“This isn’t even homework. It’s from my tutor.”

Maria looked confused.

“Tutor? Since when did you get a tutor? I didn’t raise you to be brainless, Daniella.”

Look who’s talking. She can’t even solve this either. We’re the same.

“I know that look, Daniella. Are you saying I don’t know Math?!”

Daniella raised both eyebrows.

“So you can read minds now?”

Maria sighed at her daughter’s stubbornness. “Just start studying. You talk too much. Oh, by the way, who is this tutor of yours who agreed to teach you? And where are you going to get the money to pay him?”

“No, Mom. It’s a special program at school. Your daughter just got lucky and was chosen to be tutored by William.” She even flipped her hair confidently.

Maria’s brows furrowed.

“William?”

“Yes, Mom. William—the guy I’ve had a crush on since first year high school.”

“Really? Just the other day—” Maria trailed off when she noticed Daniella’s expression, clearly waiting for her to finish.

“What was that, Mom? Just the other day what?”

Maria rolled her eyes.

“I was thinking of buying pork, but it’s too expensive.”

“That’s not what you were going to say.”

Maria stood up, ready to leave.

“Just study. You already have snacks. Hopefully, that’ll help your brain grow a bit.” She exited the hut, leaving Daniella speechless.

“What does she think, that I’m stupid?” She picked up the paper, stared at it, then dropped it again—followed by banging her forehead against the table. “She’s right. I really am stupid. Whatever happens, I’ll just answer what I can on William’s quiz before he starts teaching me other subjects. But I think unless I get a high score, we’ll just keep repeating this over and over.”

Daniella spent the entire day focused on Math formulas and solutions. She did the same the next day, because on Monday, William would give her the short quiz. Their tutoring session at the park near school wasn’t until Saturday, so for now, Daniella was doing everything she could to memorize the solutions—even if her brain wasn’t functioning very well.

That night, Daniella stopped solving and sat by the window in her room, staring at the moon, which shone brightly that evening. She stared deeply, seemingly lost in thought, until she finally stood up and closed the window to prepare for sleep.

---

It was Monday. During lunch break, Daniella was already in the school garden, but William had not yet arrived. She ate first before going to the garden, thinking that William must have eaten too, which explained his delay. Daniella made sure not to look at William earlier in class, avoiding any eye contact with him.

A few minutes later, William sat in the seat across from her. He immediately noticed how Daniella was hunched over, with her hair covering her face.

“Did you review?” William asked.

“Of course! You’re talking to me!” Daniella boasted.

“Really? Let’s see then.” William slid a piece of paper toward her. Daniella took it and examined it.

Her head shot up in shock. “Wait! You said this was just a short quiz! Why are there fifty questions, and with solutions required too? Do you really think I can finish this before the bell rings?!”

Her eyebrows were nearly touching from how tightly she was frowning.

“Did you even sleep?” William asked seriously.

Daniella touched her eyes—her dark circles were evident after two sleepless nights.

“I did sleep. Why?”

“You look like you stayed up just to review what I gave you. Are you okay?”

Daniella smiled, thinking maybe he would cancel the quiz. “I’m okay.”

“Alright then. Answer it.”

With that, William opened his book and began reading. Daniella was left gaping at him.

“I thought he’d be nice to me.” She rolled her eyes at William, who wasn’t even looking at her. So, against her will, she started answering the quiz, leaving it up to fate whether she’d finish before the bell rang.

Daniella was so focused on answering that she didn’t notice William peeking at her from behind his book. He saw how determined she was to answer the quiz he gave her, and a small smile appeared on his lips before he returned to reading.

Almost thirty minutes passed, and the bell rang. Daniella had to stop answering. She had only reached question number 20.

“Are you done?” William asked.

“Of course not. The bell rang—how could I finish?” she replied in frustration.

William took the paper and checked how far she had gone. “This is fine. Let’s see if you got even one answer right.” He then placed the paper in his bag, stood up, and started walking back to the classroom. Daniella followed right after him.

---

The entire day of classes finally ended for Daniella, and it was obvious from her eyes that she was moments away from falling asleep from exhaustion.

She wasn't going home with Bree because Bree had rushed off earlier. As Daniella was about to step out of the school gate, William called out to her.

“Wait!” he shouted loud enough to make her flinch.

Daniella lazily turned to look at him and simply waited for him to approach.

“We’re going somewhere. Follow me,” he said before continuing to walk.

Daniella frowned. She wanted nothing more than to go home.

This William… he could’ve just said he wanted to be with me. Why pretend otherwise?

Despite her tired face, Daniella smiled faintly and trailed after him.

She walked five steps behind him, her head lowered as she dragged her feet. William noticed this, stepped back, and slowed down until he was beside her—something she didn’t even notice.

She followed him into a park she recognized—the same one she had visited a few days before.

What are we doing here? Wasn’t the plan to start tutoring on Saturday?

William sat on a bench with a table, so Daniella sat across from him.

