Story Deleted

Chapter 3

/3/ Fascinating

God made man small

and universe big

to say something

about Himself

- John Piper

.

KHEL'S POV

.

"H-Hi, Khel!"

"Girls, si Khel!"

"Yiiie! Hello, Khel!"

"Gosh! He's so hot!"

Girls are scattered at the hallway, shrieking like shrimps in romance, eyes are twinkling as they follow me with their gazes. Some tried to greet me, some simply admires me, some are whispering about me. Basically, all is about me.

I guess that's what they call "fangirls".

"Tch. Hindi mo man lang ba papansinin 'yung mga chicks na bumabati sa'yo, bro? H'wag ka namang snob!"

Again, Brint the moron is walking by my side. Meanwhile, I remain pokerface, hands inside my pockets, eyes in front and walking straight in the corridor like a prince.

Hindi ko pinapansin ang mga babaeng nagkalat sa gilid ng daanan. They all look so desperate to get my attention. Well, let them adore me and worship my existence.

Gano'n naman kasi ang karamihan sa mga babae 'di ba? Basta gwapo, basta famous, hahangaan nila agad. Then let them be. Let them be swayed and fall to their stupid love fantasies. Sila rin naman ang masasaktan sa huli.

"Bro! Wala ka talagang balak i-entertain iyong mga fangirls mo? Sayang naman. Tingnan mo sila, oh! Iyung iba sexy at may itsura," Brint said to me. "Kung ako sa'yo papatulan ko na ang mga 'yon."

"Then go, flirt with them. No one's stopping you anyway," walang ganang tugon ko.

We're now stepping down the stairs, heading back to the lower floor where our classroom was located.

"Ang kaso, hindi ako ang gusto nila. IKAW!" aniya at tinuro ako. "You should learn to appreciate your gifts, bro. Ibinibigay na sa'yo ang hinahangad ng maraming lalaking katulad ko! H'wag mo namang sayangin ang opportunity."

"I'd rather lose the opportunity to flirt, than to lose my time with things unnecessary."

"Tch. Sabi ko na nga ba't sasabihin mo iyan." Bumuntong hininga siya at ngumisi. "You're not Khel if you're interested in girls. D*mn, bro! Mukhang tatanda ka niyang binata. Hahaha!"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Who says I care?"

Muli, tumawa si Brint na parang asong ulol. "Wahahaha! Kapag ikaw talaga'y pinaglaruan ng tadhana, magsisisi ka. You're saying that because you've never been in love, bro. But once you do, that superior perspective of yours will all collapse in a snap!"

I gave him a glance with my eyes squinting. "That's disgusting. You sounded like a love prophet. Geez!"

"Really? Was I? Hahaha!" Tumawa na naman siya. "Walang'ya, bro! Nabasa ko lang iyon sa social media. Love Advice 101. Feeling ko tuloy sobrang talino ko na pagdating sa pag-ibig. Hahaha! Hahahahaha!"

He totally lost it. Crackhead moron.

I clicked my tongue and lightly shook my head. "You're hopeless."

After having conversation while we're walking downstairs, finally, Brint and I arrived at the lower surface. Luckily, walang masyadong tao sa area na 'to. Tahimik at medyo madilim.

Out of nowhere, may lumitaw na female student sa harapan ko. Dahil dito, napahinto ako sa paglalakad at gano'n din si Brint. With eyes in suspicion, I stare at the girl who's now in front of us.

"U-Um..." she's stammering. Her head bowing low and she can't seems to meet my gaze. "P-Pasensya na sa abala, Khel. G-Gusto ko lang s-sanang i-ibigay 'to sa'yo. Sana ma-magustuhan mo."

She extended her hand and gave me a box of chocolates, with a letter on it saying: "I like you, Khel".

I maintain my cool attitude, staring at the box of chocolates holding by the girl's hand. Well, to tell you the truth, I know to myself that this isn't new to me. In fact, twice or thrice a week , I receive several gifts from my admirers. So what makes this girl different? None. Simply plain and boring.

