Nerd

Pagkamatay ng nanay ni Joey ay bigla na lamang nagpakita ang tatay niyang ni sa hinagap ay hindi niya alam na buhay pa. Dinala siya nito sa magarbo nitong bahay at ganon-ganon na lamang nagbago ang buhay ni Joey. *** “Fine, I will let you stay here. But in one condition. You must prove yourself to us. You will enter the Ember University and pass their upcoming exams. If not, you must leave.” Halos lumubog si Joey sa kinatatayuan nito dahil sa bilis ng pagsasalita ng kanyang madrasta. ‘Nag-fli-fliptop ba ‘to?’ tanong niya sa isipan. Pero napakamot na lamang siya ng kanyang ulo. “Do you understand?” Nakaka-pressure pang dagdag na tanong ni Aling Mariebeth. Mas lalo lang tuloy lumalim ang gitla sa noo niya saka siya mabagal na napalunok. “Uhm, ang galing niyo naman pong mag-English. Pwede pong pa-translate?” nakangiwing saad niya rito dahilan para mamula ang mukha nito sa pinaghalong inis at galit. *** Ngunit paano nga ba niya haharapin ang pagbabagong ito ng buhay niya? Mula sa isang kahig, isang tukang paghihirap, ngayon ay anak pala siya ng isa sa pinakamayamang negosyante sa bansa. Idagdag pa ang mukhang laging galit na madrasta niya at prinsesitang hilaw na kapatid niya. Isa lang ang kailangang gawin ni Joey at iyon ang pumasa sa Ember University. At magagawa lamang niya ‘yon kung tutulungan siya ni Ivan Dela Fuente, ang lampa at nerd niyang kaklase. Pero bakit ba bigla-bigla na lang tumitibok ng malakas ang puso niya dahil sa loser na lalaking ito? ‘Bwesit! Hindi nakakaastig ‘to!’ Inis na sita ni Joey sa sarili lalo pa kung ang gusto naman ni Ivan ay ang hilaw niyang kapatid at hindi siya.

Kayla Peterson was the quiet, chubby bookworm nobody noticed,except when they wanted a laugh. Timid, brilliant, and hiding behind thick glasses, she spent her high school years invisible to the glittering crowd of France’s elite teens. Until the night that changed everything. An anonymous invite to Jason Lawson’s birthday party felt like a dream. Jason,tall, muscular, and dangerously handsome,was the school’s heartthrob and Kayla’s longtime crush. But the night spiraled into a nightmare. Lured to his bedroom, she thought it was fate. He thought she was a willing surprise. His friends thought it was a joke. And by the next morning, the “nerd” was the hottest gossip,mocked as the worst lay in history by the very boy she’d secretly loved. Humiliated and broken, Kayla left for Florida, vowing never to be the same girl again. Two years later, she’s back,unrecognizable. The glasses are gone, the curves sculpted, the confidence unshakable. In Canada now for university exchange, she finds herself face-to-face with Jason again… and this time, she holds the power.