The Beginning of Something

From that day on, recess became my favorite part of every school day.

Before leaving the classroom, I always made sure to fix my makeup one last time. A little powder, a touch of lip tint, and a quick look in the mirror.

"What if I see him today?" I would silently ask myself.

Even if I never admitted it out loud, I wanted to look presentable every time I walked to the canteen.

But that day was different.

I searched every corner of the canteen, hoping to catch a glimpse of the tall basketball player who had unknowingly become my happy crush.

Nothing.

He wasn't there.

I tried to hide my disappointment as Hycent and I walked back to our classroom, my hotdog bun in one hand while pretending everything was normal.

After recess, we didn't have a teacher for our next subject, so everyone spent their free time chatting and laughing inside the classroom.

Suddenly, Hycent excitedly nudged me.

"Raine... he's outside!"

I immediately looked at her.

"What?"

"He's outside our building."

Trying my best to act calm, I casually walked outside.

There he was.

He was standing near our building, talking to one of his friends as if he had no idea that someone was secretly smiling just because she saw him.

I couldn't stop myself from smiling.

Unfortunately...

Hycent noticed.

"Oh my gosh," she laughed. "You really like him!"

Because of her reaction, my other friends became curious.

"Who's her crush?"

Before I could even answer, one of my classmates laughed and casually said,

"It's Siva."

I froze.

"What?!"

My secret was exposed.

Everyone looked at me with teasing smiles.

Then Kly suddenly spoke.

"I know him."

"You do?" I asked in surprise.

"Yeah. He's one of Jubal's teammates."

Jubal was Kly's boyfriend, so it wasn't surprising that she knew Reymart.

But what she said next caught me off guard.

"You know... his ex is actually my friend."

I blinked.

"Really?"

I suddenly remembered seeing her before at Kly's birthday celebration.

Then Kly sighed.

"She only played with his feelings."

For a moment, I felt sorry for him.

Maybe that explained the words I overheard at the canteen.

"I'm going to move on."

"So that's why..." I quietly whispered.

Kly smiled at me before saying,

"Who knows? Maybe someday you'll end up together."

Then she laughed.

"Just don't break his heart if that happens."

I smiled but quickly shook my head.

"Happy crush lang 'to."

Of course...

No one believed me.

When we returned to our classroom, I noticed Kly smiling to herself while holding her phone.

Something felt suspicious.

I had a feeling she was planning something.

And I was right.

Without telling me, she introduced me to Reymart.

I kept explaining that he was only my happy crush, but my friends were already celebrating as if we were dating.

A few hours later...

My phone vibrated.

Reymart Siva sent you a friend request.

I stared at the notification for a few seconds.

Then...

I immediately accepted it.

I couldn't stop smiling.

That night, I posted a photo on my Facebook My Day.

Not long after...

A small heart reaction appeared.

It was from him.

My heart almost jumped out of my chest.

From that moment on, I suddenly had countless reasons to keep posting My Days.

We still weren't talking.

Instead, we communicated through reactions and shared Facebook posts.

Every shared post felt like a silent conversation only the two of us understood.

Meanwhile, Kly kept convincing me.

"Why don't you message him first?"

I quickly shook my head.

"If I wanted to make the first move, I would've added him myself instead of waiting for his friend request."

I laughed.

"I've never confessed first to a guy."

Little did I know...

He was just as shy as I was.

Days passed.

We continued reacting to each other's shared posts without actually having a real conversation.

One evening, I decided to post a Note on Facebook.

"Ano na?"

A few minutes later...

He replied.

"Ano man???"

That simple reply was enough to make me smile for the rest of the night.

Every recess became a routine.

Retouch my makeup.

Fix my hair.

Buy something at the canteen even if it was only a pastel or a small snack.

His classroom was on the third floor, right beside the path we always used on the way to the canteen.

Sometimes I'd secretly glance toward their room, hoping to see him.

Sometimes...

He was already looking.

His friends eventually found out about my crush.

Whenever I passed by, they would loudly tease him.

"Hoy, Siva!"

They would even point in my direction while laughing.

My friends weren't any better.

They enjoyed teasing me every chance they got.

One afternoon, while Hycent and I were walking to the canteen, she suddenly grabbed my arm.

"Raine!"

I looked where she was pointing.

"There he is."

Reymart had just turned around and was walking back toward his classroom.

I pretended to stay calm.

I walked as naturally as I could, acting as though I hadn't noticed him.

But deep inside...

I was hoping he would look my way.

What I didn't know was that, at that exact moment, he had already messaged Jubal.

Only one sentence.

"Pota, gwapa2 gali sya sa personal”

Without realizing it...

The boy I secretly admired had already started noticing me too.

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