HER CONFESSIONS

Chapter 4. Centena?Sentina?

"Hurry up, Jess! We will be late, "Frances called out.

Monday.

It was 7:20 in the morning, ten minutes before school started.

She was already downstairs having breakfast with my mom.

"Almost done!" I said while I was tying my long black hair into a ponytail and putting some lip tint on my cheeks.

I wanted to look simple on our first day to make a good impression, so I just wore a plain white shirt with the statement, "Rule of Math, If it seems easy, you're doing it wrong," and paired it with my denim tattered pants and my white classic sneakers.

I looked one last time at the body mirror leaning beside my bedroom door before I went downstairs.

"What took you forever?" she asked the moment she saw me.

"Sorry" I apologized, as I dashed to the kitchen to grab the egg sandwich Mom had made for me.

Frances Mharey Centena, thirteen years old (same age as me), was already waiting impatiently in the living room.

We were neighbors. And because their house was just next to ours, we agreed to go to school together.

"Mom's already in the car, girl" she said and stood up.

We both laughed when we realized something.

She wore the same top that I did, but with a high-waisted denim skirt and white tennis shoes.

Her auburn brown hair suited her pale neutral skin tone.

"Wait" she held me on my shoulders, her eyes narrowed and examined my face.

" It looks good" she smiled, referring to the tint I used.

"Thanks"

"I can't believe you guys are already in high school" my mom said, being emotional.

"stop it, mom"

"People would easily mistake you guys as twins," she pointed out when she saw us.

"Good bye Mrs. Sentina!" Frances chuckled and left for the car.

I took a bite of the sandwich and hugged my mom before I followed Frances out.

"Good luck on your first day, girls!" My mom waved good bye and waited for us to leave before she closed the door.

It was a thirty-minute drive from our house to school.

I've always thought that transferring to other schools was a difficult transition.

When we arrived at the university, it was raining, and the school guard was waiting for us with an umbrella a few steps from the car.

We were genuinely pleased by the way he treated us.

"You ready?" I asked as soon as her mom parked the car.

"Why don't you wait for the rain to stop, girls?" her mom suggested and turned to look at us.

"It's pretty heavy."

"We are already late, Mom" Frances pointed out. I could hear her impatience.

Being late didn't bother me; Frances's complaints, though, I was a little worried about.

"Thank you for the ride, Mrs. Centena"

When we got out of the car, carrying our matching Girbaud backpacks, Frances headed towards the guard while I ran in the opposite direction, holding my plastic envelope above my head. It was an outdoor canteen and only a few steps from the guard house.

My view was blocked, so I was unable to see my way.

I suddenly stumbled into someone who was much taller than me and dropped the envelope I was holding.

"I'm sorry!" I said, stunned, and turned unwillingly towards him who was staring at me, startled.

He did not react and just stared at my shirt, so I tried to gauge his expression.

The cold from the rain made me shiver, and so his eyes flickered up at me.

"Don't you have a jacket?" He sounded concerned and shrugged off the parka he was wearing to hand it to me.

He was wearing a black v-neck shirt underneath showing his neck.

"It's fine," I found myself staring at his collarbone.

He sucked in a long breath, making his chest move.

"Your shirt's damp," he said as he shoved the jacket on my shoulders.

I stared at him in blank confusion before he pointed to my shirt.

My tshirt was damped. I was embarrassed, so I attempted to cover my upper body.

He bent over and took the envelope from the floor.

The man chuckled.

"Jess! What are you doing there? " Frances yelled, frustrated.

"Thanks." I turned to face him and slid my arms into his jacket. It smelled amazing.

"I'll return it later," I promised as I strode over to Frances.

I swear I saw him smile in my peripheral.

"Is that your jacket?" We walked up the stairs that was in the middle of the hallway.

"Someone handed it to me," I said.

Her brows creased in confusion.

"My shirt is wet, okay?" I explained as I zipped up the parka.

She blinked, astonished.

"The color looks good on you," she said.

The blue parka jacket the stranger lent me felt lightweight and very basic.

It was bigger than me though, making it mid-thigh in length because of my height.

