Code Red : The Series

Chapter 5

Arkhava's POV

Stella, my cousin, was acting strangely. She kept glancing around, like a caged bird searching for an escape route. This has been going on for a while now. What was she up to?

"Stella? What's wrong?" I asked, concern lacing my voice.

"Just a sec..." she replied, her attention snapping to her phone like a startled deer. She began chatting with someone, a secretive smile playing on her lips.

"Who the heck is that, Stella?!" I snapped, annoyance prickling my skin. Her secretive behavior was a tiny, irritating pebble in my usually calm world. I wanted answers, but she wouldn't give them!

"Ito na..." she mumbled, eyes glued to her phone, the smirk now a knowing, infuriating curve.

This made me wonder…Did Stella have a boyfriend? I couldn't recall her mentioning one. Stella and I were practically joined at the hip; we shared everything! What was going on?

I glanced at my car—a 2023 BMW X3, a sleek, powerful machine reflecting my own independent spirit.

Well...I loved BMWs! I’d owned three already. Mang Isto, our ever-patient driver, waited, but Stella insisted on waiting. We were outside the campus, the afternoon sun beating down.

After a minute, Mang Isto's impatience became palpable, mirroring my own growing frustration. I couldn't understand what she was waiting for, and the uncertainty gnawed at me. I felt for Mang Isto; today was his daughter's birthday, and they planned a surprise after school. Stella!

"Who or what are we waiting for?!" I demanded, frustration simmering just below the surface.

"It's...uh...wait!" she yelled, her voice strained.

"Stella, I swear, if it's your boyfriend or whoever, and they take too long, I'm leaving you—" My frustration was a volcano ready to erupt, but a familiar voice cut me off.

"Ate Stella?" I turned, my jaw dropping in surprise.

" Laughs Nandito kana!! Yay!!!" Stella cheered, running to Cleiy and engulfing her in a hug.

I was surprised by their unrestrained happiness. Stella had been waiting for Cleiy, not a boyfriend.

Relief washed over me, a soothing balm on my frayed nerves. The tension eased... momentarily. But when Cleiy and I made eye contact…my vision blurred, my heart hammered against my ribs. It was a jolt, a raw, inexplicable energy that sent a shockwave through me. Heat flooded my cheeks, and I quickly looked away, my breath catching in my throat.

Stella was probably just saying goodbye to Cleiy before we left. I got in the car, sitting beside Mang Isto, the leather cool against my skin.

But then Stella opened the passenger door, and Cleiy got in.

I didn't know what to feel. Confusion reigned, a thick fog clouding my usually clear thoughts. What's she doing here?

Out of shyness, or maybe confusion and curiosity, I texted Stella: "What's Cleiy doing here?" I felt awkward, but the need to know burned brighter than my discomfort. My heart pounded a frantic rhythm against my ribs.

"Hey!! Anong ginagawa mo?! You're texting, and nasa tabi mo lang ako!!" Fck you, Stella! Fck you!!

I sat back, snapping back to reality. What's happening to me? I wasn’t usually this shy, this flustered. My usual calm was shattered, replaced by a disorienting sense of loss. The heck, Arkhava?!!

Trying to regain control, I glanced at Cleiy in the rearview mirror. Our eyes met, a silent, charged connection that sent a fresh wave of heat to my cheeks. I quickly looked away, my cheeks burning.

Pak!

"Ma'am?"

"Arkhava Everette!! Ano kaba? What's wrong with you?!"

I slapped myself. goddammit. What is happening to me?!!

*****

"Aray! Aray! What—what the fcking fck naman, Eve!" Stella cried out as I dragged her into the restroom, needing answers, needing to escape the suffocating intensity of my feelings.

I slammed the door, the sound echoing the turmoil inside me.

"Tell me, Stel, why is Cleiy here? I'm not saying I don't want her here, but…why didn't you tell me?!" I was confused, frustrated, a whirlwind of emotions swirling within me.

I didn’t know if I was mad at Stella for having a new friend, mad because she didn't tell me Cleiy was coming, or…

Cleiy's face, her quiet intensity, popped into my head, eclipsing all other thoughts.

"Eve, Big deal ba'to?…you didn't care who I hung out with, sabi mo as long as you're not involved."

I didn't understand what was happening to me either!

"I know we just met her, but…mabait naman sya, at gusto ko syang bilhan ng bagong glasses—" Stella added, her voice softer now.

"What?!"

"Yeah, yung matibay…Don't worry... I'm paying. Bakit? Ayaw mo ba sya kasama?" Stella asked.

"No, no, I mean, I don't have a problem with that…it's just…too fast, I think."

"What's too fast?"

"Your closeness with her! It's too fast!!" I shouted, the words a desperate attempt to understand my own reaction. My reflection stared back, a stranger caught in a storm of emotions.

"Ooooh, jealous because we've gotten closer?" She teased, her voice laced with amusement. What? No way!

