Chapter 2 2

Casper

I am lying comfortably on my bed. It feels so good to sleep. My bed is so soft, my pillow is so soft. It feels like I'm sleeping on a cloud. But my blissful sleep was abruptly interrupted by my noisy alarm clock.

"Kriiiiiiiiiing!" the sound effect of the alarm clock blared. This darn alarm clock, always disturbing me!

I lazily got up from my bed and smacked my alarm clock on the side table to shut it off. I heard a crack, but I didn't see what it was because my eyes were still closed. Geez, I'm still so sleepy.

I wiped the back of my hand against my mouth to see if I drooled. Sometimes I fall asleep with my mouth open. This time, there was none. I got up and faced the mirror to check for any eye boogers. I grabbed a hairbrush and combed through my hair before glancing at the wall clock.

"Oh, shet!" I exclaimed when I saw that I was late.

I probably had too much to drink last night. Wait, how did I even get home? I can't remember. But it's okay, the important thing is that I made it home. It's a good thing the stinky zombies were just a dream, but the hot guy was a missed opportunity.

Tsk.

I quickly took a shower. Due to the rush, I only had a little to eat. Then I left the house and looked for a tricycle to take me to school. The sky was dark, and it was drizzling a bit.

When I arrived at school, I hurried down the hallway towards my classroom. I could see my classmates in a commotion, which meant we didn't have a teacher yet. I spotted Reina in the distance. She was just walking towards the classroom, apparently even later than me.

I breathed a sigh of relief. It's a good thing we don't have a teacher today. I might get suspended if I get another late card.

I placed my bag on my chair and sat beside Kassie. She was busy texting, and my other friends were occupied with their own things, so I had no one to talk to. They were all busy, so what else could I do? Well, as usual, I'll just sit here and space out.

"Hey! Ma'am's coming," announced our class president. "Fix your seats!"

My classmates quieted down. They all returned to their seats. After a moment, our teacher entered the room. He was followed by a handsome guy who, in my opinion, was not much older than my classmates.

The guy had golden brown hair, and his eyes were blue. He seemed familiar to me. Maybe I saw him before. On TV, perhaps? Probably, he looks like a celebrity.

"Kassie." I nudged my best friend. "Check out the guy up front, he's hot."

Kassie looked up. "Oh friend, he's really handsome!" she said with a smile. Her eyes sparkled like stars, and she even had her mouth open.

He's just so jaw-droppingly handsome.

The teacher stood at the front of the class. "Class, I have an announcement. This is Casper." Our teacher pointed to the guy. "He will be your new classmate," he announced. "Casper, please introduce yourself to your new classmates."

The guy opened his mouth and began to introduce himself. "Good morning, everyone," he greeted everyone. "My name is Casper Friedrichsen. I'm an exchange student from England. I'm not fluent in speaking your native language. I hope you will help me."

This guy is so breathtakingly handsome.

Almost all the girls in the classroom had their mouths open in awe of his handsomeness. Literally, we were all just gaping. Who wouldn't gape when a god descended from the heavens? Just looking at him, he's already a feast, yummy!

Our eyes met with Casper. He flashed a smile. I was still gaping at him, staring at his handsome face. I only realized after we had been looking at each other for quite some time, that he was smiling because I was gawking at him. I quickly looked away in embarrassment. But maybe he'll think there's something weird going on if I keep looking at him, so I turned my gaze back to him. But his smile was gone, and he wasn't looking at me anymore. He was talking to our teacher.

I let out a sigh. I feel like such a daydreamer. Why was I smiling at this handsome Casper when we're not even close?

Psh, I'm really delusional.

Our teacher asked Casper where he'd like to sit, and to my surprise, he chose the empty seat next to me.

Wait! Where will I put my bag now that he's sitting here?

Some of my female classmates protested. They each said that he should sit next to them instead. I, on the other hand, remained quiet. I didn't want to lose my bag space, so I just spaced out again.

My daydreaming lasted as long as my classmates' debate. I looked at my black shoes, which had a bit of dust on them. Tiny white dots appeared on my black shoes.

Hehe, how cute.

I feel someone sit beside me. I'm still smiling as I turn to see who it is, but my smile fades when I see him.

"Hi," Casper greets with a smile.

My bag's spot! I just glance at him and then avert my gaze.

I didn't know how to answer. He just said 'hi', and I could have greeted him back. But it would be too late if I answered after a few minutes. He's looking in another direction, so I take the opportunity to look at his handsome face. He's from England. He has golden brown hair and blue eyes. In short, he's a foreigner. Why did it only occur to me now?

He notices me looking at him, so he smiles before facing me. Once again, I avert my gaze. I open my notebook and pretend to read the lecture.

Casper leans in closer. "Hi," he greets again.

"Uhm, h-hi...?" I say nervously, and it almost sounds like a question.

"My name is Casper, may I know yours?"

"Rica," I reply shortly. I don't want to prolong the conversation because I'm not comfortable talking to him in English. He might notice my incorrect grammar and embarrass me.

"You're avoiding my eyes, I noticed. May I know why?"

