Chapter Text
Caprice straightened her uniform for the nth time as she waited at the gate of her new school. She had been feeling restless since she arrived due to nervousness. It’s not every day you have to transfer school mid-school year, and during your freshman year, too! Thankfully, her being a freshman meant that the rest of her batch were still in the adjustment phase as well, since they all just transitioned into high school. Luckily for Caprice, she knew someone in this school, so it might be easier for her to get accustomed to her new school.
Her eyes wandered over the sea of students that were already marching inside the school gates. She took a deep breath as she sucked her lips inside her mouth when she realized that everyone was already friends. She didn’t see any other loner students like her, and the thought made her even more nervous.
“Ano na te? Magpapasko na wala ka pa rin?” Caprice shifted her eyes to a group of girls in front of her when someone spoke loudly, sounding frustrated. The girl had short hair and had one hand on her hip, while the other held a phone to her ear.
“Kapag tayo na-late nanaman sa flag ceremony, we’re really done for.” A girl with a brown jacket and a stern face said, crossing her arms against her chest.
“Ha? Ano? Magbibihis ka pa lang? Jusko bakla anong oras na!” The short-haired girl said while scratching the back of her head. “Hay ewan ko na sayo, Eliza,” She added before handing the phone to the girl with the brown jacket. “Ikaw na nga kumausap dito Reich, umagang umaga kase.”
The girl, whose name was Reich, grabbed the phone as she reprimanded the girl on the other end of the line. Still feeling frustrated, the short-haired girl leaned her ear in to listen to their conversation.
A soft smile escaped Caprice’s lips as she watched the interaction amongst the group of friends. She wished she could find a fun group of friends like them. Caprice turned to the side when she felt a pair of eyes on her. By the railing, another girl in the same group has long, chocolate-brown hair and fair skin. Her body faced her friends, but her gaze was directed at her.
There was no smile or nod from the girl. She was just straight up staring at her, and Caprice didn’t know what to do.
So, she decided to look away and check her wrist watch for the time. It’s almost time for the school’s flag ceremony, but there is still no sign of the person she is waiting for. She sighed deeply, licking her lips in frustration. Her eyes locked in the entrance, searching for the person. But in her peripheral vision, she could still see the girl who was still staring at her.
Caprice’s eyes brightened when she spotted the person in the crowd, who was also searching for her. She waved her hand to get the person’s attention, and when she did, the tall girl jogged in her direction, holding papers in her hand.
“Hi, Cap! Sorry I’m late. Ang dami ko pa kasing inasikaso for the flag ceremony.” The tall girl said, showing the small dimple on the side of her lips when she smiled.
“It’s okay, Ate Aiah. Nabanggit nga ni mommy na you are the current school’s president, so naisip ko na rin na baka nga busy ka.” Caprice said, gripping her pink attache case.
“Nasabi pala sayo ni tita,” Aiah tilted her head to the side, feeling embarrassed. “Oh siya, come with me muna sa flag ceremony then ihahatid na kita sa homeroom mo.” She said, but paused a bit when she noticed the way her cousin’s body tensed a bit. “You okay?”
“Nervous lang.”
Aiah smiled softly before reaching out to tap her shoulder. “I assure you na this is a great school. Everyone is friendly and welcoming. I’m sure you’ll adjust easily here.”
“I… I really hope so.”
“I know so,” Aiah reassured, squeezing her shoulder a bit. “Basta if you ever need something, nandito lang ako, okay? Don’t ever hesitate to reach out.”
Caprice reciprocated her cousin’s smile before tapping her hand that was on her shoulder. “Thank you, Ate Aiah.”
Aiah widened her smile when she noticed Caprice relaxing a bit. “Oh siya let’s go na. We don’t want to be late for the flag ceremony.”
Caprice nodded, still smiling, before following her inside the school. Her eyes took a quick peek at the group of girls earlier, but they were not there anymore.
“H-hello guys, I’m here na.” Eliza panted, leaning her hands into her knees to catch her breath.