"What?! Why would I be jealous of—"

"Don't worry babe, ikaw lang. Bff tayo eh." Oh…so that's what she meant…

"Tara na nga! Cleiy is waiting, ayaw nya pa naman sa crowds." This got me thinking…

Stella was about to leave when I grabbed her sling bag, a sudden, desperate need to stall the inevitable.

"Stella…how…uhm…how did you…get her number?" Stella's brow furrowed, her playful demeanor replaced by confusion.

"I…I don't remember you asking her." I added, my voice small.

"Busy ka kasi sa headphones mo." she said, her tone still confused but laced with a hint of playful understanding.

I felt embarrassed. I'd been so lost in my thoughts, so preoccupied with my feelings, that I hadn’t even noticed how Stella got Cleiy’s number.

"Oh…really? Then let's go." I walked off ahead of Stella, needing space to process the turmoil inside me.

As we left the restroom, Cleiy was outside, calmly eating a burger, a picture of serene composure.

—"Oh shoot!! Wait, Eve, Cleiy! Need kung...uhm, meron ako ngayon... hehe"

"It'll be quick." Stella said, waving goodbye and disappearing inside.

Now what? Silence hung between Cleiy and me, heavy and charged.

But wow. She's talkative with Stella, but quiet with me? That's it, little girl.

"So, why didn't you tell me you were coming with us?" I crossed my arms, facing her, trying to project an air of cool indifference that didn't quite match the frantic beat of my heart.

"Bakit hindi mo po tinanong si ate Stella?"

"Oh please…I wish I knew earlier, so I wouldn’t have had to ask you," I snapped, the words sharper than I intended.

"Oh, wow."

"Hey!!! I just noticed…I'm the first person you know, but why are you like this to me? You act mean to me?!" I complained, the words tumbling out in a rush.

"Mean? Kilan?" Oh, please.

"Arghhh, don't talk to me—"

"Sorry." she pleaded, taking my arm. This made me smirk, a small victory in the face of overwhelming emotion.

"Why are you apologizing? It's not a big deal. I was just joking..." I said, removing her hand, yet a part of me wished she hadn't let go.

One of her hands held her burger, the other mine for a fleeting moment. Hah! She should consider herself lucky; I never let anyone touch me, not even my cousin.

But I felt her hand was rough, calloused in places. People say that means you work hard. And hers was so small compared to mine. I couldn't help but smile, a genuine smile that surprised even me.

My self-consciousness hit me when I looked up and met her eyes. Embarrassed, I let go of her hand, but covered my face…and smelled the hamburger.

"Manyak mo talaga..." she said, her voice amused, taking a bite of her burger.

I don't usually touch people. But…why is it…with this girl, I have the urge to touch her?

"I'm not a perv, Cleiy, or is that why you're being mean to me?" I asked, remembering her calling me a perv earlier in my room.

"Huh? Serioso ka po masyado, ate Stella's better." she said, frowning, looking away, her voice quiet.

"What do you mean, 'Stella's better'?" I locked eyes with her, taking a step closer, the distance between us shrinking to almost nothing.

We were inches apart. I could smell her, a faint scent of something sweet and clean. Damn, it was good. I wanted to keep smelling it.

"It's just…you haven't tried me yet kasi, that's why you think she's better." I said, the words a low murmur, a seductive challenge.

Her eyes, her moles…so beautiful, captivating. I kept looking at them, lost in their depths.

"I don't want to, you're unpleasant to talk to."

"Huh?"

" Laughs Okay guys! Let's go!!" Stella interrupted, her voice a jarring intrusion into the charged space between us.

Cleiy immediately cuddled Stella's arm. They walked off, leaving me behind. Like I wasn't even there?!

Then Cleiy looked back, her eyes holding a hint of something…encouragement? My body moved before my mind could catch up.

"So, where first? Or…let's get your glasses done first, it'll take two hours to get them pa naman." Stella suggested, and Cleiy nodded.

"And…let's shop habang inaantay ang glasses mo" Stella added. I was on Stella's left, Cleiy on her right, still clinging to Stella's arm.

"Alright." I noticed Cleiy’s eyes meet mine again, a silent acknowledgment of the unspoken tension between us.

"Don't worry, baby girl, it'll be quick…then…school supplies gusto mo?" Stella asked Cleiy…What?! Sugar mommy?

"Parang subra na po iyan" Cleiy said, her voice quiet but firm.

"What do you mean, I have money, duh! Laughs" Stella laughed loudly, her unrestrained joy a stark contrast to the simmering emotions between Cleiy and me. Gosh, she had no shame, and there were so many people around!

Speaking of people around us... There eyes are clearly lock on cleiy. They look at her like she's not like us.

Fck them all!

"Thank you." I heard Cleiy said, but…she was looking at me!

What does she want me to do? Does she want me to buy her things too? What the heck?!

I sighed and saw a gadget store. I looked at the Apple Store and saw a new laptop. I looked back at Cleiy, chatting with Stella, the unspoken question hanging in the air between us.