Love Beyond Time

Chapter 2: Things that happened before

The days passed by, it's just normal, Mary is always with me ever since, since birth probably, we have been talking in our mother's womb because they are cousins.

Every home economics subject, we go all

to the agriculture area or our garden in school, this is one of my favorite things to do in school, planting, remove weeds, watering plants, and of course the most exciting part, landscaping

Take off uniform, change a t-shirt and slippers for not get dirty.And because we always wear a uniform, home economics subject become fashion show time, chance for rich students to expose their branded clothes. Rich kids indeed, not placing their behavior in this.

I was simple back then, no fancy clothes, no expensive shoes, but what I'm proud of is ,I'm just pretty smart and diligent in class, kidding, just slight

While I was looking for a place

to take off shoes, I sit down in an empty space nearby on the stairs to the principal's office suddenly..

"that's my place"

I didn't say a word,thinking I was not the one talking and I'm busy in removing shoes.

"I said, that's my place"

When I raised my face, it's Mr.

Valedictorian,Carl. He assume he's the son of the owner ,it's annoying, he is not the son of Henry Sy (lol). I say a lot in my mind but because everyone is ashamed of him, nothing all I could do was stand up and change place.

Mary called me on the other area, but Sir sent me back because we have assigned area That was my first encounter with that man.And because it's Friday the 13th, my bad luck not ended there. How

did it happen in one row?

While I was fixing those

plant to be moved to our area, suddenly

I stood with a bucket of water suddenly passed by behind me is Erico, a bully,

ugly and selfish man

By accident, I spilled

him a dirty water, although

just a little.

"Oh,I'm so sorry, I don't know that you will pass here"

He didn't say anything, but it was obvious

his eyes are glaring in anger,

as if he wanted to kill me.

"Are you stupid? or are you blind"? and suddenly push me to the grass with

included fertilizers (cow's poop).He'll even throw the bucket at me,

when suddenly someone pulled up behind him.

"Bro, only girl can you hit?" followed by a sarcastic and one sided smile.

Everyone's world stopped, their focused is on them while students murmuring.

"Ah! They were the ones who fought before"

"This is like the scene on the first day of school, because of the girl again!" said a woman standing near where I was sitting.

Paolo was an outsider then, he was from the other campus but because Erico bullied the one he was courting, he went to our campus. Maybe that's the reason why he transferred here to our school, really? for a girl?

Why! Paolo also has a sense of sincerity. I know right, he is more matured compared to us.

At our age, we are more attracted than

in-love, you are more aggressive than

sincere. I just realized a lot of things

now that I'm adult. I also realized that being a kid are very shallow in liking a person.

But I can't deny the feeling that you are excited to enter the room as you have a handsome classmate and he is behind me, the nervousness is different when he looks at me. And it's different when he's there. Those feelings were so genuine. Nothing compares to that. But that's all, I don't have any deeper feelings towards him before. Who would like that kind of person, a brat, who doesn't care about study.And that's it, before they could fight again, well, Sir was there and was stopped immediately."Thank you" I said to Paolo in a modest and low voice, of course, he doesn't response.

We just continued with our activities. Beautify with landscape, of course I put in all my effort as a leader in our area while the rest, the rich kids are just sitting, cheering here, cheering there, the boys who don't even want to lift a bucket of water, Gosh!

But to be honest, that's one of the things I enjoy did it in high school.

Moving forward..... Three months

after.

A big event at the school is coming, everyone was busy especially the teachers, no one was in class and the others were constantly practicing for presentations. I was lying down on my arm chair, when Ma'am Alcantara suddenly approached me saying

"Angela, you're one of those who will represent our section in the recital, right?

I'll look for your companions, for the meantime, read this script of yours first"

"Okay ma'am" I answered,

of course I'm very happy to be one of the

those who will represent, another chance

to show off, and slay.

While I was busy reading in the back of our room, there weren't many people there...

Someone approached me "Angela, do you have the script for the recital? Can I borrow it? "Ah! Alright, of course, here it is"

Wow, this person approached me

While handing the paper to Carl.

