Book 1: Chapter 1

February 2008

University of St Agustin International

Bacolod, Philippines

Go team! Go team!

Who do we mean?

We'll say it loud,

Because we're proud!

P-A-N-T-H-E-R!

Panther pride! Panther pride!

We're steppin' up, so step aside!

We're the best; we're here to win

Panthers power's here again!

The noise was deafening as the cheers of the students and the loud drums echoes along with the chants and dance of Panther’s Cheer Squad. The basketball team of the University of St Agustin Internationals just won a three-peat championship game against Bacolod State University. The whole stadium of the private university is almost covered by black and gold confetti while the happy attendees also wear the same colors as they cheer for their favorite home team.

In a few minutes, Say followed her cheer squad inside the dug out of USAI along with the basketball players who entered first. Suddenly, the boys stopped and they all looked in her direction. Seventeen year old Cheer Captain Say De Plaza knows who’s behind those boys.

“Hi Say, sweetheart, wanna congratulate your boy?” the handsome team captain Drex Reyes turns in to show his perfect smile. He was wet with sweat all over his jersey but nonetheless, he still looks so boyishly handsome.

“Oh hi, Drex!” is what Say just said as she hears her cheer squad squeal with joy except her three closest friends. Say knows most of them really like her to be with Drex. And why not? He is the basketball team captain and she is the Cheer Squad queen plus they both came from well-off family. Drex’s family owns a number of businesses in Manila and his father is a member of the university board of directors.

“Woopss...looks like our lover boy’s gonna celebrate first with his queen.”

“Should we leave you for a bit, Say? What about our practice?”

“Oh no girls...I’m going with ya’ll. It’s just a hi for Drex. Let’s go.“

“Wait, wait…Why so hurry, Say? Aren’t you going to celebrate with my team?”

“Drex, you’ve heard my squad, we have a cheer dance competition to prepare in four weeks. We don’t have that much time having fun, for now.” She faces her friends showing her ‘come and help’ me look, trying to make them remember what Drex did last time.

Drex smiled and held her chin. “Oh okay, so it was about the competition. But afterward, you’d celebrate with me...alone, my Queen?” His confident smile is that of someone who expects a positive response.

Lilac slyly pulls Say from Drex and smiles sarcastically at the handsome playboy, “Oh...after two-timing you with another girl? Nuh uh!”

“...with lipstick smudging his handsome little puppy face after kissing another girl? Nuh uh!” added Tori who now stands between Say and Drex.

“Oh come’ on girls. Come on, Say, that was just one time. That girl approached me, it’s always been girls who would chase me for my attention…So it wasn’t I to be blame.” He quickly grabbed her hand.

Say sweetly smiled as she removed the hand of Drex that was holding her. “Of course you are not to be blamed, Sweetie. And since you mentioned it was always been girls approaching you first - then why don’t you wait for another girl to come today to celebrate with you? You don’t need to include me as I am far from those girls who wants your attention, okay? Let’s go girls!” and that was all she said as she flipped her way out of Drex’s face - looking a little embarrassed but nonchalantly smiles at his team.

“Looks like Samantha Yvette De Plaza won’t be yours anytime soon, Drex.” Pierce told him.

“She will be mine, don’t worry, Pierce. Have I ever been dumped by a girl? Say is just taking her time - perhaps wanting me to give her more attention than other girls.”

“Well, you’re correct, you have never been dumped. But then, will you really go after the Governor’s Única Hija? Half of the town is almost owned by her political family. Remember, we all just live in Planet Samantha de Plaza...”

“Whatever. Let’s go and celebrate.”

***

Nick carefully took the key from his pocket to open the expected locked door of the gym but before he could do so, he heard some voices inside. He pushed the door to see the light open to the far end of the gym. From the loud chants and cheers of the those students singing and dancing altogether, he already knew who was inside.

Cheerleaders...

He's not usually the one that cleans up the university gym at night but his co-student assistant Eloy became ill so it's expected he will be cleaning the gym in his behalf for about 3-5 more days. He initially decided to return a little later when everyone's gone but decided against it - thinking her mom Sabina will be worried again if he comes home late. He went inside. He'd probably just start cleaning the other parts of gym not used by the cheer squad.

***

“Five! Six! Seven...Eight!” Say was sweaty but still had enough energy to add more dance sequence. The girls' squad follows her movement as their male lifters watch. They will have their own dance sequence to make. It's their 2nd week practice and they only have two weeks to go before their cheer Dance competition finals so her squad is really doing overtime practices.

“Say, can we not include this cheer routine? We kept using these steps. I think we also had it in last year’s finals.”

"Yes, Lilac was right, it was also copied by another squad, Say."

“I think we should add more lifting to our routine dance steps.”

"Yeah, you're right. It seems like something was really lacking. Troy, you create a new exhibition lifting with your boys.“

“Sure, Queen Say. Anything you say, we’ll slay.”

"Thanks, Troy. Girls, let's have five minutes break." she turned off the CD disc players and sat below the bleacher.

“Uh ohh...Twelve O’clock. Someone’s entering the gym...”Lilac suddenly said her lips motion towards the gym door for her friends to see.

“Who?” blurted the curious Tori and Cheska.

“On your left, twelve o’clock. “Oh...look.” Lilac pouts her lips in the direction of the man entering the gym.

Tori and Cheska’s eyes followed. Finally, the girls saw what Lilac was talking about.

“Looks like he has some broad shoulders ready for some lifting. Is he our new Cheer Lifter?”

