The Perfect Trope

A blurry image of me getting carried by Zyle keeps repeating in my head like a broken record. I curse my brain for not remembering his silhouette in detail. That would've been such a nice memory, but no—I decided to be a drowsy fool who couldn't even control my own body.

So that's why instead of twirling my imaginary long hair at the thought of being in his arms, I am sitting on the bleachers fiddling with the stick from my finished corndog, open-mouthed and dumb-founded.

"Parang ilang linggo ka ng nakatulala, ha?" Sia pointed out.

"Sinabi mo pa, his mind is drifting around the universe again," Aizhy adjusted the clamp on her hair. "Intrams na ganyan pa din siya."

"Ano ba kasi nangyari sayo, Mel? Sanay na kaming nakatulala ka pero beh ilang linggo na."

Malalim akong napabuntong hininga, "Hypothetically, if someone took care of you while you're sick and you're not that close to them. Does that mean they like you or they're just really nice?"

They gave each other an all-knowing look, their faces twisting into a mischievous expression. Aizhy propped her chin on her palms with shimmering eyes peering at me while Krissia's smirk finally made its appearance.

"Hypothetical or that actually happened to you?" Krissia wiggled her eyebrows, biting on the last piece of corn dog left.

"That would never happen to me," I unconsciously sat up straight, it was instantly clear to them that I was being dishonest. Hindi talaga ako magaling mag-sinungaling even if I took a class on 'How to lie 101' I would fail with sinking colors.

"Guilty~" Asar ni Aizhy.

"Halata ka, Mel!"

"I am not guilty nor am I obvious, it was a hypothetical scenario with a hypothetical conclusion. Now answer my question please."

"Sure pre, kung saan ka masaya," Sia shrugged off my glare, a pestering smirk painted on her face.

"Sige na nga baka umiyak ka. It depends."

"Then what's the 'it depends' range?" My grip on the stick hardened, kung malakas lang ako physically this poor stick would've snapped by now.

"Hmm... it's really hard to know the line between liking you as a friend or more than that especially if the person is very friendly," Aizhy stared off a distance, my hypothetical scenario must've hit her too.

"Depende kasi yan kung gusto mong magpaasa o hindi."

"Ayaw ko din sabihin na may signs yan because signs are too vague. Oo, may mga specific body language, how a person expresses themselves. May ganun ka halata pero sa hypothetical scenario mo, is it halata or basic human decency?" Sia continued.

"Maybe your hypothetical situation lacks detail. Can you add some?" Aizhy was curious as a cat. Her ears are perking up ready to digest all the information I'm about to give.

"What if that person you literally just met, out of the blue there's this sudden concern for you despite the fact you know that person doesn't know you that much and then they keep doing this cliche, book-like moments with you like how am I supposed to feel?"

Oh, in the middle of my panic-induced rapid talking I had a slip of the tongue.

"Boom, exposed!" I'm getting major deja vu on how Aizhy's loud voice bounced around the closed court. The whole place was so silent I could hear every decibel of her voice. We are not having this embarrassing main character moment again.

She gave her sincere apologies to the onlookers giving her the most severe stink eye I've ever witnessed.

To be honest, she didn't even deserve the looks she was getting. It was an unfortunate accident that keeps happening to her whenever we're in this damned court.

On the brighter side, I escaped the accusations. Thank you Aizhy for being that kind of main character. The only exception to that trope by the way. I make the rules!

"Tangina, eto nanaman tayo," Sia muttered under her breath.

"Okay, 'di ko sinasadya na everytime na sumisigaw ako tumatahimik ang paligid," Aizhy argued.

"Am I cursed?" She looked like she had a lot of realizations when it comes to her bad timing.

"Maybe the court is cursed?" I tried to calm her down.

"Oo."

"Krissia!" I nagged at her. "It only happens when she's in this court."

"It also happens to her whenever there's a basketball game," Sia rolled her eyes at the mention of basketball which I was shocked about.

She never rolled her eyes in the name of sports, this girl would foam in her mouth everytime a single whisper of athletic pursuits is mentioned.

"Umirap ka ba?" Aizhy was also perplexed by Krissia's behavior.

"Tanginang basketball yan."