“Oh wow, himala hindi ka ata nahuli?” Carmelle raised an eyebrow.
Eliza whipped her hair confidently. “But, of-course!” She turned to her side and gave a small wave at the boy with a boyish smile.
“Is that Marco?” Reich eyed the boy standing guard over the late students during the ceremony. “Since when did you get close with him?”
“Since noong first day high.” Eliza replied, adjusting the strap of her backpack. Her friends were looking at her, as if waiting for an explanation. “Hoy, huwag nga kayong ma-issue. Friends kami niyan kaya pinalusot ako.”
“Oh, hindi ba’t friend mo din ‘yung bff ni Krystal?” Carmelle gave her a side-eye before all their heads turned to the chinito near the stage. He was standing with the other student council members, his eyes focused on the teacher on stage.
“Si Miguel? Oo friend ko rin yan,” Eliza said before pointing at them one-by-one. “At friends ko rin kayong tatlo, oh ‘diba? We’re all friends.”
“Ang sakit mo talaga sa bangs na bakla ka.” Carmelle shook her head at her friend, but there was a smile playing on her lips.
“Oh, speaking of bakla,” Eliza crept behind Krystal before giving her a back hug. “Good morning sa favourite kong bakla!”
“Ha? Ano?” Krystal said in a state of daze. She smiled softly at Eliza when she noticed her presence and tapped her head that was leaning on her shoulder. “Good morning, Eli. Nandyan ka na pala.”
“Sa ingay kong ‘to hindi mo napansin ang grand entrance ko?” Eliza replied, sounding offended. “Bakit ba ang seryoso mo diyan? Sino bang tinitingnan mo?”
“Eli, ano ba.” Krystal chuckled when her friend jumped on her back, following her line of sight. “Baka mapagalitan nanaman tayo niyan.”
“Okay lang yan! Favourite ka naman ni sir.” Eliza said, squinting her eyes to search for a possible person that Krystal might be eyeing.
“Si Tala favourite, pero ikaw hindi.” Reich joked, causing the rest of them to snicker in place.
“Sige, ganyan kayo.” Eliza pouted, removing herself from Krystal. “Hahanap na talaga ako ng new friends, sige kayo.”
Their chuckles grew louder, drawing their teacher's attention. They said their apologies as they tried to pay attention to the ceremony on stage. A few minutes later, the ceremony was wrapped up. They slowly walk towards their classroom due to the crowd around them. It seemed like everyone left their line and went their own way. The teachers tried to control the crowd by commanding students to go back into their line, but they were too dispersed now to be able to do it.
The quartet easily maneuvered through the crowd, laughing and messing around on their way to the classroom. They waited for another minute or two for everyone to appear before their teacher settled his things on the teacher’s table.
“Ilang beses ko bang ipapaalala sa inyo na walang aalis sa pila hanggang sa makabalik tayo sa classroom?” Mr. Anh said, standing in front of his table. “Star section pa naman kayo pero bakit ganito kayo umasta? Dapat nga kayo ang mag-set ng example para sa buong freshmen.”
Everyone listened quietly while either looking down or checking their nails for invisible dirt. A soft knock from the door saved the class from further lecture from Mr. Anh. When he answered it, Aiah Arceta was on the other side of the door, causing loud murmuring inside the classroom.
“Class, be quiet.” Mr. Anh reprimanded before turning to Aiah again.
“Huy, Krystal ‘diba crush mo si Ate Aiah?” Eliza teased, elbowing the girl next to her. “Sinusundo ka na ata oh, ayieeee.”
“Baliw, taken na siya.” Carmelle said, trying to recall Aiah’s girlfriend. “Si Mikha Lim ba ‘yon? Yung volleyball player?”
“Parang niloloko lang naman eh.” Eliza pouted. “Pero yes, si Ate Mikha girlfriend niya.”
