Chapter 42

El's point of view
I immediately charged my phone when I arrived at the apartment to see whether Jas had texted me. Every time I think he came here last night and I'm gone, I can't stand it. I still can't believe what happened, and Ivan and I even slept in the tree house for the first time. I wasn't able to express my gratitude earlier because my mind was already engaged with what occurred to Jas after he arrived at my place. I'll thank him later because we will meet again on campus this afternoon.
He fell asleep while sitting and I was lying on his thigh, and I am sure his back must have hurt. I don't know why but I was so sleepy last night so I couldn't resist just opening my eyes until morning. Hopefully, Ivan's mother isn't enraged because he hasn't returned home, and I don't want his mother to think we haven't been together all night, but I haven't been brave enough to face them. His mom knows me because I've talked to her previously, so I don't lose my nerves every time I think about meeting her.
Our campus's dean is Ivan's mother. My guess is she's a professional in her own right, and I'm not sure what she'll think if she sees me face - to - face. Ivan mentioned that his birthday was approaching and that I couldn't miss it. I'm sure there are a lot of people there; his professional parent's acquaintances; his friends and relatives. I was much more apprehensive because it wasn't just her parents who would know me, and I would be even more pressured by their perceptions of me.
His birthday is unknown to me, so I shall check his Facebook account later. I'll also consider what I'll give him as a gift because it's quite tough to give him something because he already has everything. I'm also certain that I'm not going to a regular birthday party, so I'll need to dress up to make myself appear human in front of his guests. It's only now that I'm beginning to realize that dating a wealthy person is difficult when you're in the right stage in society.
I instantly glanced at the message wall when my phone was already open. I didn't understand, but I felt guilty because I hadn't received a message from Jas. I'm not even sure if he came to see me, if he was looking for me or if he was concerned about me. As I choose to forget how I feel for him, I feel like I've lost time with him. Despite the fact that I had not spent any time with him, he never left my thoughts. I wanted to speak with him, but I was hesitant as I didn't want him to believe I'd make an excuse again, thus I didn't send him a message.
I'll just go to his place later and talk to him face to face. I'm simply not going to tell him everything because I don't want him to think he's acting as a middleman between Ivan and myself. Then I'll just tell him that I slept at Aly's place because we finished school work and then I'll walk over to Nanay Lao's café and buy our drinks there.
For a long time, I'd like to chat to and be with Jas. It's fine if I go to bed late tomorrow because I have a night class scheduled. I'm not sure if he thinks I've lost time with him or that I'm avoiding him because of Ivan but I'll prove later that what he thinks is wrong; I want to convey that I have just been busy the past few days.
My phone rang just as I was about to leave my room. When I noticed that Aly was calling, I hurried to it right away and answered it. I'm sure she'll ask as to why I'm not there.
"Hello, El?" she asked, checking to see whether I was the one on the line. "Who are you? Where is El? Where is my friend?" she asked after I failed to respond.
"Aly," I said to her. "I'm El, I am your friend."
"Why are you not here? Are you okay? What happened? Are you ill? Are you with Ivan?" she said out of the blue.
As I chuckled and I told her, "Aly, it's a long story. I'll tell you everything later, but first, I'll have to fix myself, because I'll be on campus this afternoon."
"All right, El. Take care, by the way, you don't have to worry about our class because there was no recitation and no quiz," she said. When I heard what she had to say, I felt lighter, so I thanked her before the call came to a close.
It's already lunchtime, yet I haven't had anything to eat yet. As I haven't had a bath in 24 hours, I'm uncomfortable with my body. I'm not sure what I'm going to look like anymore, so I get my extra uniform at my closet and took a shower.
I got dressed and cleaned myself up after taking a bath for 30 minutes. I didn't bother to cook anymore because I didn't have enough time to cook anything I could eat as I realized I'd be late for class if I made something to eat. I simply left and went to the nearby restaurant. I didn't bother going to a well-known restaurant because I can save more money here and, on top of that, the food is also good.
I ate two cups of rice and chose the meal Adobong Manok. Since I miss Auntie's cook in the province, I also got Bicol Express as well. Small shrimp, small pork pieces, stewed garlic and onion, and the chile are the most significant ingredients of Bicol Express, which is delicious. Aunt's cook is my favorite; it's better than the Bicol Express at the restaurant where I eat at, and it's delightful.
