Disclaimer: The following story is a work of fiction. It involves romantic and/or sexual relationship between males. If you are offended of this subject matter, if you are a minor, or if you are in a place where it is illegal to read this type of literature, please stop reading now.
Copyright © 2008 by Fritz Diantan Ilagan. All Rights Reserved. Except as permitted under the law, no part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior written permission of the Author.
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Falling for a Straight Guy Chapter One: The Senior Year
The crowd was thick but it came as no surprise for Dave as he squeezed his way to the main gates of New Valley High School. It was the first day of the academic year and the excitement and anxiety was evident to many faces of young students around. But to Dave, this was the first day of being a senior so he pretty much knew how to handle the start of class frenzy by now. And for him, it was the beginning of the end and he was planning to take advantage of his remaining year as a high school student.
Dodging confused and frustrated freshmen who obviously looked lost, Dave came to a halt as he stared and marveled to the building in front of him. It was the seniors' building and as the name suggested, only fourth year students were allowed to enter it but younger students can also go in only for authorized businesses. The structure was old and looked rather worn out by the years but it resonate authority... a symbol that the students within it were at the top of the status quo.
Smiling to himself, Dave braced himself as he pushed against the crowd of teens. After three flights of stairs and nearly getting stepped on by the stampede of students, Dave got to the top floor where his section was told to meet.
"Hey man! David!"
Dave's head turned to where his name was called. He had always emphasized to his friends not to call him by his real name because it sounded so formal or rather... Biblical. Dave scowled as he recognized the guy that called him as he walked nearer towards his barkada, the gang of friends he knew ever since he started high school. They were ten different individuals that found comfort with each other and were now regarded as the elitists of New Valley High because of their diverse abilities and talents.
Jaypee Samonte was short and boyishly cute which made the barkada tease him as totoy (small boy) or bunso (youngest brother). Also he was the one who always forgets not call Dave by his real name,.
"Aw! What'd you do that for?" asked Jaypee after Dave gave him a hit on the head. Jemma Agnay, Jaypee's girl friend, giggled beside him.
"Because you're an idiot," Dave said simply. "Hi guys," he added in acknowledgement of his other friends. Paul, Ferdinand and Belinda said "Hi" back to Dave, while Shaina, Micala and Marites ignored him as they were so engrossed on their latest gossips.
"I mean, he was such a jerk"—Dave overheard Mica say to the other two— "Lizzie was perfect for him and he totally blew it for that heifer, Teresa."
"Yah, Teresa is such a biatch. Most probably he just wanted to sleep with her. That girl is so easy."
Deciding not to interrupt the kikays of the group, Dave stood beside Ferdinand who was giving Belinda advice on what shade of lipstick she should use by nearly shoving a fashion magazine on her face. Paul, the big brother of the gang was smiling silently as he watched the gay guy hollered to the naïve girl.
Ferdinand Samat (a.k.a. Ferdy) together with Marcelo Berson (a.k.a. Marcy) were the spirit of fun in the gang. Totally out and proud to let down their capes, the two always cracked jokes, give funny criticisms (they call okrays) and often times reenact scenes from the latest soap opera on TV. The two never fail to make the rest of the gang and even the class have a good laugh. This was probably the reason why even though they were gay, the students tolerated them, besides the fact that they were exceptional dancers and artists that gave the school recognition in competition.
"Don't tell me you're flying solo today," said Dave to Ferdinand as Belinda scanned the magazine. "Marcelo's still not here?"
"Eww! Don't let him hear you call him that," said Ferdinand, dramatically. "But since I'm your friend I won't tell on you. Marcy said he was going to be running late as his father is being the usual eww-ish self, again. Mr. Berson even suggested that Marcy should consult a psychologist or something. Can you believe!?"
After saying so, Ferdinand turned to Belinda and pointed to the magazine enthusiastically. Paul caught Dave's eyes and smirked silently.
The crowd of students swelled around them as more arrived by the hour. New Valley was a small public school but it did not stop elementary graduates from enrolling there. Every year, the population increased but sadly, the number of graduates decreased. It was as if the students did not want to leave the school as they drop and repeat their subjects again and again. Thankfully, Dave knew that he would not be suffering the same fate.
"Dave, you know you have our vote this year," said Jaypee while entwining Jemma with his arm. The girl frowned at her boyfriend and shrugged the arm off.
"Vote?" asked Dave. "I don't know... the student council is kind of stressful."
