Shades of Love (University Series #01)

Ep04

The Next Day....

7:00 am......

Nagising ako dahil sa ingay na nanggagaling sa labas, I peeked out the window and saw some people playing soccer. The soccer field is right next to the HNU dormitory.

"Hay, teka... anong oras na ba." saad ko habang humihikab. When I saw the time napatayo ako bigla at natataranta, hindi alam kong ano ang kukuhain at uunahin.

"Punyeta! May class pa pala ako, 7:00 am na, eh 7:30 yon." bulong ko sa sarili ko habang natataranta.

Dahil ayokong malate for my class, I didn't take a shower. I just washed my face and got dressed. Natawa nalang ako sa sarili ko dahil first time kong papasok na hindi naliligo at talagang sa school pa ng mga mayayaman.

"s**t! Bahala na, aalis na ko... Di naman siguro nila ako aamuyin eh." I said to myself habang inaamoy amoy ang sarili ko.

Nagtatatakbo ako palabas ng dormitory, hindi pa man ako nakararating sa Anderson Hall kung nasaan ang classroom ko ay hingal na hingal na ako, para akong aso dahil lumalawit na ang dila.

Pawis na pawis ako nang makarating sa building, hindi na nga nakaligo, napawisan pa.

Nang makarating ako sa lecture hall, nagsipagtinginan ang mga kasama ko sa class dahil sa basang basa ng pawis ang damit ko. Para bang from head to toe ay hinuhusgahan nila ako at para bang nandidiri sila.

Nakayuko akong pumasok at umupo sa isang tabi, banda sa dulo dahil sa hiya ko. Para akong nanliit sa sarili ko. Wala pa naman akong kakilala at kaibigan don. I don't know kung paano ako mag aadjust.

I couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and apprehension. The room buzzed with anticipation as students chatted amongst themselves, exchanging nervous glances and whispered speculations about our new professor.

While the whole class was waiting for the professor to arrive, may isang babaeng dumating. Maganda, matangkad, at mukhang mayaman. Everyone seemed frightened and fell silent.

"Anong meron, bakit natahimik tong mga to." pagtataka ko na bulong sa sarili.

Hindi ko napigilan ang pagiging pakialamero ko, napatanong ako sa lalakeng kalapit na upuan ko.

"Hey bro, sino yung babaeng yan?" mahinang saad ko sa lalake.

"She is Athalia Ciarra Vallera.

Don't you know her, bro? She's really famous throughout HNU. She always tops the rankings. She's smart and comes from a wealthy family. Oh man, is it tough to compete with her especially academically! She's too competitive, she'll do anything to come out on top. She has a lot of enemies! I'm telling you, bro, she's the one who always stands out among us law students... And your life will be a living hell if you go against her." sagot nya sakin.

"Ahhh, okay I see.." saad ko habang ngumingiti lang.

"Wait, maybe you're new here at HNU, but anyway, I'm Charles." pagpapakilala nya.

"I'm Zach, I'm glad to meet you!" I replied to him with a cheerful smile.

"You know what, bro, for you, what I'm saying may just be nothing... but if you stay longer, you'll see that this place is really hell, Zach! If you ever really get to know Ms. Vallera, your life here will become miserable. Being smart is a curse in this university." hirit pa nito.

"You know, Charles, I didn't come here for a competition. And you know what, I'm not afraid of those things. We're already grown-ups, there shouldn't be any competition, competition is only for kids." saad ko habang napapakamot nalang sa ulo.

Habang nag uusap kami ni Charles, bigla namang dumating ang Prof namin.

As the clock ticked closer to the start of class, the room gradually fell silent, all eyes trained on the front of the room. The professor began to speak, his voice commanding attention.

"Good morning, everyone. Welcome to Criminal Law," he began, nakakatakot ang tono ng boses nya yet welcoming. "I'm Professor Ramirez, and I'll be guiding you through the intricacies of our legal system this semester." he added.

After idiscuss ni Prof. Ramirez ang Criminal Law, nagkaroon kaagad ng recitation sa kanya.

Halos natahimik ang lahat. Me and that girl Ciarra lang ang nakataas ng kamay.

Ciarra gave me a menacing stare.

"I told you..." bulong ni Charles sa akin.

Nauna akong tawagin ni Prof Ramirez.

"Okay, you.." pagtawag nya sa akin.

"Ahmm, I am Zach Aron Alvarez. The Criminal law plays a crucial role in our society for several reasons. First is Criminal law establishes boundaries of acceptable behavior and outlines consequences for those who violate these boundaries. By doing so, it helps maintain order and promotes safety within communities." wika ko habang nakanganga lang lahat because it seems like there's a heated tension in the class.

Hindi nagpatalo si Ciarra, at confident nya ring sinagot ang tanong. Bakas sa mukha nya ang pagka-inis at pagkagigil.

"Hmm, it's only the first day but it seems like there's already tension brewing in the class. Just stay calm, haha!" pagbibiro ni Prof.

"Hmm, Zach? Zach Aron Alvarez?" pagtawag sa akin ni Prof.

Nagulat ako dahil sa pagtawag nya sa akin.

"Yes sir?" kinakabahang sagot ko sa kanya, napatayo ako habang nanginginig sa kaba.

"Are you new here? Hmm, your name sounds familiar... There's talk going around in the admin office, iho... Hmm, I've heard quite a bit about you... and I'm interested in getting to know you and seeing your skills for myself... Anyway, I don't have any concerns. So class dismissed!" wika nito habang tinititigan ako sa mga mata.

Hindi na ako naka-imik at napangiti nalang dahil sa sinabi ni Prof.

My other classmates exchanged glances; some looked pleased, surprised, while others gave me dirty looks, especially Ciarra... she stormed out of the lecture hall, visibly annoyed.

I pack up my things at lumabas na sa lecture hall, habang papalabas ako ng Anderson Hall, Charles called me.

"Zach! "Where are you going?" he asked.

"To the Cafeteria, bro." I replied.

"Can I join you?" tanong nya.

"Sure!" saad ko.

We went to the cafeteria and spent some time there.

"It looks like your hellish life is about to begin here, bro." pananakot sa akin ni Charles.

Oh man, that's just the beginning. Kapag nakilala mo pa ang mga friends ni Ciarra your life, magiging hell talaga. The four of them, the HNCrazy 4, are the most feared here on campus. he added.

"HNCrazy 4? What's that." pagtataka ko.

"Yes, the HN Crazy 4. Athalia Ciarra Vallera, an intelligent, wealthy, fierce, and competitive woman, is the leader of the HNCrazy 4. Second, there's Aurora Tan, a beautiful, intelligent, and feisty woman from the College of Engineering. Third is Marcus Oliver Lee, a handsome, intelligent, short-tempered, wealthy man from the College of Architecture. And lastly, Max Dominic Lim, a mischievous, flirtatious, wealthy, handsome, and somewhat kind man from the College of Medicine. The students here look down on them; they're fighters, so you wouldn't want to mess with them." he answered.

"Kumain ka na nga lang haha! I don't care about them, I cared about myself." wika ko.

Tinawanan lang ako ni Charles dahil marami pa raw akong hindi nalalaman.

****