It was an understatement when I say both of our jaws dropped to the floor. A better statement would be our jaw got dislocated, thrown across the court, went under the Earth's crust to its inner core, and was put back by the sheer force of what-did-we-just-hear? Who possessed my best friend? Please go away, this is so not her!

"Okay ka lang?"

"Mas maganda naman volleyball," There was solidarity in her voice as if you could not sway her opinion at all. Again, weird. Krissia was the type to never compare two sports to each other.

Aizhy's eyes widened, a grinch-like smile contrasted her usual harmonized facial features, "Meyron ka bang crush na gusto ang basketball, Sia?"

"No, the fuck?!"

We literally just had the topic of body language and signs being too vague. However, Krissia playing with her right ear combined with a defensive tone is a sign that was clear as her frustration.

"Pareho kayo ni Mel na halata!" Patawang sabi ni Aizhy.

"Mel, payag ka ba na dinamay ka?"

"Hindi mo mababago yung topic."

Krissia's shoulders slouched in defeat, she gave up on distracting Aizhy. You can't extinguish an Aizhy who's fired up with curiosity. She's already boiling the pot and ready to stir the tea. I can't even divert her attention because I also want to join the tea party.

Has she finally moved on from Aizhy and developed a new crush? That's worth a celebration, complete with a red velvet cake—her favorite flavor. She deserves it after her whole rejection-fiasco that happened a while ago.

Krissia couldn't help but heave out a loud sigh, "Di ko siya crush."

I guess that celebration can be rescheduled. Her feelings are a bit dela—"I hate her."

Or not. Her feelings are present. Just not a positive one.

"Who?" Me and Aizhy sounded similar to owls that are synchronized and somehow active in the mornings. Anyways, we kept repeating the question till Krissia cracked.

"Basta, grabe kasi ugali nun kala mo kung sino," She snickered.

"Since when ka naging lowkey sa pagiging hater mo? Wala kang anomang name drop! Who are you and what did you do to our precious hater?!" Mukhang hindi naniniwala si Aizhy sa sinabi niya.

"She's not worth it."

Those words were not even directed to me yet I felt an unexpected sting in my heart. Never kong narinig magsabi ng ganyan si Krissia kahit pa si April 'di niya sinasabihan ng hindi siya worth it. How bad is she?

"As in?" Aizhy dramatically covered her mouth.

"As in. Tuldok, walang erase."

Ang OA pakinggan pero parang umalis ang aking kaluluwa sa katawan ko. Napakurap ako nang ilang beses bago bumalik ang kaluluwa kong paligoy-ligoy lang.

"Huh?"

"Nag-lo-loading pa ata 'to," Aizhy laughed.

"Huh!?"

"Di pa pumapasok sa kokote niya," Krissia joined in the laughter.

"How? You don't even think that with you know who."

"Kwento yan for another day basta–ahy putcha," Her fists curled into a ball, eyes filled with fury. Napatingin kami ni Aizhy sa gilid, the HUMSS and STEM athletes were gathering up in the corner while the GAS vs TVL game finished with a buzzer beater.

"Befitting of their strand name they really fueled up the game with an epic buzz beater. With a whopping total score of 115, GAS took this game up a notch! Now our Vergel Angels, are you all hyped up for the next game?"

In the midst of the announcer's boosting the crowd's morale. Both of us prioritized where Krissia's agitated stare lingered. I turned to smirk at her. Finally, I could tease her back.

"She's really pretty."

"Ano naman magagawa ng ganda niya kung pangit naman ang ugali," She frowned.

"So you admit that she's pretty?" Gatong ni Aizhy.

"That's not the fucking point."

She crossed her arms together, still staring at the brunette girl carrying the blue pom-poms. The HUMSS athletes finally entered the court however that did not disrupt Krissia's sour mood.

"Just tell us what happened, no one's going to hear you when everyone's screaming their lungs out!" I shouted so they could hear me.

"Mamaya na kasi!" Krissia shouted back.

"Tangina, ang iingay ng STEM!"

Aizhy complained. I forgot to mention, yes we were seated on the wrong bleachers.

We were supposed to be in the corner that Krissia's mentally burning down and not here in the sea of color green—of stalk association. It's not our fault that they changed the seating arrangement while we were already comfortably seated.

We are not adjusting to their blatant favoritism. This was the best view of the court. I am not giving up the perfect opportunity to have a slow-mo book moment with my fave athlete, okay? Not happening!

