Chapter 5 5

When we arrived at the mall, my eyes were glued to everything. I rarely get to set foot here, so I felt like such an ignorant person.

We headed straight for the cinema, and my excitement returned. Gabriel brought us popcorns and drinks, so Kimmy and I thanked him.

"Come, let's sit here."

We sat in the middle section. It was dark inside, so I almost stumbled into Gabriel's back when my foot tripped on a chair leg.

As soon as we sat down, I immediately took a sip of my drink. Gabriel was on my right, and Kimmy was on my left. I don't know why, but I felt awkward around him, especially noticing his frequent glances and stares at me.

"Are you alright?"

I almost blew my drink out my nose. Good thing I managed to stop myself. I turned to the guy, whom I couldn't look straight at earlier.

"Uh, yes. I'm fine."

I really was fine. Just awkward around him.

"Okay. Just tell me if you need something," he said calmly, which made me pause.

He had already turned his attention to the front as the movie began. But I was left staring blankly into space.

I know. I knew something was different with my heart at that moment. But it's impossible for me to like him so quickly; we've only known each other for a few days. Maybe I just find him kind.

I secretly flicked myself on the head.

Don't you dare flirt at a young age, Maria. Oh no! You still have to lift your family out of poverty! You still have to prove to your neighbors that you have dreams!

Wait, what are my dreams? I don't even know what course I plan to take in college yet! I don't want to stop studying because I want to prove to myself and to others that I can finish, that I can avoid teenage pregnancy. I just hope that's something I can be proud of.

I squeezed my eyes shut. When I opened them, I focused my attention on the movie.

It was a romance, after all. It was about a poor woman who fell in love with a rich man. But the man's family was against them because, based on the poor woman's looks and behavior, she supposedly looked like a gold digger and a flirt. My temper flared at the man's family because they were so condescending to the poor.

Good thing the male lead was kind and decent. Tsk.

"Why is it like that, huh? Usually in movies, the man's parents are condescending. They trample on the dignity of the poor female leads just because they don't want their son to marry someone poor," I chattered, but Gabriel didn't respond.

He only gave a faint smile, but there was a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"Let's eat first before we stroll around," he said after a while, and he was the one who chose where we'd eat.

Kimmy and I had no complaints because Gabriel was paying.

We entered a famous eatery. I suddenly felt hungry when I smelled the grilled chicken. It was already eight-thirty, and I had eaten little at home earlier.

I took full advantage of Gabriel's kindness and ordered an extra ice cream. Their chicken there was so delicious, it felt like heaven. I devoured every bit of my food.

"What course will you take in college?" he asked while Kimmy and I were finishing our ice cream.

I shrugged. "I don't know yet. Maybe I'll just take Bachelor of Science in Quackery if I have no choice."

His gentle face was replaced with confusion. "I never heard of that course. Is there such a thing?"

I held back my laughter and elbowed Kimmy, who was also holding back hers.

"You don't know? You should go out of your mansion sometimes too!"

I couldn't hold back my laughter anymore when I saw his eyebrows knit together. He still didn't seem to get the joke. In the end, he just gave up and scratched his head.

Kimmy and I burst into laughter and high-fived. It was so much fun teasing Gabriel. He seemed so naive about the world.

It was a Monday, and our teacher surprised us with a quiz in our last subject. My classmates' complaints echoed, while I just scratched my head. Seriously, we were about to go home, and there's a surprise quiz.

I just asked Kimmy for paper before slumping onto my desk. I tapped my ballpen on the corner of the desk, bored, waiting for the question.

I stared blankly out the window for a while, sighing. After this, it'll be another four years I have to deal with.

Only a few months left before our graduation. When will I ever escape poverty?

When the quiz started, I focused my attention on it. Good thing I always review. Even if I'm a bit scatterbrained, I'm diligent in studying. I just don't want to barely pass.

"Dude! Maria got a perfect score on the quiz, huh!" I heard Allen say from the front, grinning at me.

