Dear Rival

{Chapter 13}

Shan’s POV.

If I could sum up this entire week in one sentence, it would be: Tanya Dela Cruz is still as infuriating as ever.

And yet, for some reason, my brain refuses to stop thinking about her.

It’s annoying.

Actually no it’s exhausting.

Every morning, it’s the same routine: wake up, eat breakfast, and then somehow end up seeing her in school. And every time I do, my heartbeat acts like it’s training for a marathon.

But of course, I can’t let anyone especially her know that.

Not when our “enemy” title has been the foundation of our entire friendship rivalry since freshman year.

The Morning scene.

“Shan! Bro, wait up!” Jc called from behind me as I walked through the school gate. He was munching on a sandwich like he hadn’t eaten in years.

“Why are you running late again?” I asked, glancing at him.

“Because I had to stop by the bakery for my daily pandesal fix.” He grinned, brushing off crumbs.

Before I could reply, a familiar voice echoed near the campus fountain.

“Shell! Keisha! Wait for me!”

That voice.

That laugh.

Tanya.

I froze mid-step as she jogged past us, her ponytail swaying. She was wearing her usual neat uniform, one shoe slightly untied, bag strap slipping off her shoulder. She looked so…

Wait. What the hell am I thinking?

“Bro, why are you staring like that?” Brent suddenly asked, a smirk growing on his face.

“I wasn’t staring,” I said flatly.

“Oh really? You looked like you just saw your future wife run by,” Aiden teased, earning a high five from Xian.

I rolled my eyes. “You guys seriously need a hobby.”

“Correction,” Xian said, “our hobby is observing how obvious you are.”

Jc laughed so hard that people started staring. “You literally froze like someone pressed pause! Don’t even try to deny it.”

“Shut up,” I muttered, walking away before they could say more. But of course, they followed because that’s what my so called friends do: make my life miserable for entertainment.

We entered our classroom just in time. Tanya was already there, sitting beside Keisha, scribbling notes.

“Morning, class!” Mrs. Chavez greeted, stepping inside. “Let’s continue our discussion from yesterday about sequences.”

Everyone groaned quietly, except Tanya who looked way too excited about math for a human being.

“Let’s start with a short quiz,” Mrs. Chavez said. “Pair work. Sit with your partners.”

I looked at the list she posted on the board.

Pair: Shan Villafuerte Tanya Dela Cruz.

Of course.

Of all the people in this classroom, it had to be her.

She looked up, glaring at me like she’d just read the same cursed list. “Ugh. Not you again.”

“The feeling’s mutual,” I said, forcing a smirk.

Keisha whispered something to her and giggled, and Tanya just rolled her eyes before moving her stuff to my desk.

We sat side by side, sharing one sheet of paper. Her handwriting was neat too neat, actually. I couldn’t help but notice her penmanship curving perfectly as she wrote the formula.

“Are you even paying attention?” she snapped, catching me staring.

“I was… analyzing your equation,” I lied.

“Right,” she said flatly. “You’re just lucky I’m doing most of the work.”

“I solved number two,” I defended.

“Yeah? Because I already did number one for you.”

Our usual bickering continued, drawing muffled laughter from our classmates. Even Mrs. Chavez smiled at us from her desk.

By the end of the quiz, we both knew we aced it.

“Done,” Tanya said, sliding the paper forward.

“Of course we are. Because of me,” I teased.

She glared at me. “Dream on, Villafuerte.”

When the bell rang, our friends gathered around our desks.

“So, how was it working with your archnemesis?” Keisha asked with a teasing grin.

“I survived,” Tanya said dramatically, placing a hand on her chest.

“Oh please,” I said. “You were lucky to have me.”

“Lucky? You mean unlucky.”

Their banter made everyone laugh.

Even Jc leaned in, whispering to me, “Bro, this is couple banter energy. Admit it.”

I elbowed him. “It’s called rivalry, idiot.”

But inside, I could feel my face heating up.

Lunch Break.

