“Ay! Your boyfriend got angry,” Michael whispers then pinches my waist.

Boyfriend?! I am immediately taken aback. It's one of the things I don't like from other people so I glare at him.

“It hurts! You little—"

“Freesia!”

“He's calling you,” Michael added.

What the effing hell?!

I am even pushed closer to where Rico is that is why my head slightly hit his shoulder. I quickly do a peace sign and shyly smile at Rico. “Hehe.”

I ignored Rico's grim face because I was excited by Ma'am Lauchenco's comment on his work.

When it is already our turn, we show our entangled palms. And because Rico was holding my hands, his hands on me were the first to be touched by Mrs. Lauchenco.

I bite my lip to suppress a chuckle. I was surprised when Ma'am Lauchenco looked at me intently. “Did you get lazy to design?”

I shook. “Ma'am, look. Somehow, I made an effort,” I said, holding Rico's hand.

“You just put glitters on! No, it's only 85!”

That would have been high for me if I did not get invested into the activity but I made an effort now! It should be at least a line of nine.

I thought . . . I thought having Rico as my partner would boost my acads.

“Ma'am, his nails are really ugly,” I point at Rico whose eyes widen as he look at me as well.

Looks like he is so shocked, as if he did not expect me to say something like that to him. Mrs. Lauchenco checks what Rico done to my nails.

“Ugly!"

He smirked as his narrowed eyes narrowed. She then problematically writes a score.

His grade remark is also 85!

The great one. It's my highest but Rico's lowest. See how opposite we are? I complain more but Mrs. Lauchenco turns snobbish.

“Next pairs,” she said, waving her hand that seems to dismiss my presence.

Thinking about it, it is not that I really take it seriously. My academic performance is not already that good since day one. But in this case, I made an effort!

I nod back in my seat and began to put away my belongings. I glare at Rico. He is just eyeing me carefully while slowly sitting.

“Sorry.”

Stunned. Lifting my head, I look at him with confused eyes. The corner of his eyes are in downcast position. His bottom lip's jutting out. Is he begging? He looks like a poor puppy.

Rico swallows hard. “You got a low score because of me,” he said in a low voice.

I sigh. “Stop saying sorry for things you have no control of.”

“Yeah, sorry.”

I stared at him. “Look, you did it again.”

“My bad.” He licks his lower lip and looks away. I could see him holding back a smile.

After a few minutes, Mrs. Lauchenco stated, “Class, next meeting will be organic facial mask, huh? Class dismissed! ”

He stands up and is about to go out with the other students. Rico signals his hand like a telephone and places it beside his ear. I just nod several times. He also smiles before he goes out. I delivered him from the door by looking.

When they came out, my vision returns to my nails. I notice unreadable characters in each nail. I couldn’t help but have a little smile. However, I couldn't comprehend the characters so I approach my one and only classmate that knows something about it.

Rico said that it is Baybayin, an old Filipino scripture, so might as well ask someone knowledgeable about it.

“Hey, Shan,” I call him. “Can you read this?”

I show him my fingernails. He reaches for my hand. His eyes narrow a bit, as if understanding what's really written on my fingernails. When he lets go of it, there was immediately a smirk on its lips.

“You two are not even together. Why is he claiming you already?”

My eyebrows meet in confusion. I stare at him, my eyes purposely seek for clarity. “What? What is this?”

He still didn't lose his grin. “It’s not accurate, though. It's letter K in your middle finger but still sounds the same. You know, there's no letter C in Baybayin.”

“Okay, then. But what is this?”

I fold my arms across my chest. I am getting impatient for the kanji characters make my head aches in every minute that passes by.

“Riko's.”

When the class dismisses, I see Rico waiting at the school gate. He fixes the strap of his backpack and gently smiles at me.

I am not surprised when Rico says that we're gonna ride a bicycle but rather shows curiosity as my eyebrows meet. My mind is puzzled at how my stomach flinches as Rico snorts an awkward smile. Hindi ko alam ang eksaktong dahilan kung bakit naiilang siya ngayon pero may isang alaala ng lumitaw sa isipan ko.

That one balmy afternoon...

Now that I remember it too, my cheeks burn more; my ears turning crimson; my awkwardness oozes in the air between us.

“I borrowed it from Clinton,” he said.

Okay, so we can get to town faster. We buy there because the eggs to be used must be organic. Coincidentally nearby stores don’t sell that. The town market is only a few meters away in St. Angelus but we can just walk.

Due to my curious mind digging up for some possible reason why, I end up assuming a wicked one. And it was too late when I realized I had said that out loud.

“Why are we going there? Maybe you want me to hug you again, don't you?”

His hooded eyes pierce through me. The hawkish corners of those don't even help ease the humiliation I feel!

Fudge. Embarrassing!

“Just kidding,” I said, awkwardly laughing.

I hear him clicks his tongue.

“So we can get there faster.”

“Ah, right.”

Rico looks at me and nods softly. “Let's go, then?”

With those circles in cognac brown like they're talking to my most hidden soul, Rico becomes approachable again. And I feel comfortable again.

“Yeah,” I beam as my cheeks continue to blush furiously even when he doesn't do something to make them to.