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Of course! This is beauty and brains, you know! Unlike others here," I retorted, aiming at the group of girls who were always focused on lip-tint but had failing grades.

The leader of the lip-tint group immediately flared up. "Hey! Are you looking for a fight, Maria Poorita?"

Good thing our teacher had already left. I felt like getting into a fight right now, especially since their faces infuriated me. They've been gossiping about me and Gabriel all day!

"Yes! Why? Are you gonna fight me?" I replied to her in a defiant way.

She then stood up, and her friends pretended to hold her back. "Oh yes, I can fight you! Who are you here anyway?"

I saw how furious she was with me, so I smirked. That's always my goal when I get into a fight: to irritate them and make them have a heart attack from anger.

I laughed at her insultingly. "No wonder you're so ugly. Only ugly people fight back against someone like me," I continued to tease.

She cursed at me in extreme anger.

Someone even yelled, "That's enough, time to go home!" but no one paid attention.

"Wow, really! You're the ugliest one here! You dont have mother, that's why you start flirting early!" she retorted.

I looked at her teasingly. Kimmy and I even laughed because even she couldn't believe what Hanie said.

"Ha, really? So what! You've never even been nominated as muse from elementary to senior high, have you? How sad."

Our classmates laughed at what I said. It was true, after all. She had never been a muse. I was always chosen, without fail, ever since elementary.

I was surprised when the jeering started, so I looked at Hanie's face. Her eyes were red, making me laugh.

"Oh wow, a crybaby! You cry ugly, stupid!" I teased further before grabbing my things. Kimmy was laughing hard beside me and fueled the teasing, which made Hanie's heart ache even more.

"You saw her face earlier, right? She was so annoyed with me!" I boasted to Kimmy, who was still laughing.

This is where we get along, in our foolishness in life.

"It was really extreme! You're so good at making people cry!" she praised, so I acted cute in the air, smiling.

"Tsk. Me? That's just a small thing! If you didn't know, I was trained in hell. I almost killed my own demon out of rage. I told him he looked like a demon..."

I stopped when I saw someone.

Just as we stepped out of the building, my eyes landed on Gabriel, who was standing there again with his cousins and friends.

"Free lunch again?" I asked with a grin, which made Gabriel smile shyly.

His companions teased him and laughed.

"Yes, hopefully. Is it okay again?"

Of course! It's more than okay!

Kimmy and I joined him, clapping with joy. Unlike the first time Gabriel invited us, I was hesitant because I was annoyed with him. But now that I'm enjoying his treats, I'm all in.

Like before, Gabriel treated everyone without any complaints.

"Gab is shy, but when it comes to you, he just really musters up his courage," said Lucio, Gabriel's cousin, while Gabriel was paying at the counter.

I turned to Lucio and frowned. "Why?"

He smirked before pointing with his lips at Gabriel. "You'll find out once he confesses to you."

What is there to confess? My tongue was itching to ask, but Gab was already approaching the table.

Lucio gave me a meaningful look before clearing his throat.

"Eat up," Gabriel said, setting down the Sinigang he ordered. I was surprised to see so much water spinach in it. It looked more like water spinach with a little Sinigang.

He cleared his throat when he noticed my furrowed brow, then looked away. "Don't you like it? We can take out the water spinach if you don't want it."

I laughed softly when I heard Josiah, who was with Gabriel at the counter earlier, whisper.

"Gab requested extra vegetables earlier so you'd be healthy."

He received an elbow from Gabriel, who seemed embarrassed.

"It's fine, I don't mind," I just said before eating.

We ate in silence for a few minutes to enjoy our meal properly. I was really savoring the food because, besides being free, I genuinely missed eating like this.

At home, I usually only ate dried fish, eggs, or blanched leafy greens with broth.

"Are you going straight home later?" Gabriel asked after I drank some water.

I slowly nodded. "Yes, why?"

His companions cleared their throats, suppressing their smiles.