2
“Miss Sevilleja, how many times do I need to tell you that only black bobby pins are allowed?” The professor’s voice rang out sternly in the classroom. Sierra’s face turned sour—she only had a pink one, and the practicals were starting soon. She quickly scanned the room, hoping to find someone with a spare. Turning to her friend Calliope, she shot her a pleading look.
“Hindi ko nga ma-pirmi yung wolfcut ko sa mga bobby pins na 'to,” Calliope muttered, fixing her hair as best as she could. “Bakit hindi ka bumili bago pumasok? Dami ngang tindahan d'yan sa Noval,” she added, her tone stern but still trying to manage her frustration.
Sierra groaned, running a hand through her hair. “Bakit naman kasi napaka-strict ni Dr. Dimaano? Siya lang yung professor na gustong-gusto na maging presentable tayo sa practicals. Hindi naman tayo Hospitality Management students, we're med students with huge eyebags! I can’t even tie my hair correctly,” Calliope continued, her rant coming out in a hushed voice as she struggled to fix her own messy hair.
“Can anybody hand a bobby pin to Miss Sevelija?” The professor's voice cut through the tension in the room. Across the classroom, a girl with glasses and a prim posture raised her hand, holding a bunch of bobby pins.
Sierra's gaze landed on the girl, and something tightened in her stomach. It was an odd, unfamiliar feeling. The girl walked over and handed the pack to her. “Here!” she said, her voice polite. As their hands brushed for a brief moment, Sierra felt an electric jolt run through her body. She was beyond horrified.
“Jacey Robles,” the girl continued, her voice calm as she extended her arm toward Sierra.
Sierra froze for a moment, her eyes fixed on the arm. She couldn't make herself reach out. She feared if she did, she might feel that shock again, like electricity coursing through her veins.
So, she just said, “Thanks.” The words came out small and clipped, unintentionally sounding rude.
Jacey smiled warmly, though there was a slight hesitation in her face when she withdrew her arm. “No worries,” she said softly, before retreating back to her seat.
“Napaka-sungit mo, grabe,” Calliope whispered, watching the exchange with a raised eyebrow. “You okay? Nakakahiya kay ate, gusto yata makipag-friends pero you seem so distant and uninterested.”
“What? No! I said thanks, didn’t I?” Sierra snapped, not fully understanding why she felt so uneasy. She hated how her tone had come off—ungrateful, almost rude—and cursed herself for it. She didn’t know why, but there was something about the way the girl approached her, something that made her feel like she was in a daze.
It was dramatic, almost like a scene from a movie, but Sierra couldn’t deny it: from the moment she saw Jacey, something inside her had shifted.
The day went by quickly. Sierra, Calliope, and two other blockmates, were standing around after class, trying to decide where to eat.
“Craving ako ng inihaw,” Calliope groaned, still scrolling through the school’s learning management system. “Grabe kasi, umuusok yung score ko sa Blackboard—sobrang pula!”
Sierra tried to laugh, but her thoughts kept circling back to one person. That girl. Jacey Robles.
“Hoy, Sierra,” Calliope nudged her. “Kanina ka pa may iniisip ha. Spill.”
Sierra blinked, pulling herself back. “Ngayon ko lang ata siya nakita? Transferee siya?” she asked, her tone laced with curiosity. “I thought bawal ang transfer kung LEAPMed program?”
“Yeah, I thought so too,” Calliope replied, half-distracted. “Baka kilala niya yung dean or something. Or recommendation. Alam mo na, connections.”
“Parang familiar rin kasi yung surname,” Sierra added. “I swear I’ve seen it somewhere.”
Calliope shrugged. “Robles is a super common name. May apat nga kaming Robles sa section ko nung high school.”
“Daan muna tayong 7-Eleven,” one of their blockmates said. “Bibili lang ako ng Pocari,feel ko tuyong-tuyo na utak ko.”
As the others headed in, Sierra sat on the staircase outside. And then, there she was again.
Jacey.
Sitting alone on a bench nearby, gently petting a cat. She opened a small lunchbox and gave the cat something from it. The moment looked so soft.
“Huy!” Calliope startled her. “Ay, ayun pala si ate,oh, give this to her.” She handed Sierra a KitKat bar. “As a thank you or something. For saving you kanina.”
Sierra just stared at it. “Baka allergic siya or something. Ibabalik ko na lang yung pin.”
Before she could object more, Jacey started walking toward them. The sunset hit at the perfect angle, casting a golden glow across her features. And Sierra, irrationally, swore Jacey was glowing, like Helios himself lent her a spare sunbeam.
“Thank you raw for the bobby pin. Here,” Calliope offered the chocolate with a smile.
