CHAPTER 1

Luna is excited about her entry as a first-year senior high. New school, a new association, and above all, her new beautiful uniform that she had been saving for a few years so that she could buy at their school. Because she knows her parents don’t have money and she is ashamed to ask her aunt who is sending her to study on a well-known campus.

LUNA

I’m Luna Winter Yton, I’m seventeen years old and I’m from the province of Puerto Princesa Palawan. My aunt took me to the province when I entered high school. Because my mother and aunt had talked about something before that I will go to high school here. And of course, my aunt will send me to senior high school when I graduate, which my parents agreed to.

I have brothers and they are all boys. I’m the youngest of four and my older brothers only finished high school and they already help our father with his work. My oldest brother got married early and has a child now. And I heard that my second older brother will be married too.

Fortunately, I have a kind and capable aunt who is my mother’s sister. Because I was intelligent, my aunt regretted stopping me when I graduated from high school like what happened to my siblings. At that time Aunt Alisha was on vacation and she found out about my problem.

That’s why I was so happy when my aunt said that she would help me.

Of course, also because I was a little shy, I thought of working as a waitress in a small restaurant so that I wouldn’t have to pay all my schooling expenses. Because my aunt's daughter is also studying. Auntie is happy with me because of the diligence I have shown. And now that I am in senior high I will improve my studies even more for my college. I will do everything for me to my family.

“Ate Luna, Mom called you, breakfast is ready,” said my cousin Elise, Aunt Alisha’s only child. She is now in her 3rd I year of high school. “Wow! Ate Luna, your uniform is beautiful. It suits you,” Elise said, looking at me from head to toe.

“Only a uniform looks good on me?” I asked her with a mixture of sulking and annoyance.

Elise suddenly looked at my face and seemed to be thinking.

I’m still more beautiful than you,” she said with a smile and quickly left because she immediately knew what I was going to do to her.

Elise was staring down the stairs because I chased her suddenly with a tickle and we stopped at the same time because my aunt was already standing at the bottom of the stairs with a frown. I hugged Ellise’s back.

“Aunt seem hot-headed,” I whispered to her as she rimmediately elbowed me.

“Ellise, I told you to call your sister Luna but here you are tickeling each other. What time is it, you two will be late!” angry words of my aunt Alisha.

“Mama, what time is it? You seem to be the most exited since we entered,” Elise said to her mother with wide eyes.

Suddenly the mother hit her on the arm. “And you’re still answering,” said the aunt.

I smiled because Ellise saying the truth. It was still early and far from happening that they would both be late on their first day of school.

I carry my COM where my section is located and which building a am going to. And I’m lost on my way there. Because the campus is so big and spacious I don’t know where to go. There are many students here at the campus busy doing something. And after all they are gathered together.

Here I am, standing in the middle and just observing the surroundings of the school and campus. “Where can I go?” I’m Lost and my mind is unsettled .

“Hey, you! Let us pass,” a voice that surprised me. I quickly turned around to see who had that big voice.

A tall man was looking straight at me. His face was serious.

“Will you just staring at me only?” this word again. I was a little surprised because his voice was full manly.

I suddenly shook my head to realize. Because his beautiful voice is magnetic.

“The path is wide and you can take a detour here on my side.” At the same time I pointed to my side that the path was open.

I saw his eyebrows meeting for what I said and his eyes suddenly narrowed.

“Did I say something wrong?” I asked him who narrowed his eyes at me.

“Hey! Don’t you recognize him?” said the woman next to him who poked me on the shoulder.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know him. I’m just a new student here and in fact I don’t know where I’m going,” I explained to her truthfully.

The man In front of me just took a deep breath and then he passed where I was standing. Before the woman next to her passed who barely bumped into me, she signaled that I will watch you, with her two fingers she pointed to her eyes and then pointed to me. I imitated what the girl did and the students watching us laughed.

“Miss, you’re funny. You even imitated Jenny in what she did to you.” Words of a student who approached me.

“Which one? Is it like this?” and I repeated that and she nodded. “Eh, she told me she would watch over me or she would watch my behavior. That’s why I told her the same,” my direct words made the girl smile.

 “Aren’t you afraid of her?” this word again.

“No. Why should I be afraid?” I answered this while looking around to see that some people were staring at me.

“Are you new here?” said the person in front of me, staring at me from head to toe.

“Yes, I’m in Grade 11. I am from Alyshano High School. There is also a senior high there but. I like to enroll here as a senior until college. Well, I passed the entrance exam that’s why I’m here now,” I happily explained to the woman smiling at me.

“I’m Catherine, I’m your senior. How about you? Are you?” she asked me while raising her right hand.

“Im Luna Yton. Luna which means moon, nice to meet you, Catherine.” We shook hands together

“ Where are you going? What building are you in?” now, she peered at the paper I was holding.

“I don’t even know where I’m going, eh? Can you help me? The campus area and the size are very spacious that’s hard to find where I will start.

Catherine immediately looked at the paper I was holding and smiled at her. “Come, I will accompany you. We are going to the same building. You’re in A, I’m in B, but we’re just one way.”

“Is that so?” I said with a smile on my face. “I’m glad I met you,” I said happily.

Together they headed towards her building. They’re just on the right and will pass a bridge that connects to the building we came from.

