“I swear, Cale.” Ginny was staring at him, shaking her head. “You are infinitely clueless. It’s so obvious that she likes you!”
Rubbing his cheek, Caleb sighed. “She just feels sorry that I don’t have a social life. Let’s not assume anything.”
That morning before class, he’d texted Ginny to meet him on one of the benches fronting the football field. At this time of day, the sunlit field looked like a bed of emeralds.
“It’s either you’re fishing for compliments or you really don’t know.” Ginny clamped her hands on Caleb’s shoulders and gave him a shake. “Look at you! Tall. Nice skin. It’s unfair that your eyelashes are thicker than mine.” She tweaked his apricot-colored bowtie. “A quirky sense of style. You don’t smile often, but when you do? It totally slays. You have this quiet confidence that doesn’t get on the nerves. And if you’d put some muscle into all that height—you’d be quite the hottie.”
With every revelation Ginny dropped, Caleb’s eyes had grown wider and wider. By the time she’d finished, his eyes were popping out of his sockets.
“Gins,” he said softly. “You honestly think I’m all that?” He sifted through the memories of his puberty, failing to come up with a compliment thrown at him—except by his mom. “Then why hasn’t anyone told me?”
Ginny hesitated. “You’re not exactly Mr. Friendly, you know? When you enter a room, you don’t make eye contact. People are scared to approach you.”
Caleb continued to look at Ginny in amazement. Couldn’t she tell that it was the other way around? He was the one afraid of people. His past friendships never went beyond academics. He and his friends never watched movies on weekends. They never celebrated each other’s birthdays. Their ties had been so loose that when it was time for college, they went their separate ways without drama.
“Which was why I thought twice about talking to you on the first day of class.” Ginny shot him a sheepish smile. “Here was this cute guy, who, unlike the rest of us, wasn’t nervously looking around the room.” She nudged his toe playfully. “You weren’t exactly chatty, but I figured you’d eventually crack. You didn’t have a choice—the alphabetical seating arrangement was permanent for the rest of the semester.” She let out an evil laugh. “No escape from the girl with the crazy hair.”
He joined in her laughter, remembering that day just as clearly. But it was funny how Ginny had read him then. Caleb remembered feeling so nervous that he had almost hit the roof when Ginny talked to him. The first thing he saw was her bright orange hair—which he later discovered was the result of a dye job gone bad.
“I need some crazy in my life,” he said. “Can I ask you something?”
“Hmm?”
“Why do you like coloring your hair?”
Ginny shrugged. “Because it’s fun?” She paused, gazing at her shoes. “Although when I think about it, maybe it’s because I’m scared.”
Caleb looked at her in surprise.
“You know how animals try to make themselves look bigger when they feel threatened? I think I’m the same way. The aunts take good care of me here in Manila, but it’s not the same as living with my own family in the province. I think I freaked out a little at the thought of studying here, knowing that none of my friends would be with me. But it’s a great opportunity so my parents told me to go for it. The hair color is my way of coping—like if I could crazy up my hair and still hold my head up high, I could survive college.” She grinned up at him. “Crazy logic, huh? Weirdly enough, the aunts got it.”
Caleb nodded, knowing how it was like to be scared of change. He had never met Ginny’s aunts, but they sounded like a cool pair.
“So, how’s the lovelife?”
Ginny’s face puckered like she’d eaten something sour. “He’s . . . ugh! One moment, he’s all sweet and friendly, and then the next moment, he ignores me to death. I am having the worst time in Wordplay with him playing hot and cold, and Drew badgering me to finish my poem.”
Caleb gave a shudder. “I’m glad I got out of Wordplay. I can’t imagine having to write poetry on top of everything else.”
Ginny peered up at him, realization creeping into her eyes. “You know, all week long, I’ve been thinking whom Drew reminded me of.” Her mouth curled up into a smile. “Now I know—it’s you!”
His eyes widened. “Wait, what?”
Ginny bobbed her head. “You both have this . . . this snobbish aura. When I got to know Drew, I was surprised that he was so nice and helpful. People get this impression that he’s aloof, but he just likes staying in the background. He doesn’t like performing as much as Franco.”
And this was why Franco and Drew were perfect for each other, Caleb wanted to say. Didn’t Franco spell that out in his poem? Franco was warmth and radiance, while Drew was ice and shadow. Drew and Franco. Yin and yang. Mangga at bagoong.
He gave a small start when Ginny dropped her head on his shoulder. “I’m glad Drew’s my mentor. If he’s anything like you, I know I’ll be okay.” Her voice grew soft. “It’s really a good feeling to have someone whom I can confide in anytime. I hope you feel the same way, Cale—that you can talk to me about anything.”
Caleb’s throat prickled. He felt like an impostor. Ginny didn’t know the real him.
“Ginny, I . . .”
“Hmm?” Underneath his chin, her voice sounded faraway.
“I . . .” The truth, begging to be confessed, made Caleb’s jaw move. But the words refused to be released. Sensing the movement, Ginny straightened and gazed at him in concern.
He had hesitated too long. The moment faded away, and the wall had closed in on him again. He pushed himself up from the bench, and straightened his already-straight bowtie.
“Sorry, but I have to get to class.”