I left the restaurant as soon as I finished my meal and immediately got the bus to campus to go to school. My arrival was quick, and I spotted Aly waiting for me to arrive. She was standing in front of the guardhouse when she noticed me and approached me with a smile.
"We still have 45 minutes, El. Let's go to the mall and I'll give you ice cream," she said.
She did not wait for my response; she inter-wined our hands and we walk together to the mall. As we walked, she shared with me what had happened earlier in the room. All the subject teachers who came in said they were looking for me and they were wondering why I was absent. I can"t blame them for why they are wondering because this is the first time I was absent and I also didn"t make an excuse letter. Definitely I had to make a long explanation to the teachers who came into our room this morning.
When we got to the mall, we entered the ice cream parlor. Dark chocolate was the flavor she bought and we ate together as we faced each other at the table. "El, what happened? Why didn't you attend class? Do you know I'm worried because I can't contact you when I call you during snack break?" she asked. I didn"t response her and she just continue. "I could hardly focus on the lessons because I thought you were sick. You will not miss class if there is no deep reason. I know attendance is very important to you."
I smiled while eating the ice cream. "Relax, El," I stated, chuckling.
She rolled her eyes and she took a deep breath. "So, what happened? Why can't I contact you this snack break?"
"My phone is shut down," I simply answered while enjoying eating the ice cream. Dark chocolate flavor is tasty than cookies and cream. It is my first time to taste this flavor in ice cream because I always eat cookies and cream.
I just ate ice cream but a realization entered my mind. We have this attitude we just stay where we used to. We no longer care about those around us and we no longer go out of our comfort place so we no longer see that there is anything better than we are used to. There is nothing wrong with trying other things; we have the freedom to do the things we are not accustomed to and this can be the reason to open a new door in our being.
Aly took a deep breath again; holding her patient not to shout at me. "Is there no electricity in your apartment so your phone is shut down? Is it hard to charge the phone, El"
I chucked again. "Why? Did I say I was in the apartment?"
"So, you mean, you're not in your apartment?" she asked and I nodded as I response. "Where did you go? Are you with Ivan?" she asked again.
"Why did you ask if Ivan was with me?" I asked her. I want our conversation to long because I haven't finished my ice cream yet and once I've finished it, I'll be serious about answering her.
"The students knew that Ivan was absent so they also found out if you were absent. They found out that both of you are absent so everyone thinks you are together," she stated.
I nod and said, "Actually, they are right. We were together before." I look at El and I see how interested she is to know why Ivan and I are together. I smilled at her and said, "Not just before."
"What do you mean?"
I gulped and answer her. "We were together all night last night." She almost choked when she heard what I said, so literally the laughter I was suppressing came out. "What are you thinking?" I asked.
"W-where did you s-sleep?" she asked, stuttered.
I already finished eating my ice cream that"s why I look directly at Aly. "In the tree house," I answered.
Astonishment crept across Aly's face so I immediately started telling the whole story. I shared how stupid Ivan and I were to sleep on the bus and get to the other city until we got home this morning 11:00 a.m. Even Aly couldn't believe that happened to us, but she said what happened between Ivan and I is just like a movie. She was thrilled and I don"t know what her reaction will be if she finds out that I haven"t been able to like Ivan yet and I like another man. One of the reasons why I didn"t bother to tell her was because I really wanted to learn to like Ivan.
I also told him about what Ivan said about his upcoming birthday and she looked even more excited than me. "You know what, El, you"re so lucky with Ivan. He has never introduced a woman to his parents and you are the first," she stated. It is more pressure for me to think that I am the first woman she will introduce but I still don't like him. I am lucky with Ivan, but he is not lucky with me; he did not deserve me.
When Aly and I returned to campus, we headed straight for the classroom. My classmates were all shocked to see me, but they are all thrilled as they saw Ivan passed our room. It immediately entered their minds that we were together this morning so we were both absent and we both went in this afternoon. Soon, our subject teacher from Practical Research arrived and she announced the qualified research topic.
Aly and I are both happy as we heard that the research topic we thought of was approved. Out of 10 groups in our classroom, only three research topics were approved and I am thankful that we are one of the three included.
We arrange our seat and every group discussed about the chosen topic. I have six members which is; Aly my secretary; Carra; Raven; Ian; Benedick; and Tovi. I"m thankful that I didn"t groupmates the three women I fought back then. I couldn"t get along with Mafiah and her two friends so I"m thankful that none of them were in my group.