He's right, I am avoiding them. It feels like I'm getting an electric shock whenever our eyes meet.

"What's the problem?" Casper asks again. "Am I making you feel uncomfortable?"

I don't know how to answer. Yes, it's true, I'm not comfortable. I don't want to tell him the truth because he might think something else. And he's new, so I should be nice to him. Right?

I tilt my head. "No, I'm just-" How do I continue? "I don't know how to explain it," I say.

"Why, don't you want me to be your seatmate? Sorry, I didn't know that you don't want me to sit next to you. I can move to another place if you want."

"What's wrong with me? My life is so difficult right now, I'm getting a nosebleed," I mutter to myself. "Do you know how to speak Tagalog? I don't speak English very well. My nose is already bleeding." I scratch my head. "You know, I'm having a nosebleed, runny nose, clogged nose. Please speak Tagalog."

He chuckles softly. "Runny nose and clogged nose?" he repeats what I said.

"Yeah," I reply again.

I feel so much lighter talking to him, as if I've known him for a long time.

~

It's time to go home, so I'm outside waiting for my ride. The sky is still overcast, and the drizzle hasn't stopped. Why is it like this? The radio said earlier that it's sunny. That broadcaster is really unreliable.

Kassie comes up to me. "Kuya Lito texted," she says before handing me my phone, which she borrowed earlier.

I read the text from my ride. "I'm here outside the gate, where are you?" I reply to him with a brief message.

"Rica, I'm leaving," Kassie says. She kisses my cheek before walking away. "Take care!" she adds before she completely leaves.

Casper comes up to me next. "Hi, Rica, what are you doing?" he asks.

"I'm texting my boyfriend." I grab my bag because I'm heading towards the gate.

I'm about to leave, but Casper stops me by grabbing my arm.

"You have a boyfriend?" he asks with a puzzled look.

Oh, my God. It looks like my nose is about to go into battle again.

"Hey, you said you have a boyfriend," he says again.

I'm about to respond, but Casper pulls me towards the entrance gate of our campus. I see Lito waiting. He's our neighbor, and my mom asked him to pick me up from school. Lito is already old, but it seems that Casper took my word that I have a boyfriend seriously, and he put it on Lito.

"He's your boyfriend?!" Casper asks loudly, making sure Lito hears him. "He looks old. Do you like old guys?" he adds. "He's not that handsome like me. I wonder what you saw in him."

I pull him to a spot where Lito can't hear him. "You idiot, Casper. Don't be so loud! Lito might have heard you earlier!"

"Do you like him?" he asks seriously.

"No!" I respond firmly.

"What?! Don't tell me you love that guy!"

W-what? Why is this guy like this? I couldn't answer right away because I'm still trying to figure out what's wrong with this dude.

Sadness appears in his eyes. He seems upset, but why?

"Of course I don't love him..."

Suddenly, his eyes light up. He was back to his usual self. "Really?"

"Really, I don't. And he is not my boyfriend, he is just my ride," I explain.

"Ride?" Casper asks, confused.

Uh-oh. What's the English word for 'sundo' (someone who picks you up)?

"Uhm, he is my... uh... he is my..." I can't say it directly. "You know, he fetches me in the afternoon. And he... he-" What's the English word for 'hatid'? Oh well, let's just go for it! He delivers me. Yeah! He delivers me here to school every morning."

"He delivers you?"

"Yes, like Jollibee delivery?"

Casper sighs and nods. Then his lips flash a gorgeous smile. My knees almost turn to jelly. Why is this guy so incredibly handsome?

"What are you s-smiling about?" I avert my gaze from him. "Look, Casper, it's getting late. So, I want to go home immediately. I'm hungry, you know. Very, very hungry..."

Truth is, I've been starving since a while ago. My thirst is just as strong. I ate a lot for lunch, but I'm still so hungry.

"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot." Casper takes his bag from his back. He opens it and pulls out a black bottle. "Drink this," he instructs. He puts a straw in the bottle and lets me sip from it.

I take a sip, and holy cow, it's so delicious! It's so good that it feels like I downed it all in one gulp. Because the bottle is black, I have no idea what I just drank.

"Casper, I finished your drink. What is this? It is very yummy."

"I'm glad that you drank all of it. I'll tell you what it is tomorrow," he says. "Go home now. We'll talk again tomorrow."

He puts the bottle back in his bag and walks away. I watch him go. It's like a sudden wave of sadness washes over me when he disappears from my side. He turns back to where I am, something I didn't expect. He comes back and takes out a handkerchief to wipe my mouth.

I'm puzzled by what he's doing, so I give him a questioning look.

"You have something on your lips," he says while looking at my lips.

I automatically wipe the back of my hand against my lips. "It's nothing," I whisper.

He doesn't respond. He just gazes at my lips. It looks like he's about to kiss me, or maybe that's just my imagination. Suddenly, my heart beats faster.

"Never mind, I'm going." He walks away again.

Psh. I'm such a drama queen. What am I thinking, imagining that Casper is going to kiss me? What's happening to me? I've only just met him.