Somewhere Between Friends

2nd Stop

Nakita ko ang gulat sa mukha ni Cameron!  Parang maiiyak ito sa inis.  Hindi yata sanay sa mga ganoong biro!

"GUYS!"  Bigla akong tumayo kaya naglayuan sila sa amin.  I took my chair and stand on it.  "Pink, what you heard is true,"  I heard some buzzing sound.  "I love Cameron, with all my heart......since day one!"  

"Stop it, Alex! Kalokohan mo!"  hinaltak ni Cameron ang pantalon ko.  "Will you please sit down?! Nakakahiya ka!"

"Not yet, Princess........"  hinarap ko muli ang mga kaklase namin.  "I love my Princess and I will protect her till my last breath........Bully her, and you will face the consequences,"  I folded my arms.  

"Mason, we also need your protection, right girls? And besides, wala namang nambu-bully sa kanya dito, eh"  napatingin ako kay Nadine.  The school's Queen Bee.  They say that every guy in the school is attracted to her.....well, I am not.  Cameron is more beautiful than her.

"You already have your gangsters, Nadine.......but my Princess only has me,"  bumaba na ako mula sa tinutuntungan ko.  "I am here to serve you, My Princess."  And I bowed in front of her.

"And you need to serve me as well, Young Man," napatingin kami sa bagong dating na guro na nakataas ang kilay.  Agad na nagbalikan sa kani-kaniyang upuan ang mga estudyante.  "Take your seat guys.  You are so young for these things!"  Her eyes are fixed on me.  It seems like she wanted to eat me whole.  No, it's not like that.  Parang gusto niyang sabihin sa aking makakarating sa magulang ko ang kalokohang ginagawa ko.

I just smiled at her and take my seat as well.  Inilayo ko na ang silya kay Cameron na umirap sa akin.  Narinig ko pang nagsabi siya ng "Buti Nga" bago ako tuluyang nakalayo sa kanya.  

"I am Mrs. Ambrosio, your Math teacher," she wrote her name on the board.  "Clear your desks, keep your things away.  Take only a pen, nothing more,"  she took out some papers from her bag look at each one of us.  

Then she walks towards us and gave me and Cameron a bunch of papers, as well as the other students sitting in front of the remaining four rows.

"Now, get one and pass and on my cue, you flip your papers and start answering.  I will only give you an hour to answer all the questions and we are going to check it afterward,"  she said as she walks back to her table.  I gave a glance at Cameron.  She looks so excited.  

"I know, you haven't taken this yet," she said. "But I want to know how much knowledge you have for this subject.  Just a hundred items for one hour is long enough for you to answer whatever is in there," she seated on her chair. "On my cue,"  she looks at her watch.  "Start,"  if you are not listening intently, you will not hear what she said because of the noise from the students who are walking in the corridor.

 I read all the questions first and I smiled.

Easy-peasy.  No sweat at all. Seems like I am just drinking water as I read the questionnaire.  I smiled since the answers are already flowing in my head right now.  

I looked at my watch.  It's been twenty minutes since we started the test. I yawn and get up from my seat.  I saw Cameron's eyes followed me.

"Done, Mr. Prince?" I nod and grinned at her.  I gave her my paper and she studied it then looks up at me under her specs.  She's still not smiling.  Me, on the other hand, plastered the smile on my lips.  

"Have you taken this before?" I shook my head.  She cleared her throat and look down at the paper again.  Seems like she doesn't want to believe that I am the one who wrote the answers in there.

"I like numbers, Mrs. Ambrosio.  Though I like that Prince nick, Ma'am, I preferred Mason still," I returned to my seat without waiting for her reply.  

I heard others murmuring and looking at me.  I ignored them and looked at Cameron.  She's almost done as well.

She's really smart. If you didn't know anything about Trigo, for sure you cannot answer even the simplest one of those hundred questions.

I looked outside the corridor.  Mangilan ngilan na lang ang nag-lalakad doon.  Bigla kong naisip si Alexa.  She's in her school at this moment, trying to get along with the other kids as well.  Si Mom naman, she is trying to win back our father.  I don't know how she will do that but I know, she can do it for us, for Alexa who wanted to see Dad so badly.

"Time is up!"  I looked at Mrs. Ambrosio.  I looked at my watch.  It's been forty minutes since I finished the exam, and I was lost in my own world for that long!  

I heard some of the students complaining.  There are two reasons why they are complaining.  It's either they need a longer time to answer the test or they really don't know the answer to the questions.  

"You finished it?"  I asked Cameron.  She looks at me, frowning.

"You didn't see me get up and gave my paper to the teacher?"  she raised her brow.

I smiled and shook my head.   Inirapan na naman ako.  Eh sa hindi ko naman talaga nakita, anong magagawa ko!

"Now, I want you to take one paper and check that as we answer the questions one by one,"  I took one paper.  I didn't know who owns this.  I flipped the paper.  There's almost nothing in there other than his name!

"Dude, akin yan,"  then he winked at me.  "Paki-sulat........OUCH!" I chuckled when I saw what Ms. Ambrosio did to him.  She tapped his head with a bunch of papers in her hand.  

"What do you want Alexis to write?"  she raised her brow.  Napangiti ako.  She knows my name already.  

He shook his head.  "Nothing, Ma'm," he looks at me and smiled.  I just shrugged my shoulder.

"Sorry,"  I mouthed.  

Though I wanted to write something with at least twenty answers, I cannot.  I am highly against cheating.

