Behind the Bleachers(English Version)

IVONNE “With Highest Honor with an average of 99.7%, Ivonne Haven Sangco!” the MC introduced me. I immediately went up the stage to receive the medals they were about to give me—and also to deliver my speech. “EARTH to Ivonne!” My thoughts were cut off when Harmony shook me. We were eating in the cafeteria at HTU. “What are you daydreaming about again, girl?” Yvette asked while applying lip tint. “They’ll be submitting codes soon—damn, I don’t know if mine will have errors.” I said, stressed. Being a software engineer is really tough, but the salary is worth it. “Wow, coming from you, huh? You always get straight ones. The only 1.10 you ever had was in our capstone,” Ash butted in, rolling his eyes at me. Since he was my classmate, he knew all about my academic life. “Yeah, yeah, I know,” I sighed, pushing my plate away. “But the pressure is different, you know? Imagine—my code will be used on HTU’s website. Who wouldn’t be pressured and stressed by that?” Yvette patted my hand. “Relax, Ivonne. You’re Ivonne Haven Sangco! The one with the almost-perfect grade! You got this. We all got this.” Ash nodded, still glaring at me playfully. “Exactly. I even feel like you’re just pretending to stress so we’ll see how humble you are.” I chuckled and shook my head. “Seriously, guys, I’m just stressed. But thanks—I appreciate the pep talk.” We ended up laughing through lunch. I first met Ash when I entered HTU, and he introduced me to Yvette and Harmony, who eventually became close friends too. After lunch, Ash invited us to watch volleyball. He’s always been a fan, and though we were already graduating, it was actually my first time watching. I’ve never been into these things. God didn’t give me an athletic body—but He blessed me with a healthy one, and that’s more than enough. When we got to the gym, the players were already warming up. There were a lot of spectators—some hanging out, others squealing over the players. I’d rather be coding than watching them. I’m not a hater; I’m just not interested in sports. But when practice started, I found myself amazed by what I saw. I couldn’t fully understand what was happening in the game. People were shouting, blocking, spiking—the pace was so fast! My mouth just hung open as I watched. “You okay?” Harmony asked when she noticed I looked dazed. “Of course! They’re amazing, so fast!” I answered, trying to sound enthusiastic. In the middle of practice, I noticed one player in particular. He was tall, athletic, and had piercing eyes that seemed to glance my way. He spiked the ball with such power that it almost flew off. In my eyes, his jump and spike even went into slow motion, even though in reality it happened in less than a second. “He’s good, right?” Yvette said, following my gaze. “That’s Captain Izaiah. He plays like a beast.” So that’s Izaiah. His name really is popular in school. How do I know? Simple—every girl talks about him. Even my two besties. But they claim they “like” other players. After what felt like forever, practice ended. The players packed up, sweaty and tired but smiling. “Shall we go?” Ash suggested, stretching. “I’m hungry again.” We’d been watching for three hours. As we were about to leave, Izaiah and a few teammates passed by. He caught my eye again and this time gave me a small, almost hesitant smile. My heart skipped a beat. It felt like everything was in slow motion, with only him moving. I awkwardly returned the smile, my face heating up, then quickly looked away and hurried to catch up with my friends—who were already snickering. “Hey, Ivonne,” Yvette teased, nudging me. “Crush?” “Shut up,” I snapped, trying to hide my embarrassment. “No way! I was just surprised.” “Sure, just surprised,” Ash chimed in with a raised brow. “Okay, whatever you say.” We kept walking, but I couldn’t resist stealing one more glance at Izaiah. He was still watching us, a playful smirk on his face. “Looks like this won’t be the last time you’ll watch volleyball,” Harmony teased. “Well, I actually find it amazing. It’s not going to be my last watch,” I said, smiling as I recalled how the HTU team played. “The game itself—or a certain player?” Yvette asked with a mischievous grin. “Whatever,” I said, annoyed. “You walk too slow, Ash. I’ll leave you behind.” I sped up and left them. It was nearly 3 p.m., and Ash and I still had class. Our last subject ended at 5 p.m.