Athena’s P.O.V.
It was already eight in the morning when I woke up. Medyo masakit ang ulo ko at parang nahihilo pa ako. I touched my head and neck then I found that I was warmer than usual—parang ang taas ng lagnat ko. Kung bakit naman kasi nagpaulan pa ako kahapon!
I opened my bedside table at kinuha ko ang digital thermometer. I put it on my right ear and it confirmed that I really had a high fever based on its thirty-nine-degree Celcius reading. Upon further checking on myself, I was also having cold and cough, plus sore throat and body pains.
Daddy immediately called Dr. Kim to come over and personally check on me. Based on his findings, I was having a systemic viral illness. Sa sobrang lakas ko ay kinakapitan din pala ako ng trangkaso. I sighed. Ayoko pa naman sa lahat ay ‘yong umiinom ako ng gamot, but I guessed I had no other choice for now. I had to do it, kung gusto kong gumaling agad.
“How are you, Athena?” pasimpleng tanong ni Doc when Dad went outside. I knew that the question was not about my illness, but how I was still coping up after the accident.
“I’m okay, Doc.” I smiled at him while gripping the comforter in line with my neck. I lied because I wasn’t really okay.
I think, Dr. Kim was not yet on his thirties. Para ko lang siyang kuya. If only he knew na namatay na talaga si Athena at dapat niya akong tawaging Helena rito sa bahay, I wonder what would be his reaction.
“Okay, if you say so. I’ve got to go now. Don’t stress yourself and don’t forget to drink your medicines, okay? Lastly, I know this will only make you feel uncomfortable pero bawal ang maligo,” nakangiting sabi niya.
I just nodded at him. Dr. Kim gently patted my head before he walked pass the open door and left. Dahil tumawag na rin si Daddy sa school at sinabing hindi ako makakapasok ngayon ay nanatili na lamang akong nakahiga sa kama.
Since I didn’t have anything to do and I couldn’t sleep again no matter how hard I tried to do it, I just looked at the ceiling as if I was having some flashbacks. Hindi ko maiwasang isipin si Rivera. Oh, I mean—Cristoff! Since everyone was calling him Dave or David, I would call him Cristoff na lang para unique.
At dahil doon, wala sa sariling napahawak ako sa mga labi ko nang maalala ko ang mga sinabi niya sa akin kahapon…
“I’ve always been thinking of your soft lips for three months now.”
“I hated to admit but what happened to us was my first kiss, and if for you, it was an accident… well for me, it was an experience.”
I closed my eyes while trying to think straight. What happened to us was my first kiss as well.
We just stole the first kiss of each other, Cristoff! But the difference is that—you didn’t know what I really feel. I lied to you because it wasn’t just an accident for me.
But of course, I would never admit it!
I knew about my limitation. I shouldn’t get close to him but what could be the meaning of this? That whenever he was near, I suddenly felt uneasy and I always felt my heart throbbed like there were thousands of horses racing inside me. I was breaking my own rules.
This was the very first time I felt this kind of strange feeling. It was too foreign to me. It was creepy but at the same time, it was captivating. For months I was studying at that school, I got another reason to be excited.
But what is he doing to me?
I hated to admit but I certainly liked the feeling when we accidentally kissed. I was only fifteen and it was really my first time. Well at least, I brushed my lips with him and not with someone else… definitely not with those three drug addicts! And it was just for a while—barely three seconds, I guessed?
Unconsciously, I smiled.
I think, I should be thankful for that. Plus the fact that I was also his first kiss, I was flattered considering he had a girlfriend before. But oh! That could be the reason why his ex-girlfriend decided to hook up with someone else. She thought that Cristoff was actually boring.
Ah, no! She was already committed to that punk before hooking up with Cristoff.
That bitch only treated him like a slave and she really deserved to be caught in the act! The way how they kissed each other, it looked like they were already doing more than that!
So back to Cristoff—three months ko rin siyang iniwasan pero bakit parang natuwa ako no’ng ginawa kaming leaders ni Mrs. Cheng sa Annual Camp project? Well, I must say that bitches would always be bitches… and for that, Athena would always be Athena!
Oh my God!
Speaking of Annual Camp, kailangan ko palang pumasok ngayon. I looked at my bedside alarm clock and it was already ten.
Hmm… mamaya na lang kaya ako pumasok after break time? Masakit pa rin kasi ‘yong ulo at katawan ko eh. Hay!
It took me a few more minutes to just blankly stare at the ceiling and when I got bored, napagdesisyunan kong bumangon na lang sa kama at lumabas ng kuwarto while still wearing my see-through sleeping blouse and pajamas. I found it comfortable to wander around the house while wearing these. Anyway, I was still wearing my red undergarments and only maids were with me so I didn’t have to worry. The guards were also roaming outside so they would not be able to see me.
I went straight to the garden to breathe some fresh air. Our garden was the most serene part of our mansion and it was full of white and red roses. While I loved the red roses, Helena got fond of white. For her, white symbolizes purity while red means bloody hell for me… because I was always bleeding inside.
Our garden was perfectly landscaped and had a beautiful fountain at the center. Despite my hard-headed attitude, nature always brought me peace and tranquility. Aside from my own Music Room, this was my another hang-out place… most especially, when Helena was still here. We used to chase each other here, roll along the bermuda grasses and treat the fountain as wishing well. That’s why it was almost full of different coins underneath. We did many wishes together, but most of them would never come true anymore.
Whenever I was here, I easily forgot all my problems… but now, I almost jumped when I saw that there was an unexpected guest who was currently sitting on my favorite bench. Without doing anything, he made my heart skip a beat.