Chapter 1: The Season of Learning

'Hmm, what a delicious fish. God makes the fish and we shall eat them.'

"Judy! What are you looking over there? Let's go! The game is about to start!"

"Yes! Wait for me!"

A couple of years earlier

'Hmm, what should I eat?'

"Mark! Don't you want to eat? Let's go! Let's eat!"

Mark and his friend walk out of the school. They are trying to find a good siomai eatery because many sell siomai in this place. They finally decided to eat in the siomai eatery near a bank. They ordered siomai and rice.

"Mark. Dip your dumpling into the sauce."

"No, I won't."

"Why?"

"I just don't like it."

"Okaaay"

When they have finished eating, they went back to school. They were rubbing their stomachs as they were walking towards the school.

"Hi, Mark!"

"Hi, Ruth!"

"What did you eat for lunch today?"

"The wind."

Ruth laughed.

"Could you be more serious?"

"We only ate siomai," while he looks intently towards Ruth.

"What about you? Have you finished eating?", asked Ruth to the friend of Mark.

"We already told you that we ate siomai. What have you eaten?"

Ruth laughed.

"I ate humba' today."

"That wasn't a ques-," Mark elbows his friend before he could finish talking.

"That's nice Ruth. The humba' was delicious, isn't it?"

"Oh yes, very delicious."

While Ruth was still talking, their teacher arrives. All of them sat and arranged their desks.

"Hello class, I am a substitute teacher for today. I will be substituting Ms. Berido's History Class for today."

Ms. Berido is their teacher. She teaches very well to her students. Mark's friend wonders why Ms. Berido is absent.

"Ma'am, where is Ms. Berido?"

"Ms. Berido is attending a wedding for her brother and she will not be back until tomorrow."

While their teacher was still speaking, someone arrives at the door of their classroom. Mark looks at the girl and is awestruck by how gorgeous she is. Their teacher remembered that there was a transferee who would enter their class.

"By the way students, this is Samantha, she is a transferee from Cebu City"

The whole class said, "Hi Samantha!"

Mark's friend wonders.

"Why did she enter just this afternoon?"

"She may have a reason for it."

While the two of them are still talking, the teacher instructs the girl, "Kindly take a seat."

There is a seat not taken beside Mark and in there, the girl sits. Mark gets nervous when the gorgeous girl sat beside him. He just looks at her until she glances back at him so that he straightens himself up and looks forward.

"Hi, I'm Samantha,"

"Hi, umm, uh,"

"You already introdu-," before Mark's friend could finish, Mark elbows him. "Ouch!"

"Uh, I'm so sorry about that. My friend is very loquacious. Hi, I'm Mark by the way."

"Haha, it's ok. By the way, nice to see you, Mark."

Mark smiles in the direction of his friend so that Samantha wouldn't see him smiling. His friend wonders why he is smiling. Their substitute teacher starts the lesson.

"Okay class, what is the Law of Moses? Can you give me an answer?"

Someone raised a hand.

"Me, ma'am"

"Okay. What is your name?"

"My name is Cesar Owens, Ma'am."

Cesar is an African American who is studying in the Philippines. He is a scholar through his playing of basketball. He can't speak Bisaya but he can only understand it.

"The Law of Moses was given to Moses by God in approximately 1300 B.C. which were the list of laws that is to be followed by the people of Israel."

"Wow, you're right Cesar. Everyone, give him a round of applause!"

The whole class clapped for him except for some thugs at the back.

"Thank you, guys," Cesar appreciated his classmates.

"Wow, he's so smart," said Samantha to Mark.

"Haha"

"Why, What's funny?"

Mark smiles.

"He's not yet at his full potential," replied Mark's friend.

"He's not only smart, but he's also great at playing basketball too," Mark added.

Samantha puts his chin on his hand with his elbow on the desk and says, "Huh. Really?"

Their History class is done and their other class subjects are also done. Cesar is now playing basketball. Mark, his friend, and Samantha watch his games.

Prrt, foul

Cesar is fouled by Junrey, one of the delinquents of the school. Samantha is amazed by how Cesar plays.

"Cesar is really good at playing basketball. He's smart and also athletic."

Mark laughed.

"He seems to be warming up."

"Why Mark?"

"It's because I haven't seen him dunk yet."

Mark's friend sorted it out.

"Oh yes. He doesn't seem to be very aggressive today.

Samantha is shocked by what they are saying.

