Chapter 55

He gulped and asked, "Do you know what my problem is?" I shook my head in response. "Listen to what I have to say because I will not repeat it," he said and I nodded. He took a deep breath and said, "You are beautiful, El. I don't know what will happen to me if you hurt me."
When I heard what he said, I froze in my seat; he was staring straight in my eyes, and I could see how serious he is; I could tell in his expression that what he said came from his heart; I could sense how terrified he is that I will hurt him, and it made me feel a mixture of emotions. At the same time, I was saddened, nervous, puzzled, and ashamed. I felt sad because of the fact that I felt for him; that I have never felt like liking him. I was nervous because I didn't want to hurt him. What will happen to him? I was embarrassed because, despite his attempts and appreciation, I still didn't like him.
I'm just staring at him, unsure of how to respond to him. I tried to give him a nod, but my head felt heavy and I couldn't move it. To ease the tension, I wanted to smile, but my mouth seemed to be shut. I wondered what he was thinking of me as he glanced at me. Is he seeing the possibility of my hurting him in my eyes? Could he have said it because he thinks I haven't yet developed feelings for him?
I noticed how he gulped and averted his attention from me. As my gaze remained fixed on his, I couldn't help but gulp. Before he looked at me with a smile, he stretched his arm in the air. He stated, "Forget what I said, El."
I'm not sure how he managed the abrupt change in his attitude and expression because there is no trace of melancholy on his face now that I glance at him. He was smiling at me, and I could see his usual attitude; I could feel his cheery aura, which symbolized how upbeat he is in every situation.
My brain function returned to normal after he waved his hand in front of my face.
"You've been staring at me for a minute, I'm about to melt," he joked. He whispered, "You're hot," and I gulped.
"What?" I ask, clearing my voice. "What exactly did you say? "
He continued to chuckle as he shook his head. "You've been staring at me," He said. "I'm about to melt," he replied.
"That's not it. I am referring to the last thing you said."
He pretended to be perplexed before asking. "Did I say something? Why don't I remember anything? It"s just your hallucination, El."
I frowned at him and didn't press him any further; he didn't appear to want to tell me, so I did not pursue him any further; instead, I diverted my gaze from him and we were silent for a few seconds until I had the idea to ask him why he was sending me here.
"What are we doing here?" I inquired. I also notice the color of his shirt, which reminds me of what I saw outside earlier. "There is a color uniform, but why didn"t you tell me? They glanced at me earlier while I was coming here since I'm the only one who's odd," I continued.
He didn"t respond to me and he took the bag he was carrying that was lying on the table. He opened his backpack and took a paper bag when he returned to his seat. I didn't take it when he handed it to me.
"Can you tell me what that is?" I asked, shifting my gaze between the paper bag he was carrying and his face.
"You won't know till you pick it up and open it," he said, and I took the paper bag he was holding to me out of curiosity. I got something already wrapped when I opened it. I ripped the bubble wrap open and stared at him when I saw what was inside.
"Why are you giving this to me?" I questioned, referring to the maroon shirt he had given me. It has a minimalist word on it, and can you guess what it is? Calibri Light fonts are used to spell out his name.
He also said, ignoring my inquiry for him, "Don't you want to wear it?"
"Ivan, it's not that I don't want to wear it. I'm simply asking. Is it possibly that you didn't inform me I had to wear a maroon shirt because you intended to gift it to me? " I asked, a smile on my face. I muttered, "I hope you gave it to me yesterday." I smiled because I didn't want him to think I was against the clothes he handed me. I know he put forth an effort, and I don't want to let it go to waste.
He queried, "Are you saying something?" I could sense the nervousness in his eyes because he wasn't smiling.
"I'm not saying anything," I said with a shake of my head. "Why? Have you heard something?" I enquired, a smiley face.
I noticed him bit his lower lip as he avoided looking at me. When he spoke, he brushed his hair with his finger and couldn't look at me. "El, we've got to get out of here. "We're about to begin the competition."
I jumped up from my seat and said, "Sure, let's go into the comfort room so I can change my clothing." We walked out of the music room together after he stood up.
As we go, he still doesn't speak and can't look at me. I can notice his eye averting from me every time I gaze at his face. I had no idea what was on his mind, but I let the silence surround us as we strolled to the restroom.
I came to a halt, and he followed suit. "Just keep an eye out for me here." I'm not going to make you look at me or talk to me, but I'm not going to let you keep doing what you're doing when I get back," I said as I walked into the comfort room without hearing his response.
"What's the matter with him?" I wondered as I shrugged.
I change my cloth and put my old t-shirt in the paper bag. He gave me a shirt that was exactly my size, and I like how simple it is. The letter "ivan" is positioned near the nape of the neck on the back of the garment. Meanwhile, a soccer ball sticker the size of a cent can be found on the front of the shirt. It was emblazoned on the chest, and I'm not sure if we were wearing the same shirt because it appears like the one he was wearing previously had a sticker on it as well.