I can see that Cameron is really active in class.  For most of the questions, she's raising her hand to answer them.  Sometimes, Mrs. Ambrosio is really ignoring her, though she's the only one who's raising her hand.  She's calling other students whom she knows are trying to avoid her. And I didn't bother to answer.  Don't want to take the spotlight from Cameron.

"Wrong," I heard Ms. Ambrosio said. I saw the surprise on my Princess's face.  It seems like she cannot believe that it happened.  

"Who can answer problem number 100?" still, I didn't raise my hand.  "Nobody?" She looks at me but I tried to avoid her stare. Don't want to boast around on the first day. "I found one who answered this question correctly......Alexis," napilitan tuloy akong tumingin sa kanya.  

"Yes Ma'am,"  I can see from the side that Cameron is glaring at me.  

"Get up in there and explain how did you get the answer," I took a deep breath and walks toward the board.

"Hi," napakamot ako ng ulo.  Some of the students answered back.   I looked at Cameron who is not smiling at all, just staring at me.  I took the chalk and flipped it in my hand. 

'Here it goes again, Mason......teaching time!'

 "Point A.........."  it's a long equation, actually.  Paminsan minsan, nililingon ko sila dahil baka sa sobrang haba ng ipinapaliwanag ko, makatulog na sila.

"That's perfect, Alex......"

"Sorry Ma'am but I prefer Mason," I smiled.

"Then Mason it is!" she holds my shoulder and turned me around.  I saw admiration in their eyes, except for one. I frown because I saw hatred in there.

"Who's holding his paper!" a girl raised her hand.  "The score?"

"Perfect score Ma'm!" she tucked her hair at the back of her ear and smiled.  She's kinda pretty.  There are lots of pretty girls in this school.

"I knew it!" she walks towards the girl and took my paper.  "See his sheets?" she flipped it over and over.  "No scratches, no corrections.....you need to be like him."

I want to melt in embarrassment where I am standing right now.  I walked towards my chair and seated there.

"This is really embarrassing," I whispered to Cameron.  "I don't like this."

She gave me a sharp look. "Really? Seems like you are enjoying it!" she forced a smile.

I frown. "Are you mad at me?"  I didn't do anything wrong to her.  But she didn't answer me anymore back.

"Class dismissed," Mrs. Ambrosio said. Nagulat na lang ako ng biglang tumayo mula sa kinauupuan niya si Cameron.

I followed her.  "Cam! Wait!" but she ignored me. "Cam!" she walked faster.

"Mason,"  napalingon ako kay Mrs. Ambrosio.  "You need to represent your class in TMC,"  for the first time, I saw her smile! "Cameron was the President of the club last year.   Come with her tomorrow and meet the members."

"Thank you Ma'am.  Don't worry, I will be there,"  tinapik niya ako sa balikat at naglakad na palayo.

"Mason!"  napalingon ako kay Prox.  "You are really smart!  May mali ako eh, ten," kwento pa niya.

"Buti ka nga, ten, ako, one hundred,"  The guy who almost wrote nothing on the exam sheet except his name. "Maynard," he introduced himself.  "May for short," napatawa ako.  Kakaiba ang mga pangalan ng mga nakikilala ko.  Ang kukulit kasi ng mga nicknames nila.  Ross has a feminine nick from his real name, Rosendo.  May as well, from Maynard.  Si Prox lang ang medyo astig na ang tunay na pangalan ay Proximo.

"Tska, kilala mo pala si Cameron,"  tumango ako.  "Matalino iyon, eh, laging nasa top spot. Kaya kapag sinupladahan ka nun, pabayaan mo na lang muna.  Di kasi iyon sanay na may mas matalino sa kanya, kaso, simula nang mag-start ang klase ngayong araw, ikaw ang bida!"

"Hindi naman siguro.  I know her since we were kids.  She's really smart then, till now........"

"And beautiful but really snob!" I laughed.  "Kaya siguro konti lang ang mga kaibigan niya...."

"Being in a small circle doesn't mean that you are no good.  Perhaps, she preferred to be like that," I tapped his shoulder as he scratched his head.  "Come, next class."  Sinenyasan ko din si Prox na sumunod.  

May narinig kaming sumitsit.  It's Ross.  Kasalukuyan pa itong may klase pero nangungulit na sa amin.  

"Mamaya,"  sabi niya sa akin.  "Pati kayong dalawa, ha!  Lalo ka na, softie!"

"Bakit pati ako?" tanong ni May.  "Sorry, but I'll pass.  I preferred the chess club."

"Boring," he rolled his eyes.  "Lagi ka na lang naka-upo kaya bumibilog iyang tiyan mo!"  natawa kami ni Prox.  "Galaw galaw kapag may time!"

"MR. VENTURA!" biglang umayos ng upo ito.  Pinigilan naming matawa at nagmamadali naming nilagpasan ang classroom ni Ross.

"Daldal talaga nun!  Buti di natin naging classmate,"  reklamo ni May.  

"Next year daw, sabi niya,"  banggit naman ni Prox sa sinabi ni Ross kanina.  "And sumama ka daw mamaya sa try out." 

Hindi ko na sila pinansin.  Nauna na akong pumasok sa loob ng classroom.  I saw Cameron in there, and as usual, holding a book.  Wala ng bakanteng silya sa tabi niya kaya sa likuran ako umupo.I waited for the class to finish before I talk to her.

Pero katulad ng dati, tinakbuhan na naman ako!  Para akong may sakit na nakakahawa!

And the project  "Chasing the Princess named Cameron" started.........