Everyone turned their heads when Mr. Anh laughed and shook a hand of someone besides Aiah. The senior student bid them goodbye before Mr. Anh came inside the classroom along with a new student. A petite and timid girl, whom Krystal saw earlier at the gate. She straightened her back in her seat, settling her eyes on the girl in front of the classroom.
“Class, we have a new student who will be joining our class today.” Mr. Anh announced before turning to the girl beside her. “You can introduce yourself to the class.”
The girl nodded her head politely before turning to the class. She bit her lower lip and sighed deeply before giving a huge smile to everyone. “Hi, my name is Caprice Cayetano. It’s nice to meet you all.”
“Anything you want to share about yourself?”
Caprice tightened her grip on her attache case as she looked down to think. She hated these kinds of questions since she didn’t find herself that interesting. So, she just said the first thing that came to mind. “Ah, uhm, I just like studying po.”
“That’s good to know,” The teacher smiled before gesturing to the seats. “You may have a seat. Wala namang seating arrangements, so you can pick whenever you want to sit.”
Caprice turned to the seats as she walked down the aisle. She would have preferred it if the teacher had just assigned her a seat since it was awkward to search for one while everyone was watching.
“Pst, over here.” A girl with bangs gestured for her to take a seat on the aisle next to her. Caprice smiled shyly before taking a seat beside the girl. “I’m Ashley. It’s nice to meet you, Caprice.”
“Hi Ashley, thank you ah.” Caprice whispered while taking her notebook out.
Mr. Anh grabbed their attention by clapping his hands as he began the lecture. Caprice didn’t expect mathematics to be the first subject, but she wasn't complaining, since she loves to challenge her brain in the early morning. Her mind was focused on the lesson as her hand automatically wrote notes. She copied every example while also making her own notes on the side, especially on the things she should remember.
After a few moments, Mr. Anh wrote another sample problem on the board, and Caprice followed it with her eyes, squinting a bit, trying to solve the problem in her head to test herself. “Okay, class, who can tell me what th—”
Before he could finish his question, a hand shot up in the air. Mr. Anh smiled brightly before pointing at the back. “Yes, Krystal?”
Caprice followed Mr. Anh’s line of sight, and her eyebrows raised a bit at the familiar girl.
“Four po, sir.” Krystal answered, slumped in her seat, gripping a pen in her left hand.
Mr. Anh sang praises to the girl on the back, while Caprice kept her eyes on her. She didn’t even notice that they were in the same class together, since she tried to avoid looking at people’s faces directly earlier. She also noticed Krystal’s group of friends on the back, sitting with her.
“Okay, I’ll give you another one.” Mr. Anh said before writing another problem on the board. Again, Caprice followed the problem with her eyes as their teacher was writing it. As soon as he turned around, two hands shot in the air at the same time.
Krystal turned to the new girl, a bit surprised that she had raised her hand along with her. As far as she knows, no one in this class can answer a math question as fast as she can.
“Oh wow! Two hands!” Mr. Anh chuckled as he nodded his head proudly. “Oh, sige this time, let’s give Caprice a chance to answer.” He said before nodding at Caprice.
Krystal put her hand down, while her eyes were still fixed on Caprice, waiting for her to respond. Her face was impassive as she noticed how Caprice fidgeted with her hands before she spoke.
“Yes, po sir. I, uhm, believe it’s negative six po.”
Krystal raised her eyebrows with interest as she gazed at the new girl, while Mr. Anh praised her for answering correctly. “Very good, Caprice! As I expected from Ms. Arceta’s cousin.”
Caprice smiled softly as she nodded at their teacher, appreciating his compliment.
“Hala, you have a competition na Tala.” Krystal heard one of her friends whisper, but she didn’t recognize who said it since her eyes were still on the new girl.
Focusing on her sparkling eyes as they got lost when she smiled.
Then at her pearly white teeth as they shone with her.
Krystal tilted her head to the side as she slowly leaned it on her hand, her elbow on the desk.
Unconsciously, a smile played on her lips.