“What exactly are we doing here? I thought we were starting on Saturday,” she asked.

“I’m checking your quiz answers from earlier.”

Daniella blinked. Why bring her all the way to a park just to check her quiz?

“Why do I have to be here?”

William gave her a lazy look.

“Can you not ask questions?” He pulled out the paper and began reviewing her answers.

Daniella simply huffed and rested her arms and head on the table. Within five minutes, she was visibly asleep. William glanced at her—she was already deep in slumber. He let his eyes linger on her face. Truthfully, he brought her to the park on purpose so she could rest for at least a little while. Knowing her, if she kept walking while that sleepy, she might trip or faint somewhere on the way home.

While they sat like that, a man from the next table—who had been watching them since they arrived—spoke up. After observing Daniella, then William, he asked, “Is she your girlfriend?”

William turned to him and shook his head.

“Why do you look like a couple then?”

“She’s not my girlfriend. She’s just my classmate. I’m her tutor.”

The man smiled. “I see… She’s probably the one who likes you, but you’re ignoring her.”

William didn’t respond, which only confirmed the man’s assumption.

“You’re lucky, if that’s the case.”

William looked at him. “Why would you say I’m lucky? She’s so stubborn. She does whatever she wants even if the people around her are already getting annoyed.”

“Aren’t you happy? Out of all the guys in your school, she chose you to be her crush. Maybe she even loves you already.”

The man kept smiling as he looked at Daniella. “She’s beautiful. So why don’t you care about her efforts?”

William stared at Daniella’s sleeping face when the man spoke again.

“When I was in high school, I had a classmate like her. Not exactly the same personality, but similar. She liked a guy back then, but she never confessed because I kept getting in the way. We graduated with her hating me.”

“Why did you bother her? You should’ve let her love whoever she wanted.”

The man looked away, smiling faintly. “Because I had feelings for her too. Funny enough, I did everything to keep her from confessing to the guy she liked—even when she was getting mad at me.”

“That was selfish.”

He chuckled softly. “I know. I was very aware of how selfish I was back then. But what could I do? I loved her, and I didn’t want her to end up with someone else.”

“So where is she now?”

His smile faded. “Honestly… I don’t know. What I heard is that the guy she liked is married now. But her? Nothing. I have no idea.”

“Do you have a family now?” William asked.

“No. And I guess you could say I’m a martyr. I’m still searching for the woman who once stole my heart. I just hope I can find her and finally tell her how I feel.”

William could see the sincerity on the man’s face.

“What if she already has a family?”

“I don’t know what I’ll feel if that’s the case,” the man admitted. “But I just want to tell her what’s been in my heart all these years. If she’s married, then that’s okay. At least when I finally say it, maybe I can move on. Not immediately… but eventually.”

A man in a driver’s uniform approached them from behind. “Excuse me, Sir. We need to leave.”

The well-dressed man—clearly someone important—stood up. He slipped his hands into his pockets, looking sharp in his suit.

“So if I were you,” he said to William, “stop ignoring her. It’s obvious you feel something for her too. You never know—by the time you’re ready to confess, she might already be the one letting go. She’s brave enough to show her feelings. The question is whether you’ll fulfill that wish or hurt her in the end… just like what happened to me.”

He smiled one last time.

“It was a pleasure meeting you. Take care on your way home.”

Then he walked away.

William just stared at Daniella, then at her paper—every answer perfect, even though she only finished up to number twenty.

Daniella’s eyes twitched as she slowly woke up. “I fell asleep?”

She looked at William. “Are you done checking my paper? Let me see.” She held out her hand while fixing her hair with the other.

“Not yet,” William replied bluntly, making her stop.

“What do you mean ‘not yet’? We’ve been here for about an hour! Why isn’t it done?”

“I got lazy, so I’ll finish it another day.”

Daniella stared at him, mouth open. “Then what did you do while I was sleeping?”

“Read a book,” he said flatly.

She gave him a look of pure disbelief.

“Then what are we still doing here? Let’s go home! I could’ve continued sleeping in my own bed—where I should’ve been an hour ago!” she snapped, stressed and irritated.

William ignored her and walked away ahead of her.

“Wow! He even has the nerve to leave first,” she muttered, pouting as she watched him walk off.

I don’t know if he’s just numb or straight-up denser than anesthesia.

She finally stood and followed him, though there was now quite a distance between them.

The two finally reached their homes. As William entered the house, he immediately noticed voices coming from the living room—multiple voices, not just one.

He walked closer and found his mother and father sitting together, looking straight at him. What puzzled him was the person sitting with them, her back turned toward him. When he stepped nearer, his mother noticed him first and called him over.

She stood up with a bright smile as she approached him.

“William! Good thing you’re here. We have a surprise for you.”

William frowned but didn’t say anything yet. Suddenly, the girl who had been sitting with her back to him stood and faced him. His eyebrows drew even tighter.

“Charice?”

She smiled and stepped forward.

“Long time no see, William.”

