Always Yours

CHAPTER 1 : FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL Yoona’s POV “thank you po manong" Pagpasalamat ko kay manong. Simula pa nung elementary ako, siya na ang nag hatid-sundo sakin. Mas da best pa nga si manong kaysa kay mama. Palagi kasi syang busy. Nakatingin lang ako sa bago kung school. “Normane Valley High School sana… with honors na ako dito..” at ngumiti ako. Pagpasok ko ay talagang namangha ako sa ganda “san kaya yung building 2 dito??" tanong ko sa sarili habang tinitignan ang mga building. “uh excuse me? asan po dito yung building 2?? sorry transferre kasi ako” tanong ko sa babae na nag aaral. "miss, can't you see what i am doing? im studying. goshh nakalimutan ko na tuloy mga nereview ko. Arghhh” at umalis sya tangina sarap bigwasan maka alis na nga lang. “Kasalanan kobang matanda kana.” I’m talking to myself again, but honestly, someone has to say it. Just look at her—absolutely ridiculous. “Miss?” I don’t even notice the first time he says it. His voice is soft, uncertain. But I’m too lost in my own head. “Miss?” He says again, a little louder. I blink, turning toward him. nakita ko na ata ang aking future— scratch that! joke lang to! “bakit po?” I ask, batting my lashes just a little. If I’m caught, might as well make it interesting but instead he scolded me ne hindi ko alam ang dahilan “Can’t you see the poster? ‘Don’t throw trash everywhere.’” Tumingin siya sa crumpled wrapper na malapit sa paa ko. “Bawal magkalat.” Napakurap ako, naguguluhan. Hah? Ako ba ‘yung tinutukoy niya? Tumingin ako sa lupa—ay, may basura nga. Pero— “Rules exist for a reason,” dagdag niya, parang teacher na nagbibigay ng sermon. “Hindi naman mahirap magtapon sa tamang basurahan.” Napangiwi ako, agad na sumagot. “Pero—” Hindi ko pa nga natatapos sabihin, bigla na lang siyang tumalikod at umalis! Naiwan akong nakatanga, parang naputol sa ere ang sasabihin ko. Ha?! Ano ‘yon?! Nagsalita siya, pero iniwan na lang ako?! Tumingin ulit ako sa wrapper at bumuntong-hininga. “Grabe naman ‘yun. Hindi naman akin ‘to, noh.” pagka dating ko nga sa building ay hinanap ko na agad ang room ko “section cattleya? ito ata yun" Pagpasok ko sa room ay nagulat nalang ako sa mga reaction nila – yung parang ngayon lang naka kita ng tao “grabee! yung mukha nalang ang nagsabi ate ha!” sabi ko sa utak ko. May halong pang jjudge kasi. Nag hanap nga ako kung meron pabang extra seat para maka upo na agad “tama yan yoona mag hanap ka ng seats mo" mga salita na sinasabi ko sa utak ko. " wala na atang extra seat. teka paano ba makipag socialized?? panira naman oh” "uh excuse me? Is this seat taken??” tumango lang sya. hirap kausap. "Hello, is this seat available??" “nope" classmate no1 said. tanong kapa yoon, kaya mo to! fighting! The bell rang, but Yoona was still standing, her eyes darting around the classroom. Wala pa rin siyang upuan. Her heart pounded as she heard footsteps approaching—her adviser was coming. She braced herself, expecting a scolding. Great. First day pa lang, mapapagalitan na ako. She lowered her head slightly, already thinking of an excuse. But instead of reprimanding her, the teacher simply smiled and faced the class. “Everyone, we have a new student today.” Yoona blinked. Ha? “This is Yoona,” the teacher continued. “Let’s all welcome her.” A few students clapped politely, while others just stared. Yoona swallowed, caught between relief and nervousness. So instead of getting scolded… she was getting introduced? Well, this was unexpected. “Hi, I’m Youngmi.” “Hi,” I replied, offering a small smile. “Let’s go to the café together?” I blinked. “Café? Canteen ‘yan sa amin eh.” Youngmi chuckled. “Sure, sige.” A few minutes later, we arrived at the school canteen. The scent of freshly cooked food filled the air, and the chatter of students created a lively atmosphere. Youngmi gestured towards the counter with a grin. “Choose whatever you want. Libre ko.” I hesitated. “Luh, baka maubos ko allowance mo. Wag na lang.” She shook her head. “No, it’s really okay. Pang-welcome ko na rin sa’yo since new student ka sa school namin— I mean, natin.” I smiled at her kindness. “Okay, sige.” With that, I turned to the menu and started choosing my food. As we walked through the hallway, Youngmi suddenly spotted a group of students. Her friends from Section Sampaguita. “Hi, Youngmi—who’s she?” one of them asked, her curious eyes landing on me. Youngmi gestured toward me. “Uh, Shania, this is Yoona. Yoona, Shania.” I smiled politely. “Hi, Shania.” But she didn’t answer me. Luh! Dedma lang? Instead, she turned back to Youngmi, excitement flashing in her eyes. “I heard may upcoming event daw! I’m so excited.” “Really?” Youngmi responded, her interest piqued. Just then, a boy walked past us. Wait—teka. Ito ‘yung lalaking nakita ko kanina. Yung sa basura... anek anek na ‘yun! One of Shania’s friends, called out to him. kapal ng mukha! sabagay, ang kapal naman ng makeup “Jero, when pala yung event?” jero pala name nito?? pogi ah Jero barely spared her a glance. “Just wait for the announcement. Hindi pa namin na-arrange ‘yan.” Then, without another word, he left. Sungit ah. Lah, gago! Ang sama ng tingin sakin! Naalala