"The crowd seems hyped up for this game! Before we start let's have our most awaited MVP interview."

So no one's confused, bago mag umpisa ang laro, iniinterview nila ang top player ng tryouts for each team. Pang fan service lang yan, ang swerte ko talaga I'm the fan being serviced.

"Kung hindi mo ikwekwento yan sa amin mamaya auto F.O!"

"Ang chismosa," Aizhy stuck her tongue out. Of course, Krissia gave her the same energy and mirrored her actions.

An overfamiliar giggle pleased my ears. The crowd screeched their heart–maybe throats out as soon as STEM Hottie graced us with his presence. Forget about the tea when there's someone more piping hot standing before the microphone.

"Mr. Sanvictores, how does it feel to be one of the most popular players in this court right now?"

"I appreciate the support I've been getting recently. It honestly feels like a fever dream to get so much praise from doing a sport I really worked hard to practice on. Also, I hope that everyone enjoys this game. If not, bawi ako next time. I'll make it more entertaining," His golden smile brightened the dimly lit covered court.

More eardrum piercing screams occupied the court. A chorus of concerning phrases were thrown around like nothing. Down bad? No, down diabolical at this rate. Kala ko ako na ang definition of delusional. Hindi pala.

"Sanvictores isang kiss lang oh!"

"Ready na maging housewife para sayo!" Ikalma mo. Senior high pa lang tayo.

"Ang sarap mo, number one!" Natikman mo na? Ignore that please, it sounded so wrong.

"Jowa ko yan!"

"Tangina teh, 'di mo yan owaj!" I agree with this person.

"Pogi! Shet gawin mo akong lampaso!"

"STEM Hottie, pa autograph sa-" Okay, that needs to be censored out of my brain.

"Kaloka mga fans ng bebe mo, Mel."

I bit back my smile, "He's not my bebe."

"Edi future mo! Yie~" Aizhy playfully punched my shoulder. She was also shaking, eerily similar to a salted worm. Imagining Aizhy as a worm is not a pleasant picture yet here I am putting her outstanding face to a worm wiggling around. My mind needs a cleanser from that random tangent.

"Bagay kayo!"

"Tao sila," She glared at Krissia's unoriginal joke.

"Doon ka nga sa enemy mong kanina mo pa tinitignan!"

"Hindi ko siya tinitignan. I'm glaring at her."

"Wala, papansin ka lang," Biro niya.

Whilst their banter was continuing in the background, I focused on Zy's tall figure. Every sound deafened on my ears as I grasped his out of this world physique. If the sun gets tired of shining brightly, no need to be afraid of the world getting enveloped in darkness when he's there illuminating my world.

Anyways, how many times am I going to exhaust the words bright, golden, handsome, every other word that has the same idea to describe him? I pride myself for being the typical good at essays HUMSS student, regardless, I'm getting tired of coming up with original praises.

Wala akong maisip na good metaphor or a jaw dropping, quote worthy one liner typically seen in a romance book. Now, I came up with a dilemma I didn't even know I could have.

What is the best compliment for a man whose whole existence is a compliment in itself?

"Thank you for answering, Mr. Sanvictores. Goodluck with your game!"

It's already done? Muntikan akong kabahan kasi hindi ko narinig ang kanyang mga sagot pero ng nakita ko si Cole filming Zy I was relieved. Oh good that Cole is there, he's really talented at documenting—Cole!?

He's assigned to this event? Gosh, palaging kong nakakalimutan na he's under the sports department.

I am so angry at myself. I was literally gawking over Zy but did not even notice if he had any reaction towards Cole being there. This was my chance to confirm if Zy liked him. Ang tanga ko naman.

Because of this I fixated on watching Cole and how his camera followed Zy along the court. He adjusted the camera to focus more on the man jogging towards his teammates who were hyping him up. I saw the subtle smile on Cole's face as I noticed him zoom in. I don't know the specifics of where he zoomed in; I'm assuming it was Zy's famous heart-pounding grin.

A persistent idea took over my pondering. Cole's hobby is all about cameras. You know what photographers would love to have? The perfect inspiration for their new masterpiece. Zy fits that role a bit too well.