"And so? The whole school is in awe of you," said Paul. "The teachers see you as their protégé. And we know you will be a great president."
Blushing a little, Dave gave them a thin smile. The kikay girls, Shaina, Mica and Marites, were finished discussing gossip and were now staring up at him. True, he was an exceptional student academically but Dave was not really sure if he can handle leading the whole school. And he was never a great fan of politics, seeing that the country was in total chaos because of it.
"I don't know... the council's a big responsibility and I don't want to disappoint anyone. Also I don't want to be distracted from school work. College is at stake now and if I fail—"
"That would be impossible," Marites stated, flicking her hair together with the other kikays as though it was a well-practiced choreography. "You're dubbed as the boy genius of this school, you hang out with us, the coolest gang ever and you totally look cute and yummy...teachers won't fail you."
"Hear, hear," chirped Shaina and Mica in unison. The rest of the gang just stared at them but the kikays thought what they said was enough to define itself and did not elaborate any further.
"You can do this Dave. We're here for you and it'll be fun," said Ferdinand. "We'll help you campaign and make posters and slogans and stuff. It would be fabulous!"
Still feeling rather uncertain Dave said, "It's not just for grade. I need scholarships if I ever want to step foot in college. I'm already the editor-in-chief of the school paper and that's draining already. If I added other clubs—"
"It will mean you have power over the two most influential organizations of this school," said Jaypee maniacally. "Think about the potential of it Dave... the girls would be lining up for us!" As Dave and Jemma raised their eyebrows so Jaypee segued, "I was just saying, we need a good leader!"
"Why are you all so eager for me to be a president anyway?" asked Dave. His friends smiled mischievously as they thought of their own separate motives.
"Well, for starters, no one will try and challenge us because we're your pals," said Paul.
"Power attracts boys, Dave," said Shaina, matter-of-factly. Mica and Marites nodded in agreement and acted as though the topic was so obvious.
"You can organize parties and school dances every month, with our help of course," said Ferdinand. "And we can get exempted from exams and projects and stuff because we are helping organize these functions."
"We'll be in New Valley history Dave!" added Jaypee.
"Yah right!" said Dave incredulously. "Are you all stoned or something?"
"Well, you can also do the boring stuff... you know, organize fund raisers, clean and green, promote student welfare blah, blah, blah... but basically, your agenda is to make New Valley High cooler and funner!"
"Funner is not a word," said Dave, still uncertain whether the gang was serious or not.
Before Ferdinand could reply, the school bell rang at that moment, signaling the students to get inside their respective rooms where they will be assessed and be given their schedules. Dave gave his gang a disbelieving smile as they piled in room thirty-one but he figured they were just pulling his leg. They were not honestly thinking he will join the council for the petty reasons they gave. Yet, he knew being a president would look good for a college application.
Their section, seniors-A, was the first section. Only the best and brightest were there and Dave knew the competition was up. He glanced around and saw many new faces, probably transferees or students from lower sections that got qualified to be section A this year. Dave gulped as he noticed many were eyeing him in mixed expressions: some look fascinated, others envious but he noticed a challenging stare from one or two. This will be a tough year.
A short, plump woman walked into the room carrying a record book. She stood in front of her new advisory class, peering carefully to every face. Dave noticed her beady sharp eyes rove around the room, watching closely as though trying to memorize each one of them.
"I am Mrs. Mendoza," she said, after putting a record book on the teacher's desk. She walked around it, strode to the aisle, and continued to speak in a melodious but loud voice. "I will be the adviser of seniors-A and I will also be your Algebra and Trigonometry teacher which will be your first class every morning. May I emphasize that I despise tardiness so you better set those alarm clocks at night."
The class was silent the whole time, taking in every word. Mrs. Mendoza walked back to the front of the class and opened her records. After taking a small card from its pages, she turned to the board and started writing.
"Copy down your schedule," said Mrs. Mendoza.
There were rustling of movement. Dave smiled to himself as his classmates copied so silently; he knew that after this week his classmates would reveal their true selves as noisy, rowdy teenagers. For now, he was sure they were still testing the waters, trying to find out which teachers were tolerant and who were as strict as a board.
After copying the schedule, Mrs. Mendoza waited until everyone was finished. She then announced that they will be doing the traditional getting-to-know you thing. The adviser told her students to walk one by one, starting from the last row, to the front of the class and identify his or her self. Dave has experienced this every first day of class all his life and apparently his friends too, as he distinctly saw Ferdinand roll his eyes.