niya kaya ako?! YOONA POV Lunchtime came, and I decided to explore the campus a little. Since bago pa lang ako dito, naisip kong mag-tour mag-isa. The school was beautiful—wide hallways, tall trees swaying in the courtyard, and buildings that looked well-maintained. While walking around, I admired the different rooms, each one giving off a distinct atmosphere. Then, my eyes landed on one particular door—slightly open, as if inviting me in. Napaisip ako. Tambayan kaya ‘to? I hesitated for a moment. My gut told me to stay out—baka naman bawal dito. Pero at the same time, curiosity was eating at me. Ano ba ‘tong lugar na ‘to? I warned myself that if I went in, I might accidentally break something. But in the end, curiosity won. Slowly, I stepped inside. The first thing I noticed was how unexpectedly neat the place was. Kahit mukha siyang storage room, every single thing was in order. Piles of papers were stacked perfectly on the shelves, and not a single piece of trash was out of place. Napataas kilay ko. “Pati bodega ang ayos, ah. Ang galing ng pagkaka-arrange ng papers,” I muttered to myself, impressed. Then, out of nowhere— “What are you doing?” — A deep voice cut through the silence, making my heart nearly jump out of my chest. it was jero Nanigas ako sa kinatatayuan ko. Sabi na eh! In danger ako dito! Ayan kasi, ang kulit! I turned my head slowly, my heartbeat drumming in my ears. A boy stood near the doorway, arms crossed, an unreadable expression on his face. I couldn’t tell if he was mad or just confused, but either way—patay na. “S-Sorry po,” I blurted out, my voice barely above a whisper. Then, before he could say another word, I spun on my heel and bolted out of the room. _____ Jero's POV “Guys, may kumuha ba ng pera? Wala na sa lagayan, oh.” The treasurer’s worried voice cut through the usual chatter in the SSG office. I looked up from my seat, my brows furrowing. “Baka nasa bag mo lang,” someone suggested. She quickly checked, rummaging through her things, but after a few seconds, she looked up, panic creeping into her eyes. “Wala talaga. Dito ko lang ‘yun iniwan.” A tense silence filled the room. This was bad. As the others started throwing around ideas on what happened, a thought crept into my mind— the girl I saw her earlier today, standing inside that room. She looked surprised—no, guilty—when I caught her there. The way she bolted out without an explanation… That couldn’t have been a coincidence, right? I clenched my jaw. If she really took it, then she needed to own up to it. After class, I decided to confront her. After class... “Yoona. Hanap ka.” She turned to me, eyes filled with confusion. “Ni—? Wala pa akong masyadong kakilala...” Napansin kong nag-alangan siyang lumapit. Kabado ba siya? “Can we talk?” I asked, my tone firm. She hesitated. “About saan?” “Nawalan kasi kami ng pera sa SSG office.” Her expression shifted instantly. I saw the way her eyes flickered with something—shock? Panic? Guilt? “SSG office pala ‘yun? s**t, hindi ko nakita,” she muttered, as if talking to herself. I narrowed my eyes. “We just wondered how you got inside since nasa president ang susi.” i pointed myself She scoffed, crossing her arms. “Kung balak mo akong bintangan na ako ang nagnakaw, sinasayang mo lang oras mo. Hindi ako ‘yun.” “Ba’t ka kabado? Di ko pa nga bring up ‘yun ah.” She froze for a second before shaking her head. “Basta, hindi ako ‘yun.” She turned to leave, clearly wanting to escape the conversation—but I wasn’t done yet. “Give me back the money.” That stopped her in her tracks. Her body stiffened, and when she turned back to me, her eyes were filled with disbelief and anger. YOONA POV “Hindi nga ako ‘yun! Kulit nito!” I snapped, frustration bubbling up in my chest. As soon as those words left my mouth, I realized how loud I was. People started turning their heads in our direction. Within seconds, a small crowd had formed around us, curious eyes watching the scene unfold. Nakakahiya! I could hear whispers spreading like wildfire. Some were murmuring to each other, others just openly staring. My face burned with embarrassment, but I refused to back down. Jero stood in front of me, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. Ano ba ‘to? Pinapahiya niya ba talaga ako sa harap ng lahat? “Ayokong ma-issue, so…I'll just leave you here. But keep this in your mind that this isn't over yet." Jero’s voice was firm, almost threatening, but I refused to let it shake me. I clenched my fists, biting my tongue to stop myself from arguing further. I didn’t answer him. I just watched as he turned around and walked away, his presence still heavy in the air. The moment he was gone, the whispers grew louder. “Siya daw ‘yung kumuha ng pera?” “Ang kapal naman. Kakapasok lang sa school, may issue na agad.” “Pero… mukha ba siyang magnanakaw?” I heard every word, felt every judgmental stare, but I didn’t care. Let them talk. I exhaled sharply, turned on my heel, and walked away—not because I was guilty, but because I had no reason to explain myself to people who had already decided to believe the worst. _ Jero’s POV i smirked. i cant blame her tho. i know she wouldn't do that. i'm just teasing her.