Dear Rival

{Chapter 10}

Tanya's POV.

The next week came faster than Tanya expected. Spark Academy’s halls were buzzing with new faces mostly transferees and among them were her cousins, Sophia and William.

Both were the same age as Tanya, so it was no surprise that they ended up in the same year level. Tanya didn’t really expect them to transfer to her school, especially since Tita Natalia once said they’d probably stay in Manila. But apparently, Kuya Killian had convinced their parents to let them study in Spark too.

“You’re guiding them, right, Tanya?” Tita Natalia asked that morning before class.

“Yes, Tita. Don’t worry po, I’ll make sure they don’t get lost,” Tanya replied with a reassuring smile.

Spark Academy’s campus was huge filled with rows of dorms, courts, labs, a swimming pool, and gardens that made it feel more like a small city than a school. It wasn’t easy for new students to adjust, especially in a place that big.

When Tanya entered the cafeteria with William and Sophia, the familiar group of Shan’s friends Brent, Xian, Jc, Aiden, Cath, Shell, Denise, and Keisha were already seated.

“Uy, sino ‘yan?” Brent whispered, eyeing William suspiciously.

“Baka bagong admirer ni Tanya,” Xian teased, which earned him an elbow from Keisha.

“Ha? Hindi ah! That’s her cousin!” Denise said quietly.

“Cousin or ‘cousin’?” Cath added with a playful smirk.

William, being naturally friendly, didn’t help with the situation. He smiled at Tanya a lot, carried her bag without her asking, and even saved her a seat beside him in class. It looked perfectly normal to Tanya he was just being his usual helpful self. But to Shan’s group? It looked suspiciously sweet.

“Dude, I think William likes Tanya,” Jc said while making faces that Keisha found so annoying.

“You think so?” Brent asked, leaning closer to see Tanya and William laughing across the room.

Shan didn’t answer. He just kept his eyes on them for a moment, then looked away, pretending it didn’t bother him.

Later that afternoon, Cath started gossiping with her usual sparkle. “Seryoso, the new guy? He’s like Tanya’s type quiet but gentleman.”

“Quiet? He’s too nice,” Shell commented, not even looking up from her w*****d story.

By the end of the day, half the group already believed that William liked Tanya, and the rumor began to spread quietly throughout Spark Academy’s halls.

Meanwhile, Tanya remained clueless.

All she knew was that she finally had cousins around and for the first time in a while, school didn’t feel as lonely anymore.

But to one person watching silently from a distance, it did.

Shan’s grip on his pen tightened as he saw Tanya wave goodbye to William outside the library.

He told himself it didn’t matter.

He told himself he didn’t care.

But the way his chest tightened said otherwise.