"Uy!" Pasimple akong siniko ni Brint dahil nilalamon na kami ng katahimikan dito. "Magsalita ka naman. Tanggapin mo. H'wag mong ipahiya si baby girl."

Baby girl my ass!

Ngumiwi ako, saka napipilitang kinuha ang box ng chocolates. Napangiti naman 'yung babae nang gawin ko iyon. She may be thinking that just because I took her gift, I perhaps like her or I have feelings for her. Hah! In her dreams.

Once I got her gift, she immediately bowed her head and said, "E-Enjoy the chocolates!"

Then the girl ran off to the open hallway, like some sort of ninja, and she just vanished from my sight. The only trace she left behind is this chocolate's box that she gave me.

Ngumisi si Brint sa akin. "Naks naman, bro! Dati love letters lang, ngayon may pa-chocolate na. Nagi-improve ang fans club mo, ah? May budget!"

I threw a deadpan look at him. "Your jealousy stinks."

"Oy! Hindi ako nagseselos ah! Sinong nagsasabing nagseselos ako? Wala. Kasi 'di iyon totoo," depensa n'ya. But I don't believe him. It's written in his face that he's jealous. "Haysh! Me-Medyo lang naman..."

"Tch." He's always a moron. "Here. I don't need it."

I tossed the box of chocolates to him, and Brint immediately caught it with his two hands.

"Te... Teka..." aniya at tila 'di makapaniwalang binigay ko sa kaniya iyung kahon ng tsokolate. He blinked many times. "Anong gagawin ko rito?"

"Slap it on your face, moron."

Then I moved forward and, again, begun stepping down the hallway. Footsteps followed after me, which means Brint is now walking behind my track.

I even heard him laughed, as though he's happy or just plainly crazy. He uttered, "Kahit medyo harsh, thank you pa rin, bro. Hahahaha!"

***

1:30 pm, analog clock says while hanging on the wall.

Lately, this afternoon, subject teachers were called for a meeting. So the classes were temporarily suspended, but we should stay inside the school until the end of the class hours. As an excuse from the kingdom of boredom, tumambay muna ako dito sa Sci-Lab. Because, in case if you don't know, science laboratory is my sanctuary, second to the library.

And, no, hindi ko kasama si Brint ngayon dahil nakatulog siya sa loob ng classroom. It would be rude if I wake him up, so I let him sleep there as I entertain myself inside the lab.

There are a lot of interesting stuffs inside the Sci-Lab. Aside from the digital board in front, the tables and chairs at the middle, divider full of medical apparatuses at the back, human anatomy model displayed on the wall, charts of mathematical equations, and more, my favorite is the miniature model of the solar system.

Nakapatong sa table and maliit na modelo ng ating solar system. The sun, earth, other planets, asteroids, comets, and more were all beautifully made in tiny sizes. Pinaglalaruan ko 'to at paisa-isang iniikot ang mga planeta sa araw.

While I was playing with the solar-system-model, I remembered what Neil Degrasse Tyson, a cosmologist, once said.

Universe has no obligation to make sense to you.

It's partially true. Come to think of it; scientists, from then 'till now, have been searching a thousands of year for answers about the universe's existence. But whenever we get closer to the answer, the answer becomes blurry. It becomes blurry until it seems to make no sense at all.

The universe fascinates me so much.

"If mathematics and science aren't powerful enough to reveal the mystery of universe..." I muttered while moving the miniature earth around the sun. "...then what could be more powerful than those to unveil the answers?"

Fascinating, isn't it?

Logical reason is far more acceptable than believing there's a Holy Creator who created us. It's a lunacy.

Right on cue, the laboratory's door opened. I lifted my gaze and saw Ms. Blanche, our english teacher, standing at the doorframe.

"Mr. Khel Davidson, can I talk to you?"

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