Leading Risk

CHAPTER 3

Leyie scrolled through her social media feed, feeling a familiar wave of sadness wash over her. Her ultimate crush had shared a new post, and there it was again—another vague hint about how they liked a classmate, who was off-limits because they were already taken.

She sighed. "Serves them right," she muttered under her breath. "God is good."

Getting bored with her phone, she took a bite of her empanada, only to wince when she realized there was no filling inside. "Well, I guess I’ve got the feelings, not the fillings," she thought wryly, shaking her head.

"Can I have a bite too? Let me see if yours is any better," Rins said, barely looking up from her phone.

Leyie handed over her empanada without hesitation, watching as Rins took a bite while still typing away on her phone.

They were lounging in Uncle's John, cooling off and killing time since they didn’t have any classes that day. It was their go-to hangout spot when they had nothing better to do.

"Unfair!" Leyie mumbled, pouting as she compared their two empanadas. "Yours has way more filling than mine."

She glanced at Rins, who was still glued to her screen. "Rins, thanks, but this one’s definitely tastier than mine."

Leyie caught Mayue shaking her head, clearly amused. She flashed her a sweet smile, warning her to keep quiet.

"So, Mayue," Leyie started, changing the subject, "how’s your department? Any cute guys over there?"

Mayue was the odd one out, the only one who hadn’t majored in Finance like the rest of them. Instead, she was in Education.

"Girl, please. Future educators are too busy to flirt," Mayue replied, sipping her cola.

Leyie rolled her eyes. "I was just asking! No need to assume."

"No foul play, huh? Sure, keep telling yourself that," she muttered, crossing her arms as she looked out the window. She watched as a group of students headed home, lost in thought.

"Wait a minute, aren’t you all about that architect guy?" Mayue asked, narrowing her eyes. "Why are you suddenly asking about cute guys in my department?"

Leyie raised an eyebrow. "Isn’t he into someone else? Come on, six years of crushing, and I never even confessed."

Line, who had been quiet until now, snorted as she put down her phone and grabbed a potato chip. "Six years, Leyie. And you still haven’t said a word? That's wild."

Leyie shot her a look. "Oh, and who’s Ralph again?"

Instead of getting annoyed, Line just rolled her eyes. Leyie sighed. It wasn’t easy to confess when she knew her crush liked someone else.

"Yeah, Miss Six-Year-Crush, everyone knows your architect’s into his classmate. Why didn’t you take Architecture too, huh? Then you’d at least be his classmate," Mayue teased.

"I don’t like him anymore, okay?" Leyie said firmly, taking a long sip of her cola.

"And pigs can fly," Rins said, finally putting her phone down on the table. Leyie just glared at her, not in the mood for more teasing.

"I want a coconut shake," Rins said, staring off into space.

Leyie looked at her in disbelief. "What the heck, girl? We're supposed to be saving money here. I don’t have a sugar daddy, you know."

She opened her wallet, rummaging through it for some extra cash.

"Now I’m craving a coconut shake too, especially with vanilla ice cream," Line added, pouting for effect.

Leyie shot her an annoyed look before diving back into her wallet, which, to her dismay, only held old photos and loose change.

"Oh, look, I’ve got a bay leaf in here! Will that do?" she joked, holding up the dried leaf.

"Why do you have that in your wallet?" Mayue asked, stifling a laugh. "Planning to cook adobo?"

Leyie grinned. "No, no, it’s a lucky charm! My mom told me if you keep a bay leaf in your wallet, it’ll never run out of money."

"Well, it’s working. There’s stuff in here," she laughed, "just no money, only clutter."

The three of them gave her a look, clearly unimpressed.

"What? It’s true! My wallet isn’t empty... but it’s definitely full of nonsense," she said, chuckling at herself.

"Leyie, does it hurt?"

Leyie paused, wallet still in hand. "What hurts?"

All three of them had stopped what they were doing and were staring at her now, a little too seriously for her liking.

"What happened yesterday? When you saw him," Line asked softly. "Six years with feelings... that’s not a joke."

Leyie held their gaze for a moment, then sighed and turned her attention back to her cola, which had lost its fizz. "I’m fine," she said quietly. "He doesn’t even know me personally."

She took another sip, grimacing at the taste. "Great, I got the zero-sugar one. I’m not even on a diet," she muttered.

She let out a long breath, thinking back to yesterday. She’d realized something she didn’t want to admit.

"Oh my God! Leyie, look, it’s your architect!" Rins hissed, pointing towards the counter.

Leyie’s eyes widened as she followed Rins’ finger, spotting him right there.

"Why don’t you just confess already?" Mayue whispered, sneaking a glance behind them. "Maybe that girl’s just a friend."

Leyie sighed. "Stop it, you guys. He might hear you," she warned, eyes wide with panic. "And stop staring at him like that! You're going to make it obvious."

Her friends just grinned at her, totally ignoring her pleas as they went back to their phones and drinks.

She shook her head at them, placing her hand over her chest. Her heart was racing. Why does he still have this effect on me?

Leyie turned to stare out the window, watching as the sky began to darken. She closed her eyes for a second, taking a deep breath and feeling his presence behind her.

Why did the world have to make him sit right behind her? She opened her eyes and saw his reflection in the glass, chatting with his classmates. The girl with him was gorgeous. She sighed, looking down at her now-empty plate.

She knew it. She still liked him.

A sudden thought hit her.

Should I just go for it? Should I confess?

Should I lead?