Thus one by one, the students walked from their seat to the front of the class, said their name and something more about themselves. Sometimes Mrs. Mendoza would even probe a little more, asking stuff like, "What's your goal in life?" or "What are you expecting for this year?"
Dave was surprise to see that some students still looked shy or nervous about this.
`What's to be nervous about telling your name?' he thought.
But he got distracted as a guy that looked very familiar walked to the front of the class. Dave got the feeling he knew the guy but couldn't quite remember when and how.
"Hello everyone. I'm Daniel Rodrigo and... well, I guess all I can say is that I like math," the boy said, blushing slightly as many of the girls at front giggled. Mrs. Mendoza smiled a little too, Dave noticed, probably because only very few students today would say that their favorite subject was math.
"Why do you like math?" the plump woman asked.
"Well, because math is the same in any part of the world," Daniel said, looking a bit nervous. Many of the class looked impressed. Dave saw Ferdinand inhale deeply and looked dreamily at Daniel.
Then it hit Dave as he remembered where he met Daniel. It was on a math quiz show last year where he, Daniel and Randolph Cruz (one of Dave's competitors for valedictorian) were representatives for the school. They had not had time to bond then as Daniel was from another section.
"Dave!" Paul nudged Dave with his elbow. "You're next."
Blinking rapidly, Dave stood quickly and walked to the front. He zoned out completely that he had not noticed that two other students finished introducing themselves and that it was his turn. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he suddenly felt like deer in front of headlights. Everyone looked at him, waiting.
"Um... I'm David. David Garcia. I'm the new editor-in-chief of the New Valley Herald. Err... that's all." He blushed a little, realizing that the way he introduced himself was just downright lame.
Paul and Jaypee were frowning at Dave as the guy returned to his seat. It was rather odd for them to see Dave, a.k.a. Mr. Confidence, buckle and mumble in front of a crowd as he was an accomplished extemporaneous speaker.
"You okay?" asked Belinda, sitting beside Ferdinand at the row in front of Dave.
"Yeah... just got a little... dizzy," he lied.
Dave ignored his friends confused and questioning stares. He got so preoccupied by his fault that Dave paid no attention to the other students around him. He glance towards Daniel and gulped a little. There was something about the guy that hit him hard. Dave clutched his chest as he felt as though his heart was beating faster and slower at the same time.
It's just your competitive attitude waking up,' Dave thought to himself, watching Ferdinand joke in front of the class. You just felt a rival. You're just threatened by him... nothing more.'
But Dave knew there was more to his anxiety than he was willing to admit. Though he wasn't sure what it was... yet.
"What's that all about?" Mica asked Dave. The barkada was now at the cafeteria having their lunch. Marcelo was now there, busy spiking his hair with the help of Shaina and Ferdinand.
"What?" asked Dave.
"The last time I saw you buckle on a speech was three years ago when we were freshmen," said Mica, dubbing her French fries with some ketchup. "You looked like an anemic slug after you introduced yourself in front of the class this morning. What's up?"
"It's nothing," said Dave rather too defensively. "I just got a little headache then and my mind went blank."
"Well, you can't afford to do it again. Your campaign can suffer terribly if the studentry don't see you as a confident leader," said Jaypee with a chunk of hamburger in his mouth.
"Yeah right... now that I thought about it, I think I won't be running—"
"Are you INSANE?!" said Ferdinand and Marcelo at the same time that at least half the cafeteria got silent.
"Take it back Dave... you can't jinx yourself by saying dark stuff like that!" said Marcelo.
"Would you lower your voice? You queens are so over dramatic," said Paul sternly then added to startled first years, "Move along, nothing to see here."
The onlookers that stared towards their direction settled down after getting reassured that nothing bad was happening.
"It's my choice," said Dave firmly. "I won't do it for the lame reasons you stated earlier. Parties every month? Come on guys..."
"They were just joking Dave," said Belinda then added to the others. "You were, weren't you?"
Dave smirked as his friends said the words "yeah!" "totally!" and "just joking!" in the most unconvincing way possible.
"I'm just saying guys..." Dave continued. "I have to think about it. I don't want to disappoint people and this is the whole school we're talking about."
"Well, just keep in mind, my friend, that you can never please the whole school. Some of them will still get disappointed even though you become the best president this school has ever seen. And also, you must remember that you won't be alone," said Paul, ruffling Dave's hair. "If they elect you as president... they're also electing us as president."
"Is that supposed to reduce or increase my anxiety?"
