Chapter 2:
[POV: Akira Dela Fuentes]
"Akira, asan na yung shots mo for this week's article?"
Napapitlag ako sa boses ni Ma'am Clarice habang nasa hallway ako ng campus. I almost dropped my camera. Like literal.
"Po? Ah yes ma'am! On the way na po sa drive. I just need to add a few more outdoor shots."
She gave me a look - the type that screamed, 'Don't mess this up, Dela Fuentes.'Kaya kahit gusto ko na sanang mag-lunch, naglakad ako palabas ng journalism room bitbit ang Canon camera kong luma pero reliable. This baby had seen everything from student rallies to stolen smiles - especially one specific smile.
Yep. Kiel De Jesus.
Out of all the shots in my SD card, 40% was school coverage. The rest? Well, let's just say... classified.
I walked past the old gym building papunta sa open field. Ayun na nga - as if on cue - naririnig ko na ang hiyawan ng mga babae sa band practice shed.
"KIEEEEEL! Pa-picture!"
"Warren, galing mo sa solo!"
"JP, paano ka pa nagkaka-time mag-aral niyan?!"
Seryoso, para silang K-pop group ng campus. All three of them - Kiel, Warren, and JP - plus Konrad, my very own kuya-slash-bantay-sarado - were part of a campus band called Fourth Period. Sikat sila. As in level na may mga stickers pa sila sa mga lockers ng girls.
And yet, here I am. The little sister. Grade 12. Stuck behind the lens.
Literally.
"Hoy, Aki!" may boses na pabulong mula sa gilid.
It was Eli, my best friend and chaos partner. Nakasilip siya mula sa malaking halamanan na parang spy.
"Ssh! Ang creepy mo."
"Creepy? Ako pa? Ikaw kaya tong stalker ni Kiel," she teased, pointing at my camera. "May bagong kuha ka nanaman, 'no?"
I rolled my eyes, but didn't deny it.
Click.
There he was - Kiel, playing guitar in his white shirt, sleeves rolled up, with that signature half-smile habang pinapa-tune ang instrument.
"Okay, sige na nga. Isa lang."
I zoomed in.
Click. Click. Click.
"Yieeee, grabe ka na," Eli whispered beside me, barely holding in her squeal. "Pag nakita ka ni Kuya Konrad na ganyan ka, lagot ka talaga."
"He won't. Di ba nasa klase pa siya?"
"Eh paano kung dumating bigla?"
Before I could answer, biglang may lumapit sa likod ko at binatukan ako ng light lang naman.
"Ayan na nga."
"Ano na naman yan, Akira?"
Speak of the devil. Kuya Konrad.
I froze. "Kuya. Hi. I was just-"
"Just stalking my friend? Ganon?"
"No! I was taking shots for journalism. Promise."
Behind him, Kiel raised an eyebrow. Nagtagpo yung mata namin. Oh. My. God.
He walked toward us slowly, the way only confident people do - calm, relaxed, cool.
"Aki, right?" he asked.
I choked on my own saliva. "Uh... y-yes."
"You take photos for school, right?"
"Yes. Journalism po."
He smiled. *Why does he always have to smile like that?!*
"Cool. Pwede bang makahingi ng shots minsan for our page? Galing mo daw kumuha sabi ni Konrad."
Galing mo daw kumuha.
Galing mo daw kumuha.
The words echoed in my brain like a broken MP3 loop.
I nodded too fast. "Sige po! Anytime. Kahit ngayon. Bukas. Kahit anong oras. Kahit madaling araw."
Ewan ko ba kung anong sumapi sa akin.
Eli giggled. Konrad groaned.
Kiel chuckled, then walked away like he didn't just ruin my entire emotional equilibrium.
"Girl," bulong ni Eli habang hawak ang braso ko. "That's it. You're doomed."
---
Later that Night
Nagpaalam ako sa kuya ko na kailangan ko mag-edit ng photos sa kwarto. Pero totoo? I was doing what I did best.
I transferred all the photos from the SD card to my laptop, folder name: Campus Coverage Q2. Inside that? Another folder named: Extras. And inside that...
KIEL.
Photos of him laughing, strumming, looking at the sky, tying his shoelaces. Yung isa nga may tulo pa ng pawis sa may leeg niya. Okay, stop. I sound creepy.
I'm not a stalker. I'm just... observant.
A few edits later, I printed my favorite one - the one where he was staring off while tuning his guitar.
I clipped it on my cork board.
Then I sighed.
"Someday..."
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