gig, papansinin lang ako non dahil nagandahan siya sa gawa ko at hindi dahil sa mukha ko.

Sila 'yung main event—Thorne Silva and his band, Fusion Five since complete na ang banda nila dahil nag-add na sila ng sub-vocalist. Hindi pa sila ganon kasikat pero marami rami na rin silang fans. May tugtog sila today for some org collab event, kaya ayan ako, memake-upan ang banda. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, sabi ng iba. But for me? It's just another chance to pretend na hindi ako umaasa.

Alam ko naman na hindi niya ako mapapansin kundi lang dahil sa talent ko. Kung hindi ako magaling mag-contour, kung hindi flawless ang lip tint application ko, malamang hindi man lang niya ako titignan. Hindi dahil pangit ako, ha—hell no. Maganda ako, okay? Maputi, makinis, matangos ilong, kissable lips at maayos magdala ng thrifted clothes na akala mo mga luxurious brand. Maraming nagkakagusto. Maraming umaaligid.

Pero si Thorne?

Wala talaga.