Fated to Wed (English)

Chapter Three

After arriving at school, Mr. and Mrs. Fontalva turned to me with their usual warm smiles.

“Remember to monitor Theo,” Mrs. Fontalva said, her tone gentle but with a clear undercurrent of expectation. “He can be... difficult at times, but we trust you.”

“And Theo,” Mr. Fontalva added, his voice sterner as he turned to his son, “behave properly. We don’t want any trouble.”

Theo rolled his eyes but mumbled, “Yeah, yeah, I know.”

As his parents walked away, I turned to Theo, clutching my bag nervously. “Can you show me the way to my classroom? I’m in ABM 11-A.”

Before I could finish my sentence, Theo was already gone, vanishing into the sea of students without a word. This guy... unbelievable. I sighed, looking around the bustling schoolyard.

“Great,” I muttered under my breath. “Left on my own, thanks to Mr. Too-cool-for-a-babysitter.”

Since we arrived early, I had some time to find my classroom. After wandering through the halls, occasionally glancing at door signs and cursing Theo in my mind, I finally found ABM 11-A.

Thank goodness.

I slipped into a seat near the back of the classroom. Everyone else seemed to know each other, chatting in tight groups. I felt completely out of place, so I did what anyone does when they’re feeling awkward—pulled out my phone and opened Tetris.

I focused on the game, letting the familiar blocks fall into place, tuning out the rest of the world. At least this, I can control.

But then, a voice interrupted me, and my game ended with the blocks crashing down in defeat.

“Hey there!”

I glanced up, ready to snap at whoever had ruined my game, but the words died in my throat. Standing in front of me was a girl so breathtaking that my annoyance vanished. Her perfect, radiant beauty stunned me, her long, dark hair falling effortlessly around her shoulders, her eyes bright and sparkling.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” she said, her voice smooth and melodic. “I’m Liana. Liana Sandoval.”

For a moment, I could only stare. Liana Sandoval. The name echoed in my head. Even her name was perfect.

“I... I’m Delilah,” I managed to stammer, embarrassed by how awkward I sounded.

Liana smiled warmly and slid into the seat next to me. “Nice to meet you, Delilah.”

We exchanged a few words, but I was too distracted by how captivating she was to remember most of the conversation. When the teacher finally arrived, I was both relieved and disappointed. At least I can stop embarrassing myself.

The rest of the morning passed in a blur, with teachers going over syllabuses and class introductions. When it was my turn, I stood up and introduced myself as Delilah, saying I chose the ABM strand because “it seems cool.”

It was lame, I know. But I just wanted to sit back down and fade into the background.

Finally, it was recess time. My stomach rumbled as I made my way to the canteen, grabbed a quick snack, and started heading back to class when I spotted Theo with a group of his friends near the school fountain.

Feeling a mixture of annoyance and responsibility, I marched up to him. “Hey! Why did you leave me back there without showing me the way?” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

Theo glanced at me lazily, not even bothering to look up from his conversation. One of his friends, a tall guy with a mischievous grin, nudged him. “Whoa, who’s this? Is she your girlfriend or something?”

My eyes widened. “What? No!”

Theo scoffed, his tone cold as ice. “As if. Even if I was blackout drunk, I’d never find her beautiful.”

I blinked, feeling a sharp sting at his words. Seriously? What a jerk.

“Excuse me?” I snapped, my anger rising quickly. “You’d be lucky to have someone like me, you arrogant, self-absorbed—”

“Oh, please,” Theo interrupted, rolling his eyes. “You? I’d rather stay single for life than even consider you.”

My fists clenched at my sides, and I could feel my face heat up with fury. “You think you’re so great, don’t you? Newsflash, Theo, you’re not. Just because you’ve got money and a pretty face doesn’t mean you can treat people like dirt.”

Theo stepped closer, his expression hardening. “And just because you’re stuck monitoring me doesn’t mean you can act like you have some sort of authority over me. You’re just a glorified babysitter. Know your place.”

I narrowed my eyes, my voice dropping dangerously low. “And you’re nothing but a spoiled brat who can’t even handle a little responsibility. Do you think your parents would’ve hired someone to babysit you if you weren’t so immature?”

His friends laughed, clearly entertained by our back-and-forth, but I didn’t care. This wasn’t just about him ditching me anymore. This was about the insult he threw in my face without even a second thought.

“You’re seriously pathetic, Delilah,” Theo sneered, “if you think you can mouth off like that and get away with it.”

“Oh, I’m pathetic? At least I’m not the one whose parents had to hire someone to keep me in line,” I shot back, crossing my arms. “How’s it feel, being treated like a child?”

Theo’s face darkened, his hands clenched into fists. Before he could respond, we were both interrupted by the soft voice that seemed to calm the entire atmosphere.

“Delilah?” Liana called out, appearing behind me. She looked as perfect as ever, her mere presence commanding attention. “Shouldn’t you be heading back to class? We only have ten minutes left.”

I blinked, momentarily thrown off by her sudden appearance. “Oh, yeah. I’m heading there now,” I replied, trying to sound casual. “You go ahead. I’ll catch up.”

Liana smiled, giving me a small nod before walking past us, her beauty momentarily silencing Theo and his friends. As soon as she was out of sight, though, Theo’s attention snapped back to me.

“Who was that?” he demanded, his tone urgent. His friends immediately jumped in, clearly just as curious.

I smirked, my mind already forming a plan. There’s no way I’m telling him the truth after what he said.

He pressed on. “Tell me her name. I’ll increase your salary by three thousand pesos.”

I hesitated, feeling the temptation rise. Three thousand pesos? That’s a lot of money. But then, an idea hit me, and I couldn’t resist.

I leaned in, feigning seriousness. “Her name is Ursula. She said she looks like Ursula from The Little Mermaid.”

Theo’s eyes widened slightly as if he was processing the information. “Ursula?”

“Yup,” I said, biting back laughter. “That’s what she told me.”

Satisfied, Theo nodded, and his friends chuckled as if they’d uncovered some grand secret.

But as I walked back to the classroom, I couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.

What a gullible guy.