“Hmm...Muchos gwapitos. That shirt of his looks like it's about to burst with his big chest. Definitely a lifter, Ches…”

“Looking bad boy and gorgeous at the same time, huh…”

“Well, we should ask since he's going towards us. Wait - Wait...why did he turn and head towards the other side of the gym?”

The three were curious why instead of the gorgeous guy to approached them, he instead went to the other side of the gym - the part where the lockers are in.

“He’s trying to get something in the locker…”

“What will he get in our gym locker?”

The three were dumbfounded when they saw what the cute guy took from the locker. It was a floor mop and a water bucket. Before he started mopping, he started to pick those scattered balls from the floor.

“Hey Tori, which part of our dance steps again needs to be replaced?” Say is back on the floor. Their five-minute break is done. But instead of an answer from Tori and her team, she heard them laughing hard instead and seems to be busy looking at someone.

“So he is just a gym-keeper. A janitor! Haha!”

“Lifter. Lifter of a floor mop. Haha!”

“What are you talking about?” Say was curious this time.

“Not what, but who. Look, Say...”

Say's gaze followed what they were pointing to. They were pointing at a guy on his back picking some loose balls from the floor. He is not looking at her group.

“Quick, give me your bottled water, Ches. Wet the floor, quick!”

She saw Tori poured the water into the floor.

“Hold this ball, Say.”

Before she could ask, Lilac made her hold a ball. It was one of the balls scattered on the floor. The next thing Say knew, someone threw a ball in the direction of the guy who was at his back. The ball went straight to his head.

Tori, Cheska, and Lilac were laughing hard when she saw the guy look in their direction finally, then he stood. It was a matter of seconds before she eventually realized the guy had seen her hands with a ball while her friends were laughing at him.

“Oops! Sorry! That wasn’t intentional. We've been trying to call you earlier because the floor was wet,” says Lilac who was still laughing.

“Yep, and we can’t practice.”

“Can you please come over?”

Say saw the guy approached her squad. She doesn’t normally spend much time looking at any other male species especially if she’s busy, let alone stare - but there was something about the guy that made her want to look at him closely. Or maybe she just wants to see if he is angry with what her teammates did.

He’s tall…muscular dark-haired has an Adonis-like-brown-skin, his black hair is a little longer than typical university boys. He walks like a bad boy coming from a movie sequel in his dirty blue jeans and gray shirt... Who is this guy?

Say wants to check if the guy will also look at her with adoration or something. Because she can’t help but notice, along with her smiling friends, that the approaching guy is appallingly attractive. Not to brag about it completely but she is used to getting much attention from anyone - men most specifically.

But the guy never even bothered to look at her.

He approached her squad, wiped the floor, and looked at Cheska as he talked.

“There. Happy now?” Say saw the guy glared at her 3 friends.

“Thanks. Super.” Cheska used her tried and tested cute smile to get a hold of the guy.

Say watched as the thick eyebrows of the gym guy moved. He looked like he was not amused with the smiles of Cheska or her other friends. Who will really be amused after what they did? Nevertheless, Say is still waiting for the guy to look at her and start to chat or something. But he already turned his back.

“Wait! What’s your name?”

“You do not need to know my name to practice.” and the nameless gym-keeper turned his back, not even looking in Say’s direction.

He didn't even talk to me, or even look at me? Why? Was he mad because he thought I threw the ball at him?

“Awww Ches... He never gave you his name. HAHA! My eyes are right again, the gym-keeper guy looks cute but is a snob. Your smiles are nothing to him, Cheska! HAHA!”

“Duh, it’s okay. He’s just a janitor anyway...”

“Shessh. That’s sour-graping. “

Although Say was curious about the guy, she decided to leave it at that. They have more important things to do than check on some random gym-keeper.

“Girls, can we all focus on something important like our cheer practice? Or do you want us to stay here longer? It’s past 8’clock.”

“Sorry, let’s do it. Come on!”

****

Say heard a soft knock before the door of her room opened. It’s past 10 o’clock and she is still in her bed doing some homework. She is also waiting for her dad to call her so that they can eat at the same time together. But seeing their Cook, Aling Sabina, in the doorway with a tray of food, she knew her father's political meeting is still not yet over.

“Ma'am Samantha? The governor asked me to just bring you some food since his meeting might not end immediately.”

Say despondently closed her book as she stood up and picked the tray of food from Aling Sabina.

“I thought dad wanted me to transfer to a school in the province so that we could always eat and be together. But he is way too busy.”

“I’m sorry about it, hija.”

“That’s okay. Anyways, thank you still for this food, Aling Sabina. I’m not starving, so it’s good you just brought me some sandwiches. I just need to munch in something while I’m reading some books here.”

“The re-election is almost near, Ma’am Samantha so it’s expected your father will really be busy at this time. It’s almost 11 o’clock, aren’t you still sleepy?”

“Not yet. I'm used to staying up late. You're the one who looks sleepy, though. ” She smiled at their long time Cook. Aling Sabina has been with the family for more than 10 years and she was the favorite cook of her late mother Sofia, also the previous Governadora of their town. She just didn’t see her that much because she had just returned to the province after studying in Manila for years in high school.

“ Oh well…that’s teenager’s energy. Anyways, just make sure you eat the food I prepared, Ma’am Samantha. I’m going now.”

“Aling Sabina?”

The old lady halt to close the door when she called her name again.

“I will only eat the food in one condition…” She winked at the shy old cook.

“Ma’am?”

“Call me Samantha or just my nickname Say. It’s kind of awkward if you kept calling me a ‘ma’am. I will be staying here in the province for good now so, we will keep seeing each other.”

The old woman smiles before she closes the door. Say just continued what she was doing until she fell asleep.