Lilith Alcantara's life was like 7-Eleven coffee — simple, familiar, sometimes bitter, but just enough to keep her awake every morning.
Now in Grade 12 at De San Miguel National High, she'd survived countless exams, quizzes, and heartbreaks. The only thing she looked forward to every Monday was her quiet routine with her barkada — Renz, Jona, Denise, and Caleb.
But today… something broke that routine.
"Bes, I've got gossip," Jona whispered as she opened her powder compact. "We have a new classmate. From America, girl. Like, a real foreigner. Tall. Handsome. Mysterious. Total Wattpad material."
"Lol, stop it," Lilith said, biting into her cheese bread. "He probably just looks embalmed in his pictures—"
They all turned toward the classroom door when it opened — and silence fell. The kind of silence where if you dropped a pen, the sound would echo.
Because he walked in.
Tall. Fair-skinned. Black hair that looked perfectly messy — like he just woke up, but on purpose. Wearing the standard school uniform, but somehow making a simple polo look like designer wear. A black backpack slung over one shoulder, his expression cool and unreadable. Under the flicker of fluorescent lights, it was like the world had switched to cinematic slow motion.
And his eyes — ice blue.
He looked around the room. Serious. Silent. No trace of emotion.
Then their eyes met.
Lilith, mid-chew, froze. She couldn't breathe. It was as if time itself paused. Lander's eyes locked directly on hers. He didn't say a word, but inside her chest something screamed.
Shiiiiit~ He's gorgeous~
"Class, this is Lander Zacharielle," said their adviser, Ma'am Reyes. "He's joining us from California. Be nice."
The class stayed quiet. No "Hi." No applause. But the collective thought of every girl in the room was clear:
"Holy shit, he's HOT."
"Zacharielle, you can take the seat behind Lilith Alcantara," Ma'am added.
Of all the empty seats… why behind her?!
As Lander walked to his assigned desk, Lilith could feel his presence — heavy, magnetic, impossible to ignore. Every step carried the weight of a storm. He hadn't even said a word, but everyone already knew: he was not someone to mess with.
When he finally sat down, Lilith heard a quiet but polite, "Hi," from behind her.
And that was when she realized — she wasn't just struck.
She was gone.
The guy she should avoid. The one too quiet to be ordinary. And from that one look...
She knew there was no turning back.
---
There's nothing worse than a class where everyone seems to have an unspoken pact to keep you from talking to the person you want to talk to.
For Lilith Alcantara, the entire day felt like a test of courage — and failure.
After three consecutive subjects that felt longer than moving on from an ex, she decided it was finally time to approach Lander. Not to flirt — she wasn't that crazy — but just to say hi. Be friendly. Maybe ask if he was okay.
He looked so... out of place. Quiet. Isolated. No phone on his desk. No doodles in his notebook. Not even a seatmate to chat with.
Anyone else, you'd want to ask, "Need help?" — but with him, somehow you couldn't.
So while everyone was packing up, taking mirror selfies, and giggling over the day, Lilith slowly walked toward his desk. One more step, one more breath, and all she had to say was "Hi—"
"LANDER! Can I add you on Facebook?"
"Wait, Lander, do you play games? CODM? ML?"
"Oh my God, your accent is sooo sexy! How do you say 'mahal kita' in English?"
Lilith's shoulders dropped.
Not one. Not two. Five classmates surrounded him like an instant cheer squad. One even brought milk tea. Another had already drawn fan art of them together — in chibi style.
Seriously?!
She stepped back. She watched. She hesitated. And then… she gave up.
Quietly, she returned to her seat. Plugged in her earphones — but didn't play anything. Just stared out the window, hiding her face behind her hair.
Behind her, Lander sat still. Unmoving. Silent.
And then finally, in a calm, flat tone, he said:
"I'm not interested."
Just one sentence. But enough to silence his entire mini fan club.
One by one, they stepped back. One by one, they retreated to their seats, carrying the sting of rejection.
Lander simply adjusted the zipper on his bag, looked up at the board, and acted as if nothing happened.
Then the bell rang — the end of the first day.
The afternoon breeze was warm as Lilith walked home with her friends. After a long, deafening day — deafening not from noise, but from Lander's presence — they walked along the highway, chatting their way toward the jeepney stop.
"That Lander guy, right?" Denise began, taking a bite of her choco-filled bread. "Where did that face even come from? Pinterest?!"
"Girl, he looks like he was 3D-printed by Chinese stylists," Jona said sassily. "That jawline? Totally cologne ad material. Right, Lilith?"
Lilith stayed quiet. Lost in her own head, staring at the pavement as if her mind was somewhere far away. Even Caleb noticed.
"Hey, Lils, you okay?" He asked, tightening his grip on his backpack strap.
"She's possessed," Renz joked weakly. "Because of Lander."
"Or maybe she's imagining him hugging her already," Denise teased, giggling.
"Lol," Jona laughed. "But seriously, isn't he super tall? Like, legit six-foot-something?"
"Maybe he's wearing platform shoes," Caleb muttered, clearly a bit triggered.
"No way," Denise said. "His height just… walks with confidence. Like a power stance sprinkled with danger."
"And he's so quiet," Jona added. "You can't tell if he's got trust issues or if he's hiding a ghost."
"Quiet and scary," Renz agreed, regaining a bit of confidence. "Like, don't go near him or—"
Lilith suddenly stopped walking.
The group froze and turned to her.
"Guys…" she said softly, a sparkle in her eyes. "I think I have a crush on him."
Silence.
Dead silence. Like, slow-motion reaction silence.
"What?" Jona finally asked, not sure she heard right.
"Lander. I like him," Lilith repeated, this time with a shy but giddy smile. "Seriously. He's so handsome. I couldn't focus the whole day."
"Wait— this is just today, right?" Denise raised an eyebrow. "Girl, he hasn't even been in class for a full day!"
"Exactly," Lilith said, grinning like she'd been struck by lightning. "But I don't know — there's something about him. His eyes, his walk, his presence…"
"Do you like him, or are you already planning to fight for him?" Jona teased, laughing.
Caleb sighed. "Okay. Goodbye to our self-esteem, me, Lance and Renz."
Lance glanced at Caleb. "Just you."
Renz scoffed into the air. "We're losing to the new guy already. Genetics are so unfair."