As we walked to class together, I took a lungful of the cold air before following Frances inside the classroom.

It was on the second floor, the first one you would reach by going up the stairs.

A corridor balcony on that floor of the building overlooks the soccer field in the heart of campus.

The class was almost complete when we reached the door, and there were only three chairs left.

Everyone inside the classroom stared at us as we entered.

A slender person dressed casually and in high heels was standing beside a desk with a nameplate identifying her as Ms. Austria, our class moderator.

She was waiting to greet us.

"Welcome, girls. What's your last name?" she said as she sat down and examined her class records on her table.

"Centena," Frances said enthusiastically as she scanned the whole class.

"Frances Mharey Centena". Her confidence surprised me.

Ms. Austria shifted her eyes towards me and I felt embarrassed.

"Se-Sentina", I strained to catch words and was not sure what my face was showing, so I looked down.

"Jessica Therese Sentina" I tried to sound as friendly as possible.

Unlike Frances, I lack confidence and would feel uncomfortable speaking in front of a large group of people. I would always mentally rehearse what I wanted to say but would always end up not saying it.

She paused and examined both of us,

"I only have one Centena in class," she raised an eyebrow.

Frances chuckled. "Her Sentina is spelled with an 's', ma'am," she corrected.

"Ow. Okay, and you?" I looked up at Ms. Austria, who was looking behind us.

"Fernandez, ma'am," a familiar voice said.

I turned my head to see who it was.

"Mike Fernandez." I stopped dead when he stood beside me, and his wet hair was shining in the light.

He's here.

"You may take your seats" the teacher said as she stood up.

"I hope you won't be this late tomorrow" she continued, shifting her gaze between the three of us.

She gave the three of us a warning look before she turned to her table and started the class.

"Nice to meet you, classmate,"Mike whispered in my ear.

He flashed a crooked smile before he walked fluidly towards an empty seat.

Frances grabbed my hand and followed him to our seats. She became utterly quiet after we sat down.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She just nodded and sketched inattentively in her notebook.

Everyone started writing an introduction about themselves.

"What's wrong?" Frances asked when she noticed me looking for something.

"My envelope" I said.

"You must have left it in the car."

I turned around to face Mike when I instantly realized. He didn't need to glance up to inform me; instead, he gave me the envelope I had dropped.

"Thanks"

"Please take one piece of paper and write the following" Ms. Austria started writing on the white board.

"I'm sorry, but do you have spare paper?" Mike asked from behind.

Frances immediately turned to look at him and smiled.

"Of course," she said, and handed him a piece of paper she tore from her pad.

"Thanks"

The rain had ceased by midday, but the clouds were still slinking over the blue sky.

Our lunch break had gone very well.

"Maria, Angela and Anna" Frances was recalling the names of the people at our table.

We were all too shy to make progress to be friends, but Frances took the initiative.

She befriended almost everybody.

We listened to her as she talked about the boys in our class, while the other girls agreed and giggled.

"Have you seen that Mike guy?" Maria asked.

Angela's eyes widened.

"He's so cute!"

"Do you know him?" Frances turned to look at me. Her question hit like a punch.

"You two seemed acquainted" she continued.

Everyone shifted their gaze to me, waiting for my answer. I shook my head.

"No," I replied.

"I mean, I just bumped into him this morning" I defended.

"That's all?" Marie asked.

"Yep. I don't know him." I shrugged.

The school day was less than half over, but the class seemed to drag longer.

"Ms Sentina, could you hand this over to Mr. James at the auditorium?" Ms. Austria said as she handed me a folder as soon as the class had ended.

"Yes, ma'am"

"Thanks"

I turned to look at Frances, who was talking with Mike, and waved at her.

"I'll be back".

Mike flickered his eyes at me when I called for Frances' attention, so I smiled back at him.

The auditorium was easy to find after I went around campus. It was across from the cafeteria where we had our lunch earlier, near the pool.

From the outside, it did not seem to be spectacular, but the inside almost blew me away. Before accessing the main area, you must pass through the foyer, which also serves as an exhibition space.

The design for the main area was meticulous. It was in the 'End stage form,' where all of the seats face the stage in the same direction.

