Strings To Your Heart

Chapter 1: Unlucky First Day

7:30 AM. My alarm blared, pulling me from a deep sleep. I groggily opened my eyes, immediately feeling the weight of the day ahead. I had been up late last night, finishing a recording session here in Manila, and I barely managed to get a few hours of sleep before waking up. I still had my guitar with me from the session. It was going to be a long morning.

I also had some gifts to bring home—it was from my aunt, who had just returned from Japan. I didn’t have my uniform with me, so I had to wear a casual fit first and go home to drop off my things at my mom's before heading to school. I hurriedly grabbed my bag and put my guitar bag on my back. My dad was already in the driveway, revving up his motorcycle. The plan was to go to the bus station first and commute to my mom's house.

"Aren't you going to be late?" Dad asked nonchalantly. He’s always like this—sometimes, even when he’s mad, you can’t really tell. I shook my head, though deep inside, I already knew I was going to be late. I double-checked the house to make sure I hadn’t left anything behind, then hopped onto the motorcycle.

It felt like we were racing against time as we sped through the streets.

Is my dad a racer or something?

Even on narrow roads, between two trucks, he really tried to squeeze through to make sure I was on time. I didn’t complain, though—I had never been late in my entire life. The stress was already creeping up my spine. First day of school, and I was already running behind. To make matters worse, I was still carrying my guitar and Dad’s gifts, knowing I’d have to drop them off before heading to class.

We arrived at the bus station just as expected. I hurriedly grabbed my stuff and removed my helmet.

"Thanks, Dad," I said with a smile.

"You're welcome." He kissed me on the cheek, then reached into his pocket. "Sorry, this is all I can give you for now. This is for your fare and some extra allowance." He handed me 20 bucks and patted my head.

This is why I love staying in Manila—JUST KIDDING!

It may have been small to him, but for me, it was a big gesture. "Don't worry, Jade. Once things get better, you can have a vacation here." He wiggled his eyebrows playfully.

I laughed and hugged him one last time before waving goodbye. With my heavy bags, I ran inside, hoping I wouldn’t be too late to catch the bus to Cavite.

Once I got on the bus, I immediately searched for my AirPods and blasted music in my ears. I played the demo we recorded last night, and honestly? IT WAS GOOD!

I couldn’t sleep, though—I kept checking the time. 8:20 AM. The bus still hadn’t moved since it was waiting for more passengers. I spotted a schoolmate since we had the same ID lace, so I put mine on to get the student discount.

My phone vibrated with a notification—it was Dad.

Dad: Hello 'nak, I’m home now. How about you?

SHOOT! It was already 8:30. Dad knew the bus ride was only 30 minutes long, so he expected us to arrive home at the same time.

Jade: Daddy, not yet. I'm still here. The bus is waiting for passengers.

Dad: Ah, is that so? I should’ve dropped you off somewhere else.

Jade: It's okay, Dad. I probably won’t be late... hehe.

Even though I know I WILL BE!

Especially since I just remembered—they're doing road construction somewhere along the way.

The road is perfectly fine, but they destroy it just to fix it again.

By the time the bus was full and finally moving, I sighed in relief. But it was already 8:50!!! Worse, there was traffic. I ignored it and, after many minutes, I finally arrived at the tricycle station near our house. I felt guilty about cutting in line and taking a special ride, but luckily, the driver picked up more passengers, so it wasn’t too expensive. I messaged my uncle to drop me off at the jeep station after I left my things at home. He just reacted with a “like” emoji.

Are guys always this nonchalant?

After dropping off my things, I ran out of the house, making sure I still had everything—my guitar, my bag, and my dad’s souvenirs. By some miracle, I got to the jeep station earlier than expected.

9:45 AM. Traffic was bad, but my timing was perfect. I managed to squeeze into a full jeep and barely avoided being late. We made our way to the highway, weaving through traffic. Thankfully, the jeep wasn’t as crowded as usual, so I had some space to breathe.

As we approached the school, I couldn’t help but feel the excitement bubble up inside me. Sure, it had been a hectic morning, but this was the start of another school year, and that familiar rush of anticipation filled me.

It was 10:00 AM, 15 minutes before class started. I arrived just in time to meet up with Catherine, who was already waiting outside in her uniform, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Finally!" she called out. "I thought you were going to be late for sure!"

"You're the one who's always late," I pointed at her. "It's a miracle you’re early today." I adjusted my bag strap.

She shrugged. "It’s the first day, duh." She chuckled, and I motioned for us to go inside.

We weaved through the bustling hallways and found our classroom—STEM 7-2. Since we’d both spent 11th grade here, we knew the place like the back of our hands. We quickly grabbed two empty seats at the back.

I hesitated before sitting because I had to choose—sit next to a random guy or let Catherine sit there. She had a boyfriend, so of course I ended up in the middle. As I settled in, I realized my seatmate looked familiar. Where have I seen him before?

Then it hit me—Diana, my childhood friend from another section, would not stop talking about him last year. She had a huge crush on him. River.

The teacher walked in, and the room immediately quieted.

"Good morning, everyone! Welcome back to school. Welcome to STEM 7-2." The class responded enthusiastically, and then came the part I dreaded—the introductions.

