BLEACHERS #2
1422 Words
IVONNE
Facebook.
Maxim Izaiah Zanhuesa sent you a friend request.
Instagram.
@M_Izaiahzanhuesa follows you.
Twitter.
@zaiahzanhuesa follows you.
TikTok.
@Maxizaiahuesa started following you.
What the f**k. I can’t believe this guy. He actually searched for all of my social media accounts.
I don’t want to accept or follow him back—because that could cause an issue. He’s popular, and I can’t be seen with him.
This is my last year in college. I can’t be linked to anyone. I never dated all through high school and college. I believe guys are just distractions.
Instagram: @M_Izaiahzanhuesa liked your photo. (1)
Instagram: @M_Izaiahzanhuesa liked your photo. (1)
Instagram: @M_Izaiahzanhuesa liked your photo. (1)
What the actual double f**k.
I scrolled through the notifications. They were all his likes—from my old posts. Posts from months, even years ago. Random pictures of coffee, books, assignments. Not even selfies or anything remotely interesting.
I resisted the urge to stalk his profile. That’s dangerous. I might get tempted.
I just turned off my phone. I couldn’t stand seeing those notifications. I needed to study. I had class tomorrow. I had to focus.
But before I could finally fall asleep, a notification slipped through—one I hadn’t turned off. From f*******: Messenger.
Maxim Izaiah Zanhuesa sent you a message.
I still hadn’t accepted his friend request, but sometimes messages sneak into the Requests folder.
I didn’t open it. I didn’t want to know what he said. I didn’t want to give him a sign that I’d seen it.
---
“FINALLY!” Ash breathed in relief after we submitted our codes. So far, so good. I had no errors.
For a month now, Izaiah had been bugging me—not just in person, but in chat too. Good thing it hadn’t become an issue yet.
Why? Because the only accounts he follows are the school page, family, and close friends. Then suddenly, people would see he followed me? That would be an issue.
There was even a girl linked to him before—just because she watched one of his games last year. Imagine if they saw he followed me.
“Sigh. Lucky you guys are done. We Architecture majors are having hell week,” Yvette complained. She’s taking Architecture because their family owns a firm.
Meanwhile, Harmony is in Journalism. She wants to be a news anchor, which her parents don’t mind since they’re also in the entertainment industry.
“You know what? Let’s just watch volleyball. HTU has a practice game against QHU today,” Harmony suggested.
This girl really picked the worst time to invite us—when I was trying to avoid someone.
“Sorry, Harmony, I still need to finish my thesis outline,” I quickly lied. But deep inside, I almost cursed. I’d already finished my outline.
“It’s just an outline, Ivonne,” Harmony pressed. “This is a stress reliever! Come on!”
“Yeah, girl,” Yvette chimed in. “There you go again with your studyholic ways. It’s your last year—enjoy a little!”
“Don’t believe her,” Ash exposed me. “She already submitted her outline to Ma’am.”
I sighed. It’s always hard to say no to these three. But it’s even harder if I ran into Izaiah there—or worse, if he saw me with Harmony and then came over.
“But… I also need to buy something from the bookstore,” I tried again.
“Later! Come on, please?” Harmony begged, even doing puppy eyes.
The three of them were staring at me, waiting. I knew I had no escape. If I stayed behind, I might just end up stalking his social media—which was equally dangerous. At least if I went with them, I’d be distracted. Maybe he wouldn’t notice me in the crowd.
“Fine,” I gave in reluctantly. “But we’re only staying a little while, okay? I really need to prepare for tomorrow.”
They all cheered. “Yes! Good girl!” Ash said, throwing an arm over my shoulder. As if I were some pet. Annoying.
We packed up and left the library. On our way to the quadrangle near the gym, I couldn’t help but think of Izaiah. Was he really going to be there? It’s just a practice game. Maybe not. Maybe I was just assuming.
But when we arrived, the gym was almost packed. It wasn’t even an official game—USAP Men’s Volleyball wasn’t until two months from now—yet the crowd made it feel like one.
We found empty seats. From here, the court was clearly visible, and since we sat behind HTU’s side, we were also close to their bench. My nerves spiked. What had I gotten myself into?
The crowd roared when the players started warming up. HTU wore yellow, QHU maroon. While watching, I couldn’t stop myself from scanning for his number—7.
“OMG, so many people!” Harmony shouted, nearly breaking my eardrums. “I’m so excited to watch!”
Yvette and Ash just nodded, focused on the court. I, on the other hand, fidgeted with my bag strap, restless. I didn’t know if I was searching for him to confirm he was there—or avoiding seeing him at all.
Then the crowd cheered near HTU’s bench. The starters were entering. I quietly watched each one as they were called. Number 16… 11… 5…
Until the one number I dreaded: “Number 7, Maxim Izaiah Zanhuesa!”
My heartbeat thundered like a drum. With the crowd’s applause and screams, my world seemed to slow down. I saw him enter the court, smiling, waving. He looked good in uniform.
I closed my eyes briefly and breathed deep. Okay, he’s here. I just need to stay put, not pay attention, and leave right after. I can do this.
“Ivonne! That’s him!” Ash elbowed me with a grin. “Handsome, right?” Still teasing.
I didn’t answer. I pretended to fix my bag instead.
The game started. Too noisy to talk, so my friends focused on watching. As for me, I focused on not looking at Number 7.
But he was always in front. As the setter, of course he was everywhere—setting, blocking, tipping. The crowd electrified at every move. No wonder he was so popular. Annoying.
Midway through the first set, QHU called a timeout. Some players sat on the bench. We were close—just five rows away.
I felt a chill again. I glanced at the bench. There he was, wiping sweat, talking to a teammate.
He wasn’t looking at us. Safe. I quickly looked away.
But then a thought whispered—look again.
No. Dangerous.
Come on. Just a glance.
In the end, curiosity (and maybe attraction I didn’t want to admit) won. I slowly peeked again.
He was still sitting there. Now watching the court, serious.
Then suddenly—he looked our way. At the bleachers. At our area.
My heart jumped out of my chest. Our eyes met.
Time stopped again. The noise of the gym faded. My friends disappeared. Just him. His eyes.
I was sure he saw me. His eyes sparkled, the corner of his lips lifted—a smile.
I didn’t know what to do. Hide? Run? Vanish?
But before I could react, Ash tapped my shoulder.
“Ivonne, you okay? You look pale.”
I quickly tore my gaze away from Izaiah, who was still smiling in our direction. “Ah… yeah. Maybe it’s just hot,” I lied, forcing a smile.
I turned to Ash, then Yvette and Harmony, who were both looking at me curiously. Thankfully, they hadn’t noticed.
But even as I looked away, I felt it—that gaze on me. I looked back at the court. Izaiah was focused on his teammates again, planning their gameplay. But I knew he knew. He knew I was there.
And that only made me more exhausted. A month of dodging him online, and I thought I’d gotten used to it. But seeing him in person—knowing he knew I was there—it was different. More real. More nerve-wracking.
I couldn’t focus on the game anymore. All I felt was the heat on my cheeks and the pounding in my chest.
How could I escape this? And what would he do next—now that he knew I was there?
I’d avoided him for a month… because I knew he was trouble.
- Writer