The carpeted floor stood out against the white wall. It also featured balcony fronts, making the whole interior massive.

I headed towards the staircase that winds up towards the mezzanine where Mr. James' office was located.

"Come in" he said, after I knocked at his door.

"Excuse me, sir," I started.

"Ms. Austria asked me to give this to you". I handed him the files I was carrying.

"Thanks, Jess" he smiled.

We met Mr. James earlier in our English class. He was also the director and head of the school's theater department.

On my way back to the classroom, I noticed a few empty picnic benches beside the basketball court outside the auditorium.

The damp benches covered in moss were laid on uneven ground with fallen leaves scattered all around.

"You lost?" I hadn't noticed Mike moving to my side.

I just looked at him, my eyes were still serious.

He smiled as he looked down at me from the corner of his eye.

I was unable to move until I realized he was looking at the parka jacket he lent me this morning.

"I'm sorry. I almost forgot", I pulled his jacket off and handed it to him.

"You can have it, Tess." He chuckled and leaned forward, his breath blew in my face.

I was stunned.

My stomach clenched into a knot, so I stepped back awkwardly and looked away.

"It's Jess, Mike" I snapped, my voice sounded irritated.

I saw him frown when I turned back to look at him.

"Do I bother you?" he asked after a few moments, his voice was full of grief.

"What? No." I replied.

"I just... don't like people calling me Tess" I hesitated.

He cracked a smile and leaned closer.

"Then the more reason I'm going to" he winked at me, looking amused, and stroked my hair softly from the top of my head.

He took the jacket from my hand and walked towards the bench. He laid it on top of it and sat down, positioning himself on one side.

"Here" he said, tapping on the space beside him.

"Just for five minutes, Tess".

I hesitated a bit, but when he smiled, I suddenly felt comfortable.

"Just for five minutes", I told him quietly.

Less than ten minutes later, we found ourselves in silence.

"I'm sorry for what happened this morning, Mike." I said, the first thing that sprung into my mind.

He did not react.

"I just wanted to apologize", I took a deep breath and spoke slowly.

" I don't know what you're talking about." he raised an eyebrow and smiled at me.

I was confused for awhile but my brain finally managed to get his message.

The day was cold.

It was nice to sit with Mike.

A long minute passed, and he began humming an unfamiliar song that sounded soothing.

"Did you fall asleep?" he whispered softly in my ear.

I couldn't speak.

"I made it for someone special," he trailed off.

"It's for this girl I met last summer" he supplied the conversation.

I opened my eyes and saw him staring at me.

"What is it?" I whispered.

My phone rang suddenly, and it startled both of us.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Where are you?" I could hear the impatience in her voice.

"We're leaving already" she said.

Mike stood up when he noticed me flinching and offered me a hand to stand up.

We walked back to building one together where our lockers were located.

"Aren't you Jessica?" a male voice asked behind us.

I looked up and saw one of our classmates. He seemed like a decent guy.

"It's Jess". I tried to be friendly.

"I'm Aaron" he said while offering his hand.

He had his white shirt's long sleeves stretched up to his elbows.

I was taken aback when I sensed Mike tense up, his tendons were evident as he clenched his fist.

I peeked up at him and saw him looking at the soccer field. His expression wasn't exactly friendly.

"Anyway, how's your first day?" he asked,pulling his hand away.

"It's fine" I told him.

Mike slammed his locker shut and walked in the opposite direction.

"There you are!" we turned around and saw Frances striding towards us.

"I was looking everywhere for you" she handed me a cup of my favorite Mango Yakult Series.

"I left my notebook inside". I turned to look at Frances, waving the keys in one hand.

"You seemed very hyped" Aaron interrupted as he ran his hands through his messy hair.

"And you are?" she shifted her gaze to look at Aaron straight in the eye.

"Aaron" he said, putting on a big smile.

Frances frowned. "Let's go, Jess. Mom's waiting".

We left school at around 5:30.

"Where have you been?" Frances started interrogating me.

"I got lost"

"at school?" she sounded skeptical.

I just nodded and opened my phone.

"okay"

She sighed and took a sip of the milk tea she bought.