The Girl Named Pam

CHAPTER 2:WILL

On the first day of school, Will was the first student that arrived at school. The school is quiet, Will finds calmness in this quietness.

He sat at their room’s door and closed his eyes, he slept. Will dreamed about the tragedy that still haunts him. A girl is drowning and Will, afraid of water, stays on the shore, shouting the girl’s name.

“STELLAAAA,” he screamed as if his throat would explode, crying.

“STEL—” Will wake up.

Their homeroom adviser had just arrived, gently tapping Will on the shoulder. “ Masyado kang excited pumasok, ah, at dito ka na natulog,” the teacher chuckled. (You’re so excited for school, you decided to sleep here.)

“Sorry, Sir,” Will said, springing up quickly to straighten his uniform.

The adviser opened the door, and Will went straight to the front seat, placing his bag down. His eyes immediately fell on the whiteboard.

“Paki-erase sa writings on board, Mr—?” the teacher asked. (Please erase the writings on the board, Mr—?)

“Mr. Santos po, Sir,” Will replied.

“Okay, Mr. Santos. I am Mr. Ryan Dela Cruz. You can call me Sir Ryan.”

They exchanged a quick, friendly smile. Sir Ryan went to arrange his own things while Will grabbed an eraser. As he wiped away the scribbles, a particular message caught his eye:

"A girl named Pam will transfer here and will make this school year the best year of your life."

The message hit him. He’d spent his entire high school career buried in books, an endless cycle of studying. This was his last year. As he stared at the board, a genuine, small hope sparked in him: maybe this mysterious girl could actually make this year different, a year he might actually enjoy.

“Tapos ka na d’yan, Mr. Santos?” Sir Ryan’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. (Are you finished there, Mr? Santos?)

After cleaning the board, Will approached his teacher. “Sir, may classmate ba akong—ang pangalan ay Pam?” (Sir, do I have a classmate named Pam?)

Sir Ryan looked at him sharply. “Ikaw, ha! First day pa, chix na hanap mo!” he joked, causing Will to flinch in surprise. (Well, well! First day, and you’re already looking for girls!)

Will’s eyes widened and said,“ Huh?! ”

The Confrontation

Jake arrived at their classroom, he fixed his eyes on Will until he sat down. Will, oblivious, was meticulously organizing the contents of his bag. Minutes later, Stevie arrived.

A few of the girls looked at Stevie and looked at each other laughing. Stevie got pissed off, went straight to Jake and slammed his bag onto Jake’s back.

“Kasalanan mo talaga ‘to, Jake, kaya pinagtatawanan nila ako!” Stevie growled as he sat down, glaring. (This is all your fault, Jake, that’s why they’re laughing at me!)

Jake laughs, saying this is his payback for him.

The two teased each other, which made noise. Will, acting in his new role as Class President, simply looked over. The single, silent stare was enough to quiet them both.

“Will is so cool! He just looked at those two losers, and they shut up,” one of the girls whispered, loud enough for Jake to hear.

“Tsk!” Jake clicked his tongue, his face immediately souring. Stevie noticed the sudden change in mood and stopped teasing him.

After class, Jake approached Will. “Sino si Pam? Bakit mo siya hinahanap?” Jake demanded. (Who is Pam? Why are you looking for her? )

“It’s none of your business,” Will answered, turning his back and starting to walk away.

“Siya na naman ba ipapahamak mo?” Jake shouted. (Are you going to put her in danger, too?)

Will froze, looking back at Jake over his shoulder.

“Baka nakalimutan mo na ang nangyari, Will,” Jake added, his voice low and heavy. (Perhaps you’ve forgotten what happened, Will.)

Will remained silent for a long moment, then turned his back completely and walked away, refusing to engage.

“Tsk,” Jake muttered, walking off in the opposite direction.

A Fateful Rescue

Will did not go straight home, instead he went to the beach, watching the sunset alone. He was staring blankly at the sunset when he heard a scream of a woman from a distance.

He ran over to check. A woman was lying near the rocks, clearly in pain.

“Are you okay?” Will rushed forward, offering his hand as the woman groaned.

She looked at his hand, then accepted his help. “Thanks,” she whispered.

She explained that she had slipped while taking pictures. “Malayo ang hospital dito, pero may kilala akong nurse,” Will offered. (The hospital is far from here, but I know a nurse.) She draped her arm over his neck, and they walked slowly, the lady groaning with every painful step.

Minutes later, they arrived at Jake’s house. Will knocked on the door. Teressa, Jake’s mother, opened it. “WILL? Anong nangyari?” she exclaimed, immediately helping him bring the lady inside. ( WILL? What happened? )

Will and the lady explained the accident. As Teressa treated the scrape, she advised the lady to call her parents and go to the hospital. The lady explained that her parents were away and she lived alone.

“I can take you to the hospital,” Will offered. The lady smiled and thanked Will for this. After that, they decided to take their leave since it was getting late.

Both of them thanked Teressa for her help and left. As they walked, the lady thanked Will again, which brought a faint smile to his face. Curious, he decided to ask her name.

“ Ano nga pala ang panga–” Will stopped mid-sentence.

Standing in front of them, Jake, frozen and speechless. It’s the lady he bumped into on the first day of school.

Will continued walking, pulling the lady slightly with him. As they passed Jake, the lady and Jake stared at each other, recognizing each other. Will see this and walked faster until they got away from Jake and arrived at the lady’s house.

“Thank you again,” she said, and slipped inside. Will stood there for a minute, then turned to walk home.

Jake arrived at his house to find his mother putting the medical kit back on the shelf. He greeted her, and she explained that Will had brought a girl over for help.

“Sana pala maaga akong umuwi,” Jake muttered to himself. (I wish I had come home sooner.)

“Ano?” Teressa asked, having only caught a snippet. (What?)

Jake brushed it off. “WALA. Kumain na po ako kaya matutulog na po ako. Good night!” and bolted for his room. (NOTHING. I already ate, so I’m going to sleep now. Good night!)

Jake lay on his bed, thinking about the lady again. In his thoughts, he saw Will, and it made him furious and jealous. He grabs his pillow and punches it thinking it was Will.