Catherine pointed out that I can also go through the other side to enter their building. It is said that all buildings have a proper entrance. They said it was only connected by bridges like the ones they passed. And the main point of that building is where I came from.

It Is also tiring before reaching the campus building. You still have a long way to go and you still have stairs to climb. The college building is on the right and their building is on the left.

“This is the way to your section. You can easily see your room,” said Catherine.

“Hey, how about you?” I said to her

She pointed her face to the other hallway, “Oh, how about we meet during our break. Our canteen is also here in the building on the lower side. It’s easy to see,” she said while saying goodbye to me.

I didn’t have a hard time finding my room and I didn’t have a hard time making friends because my two high school classmates enrolled in that same campus.

Lindsay and Urica were the two quiet ones in their room when we were in high school that I wasn’t close to but they talked to me. That’s why they were with me for the whole day.

We were in the hallway and sat while the three of us waited for the time of our last subject. Because we have an hour free before our last subject. That’s why we thought to sit on a long bench on the side of the hallway.

We weren’t the only ones there, there were also many students hanging out and talking to each other.

“Did you know we avoided you before?” Urica’s open topic. “Because you’re sloppy and like a gang.”

“Ha? Me? That’s how you think of me,” I can’t believe I’m going to hear that from Urica.

The two nodded. “You’re always fighting with boys and then you’re too serious about what you’re doing. We can’t get close to you,” Lindsay said.

“I was like that to you before? And for ten months in the 4th year you didn’t change your opinion of me?” I said that I had to deal with both of them.

“I’m sorry, because you used to be really hard to approach, especially since you’re our president. We’re afraid that you’ll scold like the men you scolded.” Urica said.

I was amazed at what I heard. I didn’t think they were afraid of me and didn’t hate them. During her few years in high school, I thought my classmates hated me because I was always top 1 in school. And I’m a favorite of all my teachers. That I always mentioned my name to them. That’s why they stay away from me when I want to know something and just avoided me because of my scary aura. That I’m like a gang, especially since I’m fighting against boys who are stubborn and don’t follow the school’s rules. That’s why I didn’t have many friends when I was in high school.

“The whole time I thought you were so avoided at me was because you were jealous because I was always top 1 in school and always topped the exam. I thought you were angry because I was smart then—” I couldn’t finish my words because I suddenly felt sad as far as I know.

“We’re not mad at you. Only a few of us came closer to you because you’re always angry. Because you seem to want perfect words, especially in our group activity.” Lindsay still held her hand.

“We were surprised that you suddenly greeted us earlier and talked to us, we changed because you didn’t do that before,” added Urica.

“I didn’t talk before because I thought you were angry because of my status at school and the teachers. I thought you were talking bad about me. That’s why I better keep quiet even though I don’t have any friends.” I explain them.

“We’re talking about you, that’s because we think you’re selfish. That you don’t know how to get along with people like us, that you’re afraid to speak. I’m sorry, we were very judgmental back then. I’m sorry if that’s what we showed yours before,” said Urica while patting my shoulder.

“I’m sorry for my behavior before,” I said to them with sadness in my eyes.

“That’s gone, the important thing is that we’re all okay. That we’re friends,” Lindsay said with a smile.

I felt relieved when I heard that they were okay with me. That they will start a new friendship and class together.

They were talking happily when Urica stopped her speech.

“Lindsay, there he is—” Urica patted Lindsay and I immediately searched for what she was saying. I frowned wondering who it was referring to. The man with the full voice she encountered this morning. Next to it was the smiling woman who bumped into her. She noticed that the other female students were very relieved when they saw the boy.

“Why? What is wrong with the man you are mentioning Urica?” I asked curiously.

“Don’t you know? That he is the reason why Lindsay and I enrolled here. It is known here on our campus. He is very handsome in person. Not only in the magazine but even more handsome up close.” Urica is thrilled. “It’s very popular here on campus, there are a lot of girls who like him, it’s just that—” she stopped looking at me.

“He was called a sociopath,” Lindsay interjected.

“Sociopath? Why?” their conversation suddenly stopped when he passed in front of them. The man that Urica and Lindsay were talking to looked at her for a moment and then turned his eyes to the path they were walking.

I winced suddenly because I thought who was this king who passed by and that the world I was living in had to stop.

How is it that all the women are staring at it and amazed?

Even her two classmates were still gaping.

She suddenly clapped her hand to interrupt their daydream.

“What are you doing? You’re surprised,” Urica said, facing her.

“Because you’re all salivating. You’re more than awestruck by those who pass by, it’s not enough to worship all of you,” I said as I looked after the man who passed by with that Jenny.

“Don’t tell me you’re not in love with Lucas?” Lindsay is next to me.

“He’s handsome, yes. But to drool over him like you all—hello? I’m not like that. Especially since you said he’s a sociopath.” I said as I fixed my things.

“Where are you going?” Lindsay asked me who suddenly fixed her bag.

“First I’ll buy something to drink at the canteen, will you come with me?” I asked them but suddenly returned to their seats.

“We’ll just stay here, maybe Lucas will come back.” Their smiles are ear-to-ear.

“I don’t know what the hell happened to youu guys,” I turned my back on them and just shrugged.