My Significant Rival

Chapter 2

“Loreign, meet Damon, my friend and I think he knows Lucas?”

My brows slightly raised as I looked at the well-proportioned man in front of me and stopped myself from potentially shamelessly checking him up. He stood five feet and seven inches tall, his shoulders were broad, thick brows, lush black hair, a pointy nose, a very clean face that I was a little conscious of my own skin, and an alluring wide smile. He exuded a calm and gentle aura, like someone who never got mad.

Damon smiled widely, showing his perfectly white teeth. “Yes. Lucas is my colleague, a senior in high school, especially since we were teammates in Basketball varsity before. He always mentioned that he has a sister but I never get to meet you so it’s a pleasure to meet you finally, Loreign.”

I smiled back at him and accepted his hand for a handshake. It was soft. “Nice to meet you, too. Not to be rude right off the bat, what brings you here, though?”

Rhaze nudged my side, but I just mouthed ‘what?’ at her. I was just curious. From the ID lace that he was wearing that indicated which college they belong to, he was a fourth-year psychology student. Their building was like on the other side of the College of Business Administration which is where I was, while it was more understandable for Rhaze to be more frequent to theirs because the Culinary Arts building was just a building away from ours.

“Oh, the office where the filing of candidacy for Campus Mayor is in this building,” he replied, smiling at me still. I was near to thinking that he was purposely smiling to charm me, or I was just naturally enchanted.

I tilted my head in confusion and surprise. “You’ll run as the Campus Mayor, too?”

It was his turn to look at me with a bemused expression. “Too? You’ll run as a Campus Mayor?”

“She will!” Rhaze answered enthusiastically before I could even open my mouth. “You have to vote for her, Damon. You know how perfect Lucas was when he was the Campus Mayor? I’m sure it runs in their blood. Loreign would follow on her brother’s steps.”

“What are you saying? He’ll run as a Mayor, too. Why would he vote for his opponent, are you insane?” I told her, scoffing at her ridiculosity as I apologetically looked at Damon. “Don’t mind her, please. I wish you good luck with your campaign. I think I should exert more effort on mine since I think you’d be a tough opponent, I mean look at you…”

I pursed my lips when I said that, and Rhaze also raised both of her brows at me in probable suspicion that I might be somehow… indirectly praising his look because of my implied remark. As someone who didn’t really give praise? I would be shocked, too.

“Oh, no.” He waved his hand softly, smiling sheepishly. “I’m not running as the Campus Mayor, my best friend is. He’s the one who’ll be excitedly run for the position. He’s been waiting for this his whole life, so I apologize if I wouldn’t be able to give my vote to you.”

He scratched his head while frowning, and I couldn’t help but glare at my cousin for putting us in this situation. “No, no. It’s okay. Really. Rhaze was just kidding. You can vote for whoever you want, it’s your choice. I’ll just meet your best friend and see if he deserves a vote.”

It was only meant as a joke, and I think Damon also got it as he smiled at me and nodded coolly, but Rhaze just had to interrupt the atmosphere as she clung to me and looked at my eyes with concern.

“Loreign, the best friend he is talking about is the best in their department, what are you talking about you’ll check if he deserves a vote? He’s quite known even in his freshmen so you really better prepare.”

I squinted my eyes, my face frowned as my forehead creased. I didn’t have any idea about what she might probably be talking about. I was not interested in anyone’s best friend nor with who the best was in the other college, I only merely focused on myself and what I could do and where I excel, I didn’t care who I was against. Maybe that was why I didn’t know anyone but my cousins and my classmates.

“Whatever. Whoever that is, tell him that I won’t go easy on him. I am not an easy opponent. I have my own credentials, and my brother was the best Campus Mayor before. Best of luck.”

I didn’t want to sound like I was bragging, but a lot have been waiting for me to reach the last year and run as the Campus Mayor. I was pressured whenever they would link me with Lucas’ name, but I just had grown well accustomed to it and adjusted to the life of being excellent in academics. I was sure there would at least be a lot of students who would vote for me not only because of my brother but also because of my achievements.

“You are only going to run for the sake of your surname, not because you have any concrete plan for the college.”

All of us looked behind Damon upon hearing someone speak. My forehead creased in confusion and curiosity upon hearing that voice. For some unknown reason, I have been nudged by the thoughts of some vague past memories lately. It was like my brain was trying to make me remember something from a distant memory at a very random moment. What’s happening to me? t

The voice sounded vaguely familiar to me. It was like I have heard that voice before and there was something weird in me that my stomach coiled in what felt like irritation. What’s this? Why was I feeling like this just by hearing his voice? Why do I feel like I want to strangle his neck and dip his face in the dirty fish pond filled with janitor fish at their Hortus Lawn?

