BLEACHERS #3
2299 Words
IVONNE
While I was eating a midnight snack, my phone lit up with a message from Izaiah.
“You didn’t finish our game earlier.”
“Sorry, I was very busy. I just had so much to do, but Harmony and the others forced me to join for a bit.”
“So you’re saying you were just forced? ☹️
R u really busy or avoiding me?”
He replied to my message. I didn’t know how to answer him. I hesitated whether or not I should reply to his question.
I stared blankly at the phone screen, forgetting about the sandwich I was eating. His words kept repeating in my head. Just forced? R u really busy or avoiding me?
It suddenly felt tight in my chest. Busy? Yes, I really am busy. Too many tasks, too many deadlines… But… am I avoiding him? Yes… maybe…
I was afraid of falling. He would be my first if it ever happened. I was scared of commitment. I couldn’t step out of my comfort zone. Too many “what ifs” kept running through my mind.
“I’ll be honest with you, Izaiah. Since you’ve been so persistent… I’m afraid of being judged because we live in such different worlds. You can’t blame me for that. I’m just a girl who grew up in an orphanage with big dreams, while you… you were born with a golden spoon in your mouth. I’m also afraid of what people might say if they see us together.
And what’s scarier is… I’m slowly falling for you.”
“Can we meet?”
That was his only reply to my long message.
“No. It’s late, it’s already 9pm. Something might happen to you.”
He didn’t reply anymore after that. I couldn’t do anything. I just distracted myself by watching this Indian guy on YouTube teaching coding—it was a huge help for me.
Then suddenly, another notification popped up. It was from Izaiah.
“I’m here, can you go outside?”
The moment I saw that, I immediately went outside.
“What are you doing here? Didn’t I tell you it’s late already?” I said to him, my voice filled with both worry and surprise.
He smiled. “I just wanted to see you. You said you’re scared, right? Scared of being judged, scared of our differences, scared of falling for me. I wanted to show you that those fears don’t have to control you.”
He came closer. “Look, I can’t change the fact that I was born into privilege. But I can show you that it doesn’t define me. I promise I won’t let their opinions matter.”
He held my hand. His warm palm calmed my restless heart. “As for falling for me… well, I’m already falling for you. And I’m not scared.”
I swallowed hard. His words shifted my perspective. Maybe I was too afraid of what could happen that I forgot to trust him.
“Izaiah…”
“Hey,” he said softly, locking his eyes on mine. “It’s okay to be scared. But don’t let fear stop you from experiencing something real. From experiencing us.”
I sighed. “What if…”
“No ‘what ifs’,” he cut me off. “Let’s take it one day at a time. Let’s get to know each other better. Let’s face these fears together.”
I looked into his eyes. I saw sincerity and hope in them. Maybe I should try. Maybe I should give this a chance.
“Okay,” I said. “But promise me, you’ll be patient with me.”
He smiled. “I promise. I can wait forever for you.”
He pulled me into his arms. His embrace was enough to ease all my fears. In that moment, I knew I couldn’t stop myself anymore. I was falling—and I was falling hard.
---
“Hi babykuu! Just got home po.”
“Hmm.”
“You already have a callsign for me?”
“Of course, you’re my baby.”
“No I’m not 😝😝”
“Yes you are. Now baby, go to sleep, we have an early day tomorrow.”
“Okiee. Good night future boyfriend 😗”
“Good night byybyy 😚😚”
---
“Wow, look at you smiling at your phone since earlier. Confess, Ivonne Haven Sangco—you have a boyfriend now, don’t you?” Ash teased me with a mischievous grin.
“He’s just courting me, not yet my boyfriend,” I replied. Ash almost fell off her chair from shock, since she had been tilting it around.
“Ouuch! That hurt!” she complained, rubbing her butt. “But wait—seriously? Someone’s courting you? Who? Who’s brave enough to court my sss best friend?”
“sss beauty,” I corrected with a wink.
“Geez, bragging about yourself now! But seriously, who is it?” she pressed.
I sighed. “It’s Izaiah.”
Ash’s eyes widened. “Izaiah?! Izaiah Zanhuesa? Damn, Haven, I swear I’ll pull your hair, you brat!”
I nodded. “Yes, yes, I’ve said it already.”
“I’ll tell Harmony!” she yelled, running outside the room. Our classmates looked at her strangely.
Since it was lunch break anyway, I followed her.
“There she is!” Ash pointed at me dramatically. She was reporting me to Yvette and Harmony.
When I sat down, Yvette immediately said, “You betrayed me, girl! I thought we were BFFs. My gosh, no wonder you skipped gym for a month—because you had a suitor all along.”
“Ugh, your acting is terrible,” I said, and Harmony and I laughed at her.
They didn’t really mind who my suitor was. In fact, they were proud—because he was rich, famous, and good at volleyball.
“At least your suitor is an athlete,” Harmony said. “Meanwhile, here I am, still waiting for my forever. Maybe I’ll be single forever.”
“Don’t be dramatic,” I told her. “Your time will come. Just wait.”
“I hope so,” she sighed. “But anyway, how are things with you and Izaiah? What’s your status now? Exclusively dating?”
I scratched my head. “Not yet. We’re taking things slow. We’re still getting to know each other.”
“Taking things slow, huh?” Ash teased. “And yet, you’re already calling each other babykuu and byybaby in chat. Wow.”
My cheeks burned. “Shut up, Ash!”
They just laughed. I knew they were happy for me. And despite my nerves, I was happy too.
---
“Where r u, bibiku?”
“Bibiku my foot. I’m at the cafeteria with Ash.”
