The First Class Officer Hates Me: My ROTC Senior Enemy

Chapter 3: Partners

Saturday is the longest day of my life.

It starts at two in the morning and ends at three in the afternoon. And in between those hours, I have to survive two trainings with the same person I hate.

My ROTC ends at eight in the morning. My PE starts at one in the afternoon. Five hours of rest, but not really rest, because I have to go home, wash my dirty white ROTC t-shirt, eat lunch, and go back to the same field for PE.

Last Saturday afternoon, I was late for PE. My legs were still shaking from ROTC in the morning.

We were doing warm-up in the open field. I was in my PE uniform — green jogging pants and white t-shirt. My hair was still in a tight bun. No powder. No lip tint. I learned my lesson.

My barkada, my Parekoy, ran to me.

Realyn shouted, "Hey! Look who is here! The girl who washed her face in front of the whole ROTC because of powder and lip tint! Hahaha!"

Angelica laughed, "You are so extra! You put powder on! You know it is ROTC, not a date!"

Wilma added, "Our instructor said you were the whitest in the field because your face was shining!"

We all laughed. A genuine laugh. The type of laugh that only a barkada can give. The teasing that makes you forget you are tired.

"I am not late! My legs are still dead! Thirty push-ups!" I said, laughing too.

Then Angelica became serious. "But seriously, are you okay? We saw you this morning. He gave you unlimited exercise again."

Wilma gave me water. "You were the only one he scolded. Have you eaten?"

Realyn said, "If you want, we will beat Gotladera later in PE."

We laughed again, worried but genuine.

Then Sir Ramos blew his whistle. "Okay! Class started! Group A left side! Group B right side!"

The laughing stopped. The class started.

Sir Ramos is our PE professor. He is in his forties, funny but strict.

"Today, we will have partner activity!" he announced. "Since we have Group A and Group B in the same field, same time, we will mix you! Group B with Group B, Group A with Group A!"

We lined up. Group B is BSED and IT. Group A is Business Administration and BEED. So Wilma and Realyn were Group A, they were together. Me and Angelica were Group B.

Sir Ramos continued, "The activity is called Trust Fall and Wheelbarrow Relay! One will be the base, one will be the flyer! You need to trust your partner!"

The whole field shouted, "Huh?"

Sir Ramos smiled, "Yes! I will pair you randomly! I have a list!"

He started calling names.

"Realyn and Wilma! Partners!"

My two friends screamed, "Yes!"

"Angelica and Marco!"

Angelica went to her partner.

Then Sir Ramos looked at his list and smiled. The smile of a professor who loves teasing.

"Dela Torre and Gotladera! Partners!"

The whole field became silent for two seconds, then started whispering.

I froze. "What?"

Aris Gotladera, who was standing straight in the Group B line, cold, silent, never smiling, strict, also looked at Sir Ramos.

Sir Ramos said, "Yes! Louella Dela Torre and Aris Gotladera! You are partners! Perfect! One is the smallest in Group B, one is the tallest! Balance!"

My friends from Group A started to shout.

"Parekoy! Oh my God!" Realyn shouted.

Other students in Group B also started teasing. "Perfect match!"

I was so pissed off. My face became red, not from the sun, but from anger.

Aris walked to me. He was in his PE uniform, green jogging pants and white t-shirt, but even in PE uniform, he looked like an officer. Cold. Silent. Never smiling. Strict.

He stood in front of me. He was so tall. I had to look up.

I tried to act strong. I crossed my arms, even though my arms were still sore.

"Only here in PE you are not my officer," I said to him, my voice low but strong. "So do not order me. Here, we are equal. Classmates. Not cadet and First Class Officer."

He looked at me. His eyes were cold.

Then he answered, his voice also low, but strict, like in ROTC.

"You might forgot the rules, Dela Torre," he said. "That even out of ROTC time and out of campus, I am your senior officer. The rule is twenty-four seven. Inside and outside campus. You are still my junior."

I rolled my eyes. I really rolled my eyes in front of him.

"Whatever, Sir," I said sarcastically. "This is PE, not ROTC. So I will not say Sir Yes Sir."

Sir Ramos, who was near us, heard it and laughed, "Oh! I like this! Enemy partners! This will be fun! Dela Torre, you are brave! Gotladera, you are strict even in PE!"

