Chapter 2
2074 Words
"Love is like soccer ball. You kick it away and then you have to chase it. Which is just plain stupid. Why are you going to let go, when it is already yours? When others get their hands on it, then you fight to get it right away.
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Five years had passed since Nhia promised herself that everything related to that man would be removed.
But here she was standing in front of the Pedroza Engineer Firm. Because she has to deal with the debt that her parents have hidden from him for so many years.
Twenty five million pesos?
Where in the hand of god can I get such a large amount of money?'
"Miss Aquino, Mr. Pedroza is waiting for you in his office." She smiled and nodded at the secretary who called her and slowly walked into the office.
"Good Morning, Mr. Pedroza," she greeted shyly. Nhia sat down on the seat opposite of the table.
"Nhia, we haven't seen in five year, and here you are calling me Mr. Pedroza," she gave him an embarrassed to smile.
"T-tito Khillua .." He smiled back at her before sighing.
"It's much better than Mr. Pedroza but Nhia, I really appreciate it if you could still call me Papa."
She smile, it was an awkward smile. When Nhia and him were still together, she used to call the man infront of her and his father, "Papa." They were like her second father.
"Uhmm .." She doesn't know what to say. Doesn't know how to react either. Its been what? Six to seven years but they still treated her nicely.
"Don't worry, my dear, I want to make you smile. But it doesn't seem effective so, lets just forget about it." She gave him a timid smile.
"Uhmm T-tito Khillua, it is about our properly..." He nodded. Honestly she was embarrassed on what happned, but now but she had to face it. If she needed to beg, she will. Afterall, that's the only thing her parents had left for her.
"Ah, Nhia, dear, don't even think too much about it," she was surprised by what he said but if he noticed something amissed he igonred it.
"But Tito, it's too much for you to ignore. If you want, I'll just work at the mansion." Embarrassedment could be heard from her voice said more.
"My dear, I know how important that land is for you. That's all your parents had left for you and I'm not a bad person to take that away from you." He was smiling as he said those words to her.
"One more thing .. if Kuya Tiburcio is still alive, I'm sure he won't let you lose that either."
"But ..."
"If you really want to pay off your debt little by little, fine. But I won't allow you to work in the mansion. You're going to work here. After all, my secretary will resign. If you like, I can give you that position. "
****
"So, did you accept Don Khillua's offer?" Jeremy asked her. Her best friend since high school.
"I told him that I would think about it first." Shee grabbed some chips that he was eating.
"What else are you thinking girl? It's a sure win is what Don is giving you! Oh gosh! Even if I let you in my racket for ten years, I won't be able to cover the twenty five million pesosesoses of mudra and pudrabells you have with the Pedrozas ! "
Nhia just frowned. What she couldn't understand was why her parents were hiding the fact that they pwaned off thier land to the Pedrozas, and not pay it off until it reached such a large amount.
"What if Toby and I meet?"
"i***t! As if you two will meet again! Then another drama will happened! I could hear the background song 'Back in each other's arms'. Oh, spare me the drama! Eh, 'didn't he curse the whole Sta. Catalina because of what happened back then?!"
"So, what if you meet? Did you do something wrong? You did not do anything right? He's the one you caught with kachu ---"
Jeremy couldn't continue what he was saying because Nhia threw some junk food at him.
"Can you stop reminding me of it?"
"Fine, I won't!" His eyebrows were raised when he said it. "But if I were you, I would accept that offer, girl. Think about it, you won't have any problems with your land, you won't get varicose veins from standing in the mall all day!
"Maybe my job is a sales lady so I have to always be standing?" Mahaderang baklang to. Very talkative.
"That's it, you're a college graduate, why are you working as a sales lady."
"Why do I have so many questions? Then what are you doing here? Don't you have an event?" Her friend Jeremy was a model. There are time he would include her in his rackets especially when it was outside Sta. Catalina.
"Waley girl! Major major beauty rest is my drama today." So, here he was fixing the facemask that he had on her face.
She and Jeremy have been living together ever since her parents had died. He used to pay rent before, but later they decided to split the expenses.
"What the hell Jeremy! What is that stench?!" She almost vomited with the smell his body released.
"Damn girl! You are too sensitive! I just farted! Hmmp! BYE!" He left, but after a few minutes he came back.
"HEY! OMG! WHAT ARE YOU HOLDING ?!" She exclaimed as he slumped down next to her.
"Here? LALA."
"WHY DO YOU HAVE THAT ?!" Nhia looked at his hand and grimenced
"This never went away." Jeremy stuck out his tounge at her.
"You are a traitor Jeremy! I hate you!"
"For your information, Miss Aquino, you're the only one with a problem with this chocolate, so don't touch me. If you cursed Lala, I wouldn't. You're an annoying me, girl! Goodbye" He walked slowly into his room and left her alone in the living room.
He is so annoying!'
Was all she said when she's all alone.