“Coming na ako, bi :>”
I flipped my phone over. They were asking me when this all started, so I told them the whole story that began in the library. They couldn’t believe it.
“Wow, our BFF’s hair is growing long,” Ash teased, pretending to flip her hair. I laughed and did the same, making everyone laugh more.
Just as expected, their teasing didn’t stop when Izaiah arrived at the cafeteria. People immediately turned their heads toward him—he was popular, after all.
“Hi,” he greeted, his eyes fixed only on me.
“Hi,” I replied, still shy from the stares of other students.
“Can I sit here?” he asked, looking at my friends.
“Sure, go ahead,” Harmony said with a mischievous smile.
He sat next to me, so close our arms almost touched. My heartbeat quickened.
“So, what are you guys talking about?” Izaiah asked.
“About you,” Yvette answered bluntly.
Izaiah chuckled. “I see. Good things, I hope?”
“Of course,” I said quickly, elbowing Yvette. “We were just talking about how great you are at volleyball.”
“Thanks,” he smiled. “But honestly, I’m more interested in hearing what you think of me.” He looked at me like I was the only person in the cafeteria.
I swallowed. “I… I think you’re… nice.”
My friends burst out laughing. “Nice? That’s it, Haven? Nothing more?” Ash teased.
“Shut up, Ash!” I said, blushing.
Under the table, Izaiah held my hand. “It’s okay,” he whispered. “I’m just happy you think I’m nice.”
I smiled shyly. “You’re more than nice, Izaiah. You’re… kind, considerate, and you make me laugh.”
“And he’s hot,” Ash added, making us all laugh.
I glared at her. “Okay, enough.”
“So, Haven,” Izaiah turned to me. “Are you free this weekend? I want to take you somewhere.”
“Somewhere? Like where?”
“That’s a surprise,” he grinned. “But I promise you’ll like it.”
I glanced at my friends, who wiggled their eyebrows.
“Okay,” I agreed. “I’m free this weekend.”
“Great,” he said. “I’ll pick you up at 10 on Saturday.”
---
As expected, on Saturday Izaiah was already waiting outside my apartment. He was dressed casually—forest green knit sweater, black straight-leg trousers, chunky white sneakers.
I wore beige trousers, a navy blue t-shirt, and 2-inch white heels.
“Where are we going, Izaiah?” I asked as he opened the car door for me. He only answered once we were inside.
“We’re meeting Mom and Dad. They want to meet you,” he said as he started driving.
My eyes widened. “Meet your parents? Now?!” My nerves spiked. I wasn’t ready for this. What if they didn’t like me? What if they had someone else in mind for him?
“Hey, relax,” Izaiah said, holding my hand. “They’re really excited to meet you. Besides, they’ve already heard a lot about you from me.”
“But…” I still wasn’t at ease.
“No buts. They’ll love you, I promise. Just be yourself.”
I took a deep breath. He was right. I just had to be real.
The ride took about an hour. When we arrived, I was stunned—it wasn’t just a house, it was a mansion. Huge, modern, surrounded by beautiful plants and flowers. Like a resort.
“Wow,” I breathed.
“Like it?” he asked proudly.
“It’s amazing!”
Just then, an elegant woman approached us. She was beautiful, looked young, maybe in her early 40s.
“Izaiah, my son!” she hugged him, then turned to me. “And you must be Haven. I’m Luvenia, Izaiah’s mom.”
She gave me a warm smile. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. You’re beautiful!”
“Thank you, Mrs. Luvenia,” I said shyly.
“Oh no, just call me Tita Luv, okay?”
I nodded.
Soon after, Izaiah’s father appeared. Tall, authoritative, yet with a warm smile.
“Haven, right?” he said, shaking my hand. “I’m Joaquin, Izaiah’s dad. Welcome to our home.”
“Thank you, Tito Joaquin,” I replied politely.
“Come in, come in. We have a lot to talk about.”
Though nervous, I followed them inside. The interior was even grander—marble floors, high ceilings, expensive furniture. Everything screamed wealth.
We sat in the living room and they started asking about me—where I studied, where I lived, what my hobbies were. I answered all honestly.
“So, Haven,” Tita Luv suddenly asked, “what do you see in my son?”
My eyes widened. That was so direct!
“Well,” I started nervously. “Izaiah is… kind, funny, very talented. He’s supportive and makes me feel good about myself.”
She smiled. “That’s good to hear. Because we really like you, Haven. You seem sweet and genuine.”
Relief washed over me. They weren’t strict at all.
“We just want what’s best for Izaiah,” Tito Joaquin added. “He’s our only son, so we want to make sure he’s with someone who truly cares about him.”
“I do care about him,” I answered sincerely. “A lot.”
They exchanged a look and smiled.
“We can see that,” said Tita Luv. “Welcome to the family, Haven.”
After that, my nervousness faded. We talked more, laughed, and I felt their acceptance. Izaiah was right—they were really nice people.
Before we left, Tita Luv pulled me aside.
“Take care of my son, okay?” she said. “He can be a handful sometimes.”
I laughed. “I will, Tita Luv.”
“And don’t let him get away. He’s a good one.”
I hugged her. “Thank you, Tita.”
On the drive back, I couldn’t stop smiling. The day had gone way better than I expected.
“So,” Izaiah said, breaking the silence. “What did you think of my parents?”
“They’re amazing!” I said excitedly. “I really like them.”
“I knew you would,” he grinned. “They really like you too.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Mom already wants you to come back for dinner next week.”
I laughed. “Wow, that was fast.”
“Well,” he said, squeezing my hand, “I guess they can see you’re the one for me.”
My face turned red. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything,” he said softly. “Just be with me. That’s all I want.”
- Writer