They all laughed and continued their lunch. They were the typical gang of high school teens: joking about the lamest topics and criticizing the smallest things. But Dave knew he was fortunate to have such good friends, as he once thought he did not belong anywhere.
"So Marcelo—" started Jemma but Marcelo cut her off with an ear piercing protest and put an open palm in front of her face.
"OH MY GOD! Correction Jems, its Marcy. Don't call me by that hideous name my father gave me!"
Like a single entity, Paul and Jaypee rolled their eyes while Jemma scoffed, "Fine! Marcy speaking of your Dad, why were you late this morning?"
Closing his eyes, Marcelo also bit his lower lip for emphasis before saying, "He burned the clothes I was planning to wear for the first day of class."
The way he said it unsuspecting people would have thought someone very dear died in a tragic accident.
"Oh my god..." said the kikays consolingly, as though Marcelo's father just committed a heinous crime.
Jemma looked as though she regretted asking the question, for the topic as usual, was lame. Yet Marcelo, who opened his eyes again, interpreted her frown as outrage for what his father has done.
"I know... it was terrible. Those poor embroider skirt..."
"Oookay! I'm off," said Dave standing up, unable to take the drama anymore. "I'll go to the mall to buy some school stuff. Anyone wants to come along?"
Paul stood too. "I'll go. I have to buy some jeans for my little bro's birthday present."
Both bade good-bye to the others. As it was the first day back, regular classes will start tomorrow and they have the afternoon off. Dave smiled to Paul as Marcelo retold the story about his burned skirt and Dave was willing to bet Jaypee wished he stood up to go to the mall too instead of getting trapped with the girls.
It was rather late when Dave finally went home. The usual gloomy, dark house stood in front of him uninvitingly. Dave and his sister, Marina, were the only once that lived there as both their parents worked abroad and only come back to the country thrice a year... and if that was lucky. They were not rich but compared to the majority of the population, the Garcia family was well off.
Unlocking the door, he entered the empty house unceremoniously. Marina was probably still with her friends making some "project" or something. Dave dumped his school supplies at his room then went to the kitchen and checked the fridge for something to eat. Thankfully, there was still some French bread and cheese left but he knew they have to do some grocery shopping soon. The poor kid rummaged by the pantry and took out two packets of instant noodles that would be his supper together with the bread and dairy. He waited for the water to boil and while doing so, Dave glanced around their house.
It was medium-size bungalow with nice appliances and tiled floors, all resulted from his parents' hard efforts. But he barely appreciated it all as Dave tried not to stay in the house whenever he can. That was why he joined the school paper and focused so much effort in schoolwork so that he can be distracted. Though many would say he was a lucky guy for having a roof above his head and food in his stomach, even some cash to spend, Dave longed for something more than those things. He knew less fortunate people would call him selfish for wanting more but he was sixteen and Dave wanted—needed—more than material things. He missed those times when he was young... when both his mom and dad were more than voices on the phone. Why do they have to work out of the country?
A loud rumbling noise from outside, pulled Dave from his reverie. He knew it probably came from one of his sister's friend's cars taking Marina home from wherever they came from. Dave glanced by the wall clock and saw that it was half-passed eight. His sister was early.
The front door opened and closed and footsteps echoed as the older teen peeked to the kitchen.
"Hey," greeted Dave awkwardly. He noticed Marina looked rather tipsy. The older girl just nodded, "Hey," turned then went to her room. That was their typical monosyllabic greeting.
'I have such a great family,' thought Dave sarcastically as he chucked the noodles to the boiling water. Another typical day in the Garcia household...
(to be continued...)
From the Author:
Good day everyone. Thanks for reading!
This is a revised version (less typos and updated contact info) of one of my first attempts in writing here in Nifty. After five years, I decided to revisit it and continue this story to give it the proper ending it deserves. Hope you enjoy :)
For those who are interested, I'm also writing a new and "darker" story in the Adult Friends section called "Love Assassin." It's more mature and has a rather intriguing concept. Check it out:
Love Assassin http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-friends/love-assassin
Speaking of other works, I have a fantasy, adventure novel available in Amazon Kindle called "ADLAO: The Hidden Tribe." If you like my writing so far, you can support me and give me a cheer (which I really need at the moment) by downloading a copy :)
ADLAO: The Hidden Tribe: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F1JUK7S
For comments, suggestions, and other reactions, holler at theadlaotribe@gmail.com Or visit http://theadlaotribe.wordpress.com
Peace, Fritz Diantan