I was awakened by my mom for dinner. My brother and dad were already in the kitchen. Papa smiled at me when he saw me enter the kitchen.
"Are you tired from your practice?" he asked me, and I nodded. Due to exhaustion, I fell asleep and didn't know how I made it back to my room. All I knew was that I woke up still in my uniform.
"Let's have dinner, our kids look very tired," Mom said as she pulled out my chair. I was still feeling sleepy; it was already late because I stayed up last night finishing my PowerPoint for tomorrow. Luckily, we didn't have any assignments today; the quizzes were scheduled for Friday, so I could sleep early.
After I sat down, I saw my brother smiling at me whenever I glanced at him. I looked at him in confusion.
"Why?" I asked, and he just shrugged and smiled.
"Do you have a crush?" I asked while not looking at him because I was serving rice on my plate.
"Papa, would you allow someone to court your monkey-like sister?" My brother suddenly asked Papa, making Mama burst into laughter. They were acting weird today.
"When your sister turns eighteen, she's still young, we don't have a baby anymore," Papa jokingly said to my brother.
"What are you guys talking about?" I said before taking a bite of my food. I just ate and let them be; I was really sleepy.
When I woke up, I stretched. I had a satisfying sleep today; it felt like a long night. After stretching, I went to the bathroom to take a shower. I put on the uniform that was hanging in the closet, it had already been ironed because once the clothes were dry, Manang would iron them. I also wore my black shoes with heels because heels give you confidence, especially during presentations like today.
After changing, I went downstairs. Papa wasn't eating with us because he had to go somewhere early.
"I'm nervous! You're next, Blessed," Pau said to me. I nodded while reviewing my PowerPoint to check for any mistakes. After Jasmin's presentation, we clapped, and then Ma'am asked questions, which she answered.
"Next! Miss Marvelous," Ma'am called me. I went to the front, connected my laptop to the TV, greeted them, and then started my introduction. I looked into Ma'am's eyes to avoid getting nervous. I read through my PowerPoint and explained it to them.
"Excuse me, Ma'am!" Some STEM students entered, including Frank.
"Yes?"
"Ma'am, can we check our insect?" A girl asked, accompanied by my brother. We were in the lab, and Ma'am preferred if we adjusted, instead of them.
"Sure, go to the back and be quiet because there's a report going on," Ma'am instructed.
"Okay, Ma'am," she said, and they went to the back. I noticed Frank glancing at me.
"Continue!" Ma'am said, so I continued, even though I felt his gaze. I just ignored him to avoid feeling more nervous. After my presentation, Ma'am asked me questions, which I answered, and my classmates applauded.
"We're done!" Jasmin happily said to me. I smiled because we were finished.
"Tomorrow will be the reporter, Mr. Micu and Ms. Agonoy," Ma'am announced, and we said our goodbyes. I glanced at Frank's seat and flinched when I saw him looking at me. I quickly looked away to avoid being seen.
"Frank is really handsome," a classmate said as we left the lab.
"I'd marry him," another one said.
"You guys have high aspirations!" Bet teased them. The two girls rolled their eyes at Bet.
"Why are you so nosy?" Jasmin said to her. As we walked, we passed by the SSG President, her hair was messy but it suited her.
"Blessed, we have a meeting at three o'clock in the lab," Clyde told me before leaving.
"Your crush is so handsome, Blessed!" Bet said with a smile. I couldn't help but smile.
"Hasn't Mr. President noticed your beauty yet, Blessed?" Pau teasingly asked me.
"Not yet," I pretended to pout and laughed. Suddenly, something fell behind us, and we screamed in surprise. We looked behind us and saw the broken insect container with insects scattered. I looked in front of us, and there stood the group that entered the lab earlier. Our eyes met with Frank's, and I noticed the clenching of his jaw.
"What happened?"  Mark's friend said, the girl wearing eyeglasses, said irritably while scratching her head.
"It's Frank's fault, he punched," Mark said, and we looked at Frank's hand, which was still bleeding. My brother was right; he does have anger issues.
"Why did Frank ruin our project?" the girl with eyeglasses angrily asked Frank. He glared at her and then suddenly looked at me. I was surprised when he looked at me. What did I do?
"I'll replace it," he said, then walked towards us. I was shocked when he passed in front of me and accidentally bumped into my shoulder. I almost stumbled, but luckily Bet was beside me.
"Are you okay?" she asked me. I just nodded. I shook my head at the guy's behavior. I didn't do anything to him, and the path was wide, why did he have to pass in front of me? I was starting to get annoyed with him.
We left with my friends after that. After our class at two o'clock, Merlyn called me for our meeting.
As we entered the lab, Kirby immediately approached me, and I smiled at him. He was also an SSG officer. I saw Clyde sitting, reading a paper with a serious expression. I was mesmerized by his good looks. He seemed to notice my gaze, so he looked at me too.
"Hello, Blessed! Sit here," he said, pointing to the seat beside him. I blushed, but thankfully he didn't notice. I couldn't help but feel giddy as I sat beside him, catching a whiff of his cologne. I could feel the warmth on my cheeks.
"Why are you blushing?" Shane suddenly asked me. I quickly touched my cheeks.
"It's hot, we were walking to the lab earlier," I made an excuse and smiled. I then looked at the quiet guy beside me, who was still reading his paper.
"Hey Frank! You're crumpling our paper!" we heard them say, so I looked in their direction. Frank was sitting there, glaring at our spot with Clyde. I quickly averted my gaze and looked at Clyde, who was now looking at me. I just smiled at him, feeling giddy inside.
The President began speaking, and I didn't realize I was already staring at him. My attention was only brought back when someone threw chalk at me.
"Ouch!" Clyde stopped and walked towards me, and I caught Frank smiling. As Clyde approached, he touched my forehead, leaving me stunned. I was taken aback when the door suddenly closed loudly.