"Are you going to be long? Can you return it back right away? I'm also memorizing"

"you ehh, if we memorize together, we're totally in the same section, we'll represent the same thing"

Ah, maybe he is one of ma'am's chosen ones.And since only one script was given and he was too lazy to make a photocopy of it, I had no choice but to go with him. I'm nervous, our handsome but weird Valedictorian will be memorizing with me, I'm also thinking that I might be called to the Principal's office because we might have an issue.

While we were in the Science lab to memorize, some students were coming, including Mary and my other classmates, the others stared as if something what happened

"Yiieeee

Why are you all here alone?" Some of our classmates shouted and teasing us at the same time.

I immediately went out and Mary suddenly pulled my hand and said "Why are you together? Maybe

You will be issued a summons to the Principal's office, do you know that no one else talks about that, only you

he talk like that, and the two of you are here alone together?"

I just couldn't speak, right!, that guy is not sociable since he's so smart, no one is even friends with him, he is so much weird, why did he still approach me?

I just left the script with him and waited for him to finish. Friday afternoon at 3:00 pm, it was overcast but the school was still very noisy due to the preparation for the school's Founding Anniversary. I was quiet in my chair, alone still memorizing when suddenly someone sat behind me, he bent down in his arm chair and seemed to be going to sleep because he was not busy with life.

Not realizing the time, it turned out to be home, at the same time as the rain fell heavily and the wind was very strong.

I think the one Mary and I picked up is outside, but she's not there yet, where did that girl go?

While waiting for the rain to stop and Mary too, I just stood at the door while watching the children bathe in the rain and carry their bags in front.

It's really fun to be a kid, isn't it? Suddenly, someone opened an umbrella behind me and reached out to me

"You're going in without an umbrella, are you a girl or not?"

Because of the shock I suddenly looked, that cold, mysterious man, Paolo! It's like I'm frozen in place, I'm speechless and just looking at him as he reached for the umbrella.

Of course I just took the umbrella and suddenly he ran into the rain while putting his bag on his head.

I just smiled while watching him. Because we are still a kid,all I could think was, he was very kind. No expectations, no assumptions.

That's it.

Innocent minds but with heart and

mind that care for others and of course

let's not judge others base from what

we are seeing, but let's consider also

their inner thoughts and feelings.

I'm also thinking, how are they with the girl he courting and she's the reason he transferred schools?

I heard that the girl is not interested in him, because she wants a high profile student.

Weeks after..

We met Irish, I have seen her before because we are in the same barangay but their area is far away.

A quiet woman, everything in her is pure, very innocent, no insecurities, just pure youthful thoughts. Out of the three of us, she is the tallest, the whitest, but I am still the most beautiful.

(Just kidding).

It's what I like about her, she is very warm, she's very jolly to be with, she's also very ignorant hehe. Well it's year 2010, everything is not that modern, not that advanced and everything. Everything is so natural, there are no gadgets, no computer games, no social media, there was no LED TV back then, our TV was still very thick.

That's why our childhood was

memorable, we talk a lot personally,

we go out every Saturday and Sunday, hang out in a hut on a farm, that's our best bonding then, bathing in the stream while thinking about what time to go home. Going home at 6pm because it's not allowed of going out beyond that.

In school, it's still the same, focus on studying, we were still afraid to have a boyfriend as our parents were strict. Jayson, a transferee is also not sociable, my first impression of him is that he is very observable around him, very cautious to people who approach him. In short, he really chooses his circle of friends carefully, someone real, someone honest and someone you can really rely on. At first, the friendship between the four of us was not that deep,because Mary and I are really more we're just used to being together

But as months passed by, the friendship that I never had was developed, I met friends and siblings in those three. There were series of misunderstandings but eventually we fixed.

We really love each other back

then, I experienced having

of comfort and they also helped me

get out from my comfort zone,they

really supported me when there were

presentations and of course we told

secrets that we really kept until these

days.

Secrets about family, friends and of

course our first love?

And the Foundation

Day has come. Musics are too loud, there are drums and lyre corpse that's too much

making noise, I was just sitting on the side of the mango tree when suddenly Irish said

"Angela!,Paolo has been looking at you for a while"

Not so far away from where I was sitting, opposite of where I was, one of the most handsome men I've seen in my entire life was looking at me. That feeling that you know he's looking at you so you don't know how to act, I'm ashamed. But my eyes just wanted to stare at him. He suddenly walked around

looking, pulling out his bangs, grabbing something from his pocket. He's getting closer.....