Our group. me, Jc, Xian, Brent and Aiden sat under the big acacia tree outside. From where I sat, I could clearly see Tanya’s group sitting at the other side of the field.

Denise was quietly reading a book, Cath was gossiping about some teacher, Shell was scrolling through w*****d, and Keisha was laughing about something Tanya said.

And Tanya… she was smiling.

Laughing, actually.

That laugh the same one that echoed in the hallway earlier made my chest tighten for no reason.

“Hey, Shan.”

I snapped out of my thoughts. “What?”

Brent smirked. “You were staring again.”

“I wasn’t.”

“Yes, you were,” Aiden said. “You looked like you were trying to calculate her gravitational pull.”

“Guys,” Xian added, pretending to sigh, “our boy here is falling. Hard.”

“I’m not falling!” I said a bit too loudly, making them burst out laughing.

Jc leaned closer. “You keep saying that, but your eyes say otherwise.”

I looked away, annoyed. But deep down, I knew they weren’t entirely wrong.

Later that afternoon, while walking to the library, I saw Tanya standing by her locker

talking to some guy from another section. He was smiling at her like she was the only person in the world.

I stopped walking.

Who was that?

They seemed close. He even reached out to fix a strand of her hair. I clenched my jaw.

“Bro,” Jc said beside me, noticing my expression, “you good?”

“I’m fine.”

“You sure? Because you’re gripping your pen like you’re about to stab someone.”

I forced a smile. “Just… tired.”

But the truth? I was angry.

And I didn’t even know why.

She can talk to anyone she wants. It’s not like I have the right to care.

Except… I do care.

And that realization made my chest ache even more.

A week later, we were grouped again this time for a presentation.

Guess who I ended up with.

“Tanya, Shan, Keisha, and Jc,” Mrs. Chavez announced.

Perfect. Just perfect.

During our meeting in the library, Tanya and I argued over everything—from design layouts to the smallest font size.

“Why can’t you just agree for once?” she snapped.

“Because your idea doesn’t make sense.”

“Doesn’t make sense?! Excuse me, mine’s the one that’s logical!”

Keisha sighed. “Here we go again…”

Jc grinned, whispering, “They fight like an old married couple.”

I shot him a death glare, but he only laughed.

Eventually, after hours of debating, Tanya’s idea actually turned out better. I hated that I had to admit it.

“Okay fine,” I said. “You were right.”

She blinked, clearly surprised. “Wait did you just say I’m right?”

“I said fine,” I muttered, looking away.

She chuckled softly. “Wow. The Shan Villafuerte admitting defeat. Mark the date, Keisha.”

“Noted,” Keisha teased, smirking.

When I got home, I tried to study but couldn’t focus.

All I could think about was her, her smile when she proved me wrong, the way she looked genuinely happy during the project, how she laughed when I gave up arguing.

I tossed my pen on the table and groaned. “Get it together, Shan.”

I opened my notes, but instead of formulas, all I saw in my head was Tanya saying, ‘You were right.’

I buried my face in my hands. “This is ridiculous.”

Still, I found myself smiling like an idiot.

The next day, my friends noticed the difference immediately.

“Bro, why are you smiling?” Xian asked.

“I’m not.”

“You totally are,” Brent said. “You look like you just got confessed to.”

Jc leaned forward. “Wait did Tanya text you last night?”

I almost choked on my drink. “No! What the hell?”

They all laughed.

“You’re hopeless,” Aiden said. “Just admit you like her.”

I paused for a moment.

Do I?

No.

I can’t.

I shouldn’t.

She’s Tanya. My rival. The person who drives me insane.

The same girl who argues with me over everything and calls me arrogant every chance she gets.

And yet…

The thought of someone else making her smile the way she smiled yesterday it made my stomach twist in the worst way.

Maybe they’re right.

Maybe, somewhere between all those arguments, I stopped seeing her as just my rival.

That night, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, whispering to myself:

“I don’t like her… right?”

But even as I said it, my heart refused to agree.

Because deep down, I knew I was already falling.

And for the first time in my life, logic wasn’t enough to save me.