Why is it that all of a sudden, the things that reminded her of him suddenly showed up?
First, his uncle, now their favorite brand of chocolate.
FLASHBACK.
"Nhia .. are you going to wear something with our js?" Asked her classmate.
"I don't even have a date for our JS, why would I worry about a dress? So, I don't have any problem with that." She doesn't know why the JS PROM was a big issue for the third year students, there will be another one next year.
"Hasn't he invited you yet-- HMPPPP--" One of her classmates covered his mouth when another spoke up.
"Invited by who?" She asked them.
"Ah .. eh .. haha! Nothing! All right Nhia, you enter the room first! We still have an assignment to do! Bye!" And it left her gaping as she watched them walk away.
'What assignment are they going to do, there are no classes today because of the JS prom on Friday.'
She was walking alone in the hallway. Wondering where all the students were because the school was like a ghost town. The place was empty.
"Calling the attention of Miss Klairinhia Aquino .. Miss Klairinhia Aquino please proceed to the AV Rooom now."
"What did you do Nhia?" She asked herself as she walked towards the AV Room.
She nervously opened the door to the AV Room. It was dark, and the only limination was a spotlight on the stage. There was even a chair there. She felt like she was in an interrogation room. Imimage of a guy being tortured to confess to the sin his committed popped in her mind.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!" She was surprised when the door suddenly closed. She tried pulling the knob but it was locked from the outside. She thought that maybe someone was pulling a pranked at her.
"HEY! LET ME OUT OF HERE!" She kicked the door and shouted at the same time, as if someone can hear her, the room was sound proofed. There were only speakers that were connected to different parts of the school just in case there were announcements. There was also a live feed on stage for students who cannot be accommodate. The school was only a public school in thier province, but because, the children of the riches people also attened Sta. Catalina High School, they donated so many things to make their children's education go well.
"WHAT?! IT'S NOT FUNNY?!" She boldly said even though she was actually scared. They said that there is a white lady in the room because it was rarely used.
Suddenly the song HARANA of Parokya ni Edgar played. It was one of her favorite songs. She turned just to see her bestfriend, sitting on the chair with his guitar on his Lap.
"Toby .." She slowly walked towards him. He was in the middle of the stage.
'What are you doing?'
He stood up and walked towards her. He offered his hand which she gladly accepted and they went to the stage. Underneat the spotlight.
"Klairinhia Aquino, can I ask for your hands to be my partner on Friday?"
Oh my! This bestfriend of mine is handsome. His also a heartrob. He is rich too. '
"I don't have much choice. I know that I will wnd up going out with you. I'm just afraid of others who will ask me." She tapped his shoulder.
"I expected you to agree again." He said with a smile on his face.
"Hah! Senyorito Toby is so arrogant" His forhead knitted. He hated it when she called him senyorito. "Hey, I was just joking! You're so sensitive."
"Joke Nhia? I never joked around. You're a bad girl and you deserve to be punished." He said with a smirk. Punishment? The only form of punishment he had done to was was to clean the soles of his feet.
"I'll use a steel brush on your heel to remove the callus. Hehehe!"
"Wow Nhia! I'm so ashamed of my feet from your peasant feet! At least mine is just callus, your callus on your foot was born." Nhia stared at him because of what he said. "But seriously," ee knelt down in front of Nhia and took her hands
"Hey Toby! What are you doing?! Stand up!"
"Don't mess this up Nhia, I'm nervous too," He took a deep breath before Toby looked into her eyes.
"Klairinhia Aquino you've been my bestfriend since womb days and you're one of the person I care about, and had never treated me indifferently because of my family name. You're very important to me and you're always will but I don't want to be just 'friend'."
Tears welled up in her eyes. Doesn't he want the girl to be his friend anymore?
"I don't want to be your friend because I've decided that we end this friendship and start a new one. I don't want you to be my bestfriend anymore Nhia...I want you to be my girlfriend. Nhia Aquino can I court you?"
What did Toby say? I feel like I'm deaf.' She asks herself
"Ha?!" He stood up, it made her looked up to him. He was like a kapre, while she was a mere mortal.
"I gave a long speech, you ended up with 'hah?!' Is your only answer? "
"Eh maybe I'm just deaf eh..." The young woman mumbbled her aswer.
"What did you hear me say?" Nhia wondered if she would tell Toby what she had heard. Maybe she just misheard and she was just embarrassed.
"You told me, 'Can I court you?'
"Of course! You can court with me, best!" he said the hugging her. Nhia was confused by the suddent turn events.
After a few moments, Toby's cousin Kathleen came in with three stemmed white roses and a basket of LALA chocolates. After she thanked the woman and the woman in reaturn congratulated her, they went out of AV Room just to see that the live feed was turned on... and the whole STA. Catalina High was able to watched what happened in the room.
They applauded so she forced her face into Toby's uniform to avoid embarssment.
"Toby, why have to turn the live feed?" She whispered to the man.
- Writer