I went outside when I had fixed myself and found him standing with his back against the wall. He gulped before gazing at me as he sensed my presence. Before returning his eyes to my face, he examined me from head to toe. I inquired because he was still silent.
"What do you have to say? Is what I'm wearing suitable to me?" I asked, a smile on my face. I looked at him and checked that we were both dressed similarly.
He gave a spontaneous shake of his head. "It's all right with you." It doesn't matter what you're wearing; every outfit is appropriate for you. But you're much more stunning now that my name is embroidered on the back of your shirt," he said.
I approached him without immediately responding to what he said. I grab his arm and force him to turn back from me. I stared at the region of his nape where he had covered it with his palm, and I couldn't see what I wanted to look at.
"Ivan, take your hand away. "I simply want to see something," I said, attempting to remove his hand, but he refused.
"Can you tell me what you want to see?" he asked.
"What are you covering?" I said, removing his palm with both hands.
He yelled, "Ouch, it hurts!" but I couldn't answer since I had already seen what I wanted to see.
"How did my name end up there?" I asked him. He turned to me smiling while my expression not being able to paint.
"Why not? My name is on your clothes, and you don't want to be on my clothes? That's unfair," he said as he threw his arm around my shoulder and began walking, leaving me with no choice but to join him while I asked and complained about his walking pace.
We were already out of the senior high building, so we had students walking with us. "Shut your mouth if you don't want me to lift you, El," he said, and I fell silent.
As the number of students grew, more people became associated with Ivan. Even if some of the students here aren't our classmates, I'm sure they recognize Ivan because, even if they support the opposing side, they can't help but stare at him. Everyone in the hallway was staring at us because Ivan refused to take his hand off my shoulder. And who can avoid looking at him if the happiness on his face is too obvious? He was also sporting a pair of fantastic sunglasses. I can"t deny that he was so handsome so I can"t blame people for not looking in his direction. There is no gender and age to choose what is attracted to him so I also get the attention.
He is unconcerned about his surroundings; he is oblivious about the fact that everyone here is focused on us. I don"t have any idea where we're heading, and I'm hoping we can get there.
I'm not sure if we'll get to meet the other team's players, but I have a feeling they'll be the ones to battle Ivan's squad because of the green color they're wearing and the expensive shoes I can see them wearing. My chest throbbed worse as we got closer since Ivan didn't seem to grasp what I was talking about. He appeared to be dozing off as he went, and he had no intention of giving way to those we would meet. All of the students yielded to the squad, while we continued walking. I gripped Ivan's waist to move us to the side because the group was already looking at us, but he refused.
I addressed him as "Ivan."
"What's the matter, El? Why is it necessary to avoid? We don't have to give anything away because this way is for everyone. Why should we be terrified of them as this is also our school? "
I don"t know why, but I'm afraid of what he's doing. Except for the man in front of them, who I believe was their team captain, the group locked their gaze on us. We were so close that whispering flooded the area, as though Ivan was in competition with the other group.
I keep attempting to stop Ivan from walking, and we go to the side, but he continues to walk. When I look at him, he isn't smiling like he used to, and he has no expression. I couldn't help but tighten my grip on his waist while bending down my face to avoid the attention of the people we'd be meeting.
In the end, they avoided us and then Ivan and I turned to right because we were going to the technical drawing room. We walked inside the room and saw his teammates. When I first noticed Baki's expressionless stare at me, I immediately pulled my hand from his waist. Ivan also cut off his hand and cleared his voice, prompting his teammate to turn to face us. I couldn't rest my eyes on where to look because even the couch and their manager were staring at us.
One of his friends said, "You're already here, Ivan." He look at me while waving his hand. "Hello, El, you're looking much better today. "I know how motivated Ivan is," he greeted, "particularly since you're wearing a pair shirt."
I'm even more uncomfortable in my current situation, and I can see Baki smiling because of what she overheard in my peripheral vision. They were all making fun of us, which made me feel uneasy about the situation.
"Hey, stop. She is not comfortable so stop that," Ivan stated and they immediately stopped. He looked at me and said, "Just sit there." Referring to the chair beside with Baki. "I"ll just change my cloth because the game is about to start. Let's go to the soccer field together," he added.
I gulped before responding to him. "Oum, Ivan, I am not comfortable here. Can I go to the cafeteria and we will just meet there so we can go to the field together?" I asked, almost in a whispered.
He smiled and nodded. "Sure, I'll just go with you. I am sorry fo-" I didn"t finish what he was saying and I spoke.
"It"s okay," I stated, smiling. "Don"t blame yourself," I added and he nodded. I turned my back at him and I was about to walk toward the door, but Baki speak with me.
"Where are you going, El?" she asked. I couldn't answer and I couldn't even look at her.
"She"s going to cafeteria. Why, Baki? " Ivan asked.
"Oh, nothing," she calmly responded. "Go ahead, El. Take care," she added that make me gulped. I turned to her and I saw the smile she always kept. I was about to speak, but she stood up and left me speechless.
'Who are you in my life, Baki Canglor?' I asked myself.