“Oh! You didn’t have to. I really just have a lot of spare,” Jacey replied her voice light and kind.
Sierra stood there, frozen. She was stunned by the way Jacey spoke, like every word was music. I want to hear her voice every day for the rest of my life, she thought in a panic. And that very thought made her shiver.
She didn’t understand herself. Not one bit.
“Are you going somewhere? Gusto mo sumama mag-dinner with us? D’yan lang sa may Gate 11,” Calliope offered, her tone friendly.
And just like that, all the sirens in Sierra’s head started blaring. Panic shot up her spine. She quickly turned to Calliope, shooting her a sharp look, one that came out more harsh than intended.
Jacey caught it. Her eyes flicked between the two friends, taking in Sierra’s uncomfortable reaction. There was a slight pause before she responded.
“Ah, eh... I need to go home na, eh. Maybe next time,” Jacey said politely, her voice calm, but her eyes lingered on Sierra a moment too long.
Jacey gave a gentle wave and walked away. Calliope, still watching her go, slowly turned back to Sierra with a raised brow.
“Sie, ano ba 'yon?” Calliope asked, eyeing her weirdly.
Sierra let out a breath, almost frustrated with herself. “Cali... this is so weird. May nararamdaman akong kakaiba whenever I see that girl.”
“Huh? You just saw her twice today. What do you mean, weird ?” Calliope said, side-eyeing her as they started walking.
“I don’t know! I felt—like—electricity when our hands brushed kanina. Tapos parang... glowing siya? As in, glowing. Like may sariling lighting yung girl!”
Calliope stopped in her tracks, stared at her, and gasped. “Huh?! Bading ka?” she whispered, half-joking, half-serious. “Did you just, did you just experience love at first sight?!”
“Anong ‘love’ ka d’yan!” Sierra said, voice too high, too defensive.
A roaring tsunami, you came crashing in like an act of god.
“Class, I already uploaded on Blackboard the groupings for this semester,” the professor announced. “You’ll be working in pairs to complete all the laboratory tasks.”
Sierra’s hand moved instantly to her iPad, tapping it open and navigating to the file.
The list was sorted alphabetically by surname, she realized it quickly as she scrolled, and when her eyes landed on her name, her stomach flipped.
Sevilleja, Sierra Imani E.
Robles, Jacey Enowen L.
She stared.
She blinked.
She stared again.
“Sino ka-group mo?” Calliope asked beside her. Sierra could only gape at her screen, looking like she’d just seen a ghost.
Calliope leaned over for a peek, then grinned wide, trying not to burst out laughing. In a soft, teasing sing-song, she started humming:
“Sa hindi inaasahang Pagtatagpo ng mga mundo…”
Sierra groaned and buried her face in both hands. “This is a nightmare.”
But just as she let out that defeated sigh, a shadow fell over her. She looked up,and there was Jacey, standing right in front of her. Sierra’s stomach did another uneasy flip.
Jacey, who had caught the look on Sierra’s face earlier, felt a tiny sting of doubt but brushed it off. She gave a bright, friendly smile. “Hi! Do you want to go get supplies for the lab tomorrow?”
Sierra just blinked at her. She didn’t know how she was supposed to survive as her lab partner when just being near Jacey made her feel like her heart was on a caffeine overdose.
“Yeah… sure,” she muttered, quickly gathering her things.
As they walked, trying to fill the silence, Jacey’s eyes landed on the small charm hanging from Sierra’s bag, a Blossom Powerpuff Girls keychain, the one with the crybaby eyes.
“Whoa, no way! That’s so cute!” Jacey said, swinging her own backpack in front of her and unzipping the front pocket. “Look!”
She pulled out her own keychain, Bubbles, from the same line, also with the same watery crybaby eyes. “I got this one from Pop Mart.”
Sierra stared at it and at Jacey.
Then, barely above a whisper, she muttered to herself, “…Very cute.”
“We’re twinsies!” Jacey said with a cheerful smile.
But for Sierra, time suddenly slowed. Jacey’s voice faded into the background, drowned out by the way her eyes crinkled when she smiled, by how soft her features looked in the late afternoon light.
She didn’t even realize they were crossing the road.
“Watch out!”
Jacey’s hand gently pulled her back just as a black SUV zoomed by, the rush of air brushing against Sierra’s pants. She blinked, her senses snapping back to reality.
Jacey looked at her, concerned. “Careful,” she said, her tone light but her grip steady on Sierra’s arm.
But Sierra didn’t hear the words.
All she could hear was the thunderous sound of her heartbeat.
I'm going under, storm, lightning, thunder.
