THE MAN WO CAN'T BE MINE

Chapter 2

Cheska.

I had no energy to get out of bed when my phone alarm went off. I lazily walked to the bathroom to take a shower because if I didn’t move soon, Mom would get mad at me again.

I didn’t even bother adjusting the water temperature, so I almost screamed when the cold water touched my skin. I hurried my shower, afraid that if I took too long, I wouldn’t have time for breakfast.

"Anak, hurry up and get dressed. Your brother is waiting for you," I heard Mom say from outside my room.

I took one last look at myself in the mirror before finally deciding to step out. I kissed Mom on the cheek, then sat down and took a bite of pandesal. I was planning to eat rice, but I didn’t want to ruin my diet, so I settled for oatmeal instead. I ate quickly because the bacon and hotdogs were tempting me.

"I'm leaving now." My brother stood up, and I got up as well while still drinking my water. He was in such a rush to leave, acting as if he was really excited to go.

"Hey! Open up, Kuya!" I knocked on his car window, and he immediately unlocked the door.

"You're always so slow! Comb your hair—you look like you got hit by a storm. Tsk." He shot me a disapproving look while lecturing me. Seriously? It’s too early for this. Couldn’t he save the sermon for later? He never lets me off the hook.

I ignored him and grabbed my phone to check our group chat. I wasn’t even surprised when I saw Jack’s message saying he’d be late. Ugh, what else is new? He was late last time, too.

JackTheGreat: I'm going to be late. Don't wait for me.

cheskaleigh: Stupid! Hurry up, we’ll still wait for you.

I checked Tyler’s My Day, which I shouldn’t have done because it only ruined my mood. It was just a short video—he was already in the classroom, and there were only a few people inside, including Coleen. The camera caught Coleen for a moment before she quickly hid. I even heard Tyler’s voice calling her cute.

In all our years of friendship, he has never called me cute.

We arrived at school quickly, but my day already felt ruined because of what I saw. I started walking down the hallway when I spotted Jacob, seemingly waiting for someone.

I didn’t like the way he looked at me—it was as if he was judging my entire existence. When we were face-to-face, I stopped and asked, "Did you see Jack?"

I was hoping for a decent answer since they were friends, and Jacob and I had been on good terms yesterday. But I didn’t expect him to just stare at me and then turn his back without a word.

The people who saw it must have thought I said something stupid. I felt so humiliated.

"What the hell?!" I muttered under my breath. I just kept walking and decided not to wait for Jack anymore. What a lucky day—everything is going so well for me. Sarcasm intended.

When I reached the classroom, I slumped into my chair. Our teacher would arrive in a few minutes, so I decided not to check my phone anymore. Jack arrived shortly after me and immediately sat beside me when he saw me.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a concerned tone. I just smiled and gave him a thumbs-up to assure him that everything was fine.

"Good morning." Our teacher entered the room, and as soon as he started talking, everyone paid attention.

"Mr. Gonzales? Oh, there you are. May I ask who your partner is? It seems like you didn’t submit your paper yesterday." Sir glanced at his list before looking back at Tyler.

"Still hoping he'll say your name, Ches?" my seatmate teased. Jacob, of course, I rolled my eyes before looking at him.

I flashed him a smile, and he smiled back—just before I stomped on his foot, hard. Serves him right.

"Ms. Coleen Rachelle Ramos, Sir Hedera," Tyler answered.

Coleen.

I didn’t expect to make friends so quickly since I was new here. But look, I already have two people I can call friends—Minchie and Tyler.

My friendship with Tyler was quite unexpected. I didn’t think he would pick me as his partner when we barely knew each other. We had only exchanged a quick "hi" yesterday, and that was it.

When he chose me, I didn’t miss the murmurs and glares from some of my female classmates. I understood why. They were right, after all—I was new here, and they had probably known each other for a long time. I also overheard someone saying that Cheska should’ve been Tyler’s partner instead of me.

I saw the way Cheska looked at me yesterday, and for some reason, I wanted to apologize. I don’t know why, but I wanted to be friends with her, even if she seemed cold towards me.

"Morning."

I turned toward the door when I heard a deep voice, and I almost fell off my seat when I saw Jacob walk in. He ran a hand through his hair as he made his way to his seat. Cheska followed right after him, making it seem like they had arrived together. I couldn’t help but feel a little sad at the thought.

It’s true—sometimes, we’re the ones who hurt ourselves.

I remember the first time I saw Jacob. It was during enrollment. I was standing outside the faculty room, waiting for my friend, when I spotted him. He was walking with his hands in his pockets, seemingly unaware of his surroundings.

He was just wearing a black shirt and jeans, but his presence was commanding. I had been staring at him for so long that I even noticed the small black earring on his left ear.

Guys like him... there's no way they’d ever be interested in me. I smiled at my own silly thought. You’re such an i***t, Coleen.

"You look happy, liit," my seatmate suddenly said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

Tyler was the talkative type. You wouldn’t think so just by looking at him because he always seemed serious—like an angry bird. A chatty angry bird. It’s funny how a guy like him talks so much.

A few minutes passed, and our Biology teacher arrived. I was surprised when he asked about Tyler’s partner, even though we had already submitted our paper yesterday. But what shocked me even more was hearing Tyler say my full name.

Wow, really? He had to say it completely? He could’ve just said Ms. Ramos. Now I just want the ground to swallow me whole.

"You're blushing, Coleen."

I immediately covered my face with a handkerchief. Why does he have to notice everything?

"Please, proceed here and pick one from this." Our teacher gestured toward the fishbowl on his desk.

"For what, Sir?" one of our classmates asked.

"For your report. Each paper includes a topic and the number of members assigned to it. Silence. Don't act like I didn’t tell you about this yesterday. Gonzales, Villanueva, Alegra, Asuncion, and Dimapilis, kindly proceed here. Move it!"

We're doomed...

To be continued...