—a two-hour class. The rest of the afternoon blurred by. I couldn’t focus in class, my mind replaying that brief moment with Izaiah. Was it just a polite smile? Or something more? “You sure you’re okay?” Ash asked during break. “You’ve been spaced out.” “I’m fine,” I insisted, though he clearly didn’t believe me. “Just thinking about the code.” He chuckled. “Sure you are. That’s exactly how I was when I first saw Haylee, the Crestwood player.” I rolled my eyes. “Ha ha, very funny.” After class, I headed straight to the library to work on the website code. I needed to distract myself and prove that I wasn’t losing my mind over Izaiah. The library was quiet and dimly lit—the perfect place for coding. I plugged in my headphones, opened my laptop, and got to work. I didn’t notice my surroundings anymore. That’s how it is with me—when I’m distracted, I bury myself in code. I can’t afford mistakes. I promised Sister Nelia that I’d graduate with flying colors. It was already 8 p.m.—closing time for the library. The school closes at 9 p.m. since there are still night classes. “Hi!” “Son of a—!” I muttered when I jumped at the voice. “Hahaha, you looked so tense,” he laughed. “Don’t disturb me, mister. I’m working on something.” I rolled my eyes—so full of himself. “Sorry. By the way, I’m Maxim Izaiah Zanhuesa,” he introduced himself. “Okay, Mr. Izaiah.” “You’re not going to introduce yourself, Ms. Coder?” he teased. “Ivonne Haven Sangco. Now please don’t disturb me,” I said, nervous that my code might error. “Watching you focus, it’s… impressive,” he suddenly said. I ignored him. I needed to finish this. Every line had to be perfect. “You’re too focused,” he went on. “I think you love that code more than yourself.” I paused, closed my eyes briefly, and took a deep breath before answering without looking at him. “Mr. Izaiah, this website is for the university. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of students and faculty will use it. If there’s an error, it could cause big problems. So yes, right now, it’s more important.” He was quiet for a while—I thought he finally got the hint. But I was wrong. “Okay, okay,” he said, still intrigued. “I get it. But maybe it’s not so bad if I just… watch? What a waste not to see someone who always gets straight ones in action.” “Still doesn’t give you the right to disturb me,” I muttered loud enough for him to hear, then focused back on my laptop. I could feel his eyes on me. It was unsettling. Every keystroke, every move—I felt like he was observing. I couldn’t afford mistakes—not just because of the code, but because I didn’t want him seeing flaws in my element, my comfort zone. Minutes passed, with only the click-clack of my keyboard and the sound of turning pages from other students studying. He just sat there across from me, leaning back, watching my screen, even though I knew he couldn’t understand a thing. Soon, a library staff member approached. “Sir, Ma’am, we’re closing,” they reminded politely. It was already 8:30. Time flies when you’re coding—and when someone’s bugging you. I shut down my laptop and packed up quickly. Izaiah stood up too. “Looks like we have to leave,” he said with that same smirk. “Obviously,” I muttered, avoiding his eyes while stuffing my things into my bag. We walked out together. The few students left were hurrying too. In the bright hallway outside, he stopped, so I did too, curious. “Well,” he said, hands in his pockets. “It was… interesting watching you work, Ivonne.” “Thank you, Mr. Izaiah,” I replied, trying to stay neutral. “Just Izaiah is fine,” he corrected gently. “Or Maxim. Your choice.” “Okay… Izaiah,” I conceded awkwardly. “So,” he continued, stepping closer. “Will I see you again at volleyball practice?” My face burned. Was that an invitation? Or just teasing? “Ah… I don’t know,” I stammered. “I’m busy coding.” “Hm,” he hummed, a smile tugging at his lips. “Maybe I’ll ‘disturb’ you again sometime soon?” He wasn’t even hiding his amusement anymore. My mind raced—should I say no outright? Or play along? “It’s too late for you to go home alone. I’ll walk you,” he suddenly offered. “No thank you, I can handle myself,” I replied, rolling my eyes. Who knew what he might do? “I can be trusted, Ivonne. I won’t take advantage.” He was so persistent that eventually, I gave in. He walked me to my boarding house. “Good night, Miss Ma’am. Have a good rest. Sweet dreams!” he said before leaving.