I never felt this amount of irritation toward someone that I never even met, and since Damon was standing tall in front of me, he was still blocking the man at his back from my sight, but I could tell that he was also tall. I could see a glimpse of his shoulders. Also, Rhaze was also looking up so which confirmed that the person was tall, probably even taller than Damon.

Damon instantly looked over his shoulder upon hearing that voice, and his grin widened. “Bro! How did it go? Do you think you’ll fit?”

Damon moved to the side and draped his hand over his best friend’s shoulder. It allowed me to see the person wholly. My eyes squinted as I observe him. As I expected, he was taller than Damon, about probably six flat, his shoulders were broad, his soft hair was in a messy style, covering his thick brows, and his deep-set eyes stared through me intensely. He was wearing a plain black hoodie, and it seemed like he had just taken the hood down from his head which made his hair messy. He was handsome, sure, I would give it to him, but something told me that we were never going to be friends.

“It went well. I’ve got a perfect score.” He raised the paper where the scores of the test that candidates should take first which would determine whether they could run as a contender for the position they were planning to run for. “How about this person?”

He pointed at me rudely, and the way he looked at me made me think that he was challenging me at the same time belittling me. Well, I guess it was good to know that I am not the only one who feels bad blood towards him and the feeling was actually mutual. Like the hoodie and the voice, this person’s face now looked fairly familiar to me. Where did I see him? Was it in school as well? Or outside? Was he one of the men Rhaze set me up for a blind date that I bailed out on?

But what? He perfected the qualifying exam? Even my brother didn’t score perfect in it because the questions were ideal about leadership to the point that it wasn’t even believable anymore, yet how come he scored perfect? I haven’t been able to take the exam yet. Even when I said that I was looking forward to running as the Campus Mayor like my brother, I was not as excited as this man that the filing of candidacy just opened yesterday, and he had already reserved a position.

“Bro, this is Loreign, Lucas’ sister, you remember him, right? The most known Campus Mayor and the person who asked you to run as the college representative before? Loreign, this is Arth Dalton, my best friend, and well, your rival for the position.”

“Arth Dalton!?” I shouted and gasped, shocking the three. I intently looked at his face, then at the hoodie that he was wearing. Could it be…

Without a word, I walked toward him and forced him to turn around. I have to see if it was him. Damon was surprised but he moved aside and let me pull Arth's arm until his back was turned to me. Psychology.

"Loreign, what are you doing!? Stop!" Rhaze scolded me, but I couldn't listen to her. Not right now when this person that I vowed I would throw a pile of crumpled papers showed himself again to me.

"It's you!" I exclaimed. "You were that man before who threw the crumpled paper that my brother asked me to give you! I couldn't forget you, you mannerless bastard!"

"Okay, that's enough. We're going. Nice to meet you, Arth! See you again, Damon!"

Rhaze pulled me away from them, but I couldn't take my glaring eyes off Arth Dalton who was just staring at me bemusedly. The next time I see him I will make sure to store crumpled papers in my bag and throw it on his face.

—

"I didn't score perfect," I told Rhaze as I frowned and sat beside her in one of the space at Breakout Space, a space renowned for its snaky style boundaries between each table with built in couch and table and also electrical outlets which made it the second best place after library to study.

And also to rant quietly. I’ve finally taken the qualifying examination two days after my encounter with Arth Dalton, and even when I reviewed almost all day and pulled an all nighter, I still failed to reach my goal.

“Did you pass?” Rhaze asked while typing on her laptop. She was with Pia and Denise, her two friends who were also taking culinary. They seemed to be working on a group project but I really wanted this out so I willed myself to come here just to tell her about the result of my exam.

“I did but I didn’t perfect it. I got two questions wrong, argh!”

“Better than me, I only got two questions right,” Denise interjected. She also wished to run as a representative, but it was immediately crushed by the result of the qualifying exam.

“What’s wrong? Your only goal is to pass. You can still run as a Campus Mayor. Isn’t that what’s more important?”

I sighed. “Yes, but I was trying to aim for a perfect score. I can’t lose to that rude freak. I want to show to him that I’m not an easy opponent.”

“No one said you’re an easy opponent.” I glared at Rhaze, so she stopped what she was doing and looked at me finally. “Okay, sure. He’s rude, fine. But two items wrong don’t define your capability to lead. You’ll still have to compete for people’s vote, and if you really want to prove you’re not an easy opponent, then find the rest of your representatives that will help you win. If I know you’re already one step behind Arth.”

“Student Movement Aiming for Responsible Task or SMART led by Arth Dalton, running as a Campus Mayor, and Sabrina Crawford running for Vice Mayor position is now officially on the list of campaigners for the new set of officers for the forthcoming election.”

I frowned at the announcement. I was really one step behind. No, I couldn’t let that happen.