“Do we take a tricycle to Bambang Station or just walk? What do you prefer?” Jacey asked, pulling out her Google Maps. “It’s an 18-minute walk, by the way.”
“Tricycle nalang tayo, so we can get home faster,” Sierra suggested. Jacey took the opportunity to make small talk, asking about Sierra’s life.
“So, where do you live? Are you close by or do you rent a dorm?”
“Oh, my lola has a small apartment. It’s about a 20-minute walk to campus,” Sierra replied.
“Oh, wow, that’s good. I have to go home every day though,” Jacey said.
“Huh? Where do you live? There are a lot of condos nearby. It could save you a lot of time on the commute,” Sierra commented.
“Kuya, Bambang po,” Sierra then told the tricycle driver.
“Una ka na,” Sierra said timidly.
Jacey got into the tricycle, and Sierra followed. They were so close,her knees brushed against Jacey’s, their shoulders and sides touching. Sierra’s heart started racing.
The tricycle sped through the road, and strands of Jacey’s hair brushed against Sierra’s face. She couldn’t help but be caught off guard by the sweet, delicate scent of roses and vanilla. It was so subtle, yet so divine. Sierra, still stunned, noticed their reflection in the silver reflection of tricycle’s interior. She tried to act nonchalantly, but inside, she was completely bewitched.
"I just transferred from DLSU," Jacey said casually, her tone light but the topic hinting at something deeper. "Araneta. I was supposed to take Veterinary Medicine. But my dad—well... let’s just say insisted is too soft of a word. He did everything to make me transfer. Pinilit talaga ako to go into the LeapMed program instead."
Sierra nodded, taking it all in.
“How about you?” Jacey asked, turning the conversation back to Sierra.
“I’m from UST SHS, then applied for Leapmed. I’ve been here for so long, though. People say I should explore other universities, but since I was in elementary, I’ve been a loyal growling tiger,” Sierra replied.
When they got off the tricycle, they found themselves in front of a row of medical supply stores. Sierra handed the list to the shopkeeper, and as they waited, her eyes wandered over the busy road, her thoughts drifting.
“Why do you want to be a doctor?” Jacey asked, breaking the silence.
Sierra felt the shift from small talk to something deeper. She wasn’t sure how to answer at first.
“I want to help,” Sierra said quietly, but Jacey’s gaze was fixed on her, as if she was waiting for more.
“The real reason,” Jacey said gently. “I know everyone says they want to help others, but I think aspiring doctors have something deeper, something that drives them, even when it’s so hard. Something that powers them through.”
Sierra felt her heart tighten. Her eyes looked down at the ground for a moment as the weight of her words settled in.
“My sister died of neuroblastoma when she was younger,” Sierra began, her voice wavering slightly. “I was only 10, and she was 6. I want to help my sister,that’s why I’m taking medicine.”
The words came slowly, but they were true. Her sister had been the only inspiration Sierra had for as long as she could remember. She wanted to power through this course, for her sister. Even though she was gone, Sierra reminded herself every day:
"I will heal my sister."
Sierra’s guard slipped, and she felt it. That crack of vulnerability she wasn’t used to showing. It startled her enough to pivot quickly.
“Well, have you tried this new resto along Dapitan?” she said
Right then, the shopkeeper called their number.
They stepped forward for the payment. Sierra pulled out a thousand-peso bill, but Jacey gently intercepted, already tapping her card before Sierra could say anything.
Another accidental brush of fingers. Another jolt of electricity.
Sierra flinched ever so slightly, pulling her hand back like the contact physically startled her. “Okay, pero next lab, ako nalang magbabayad,” she said, attempting a casual tone to mask the rapid flutter in her chest.
Jacey gave a quick nod, then looked at her.
“About that restaurant,” she said, “do you want to try it?”
Sierra nodded before her brain could filter the action.
Jacey tilted her head. “Do you want to go… together?”
The word together echoed.
Sierra felt her heart twist, warm and aching all at once. She didn’t think Jacey was good for her heart, not when just standing next to her made her forget how to breathe.
Shake my earth, suck the air out, burn me down
“Uhm… not today,” Sierra managed, shifting on her feet. “Maybe next time?”
Jacey smirked. “Sure. It’s a date?”
Date. The word echoed. Sierra’s ears rang. Her cheeks heated.
“Huh? Uhm, I'll probably try it this Saturday. If I have time.”
Jacey’s smile softened, almost gentle. “Okay. Let’s try it together, Sierra”
And Sierra swore her knees almost gave out.
The idea of sitting across from Jacey, sharing food, possibly making eye contact for more than three seconds? Terrifying. Not because she didn’t want to.
But because she wanted to so badly, and she had no idea how to act normal around her.