First day, First Trouble

I sat quietly in my room, lost in thought, the soft rustle of pages the only sound as I read my book. Everything felt calm—until someone suddenly knocked on my door.

“It’s open,” I called out.

The door creaked open, and Kuya Francis stepped in.

“Oh, Kuya. It’s you. What’s up?” I asked, sitting up on my bed.

“You haven’t enrolled yet, right? Come with us,” he said.

“Oh, right! Good thing you reminded me. Hold on, I’ll get changed,” I said quickly. I hurried to my closet, grabbed something to wear, then rushed to the bathroom. After changing, I picked up my bag, left the room, and went downstairs where they were waiting in the living room.

“Let’s go, Kuya,” I said. They turned to me, nodded, and we all headed out of the house toward the garage, where we got into the car.

There were just four of us in one vehicle. Kuya Kael helped me into the front seat, while Kuya Francis took the wheel. Kuya Kael and Kuya Philip sat in the back. Their friends followed in separate cars.

“Ready to go?” Kuya asked.

We all nodded, and the car started moving. Their friends’ cars followed behind us.

“You’re still taking Law, right?” Kuya Francis asked casually.

“Yes, Kuya,” I answered.

“That’s great. Your building is near ours, so it’ll be easy for us to check in on you,” he said with a smile.

“There are some clubs you can join too, bunso,” Kuya Philip added. “Have you thought about which one you want?”

“What kind of clubs are there?” I asked, curious.

“There’s sports like volleyball, basketball, tennis, chess. There's also singing, dancing, theater, journalism, and photography,” Kuya explained.

I began thinking hard about what I might join.

“You can choose more than two,” Kuya Kael added with a grin. I nodded thoughtfully.

“What clubs did you all join?” I asked them.

“I’m in the basketball club,” Kuya Francis said.

“Same here,” added Kuya Kael.

“Me too,” said Kuya Philip.

“Oh… I think I’ll join the volleyball club,” I replied.

A few minutes later, we arrived at the university. Kuya parked the car while their friends parked behind us. Kuya Philip got out first and opened the door for me. I stepped out.

“Let’s drop off my brother first before we head to our building,” Kuya Francis said, and his friends nodded in agreement.

“After that, we’ll give Yuhan a tour around campus,” Kuya Kael added with a smile.

We started walking toward my building. I stayed close to Kuya Francis, holding onto his arm. I was in the middle of him and one of his friends.

Then suddenly—

“Why are you ignoring my calls and texts, Francis?” a sharp, angry voice called out.

We all turned toward it. A girl stood nearby, glaring at us. “I’ve been trying to talk to you! I’ve called, texted, messaged you on Instagram and Twitter—but nothing!”

I glanced at Kuya, then back at her. She stared at me with furrowed brows, scanning me from head to toe with judgment in her eyes.

“Oh… now I get it,” she sneered. “You replaced me with *this*?”

She pointed at me with disgust. My brow lifted in response.

“What do you mean?” I asked, matching her tone.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know, gay boy. You seduced my boyfriend and stole him from me,” she spat angrily.

“Maybe you should get to know me first before throwing judgments around,” I replied, trying to keep my cool.

“I don’t need to. I already know your type,” she shot back.

I clenched my fists, ready to confront her, but Kuya held me back.

“Shut up, Louisa,” Kuya Francis said sharply. “How dare you insult him in front of me? We broke up a month ago. Stop living in your little fantasy.”

“I won’t. Especially now that I know you left me for a gay guy—”

She didn’t even finish her sentence. I broke free from Kuya’s grip and slapped her. I had had enough.

“Yes, I’m gay,” I said firmly. “So what? Don’t act like it’s some secret or shame. Keep pushing it, and you won’t just get a slap. You’re annoying, your voice is irritating, and let me be clear—my Kuya is *never* going back to you. You insulted me. Be thankful they’re holding me back, or your nose would be bleeding by now.”

“Just leave, Louisa,” Kuya said, stepping in front of me again. “It’s over. I’m never taking you back—not after what you said to my brother.”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know he was your brother! I didn’t mean to insult him, Francis!” she cried.

Kuya ignored her. He shook off her hand and signaled her to leave. Crying, she finally walked away.

As soon as she was gone, Kuya turned back to me, arms crossed.

“You just got here and you’re already getting into trouble?”

I pouted and looked away—only to find myself face to face with a guy I’d been trying to avoid. I quickly turned back toward Kuya.

“Kuyaaa, why are you scolding me? And honestly, your taste in women is terrible. Too much makeup, and her attitude? Horrible! I don’t like her at all,” I grumbled and clung to Kuya Kael’s arm.

“Don’t scold her,” Kuya Kael said gently, ruffling my hair. “Our princess was just defending herself.”

I nodded, eyes slightly teary, and gave Kuya Francis a look.

“Okay, fine. Let’s just go and get you enrolled. Forget about her,” he said, messing up my hair again.

I scowled and swatted his hand away, trying to fix it while walking. Suddenly, the guy I’d been ignoring started walking beside me. I didn’t look at him. I kept fixing my hair.

“You okay?” he asked softly.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I replied with a faint smile.

“I’m Lysander Roswell. Your Kuya’s friend since high school,” he said, holding out his hand.

I shook it. “Yuhan Zhi Villa Fuentes. You can call me Yuhan, Zhi—whichever’s easier for you.”

“Can I call you Zhi?” he asked.

I paused for a moment. “Yeah, sure.”

He smiled. “Most people call me Sander, or Ros. Up to you.”

“Hey, you two! You’re walking too slow—hurry up or the ants will get you!” Kuya Kael suddenly called out from ahead.

We looked toward him. They had stopped and were waiting. Embarrassed, I jogged toward Kuya Francis and stayed close. I also caught the way Kuya looked at Sander.

“I don’t like the way you’re smiling at my little brother, Sander,” Kuya said sternly. Actually—was that a threat?

“Why? I’m just being friendly,” Sander replied with a shrug.

“We *know* you, dude,” said Kuya Philip. “You don’t usually smile like that. So what's with the smiles now, huh?”

Yeah. *That’s how protective they are*.

“Kuya! Don’t be like that. Ros is just being nice. There’s nothing wrong with that,” I said with a smile. “Let’s go now. Don’t be mad at him.”

They nodded, and we all walked toward the building.

“This is the Criminology and Law building,” Kuya Francis explained. “We’ll take you to the front desk so you can enroll. We’ll wait here before we head to our own classes.”

I nodded in understanding.

As we reached the lobby, I noticed students lining up and looking our way. When we got to the front desk, a staff member handed me an enrollment form and guided me toward a small room. My kuyas stayed behind to wait.

The staff explained that once I was done filling out the form, I should hand it to the person inside the room. After that, I’d be free to leave.

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