Chapter 2

She gave me the usual transferee tour. Asan yung mga classroms ng mga estudyante, the school gym, the canteen, the open field, the basketball court, the football field, the library, and so on.

She also gave me the history of this establishment. Apparently, this was once an ordinary public school, open for all students, both financially stable and financially poor. But The Mendez family brought the school to build their own school. An elite, high class and sophisticated school with an international standards. Nag protesta ang mga magulang at ang mga estudyanteng financially unstable. They wanted to be in the school for it's high standard academics, apparently napaka toxic at magulo ang nangyari but The Mendez family won the battle. They named it Hellviana Le'vioure International, named after the founders. Hellviana Mendez and Le'vioure Kate Mendez. Nag transfer ang mga estudyanteng hindi kayang bayarin ang tuition sa isang eskwelahan na naging mortal na kalaban ng HLI. THE EMPYREAN FORTUNA ACADIA

"Wait a minute... May nakita akong dalawang estudyanteng Mendez ang apelyido in the class assignments papers." I suddenly said, interrupting Hazel while she was in the middle of talking.

"Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah..." Ani niya, bigla nalang siyang tumahimik at parang may iniisip.

"Ayyyy jusko yesss! May dumagdag narin sa mga lalaki." She said suddenly. Tinignan ko siya, she realized that we were about to go out of topic. She cleared her throat and composed herself.

"Ehem, where were we?"

"I saw two Mendez in the class assignments papers."

"Ah yes. Damien Damon Soria Mendez

and Thomas Jacob Mendez. The two Titans as we like to "call" them." She explained exaggerating the word titans and air quoting the word call.

"Their family history is a little... complicated." She added.

"Bakit siya complicated?" I asked. Nacucurious lang naman.

"Welllll... Si Damien kasi, anak siya ng isang babae at si Thomas naman ay anak ng ibang babae."

"Sino po ba ang..."

"Original? Well that's Thomas. Making Damien a sort of a... Bastard."

"Wow ang harsh."

"Eto kasi... Si Makie Mendez ama ni Damien at Thomas Mendez ay nagkaroon ng isang... Let's just say "wild" boys night out. Thomas' mother found out she was pregnant to Thomas the same night his father was getting...uh... wild to a another girl, Damien's mother. Both girls delivered the boys on the same night on the same hospital right beside each other." She explained.

"Hindi ba nagalit ang nanay ni Thomas ng nalaman niyang naka buntis ng isang babae ang asawa niya?"

"Oh she was furious. Nagliliparan nga ang mga damit ni Sir Makie Mendez hindi ko alam kung tutoo yang part of the story pero yan ang tchismis... But she later accepted the truth, wala naman siyang magawa, nangyari na ang nangyari, and decided to bury the hatchet and befriended Damien's mother, in a sudden twist of events, everything worked out in the end at naging best friends sila. Helping each other as they were in the journey of motherhood. "

"Ano ba ang nangyari matapos naisilang si Damien at si Thomas?"

"Well, Thomas' delivery was successful, but Damien's was not. His mom was having a hard time and was too weak para mapanganak siya. Time was running out and Damien's mom was a fighter, she wasn't gonna let her son, which she loved the most, die and end his story too soon. So she took every ounce of her strength and deliver Damien into this world. Namatay siya a few minutes later."

"Ang tragic naman nyan."

"Sorry pero that's the truth."

"Did Damien grew out to be a good kid? Kasi knowing that he's a child of a another woman must be really... Weird."

"Oh, Damien grew up as a good kid, but he isn't that angelic though. He almost murdered someone back when he was just a kid."

"Talaga?! Alam mo ba kung sino yong bata?"

"Diko alam pangalan ng taong yon but that person was Damien's bully back when we were just kids. Used to call him names... Specifically a bastard. I guess one day, Damien snapped, hindi na nakayanan ang mga insulto ng bully niya and he just stabbed that person using his scissors during arts and crafts class . Nakita nalang ng Grade 2 teacher namin na dugoan si Damien holding the scissors, wala man lang facial expressions, he just starred the kid's dying body."

"Damien went to numerous therapy sessions at anger management therapy after that. Naging centro ng chismisan nuon at halos walang bata ang gustong makipag laro sa kanya. Nuon lang yon. He's all good now. He's the school's achiever, best in almost everything, but not at sports."

"Sports? Really? Napaka easy naman nyan... Wait so basically he's a nerd."

"WOWWW! Ang harsh mo na ha. He CAN do sports but he doesn't really want to. Ayaw nya kasing matapakan ang territory ng kanyang kapatid, so stick to academics nalang siya."

"Si Thomas naman? Ano ba namang crazy backstory niya?"

"Thomas is the complete opposite of Damien. Masungit, ang taas ng pride, basagulero, fuck boy, and a total scumbag."

"I'm sure marami namang good things nagawa si Thomas right?"

"Mayroon naman, he's our Athletic God, kaya nyang manalo almost everything at sports or any physical tests, sometimes mental activities, pero hindi yan isang acceptable reason for his actions."

"Ano ba kasi ginawa niya na makuha niya mga bad titles na sinabi mo?"

"It's a long story, masungit talaga yan bata palang, entitled sa lahat ng gusto niya at he is THE spoiled kid. Mataas ang pride kasi gusto niya siya ang tama at kung may mali siyang nagawa hindi yan nag sosory man lang. Basagulero kasi palaging napapasabak sa suntukan at awayan sa kalaban naming mga schools. A total fuck boy, hindi ko na alam kung ilang mga babae ang napaiyak niya, na busted niya, mga babaeng nakuha ang v-card dahil sa kanya, at may chismis pa nga na nabuntis niya isang babae pero nagpa abortion para hindi masira ang reputasyon ng pamilya Mendez."

"Wow... Akala ko pa naman mabit siya."

"Bago ka pa magtanong bakit ba interesado ka sa mga buhay nila?"

"Well...I was once their best friend, a really long time ago and gusto ko lang malaman ano na ang nangyayari sa mga buhay nila after I moved out."