Chapter 6
750 Words
The story of David’s cellphone had been temporarily set aside because it couldn’t be fixed in a day or two. If given a chance, Sophia was ready to argue with him again.
But right now, Sophia had a bigger problem—she was starving. Fortunately, she had an appointment this afternoon with her student code members. It was the second meeting meant to strengthen senior-junior relationships. Their group from the Faculty of Law was known for being full of handsome and beautiful people, so they decided to dine at a nearby Japanese restaurant. Unfortunately, Sophia’s friends couldn’t join as they were with their own code groups. This left her sitting with the seniors, feeling slightly out of place.
“Sophia! Bakit ang aga mo?” greeted Jericko, a junior with braces and an annoyingly cute smile. The first time she met him, Sophia thought he was her type—until she found out he had a girlfriend.
“Oh, gutom na kasi ako,” Sophia replied sheepishly.
“Hintayin natin ang seniors at ibang mentors. Ayun, narito na sila!” Jericko beamed, motioning to a group entering the restaurant.
Their team, though small, had a close bond. They began ordering dishes, chatting and laughing as they waited for their food. Suddenly, a buzz of excitement filled the air. A new group had arrived.
“Isn’t that David?” Jericko whispered, nudging Sophia.
David Martinez. The name alone was enough to make Sophia’s blood boil.
“Oh my God, they’re sitting near us!” one of the seniors squealed, her excitement barely contained.
David took a seat not far from Sophia. His presence immediately drew attention, with every eye in the room following his movements.
“Marami pa bang pagkain?” one senior asked, breaking Sophia’s trance.
“Oo, kumain na tayo!” she said, forcing a laugh.
“Wait, hindi pa. Nakalimutan mo na ba ang tradition natin?” another senior teased.
Sophia sighed. “Hindi ko nakakalimutan… pero pwede bang i-skip ko na?”
“Hindi pwede!” the group chorused, laughter erupting.
Tradition meant introducing herself in a unique way. Reluctantly, Sophia stood up, facing the group, her cheeks burning.
“Hello, guys! Ako si Sophia Laurel, the coolest girl you’ll ever meet!” she began, attempting to mask her embarrassment with confidence. “Freshman pa lang ako, pero ang cute at pretty ko na! Pwede akong maging top o bottom—your choice!”
Her exaggerated gestures and mock flirtation earned uproarious laughter from the group. Sophia caught a glimpse of David smirking, which only made her glare at him. Mortified, she sat down and began peeling a shrimp furiously.
After dinner, Sophia stepped outside to make a call. Borrowing her senior’s phone, she dialed Kath.
“Kath! Guess who I just saw—” Sophia stopped mid-sentence.
David.
He was standing right in front of her, watching her with an unreadable expression.
[Ano? Sino ‘yun?] Kath’s voice echoed from the other end.
“Wala,” Sophia said quickly, hanging up.
David approached her, his tall frame looming over her.
“Kumain ka na ba?” Sophia asked, her voice shaky.
“...”
“David!”
“Stop bothering me,” he replied coldly, turning to leave.
Sophia panicked. “Wait! Why were you laughing at me earlier?”
David paused, glancing back. “Kailan?”
“Noong nagpakilala ako kanina.”
“Ah, yung ‘Sophia, the coolest girl’? Cute naman,” he said with a faint smile, leaning closer.
Sophia’s heart skipped a beat. “H-hindi cute yun!” she stammered.
David chuckled, reaching out to ruffle her hair.
When Sophia returned to her apartment, she kicked off her shoes and grabbed the landline. She dialed her own number, waiting for David to pick up.
[Hello.]
“Ambilis mong sagutin! Siguro nahirapan ka nang sobra i-hack ang password ko, ano?” she teased.
[Andrei’s voice is sweet, fling mo ba siya.]
Sophia froze. “You bastard! Don’t you dare answer my calls!”
[Are you threatening me?]
“Yes! I swear, if you answer my calls, I’ll post your number publicly!”
[Go ahead. I don’t care.]
Sophia slammed the phone down, fuming. Logging into f*******: to cool off, she noticed an unusual number of notifications. Clicking on them, her blood ran cold.
Her profile now displayed a public post:
"Sarap mo talaga, David Horan,. Akin ka na lang."
“What the—?!” Sophia shrieked, staring at the screen in horror.
- Writer