Each of us had to introduce ourselves in a creative way. Some acted out movie scenes, others sang, and when it was my turn, I had no choice but to do a mini modeling routine, striking a few poses while my classmates laughed. That wasn’t so bad.

Then it was Catherine’s turn. "Good morning, classmates!" She waved like a beauty queen. "My name is Catherine. Leaving a saying that… The friendship is CATH-astrophic ang if they're true to you!" Woah, that was actually good! Even though it's not really rhymed!. I cheered along with the others. I glanced at River—he was chuckling.

Then it was his turn.

"Hello, I'm River Cruz."

Wait. River Cruz? Isn’t that an actor’s name?

He picked up a marker and wrote on the board. "My name is spelled 'River'…"

Wow, he even came prepared.

"But it's pronounced 'Ray-ver'."

And that was it. No extra effort. He just stood there and introduced himself like he couldn’t care less.

How was that creative? He just wrote his name on the board!

After the introductions, the teacher went through the usual homeroom announcements and orientation. My mind wandered as I tried to focus on the lesson. The room was freezing, and my jacket wasn't doing much to keep the chill at bay. I excused myself to the bathroom, needing a quick break to stretch my legs. After splashing cold water on my face, I returned to the classroom, hoping the cold would wake me up.

When I entered, I was surprised to see River standing near the door, about to leave. Our eyes met briefly, and for some reason, my heart skipped a beat. He stepped aside to hold the door open for me, and I mumbled a quiet, "Thanks," hoping he heard me. River gave me a casual nod, not missing a beat as he turned back to go to the restroom. There was something different about the way he looked at me, but I couldn't quite place it. I sat down and tried to focus on the lesson again, but my thoughts kept drifting back to that moment.

"Psst," Cath whispered, leaning closer to me.

"What?" I asked.

"Is he your type?" she asked, her eyes glinting with mischief.

"What? Of course not!" I blurted out—probably louder than I should have.

"Do you want to share something with the class?" Mr. Reyes asked, looking directly at us. I could hear our classmates snickering.

UGH! You're dead to me, Catherine!

"No, sir," I replied quickly, looking down in embarrassment. I elbowed Cath, but she just laughed. Thankfully, River had just returned to the classroom and hadn't witnessed the whole thing. But he did look a little confused, as if wondering what had happened.

That was so embarrassing!

"Well, moving on..." Mr. Reyes continued.

After a few hours, it was finally our 30-minute break. I decided to take a chance and approach River. The conversation earlier still lingered in my mind, and I couldn't help but ask him about it.

"Hey, thanks again for holding the door earlier," I said, trying to sound casual but still feeling a bit awkward.

River gave me a teasing grin. "That was the bare minimum, Jade."

I paused for a second, surprised that he even remembered my name. Oh, right. We introduced ourselves earlier. I chuckled, shaking my head. "Yeah, I know. But it's still appreciated."

I studied his face for a moment. "You know, you look familiar. Like... a friend of a friend of mine."

He raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Who are you talking about?"

"Yana," I said. "I'm pretty close with her. You know her, right?"

"Yeah, I know her," he replied. "We're classmates from last year."

I nodded as if I was connecting the dots. Then, out of nowhere, he asked, "Wait, were you the only one absent yesterday?"

Why is he asking that? Is he interested?

I blinked in surprise. "Ah, yeah." I nodded. We had an online class yesterday, so I figured it wasn’t a big deal since it was just orientation.

River looked a little surprised at how short my answer was. He just scratched his head. "I see." He nodded and paused for a moment before asking, "You're the one who won the Intramural singing competition last year, right?"

I nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of my lips. "Yeah, that was me."

He chuckled nervously. "I guess I missed that part."

There was a small ache in my chest at the thought that he hadn’t seen my performance. Out of all the people there, he wasn’t one of them?

"Well, I'm not always in the spotlight," I said, regaining some of my confidence. "How about you? I know that you play guitar."

He looked surprised. "Yana told you?"

I nodded. "Yup, remember? I’m close with Yana."

"Ahh, yes." He chuckled.

OH MY GOODNESS.

That dimple of his—it only showed when he laughed.

He continued nodding in understanding. "So that’s why you seemed familiar." We both laughed, and for a moment, everything felt easy—like we were just two people getting to know each other. But then, the bell rang, signaling the end of break, and we had to get back to class.

The rest of the class flew by, and before I knew it, it was time to pack up. As I gathered my things, I heard River’s voice. "It was fun talking to you. Take care, Jade."

His words caught me off guard, and I turned to look at him. I smiled and nodded. "Thanks, you too." Then he walked out of the room. I turned to look at Cath, who had already finished packing her things. She stood beside me, arms crossed, giving me a look that was way too smug for my liking.

"What?" I frowned.

"Oh, I didn’t say anything." She raised her hands like she was surrendering.

I rolled my eyes. "Let’s just go."

As we walked out of the classroom, his words stayed with me. There was something about the way he said it—something that made me think that maybe this day wasn’t as ordinary as I had thought.

But whatever it was, I couldn’t quite figure it out yet.