"What do you mean 'not aggressive'? He's great at dribbling, laying it up, driving, and shooting."

Mark's friend leans over to him

"Mark, Samantha is awesome. She knows what really is basketball."

"Yeah, I should try asking her."

"Samantha, you seem to know what basketball really is."

"Oh, hehe. My father is a basketball player, that's why."

"That makes sense," Mark's friend whispered.

"I should ask what's her father's name,"

Mark turns towards Samantha.

"What's your father's name?"

"My father's name is Alfred Macapobre."

Mark is shocked.

"Alfred Macapobre!? Your father's Alfred "The Sniper" Macapobre!?"

Mark's friend stares at Samantha very intently.

"Shh, that's only our secret, my dad doesn't want me to reveal it so that I will not be known," Samantha pleads.

Mark is puzzled.

"So, you are Samantha Macapobre?"

"Yeah"

"Oh really. Your father is a very private man. Why doesn't he want you to be known? You'll be famous."

"If you're famous, many follow you so that they will find something worthy of writing or gossiping about you, good or bad. That's why daddy doesn't want me to experience being followed and fished all sorts of stories like him because he experienced that."

"But don't you want to be famous?"

"I would like to but if that's what I will experience in fame, then I don't want it"

Mark and his friend went silent. They instead turn their attention to watching the game. Mark's friend stares back at Samantha and she turns her head to him, he gets frightened and goes back to watching the game.

Cesar's teammate steals the ball. They're going in a fastbreak, he passes the ball to Cesar! Junrey is guarding the paint! Cesar is about to attack!

"I'll block you, Cesar."

Cesar attacks and jumps.

'Taste this Cesar,' Junrey also jumps. 'Uhh, his jump is very high.'

Boom! Cesar dunks the ball! He posterizes Junrey!

The crowd stands up and shouts, including the three of them.

Mark shouts, "Woo! Nice one Cesar!"

Samantha shouts, "Woo! Way to go Cesar!"

Mark's friend shouts, "Go Junrey! Hahaha."

Junrey hears this and turns to Mark's friend. Junrey made a fist by his side but went back to the game. Cesar turned towards Samantha. He smiles and waves at Samantha. Mark looks at who Cesar is waving at. He turns to Samantha who waves back at Cesar, also smiling back. Mark is depressed that Cesar took an interest in Samantha. Not long after this, they finished playing basketball. Cesar approached Samantha and Mark saw this.

"Hi, my name is Cesar."

"Hi, my name is Samantha."

Mark is now more depressed than before. Cesar and Samantha greeted each other. Then they arranged a date that they would eat somewhere soon. Mark, his friend, and Samantha walked together as they are going home.

"Cesar is very kind, isn't he?" says Samantha.

"You haven't even known each o-," Mark elbows his friend before he could finish talking. "Ouch!"

"Hehe, sorry about my friend here. He's talking all sorts of things."

"It's ok, I trust easily to people. And sometimes, this is not good for me. But I noticed that his aura is kind and harmless."

"Aura, like the motorcycle," Mark's friend retorted.

Mark was terrified at what his friend had said. Samantha laughed, and the two friends eventually laughed.

Samantha arrived at her house. Samantha's house is very big, and nice too. Mark's friend looked at Samantha's very huge house.

"Wow, very nice."

Mark looked at their huge house.

"This is your house in Toledo?"

"Yeah, it's ours, hehe. Don't tell anybody ok?

"We won't tell, promise."

Samantha walked towards her house and turned towards Mark and his friend.

"Bye!"

The two of them waved towards Samantha.

"Bye as well!"

Samantha went into the house. Mark and his friend continued walking towards their home.

"Ahem," said Mark's friend.

"What?"

"You're so obvious kiddo."

"What is it?"

"You and Samantha,

No chance is the mantra."

"No chance at all?"

"Haha, I knew it, you really like Samantha.

Mark sighed, he was depressed yet again.

"I really have no chance; my opponent is the smart and athletic Cesar Owens."

"Don't worry bro, I'll help you with your problem."

While they were talking, Mark arrived at his house.

"See ya Justin, gotta go."

"See ya, Mark. I'll help you with your love life."

Justin laughed while Mark was depressed and sighed because of his huge problem. Mark was met by a hug from his mother.

"Mmm, your school took so long, I really miss you."

"Let me go ma, people are looking at us, I'm not a kid anymore."

His mother finally let go of him.

"Ok fine, get in. I cooked some chicken tinola."