Maybe I read too many books. I mean alam kong ginagawa lang yun ni Cole para may malagay sila sa mga edits at syempre yung mga brochure that they always do. Alam ko, Oo, tama alam na alam ko pero bakit parang gusto ko na lang umuwi?

Is the reason because I realized that their dynamic is a perfect trope? An all natural cliche that doesn't need to be forced? Kasi kung oo, ang babaw naman ng kalungkutan ko. Ano ba karapatan ko? None.

I had some moments with him but as Krissia said earlier, signs are too vague. We're too vague. No, we're friends and I made my new year's resolution as an excuse to make a new facade I would follow.

"Impulsiveness is what makes me great at the game."

My train of thoughts were broken by a confident stance, a proud grin, and a shimmering earring—yes just one. It's not a shocker that he spontaneously pierced one ear and called it a day.

"Ang kapal talaga ng mukha mo Quatro!" Sigaw ni Aizhy.

"Impulsive fucker!" Si Krissia.

I gathered all the positivity left on my dwelling thoughts to shout, "Go Quatro!" with all my might.

Quatro's eyes lit up upon seeing us cheer for him. He pushed his hair back while giddily smiling, face flushed red. Some students also started cheering for him, making his whole face tinted with red.

For someone who's known to be the impulsive fucker that annoys half of UVDD he awfully acts cutely. Yeah, he gets people upset by his dare-devil personality nonetheless a lot of the students gush over him.

If Zyle is the STEM hottie; Quatro would be the HUMSS hottie. He often jokes about being that too, sadly he's not entitled that however I wouldn't be mad if he was nominated as one. No one can deny he's physically attractive though I'm not sure if anyone wants him for his personality.

That seems harsh. He's a nice guy! It's just his reputation lies on the bad meter. For a good reason too. His impulsiveness does not range from buying random valuables and having a random crush out of boredom. It sometimes starts fights he enjoys. You thought Krissia was a war freak? Try watching Quatro.

Nevermind that, he's actually a pretty good distraction from not thinking about you-know-who. If my brain longs to praise someone, I can praise Quatro! Let's see what his standouts are. First of all, he's the same height as him—my distraction already failed.

Self, continue! Okay so he's pale compared to the one who must not be named. He also has his unique characteristics like his canines are evident when he smiles.

I've always thought he seemed vampirish with his fangy smile ever since I saw him. I ignore it most of the time, the reason is obvious. And oh, Quatro changes his earrings everyday complimenting his playful vibe.

I tend to not take his qualities into account but now I know what type of character he is in the novels after observing him for so long. The little brother trope! He's a few months younger than me too so it's suitable for a clingy and jester-like guy.

Which is a weird thing to say 'cause if Zyle did not exist I would actually be head over heels for him. I mean we would be a perfect trope, impulsive popular guy x reserved nerdy guy is a gay romance classic. I just don't like him that way and if I did I wouldn't like him that much. Though I'm not sure why I think this way.

Ang masasabi ko lang Quatro deserves a person who he will not love on impulse as well as a person who loves him because he's Isley Ambrocio IV. His running joke of having a crush on me needs to stop, it was funny at first but it seems real that it might actually hurt because I will never accept his confession.

Quite cruel of me to say. I'm aware. As I mentioned earlier we're the perfect trope pero kasi not every perfect trope dynamic ends up together. I would also like to add that if I get rejected by Zyle, I think I would not be in a relationship. Ever.

Losing a chance at love due to a single rejection is laughable. However, if it's not him then who? Alam kong everyone says, "Hintayin mo lang ang para sa'yo."

Kahit kung yung tao na para sa akin ay nasa tabi ko ngayon I would not be confident enough to believe that they're in love with me.

I would think it's a joke.

Then why don't I think Zy's joking around?

I do.

That's why I always go into a spiral from the littlest of things. I'm well aware that my thoughts are exhausting from a different point of view so I'm thankful that no one can read my mind. If they did, they would hate me as much as I do. So maybe that's why I'm clinging to the idea of us kahit walang kami.

Behind my insecurities, there was Apollo Zyle Sanvictores who ever so slightly gave me a chance to bury my self-hatred even if it's for a minute. I wish even till the day I die he would be the reason why my insecurities are at bay. Kung hindi, okay lang makakahanap din naman ako ata ng rason para hindi magluksa.