“What are you doing here?” he asked bluntly, showing no hint of happiness at seeing her.

Charice’s smile faltered. William’s mother quickly stepped in.

“I’m sorry, Charice. My son must be tired. He probably just needs to rest first.”

She gave Charice an awkward smile, then pulled William aside while Charice and William’s father remained in the living room.

Out of Charice’s sight, Clarissa sighed.

“What’s wrong with you? Why did you react like that to your childhood friend?”

“Ma, why is Charice here? Isn’t she supposed to be abroad?”

Clarissa let out a slow breath.

“I’m sorry for surprising you, but she came home to study here until she finishes college.”

“Won’t she have problems transferring?”

“I haven’t asked her yet. Maybe you should ask her yourself?” she said with a hopeful smile.

“You handle it, Ma. I don’t have time.”

He left before she could follow him.

Clarissa returned to Charice, who was still standing politely.

“Please don’t mind William. It seems he doesn’t want to talk right now.”

Charice forced a small smile.

“It’s okay, Tita. Maybe he was just surprised. He probably needs time.”

“It’ll be fine. Dinner is almost ready. Stay and eat with us—Lydia’s cooking already.”

Charice nodded. She waited for hours before William finally came out of his room again—only to find that Charice was still there, now joining them for dinner.

Unfortunately for him, the only empty seat left was right beside Charice, so William had no choice but to sit next to her. He sat down silently.

As they were finishing the meal, William’s father spoke.

“Son, Charice wants to talk to you after dinner. Is that okay?”

William froze but eventually nodded. If his father said something, he couldn’t refuse. After he finished eating, he went to the garden, where the chairs were set up.

He stood there quietly, staring at his mother’s plants.

“What are you doing here?” he asked calmly when Charice approached.

Though surprised, Charice answered honestly.

“I’m here to study until college.”

William gave a short, sarcastic chuckle.

“To study? You have such a good life abroad, with so many great schools. Why force yourself to come back here?” His tone was serious, even cold.

Charice looked hurt by his question.

“Can’t I study here?”

William finally faced her, giving her a tired stare.

“You should’ve at least finished high school first before coming here.”

He turned back to the plants.

“And where exactly are you planning to enroll?”

“In your school,” Charice replied without hesitation.

William’s brows knitted tightly.

“Why enroll in the same school as me?”

“I just want to,” she said simply.

William let out a humorless smile.

“Do whatever you want. Just don’t bother me if you really end up studying there.”

He walked off, passing her without even glancing her way.

Charice watched him until he disappeared inside the house.

“He’s changed so much since the day I left,” she whispered before following him inside.

Charice and William had been together since elementary school, but they went separate ways when high school started. She went abroad to study, leaving William behind. What hurt even more was the promise she broke—she had once sworn that wherever one of them went for college, the other would follow. But she failed to keep that promise when her parents took her overseas.

Now that she was back, she was determined to regain his trust no matter what it took.

Meanwhile, Daniella sat on her bed, staring blankly at nothing. She suddenly felt a strange heaviness she couldn’t explain.

“Why do I feel like something bad is going to happen when I go back to school?”

Confused by her own thoughts, she pushed the negative feeling aside.

Morning came. Students filled their classrooms, including Daniella and William. Their teacher entered, and before starting the lesson, she made an announcement.

“Good morning, class. Before we begin, we have a transferee student—and she belongs to this section.”

Bree leaned toward Daniella.

“Her? So it’s a girl. But why transfer now? School started almost a month ago.”

“I have no idea what her deal is. Let’s just wait and see.”

Daniella looked toward the blackboard, waiting for the new student to enter.

William had a strong suspicion about who the teacher was referring to. He wasn’t surprised there was a transferee—but he was confused why she chose his section of all places.

The door opened slowly, and Charice walked in, scanning the room. She was clearly searching for someone. When she spotted William, she gave him a soft smile—something Daniella immediately noticed and found strange.

“Oh no, Dan. I saw that look! Looks like getting William just became ten times harder. You’ve already got a rival,” Bree whispered dramatically.

Daniella squinted at her.

“You’re not helping. All you’re doing is making me overthink.”

Bree just grinned and turned back to the front.

“Introduce yourself,” their teacher instructed.

Charice flashed a bright smile, making many students smile back.

“Hi! My name is Charice Lopez. Nice to meet you all.”

She even bowed politely.

The teacher looked around for a seat and stopped right in front of Daniella.

“Looks like Miss Paz is absent.” The teacher turned to Charice.

“Charice, sit there.” She pointed to the empty chair directly in front of Daniella.

“And class, tell Miss Paz she’ll be sitting at the back from now on. Not in her old seat. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You may take your seat, Ms. Lopez.”

Charice thanked her and walked to the seat, though her eyes were not on the chair—she was staring straight at William, who kept his eyes on the teacher, expression unreadable.

Once seated, Charice settled in. Daniella, however, kept glancing between William and Charice, unable to ignore the curious way the new girl had smiled at him earlier.