Other students laughed too. Some were teasing, "Lovers quarrel?"

Another student said, "Dela Torre and Gotladera, you look good together!"

I shouted, "We are not! He hates me!"

Aris said nothing. He just stared at the students who were teasing. When he stares, everyone stops.

He has that effect. When he stares, cold and silent, people stop laughing. Even Sir Ramos stopped.

The field became quiet.

Sir Ramos coughed, "Okay! Let's start! First activity: Trust Fall! One partner will stand in front, eyes closed, and fall backward! The other will catch!"

I was the one to fall first. Aris would catch.

I stood in front of him, my back to him. My heart was beating fast, not because of kilig, but because I was pissed off and nervous. I do not trust him.

"Ready, Dela Torre? Fall," Sir Ramos said.

I closed my eyes. I fell backward.

For a second, I thought he would let me fall on the grass to embarrass me. But he caught me. His hands were strong. He caught my back and shoulders firmly.

I opened my eyes. I was in his arms, looking up at him. He was looking down at me, still cold, still silent, still never smiling, still strict.

My friends screamed.

"Kilig!" Realyn shouted from Group A side.

"Parekoy! Oh my God!" Angelica shouted.

Other students also said, "So sweet!"

Sir Ramos also said, "Wow! Good catch, Gotladera! Very good!"

I stood up fast, like I was burned. My face was red.

"I can stand by myself!" I said, pissed off.

Aris just said, "You are too light. You need to eat more."

That made me more pissed off. I work so hard every day. I do not need him to tell me to eat.

"I work like a carabao, I am strong!" I said. "Do not tell me I am light!"

He looked at me, still cold. "Then why are you shaking?"

I had no answer. Because my body was really tired from the morning training. I was acting strong in front of him, but my hands were shaking.

Next, it was his turn to fall, and I had to catch him.

"Falling," he said.

He fell backward. I tried to catch him. I put my hands out. But he was too heavy. We both fell on the grass. I fell under him, he fell on top of me, but he quickly put his arms on the grass so he would not crush me.

We were on the grass, his face close to mine.

The whole PE field screamed.

"Kilig! Kilig!"

"Parekoy! Your husband!"

Sir Ramos laughed, "This is the best Trust Fall I have ever seen!"

I pushed him. "Get off! You are heavy!"

He stood up and pulled me up with one hand.

"See? You cannot even catch me, Dela Torre. You are weak," he said, cold.

"I am not weak! You are just heavy! You eat too much!" I said, rolling my eyes again.

My friends were laughing so hard. Other students were teasing, "Officer and Cadet love team!"

But when Aris stared at them, cold and silent, they all stopped teasing and went back to their own partners.

Sir Ramos said, "Okay! Second activity: Wheelbarrow Relay! One partner will be the wheelbarrow, one will hold the legs! Race to the cone and back!"

I had to be the wheelbarrow. Aris held my legs.

I put my hands on the grass. He held my ankles. His hands were firm.

"Ready! Go!" Sir Ramos shouted.

We started. My hands were hurting. My arms were shaking from morning push-ups. But I did not want to show him I was tired.

I walked with my hands fast. He was guiding me, "Left, Dela Torre, left."

"Do not order me! I know where to go!" I said, pissed off.

We reached the cone. We came back. We finished second place.

My friends cheered, "Go Parekoy! Go!"

When we finished, I collapsed on the grass, my hands dirty, my PE shirt wet with sweat.

Aris was standing, not even sweating. He looked down at me.

"You showed you can do it," he said. "But you should rest. You work too hard."

"I do not need your concern, Sir," I said, still pissed off, but my voice was tired. "I work like a carabao, I am strong. I can handle everything by myself."

He said nothing. He just gave me his water bottle.

I did not take it. I took my own water bottle from Wilma.

Sir Ramos came to us, "Good job, partners! You may not be perfect partners, but you have chemistry! Enemy but with teamwork!"

The whole class laughed and teased again, "Chemistry!"

But when Aris stared at them, they stopped.

I was still pissed off at him. Really pissed off. Even though we were partners in PE, even though he caught me in Trust Fall, even though we had kilig moments that made the whole class tease us.

He is still cold. Silent. Never smiling. Strict. My enemy.

And I will never let him see me weak, even if I am tired.