Chapter 1: Nice to meet you

Avel's POV

We've just finished the midterm exam and I already wanna go home and sleep. I feel like I have used up all my energy to the point that I don't even bothered to speak. My friends even asked me to celebrate.

"Avel are we going?" Ramil asked while walking towards my direction. I'm still fixing my things.

"I have a headache" I said and looked at him.

"You shouldn't say no to alcohol!" Ivan teased.

"Let's go, Ramil won't stop pleasing us" Clark said.

"My head hurts, I'll get drunk easily"

"Weakshit dude" they laughed.

"You are cheating on us and then make excuses?"

"Just one bottle"

They will not really stop until I agree, my head really hurts.

"Fine"

"GOTCHAAAA!" Ramil

"You really are hard to get Avel" Philip

We went to the locker first and I left my other books that I had already read.

"Did you brought your car?" Clark asked.

"Yeah"

"I'll go with you"

We went straight to Ramil's condo, I immediately sat down and lay my head on the sofa, I closed my eyes and squeezed my senses, why did my head ached suddenly? I closed my eyes for a long period of time and let them be busy preparing what were going to drink.

It was only a matter of time before we started with three whiskeys, five beers and a red label, their liver might be really burning out. While drinking, the four of them were having fun and I was just listening.

"Idiot, she has a lot of admirer" Ivan said to Clark while sipping the alcohol.

"Just admit that you are weak because you don't want an opponent, you will only lose" Clark

"Dumb ass! Since when did I lose" he said

"Clark, how can you defeat the unopposed?" Ramil said so they suddenly laughed out loud.

"You idiots, are you trying to make fun of me! There, talk to Avel" Ivan

"Not me, my head hurts" I said as they turned to me at the same time.

"Yes indeed! Avel why don't you try ..." Philip paused his speech as Ramil stood next to me.

"Court Stella" Ivan added

Who the heck is Stella?

"I don't want" I said.

"Avel, you haven't even gotten a relationship yet, you know that" Clark said.

"Your books will not marry you" Ivan added.

"You're wasting time dude" Ramil

"No guys, I don't like such stuff, I'm all good" I said and stood up. "I'm leaving, it's nine o'clock and my head still hurts"

"You really are kj"

"You only drank water bro, you cheated on us!"

I ignored them and left but when I closed the door it immediately opened and I spat out Philip.

"You only need a girlfriend" He said

I turned to him and sighed.

"Life is short try to explore" he said while laughing and while patting my shoulder. He entered immediately and I was left staring at the door. I walked to the parking lot and went home.

While driving I suddenly remembered what Philip had said. Relationship?

I think it's not on my league, is relationship worth my time? Seeing how devastated people are, really scare me to death.

When I entered the house, Manang immediately met me, she asked if I had eaten. I just nod and went straight to my room. I was curious so I immediately looked for who Stella my friends were referring to.

Stella Anderson.

She's quite famous, marketing student. I think I saw her somewhere but I'm sure we are schoolmates. I put down my phone and turned off the lamp.

When I woke up, I'm all fine. maybe all I really needed was sleep, I took a shower and got ready and went downstairs and straight to the kitchen.

"Where's Dad? " I asked Manang while she's preparing my food.

"He left early, did you not meet again?"

"Yeah"

"All right, eat now"

We live in the same roof but rarely see each others faces, even his presence is truly undefined. My parents are separated and now I'm living with my father. He's always busy so I also do not feel like I have someone with me, I doubt it. I wonder why life is so unfair to me, I have a family but it seems like I have nothing, mom is with one of my sibling, we're only two and both boys, I'm two years older than him, since the day our parents separated it seems I also have no family. But still I have my father though. I haven't heard, seen or felt being love since then and I'm craving for it but I don't want to find it in someone just like that. I'm afraid because the result was not good for my parents it feels like I'll end up being alone for the rest of my goddamn life.

I got in my car and went to school, my life is boring, school, home, home, school, reading books and watching different freaking stuff kills my time, I've been to some bars because of my friends, get drunk, throw up and woke up in the bathroom of the bar. It's fun being a college student but somehow people around me wanted to cut the border of me being still nice after what I've been through, it's just that I don't wanna be a rebel. I still have a goal in life and none of my experience will drag me down.

I went straight to my first class at 8:00 am it was still a bit early so I hung out on a bench in the middle of a big tree, every touch of the air on my skin gives chills down my spine, so I closed my eyes to feel it but when I opened my eyes, there's already a woman looking at me and smiling.

"Hi, can I join you?" she asked then sat beside me.

She seems familiar , I think I saw her in...

I turned to her and reality sank in, she was woman that I've searched last night.

"You seem shocked" she chuckled.

"Do I know you?" I asked

"I'm Stella by the way" she offered her hand. I'm stunned.

"Hey are you okay?" she said again and waved at me.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry you are?" I asked again out of nowhere.

"I'm stella " she offered her hand again so I accepted it.

"Avel" I replied with a smile.

"I know, you're one of the DL's here, please to meet you"

"Ah" fvck what the hell is wrong with me, I can't even say a freakin 'word. She smiled and then silence. She looked up and closed her eyes I can't help but to stare at her, she's beautiful indeed like what my friends says.

"Do you think in 10 years time people will stay the same? " she broke the silence with that question so I stared at her even more, my forehead furrowed so she raised an eyebrow. I think she's waiting for my answer I need to think !

"Maybe or maybe not, it depends on them?" I answered..

"Why?"

"Some people change out of their own preference and some don't coz they are afraid of sudden changes"

"You have a point, what will you choose then?"

"Change, it is constant and eventhough I change... it is still me in the end of the day"

"Then why do I change if it's still you?"

I turned to her and was confused by what she said.

"What?"

"Nothing, I'll go. See you around" she got up and walked away. Her words are confusing me.

Stella why do we need to meet.