It all started when the Debate Club's budget was suddenly slashed, right after the Math Team announced their all-expense-paid trip to another city.
As usual, they were favored again by Sir Charles. They always had the most awards, whether regionals or even nationals. Meanwhile, us? We only ever made it as far as regional wins. There was nothing I could do for our club when it came to funding, even though I was the president, because we never made it to nationals.
Of course, it was because of him. I'm sure of it.
And us? We always lose just when we think we've finally won. Always.
Favoritism plays its part, especially in how we're always handed the most controversial topics, ones designed to make us look like the villain. And to make matters worse, we're always the opposition group[1]. Sometimes, it feels like I'm an attorney in court, desperately defending a client you already know is guilty.
But that's the nature of debate. As debaters, we're trained to defend our side no matter what, even when we don't agree with it. Sir Bren always said: Never let your opponent think they've won. Never agree outright.
Find the flaw, flip the point, and fight back. That's the game.
The problem? The affirmative group[2] is great at downplaying arguments. They don't rely on facts; they ride emotions, tugging at empathy, dodging hard evidence. Sometimes, even when they don't have a solid answer to our case, they still end up winning.
So Sir Charles just lets us lose our budget. Almost all the funds for our event were gone. It felt like they dragged every bit of it away, slowly. First, it was just a budget for our club shirt, then when it came to our travel funds, and now, they want everything?
And that pissed me off the most.
"Jenoah, I'm sorry, but there's nothing more I can do," Sir Bren, our club advisor, said gently, barely looking up from the sea of papers on his desk.
"You know that even though we're a private school, resources are still limited. You rarely hold events, so the committee decided to temporarily reallocate the budget to the Math Club."
I clenched my jaw and nodded. "Alright, Sir. Thank you."
For sure, Sir Charles had talked to him again about the Math Club's achievements. He might as well have put them on a billboard.
I turned to leave, trying not to let my disappointment show, when—
"Jenoah!"
"Yes, Ma'am?" I perked up at the familiar sing-song voice of Ma'am Cha.
"Goodness, thank God I saw you today," she beamed, wiping sweat from her brow as her hand landed protectively over her very round belly.
"What is it, Ma'am Cha?"
She pointed toward a sealed box on her desk.
"Could you bring this upstairs to the Math Club? I still have class, and I might drop my baby if I carry that," she joked, gently stroking her stomach.
I chuckled. "Sure, Ma'am."
I picked up the box and stepped out of the faculty room. Thank goodness it's light.
I stared at the box. What could be inside? Files? Materials? A clone of Nova Greatstone?
Just kidding.
I didn't open it. Of course not. Ma'am Cha was our Gen Math teacher, and the last thing I needed was a lecture on trust and responsibility.
As I walked down the hall toward the Math Club room, for the first time, mind you, I tried not to feel awkward. We never really crossed paths since our worlds were completely different, different clubs with different priorities.
Maybe…it's time to make our rivalry official?
I'd heard a lot of rumors about them. Mostly comments about their rudeness, arrogance, and most of all, their noisiness. Even the Chess Club next door always complained about how loud they were.
I heard someone was nice there, but I never bothered to get to know them personally.
My brows furrowed. They said their room was always noisy, so why was it so quiet now?
I gulped and struggled to knock my hand towards the door. The sound was faint and I didn't know what I was expecting, but I waited.
Nothing?
I was about to set the box down when the door suddenly swung open inward.
"Oh, hi!" I greeted cheerfully, out of habit, but then I froze.
All I could see was a chest.
What the hell? I'm tall.
But this guy? He towered over me.
I looked up, and there he was.
Nova Greatstone.
With his sharp gaze and that usual unreadable stare, I despised him the most. He just stood there, tall and motionless, his gaze locked on mine like he was trying to solve an equation I didn't know I was part of.
Of course, that's Nova. The Top 1, golden boy of STEM, and my long-time academic rival. Even though we were in different strands, we always competed for the same things. Especially during Intramurals. And just so you know, we were always up against each other.
From Battle of Brains, Math Quiz, Quiz Bee, and sometimes even Debate. Yes, I admit he's good at Math and Science, considering he's a STEM student. But I would never let him beat me at anything.
Even when I struggled in some subjects, I studied everything just to beat him. But he was just too good.
Every competition ended the same way, him as Champion, sometimes 1st Place. And me?
Always second place.
And what made it even more infuriating was that cold, nonchalant vibe he always carried. He made everything look effortless. Like he never tried, yet still won.
That was what I never understood.
"Nova, I already told you we need to—Oh! Hi!" the guy behind him greeted warmly, stepping forward, also towering over me.
What the hell was in the water in their club? Vitamins?
I gave the guy beside him a polite smile, of course, not to Nova. He didn't deserve it.
"Ma'am Cha, asked me to deliver this." I handed over the box, still not sparing Nova a glance.
"Thanks, man," the guy said with a grin as he took the box. Meanwhile, Nova still hadn't moved and was still staring.
What is this, a movie scene?
He couldn't even greet me or thank me. Not that I mind, but still, have some manners. Still, no matter how annoyed I was, I smiled.
"Hey! At least say thank you—what was your name again?"
I couldn't help but laugh at his casual energy. At least he had basic human decency, unlike someone else. All brains, no manners.
"I'm Jenoah Bayani. President of the Debate Club." I gestured down the hallway. "We're over there."
"Ohhh! Tales River," he nodded. "And this is our dearest N—"
"Yup. I know him. Nova Greatstone," I cut in smoothly with a smile.
"We're always rivals, you know?" I added, and Tales' jaw practically dropped.
"WAIT—YOU'RE JENOAH BAYANI?!" he exclaimed, gripping Nova's arm.
"No wonder you look familiar. Dude, you're amazing at debate!"
I grew shy. "Oh, it's nothing."
I glanced down the hall and saw my members coming out of our club room, waving excitedly to come back towards them.
"Uh, it was nice meeting you, but I should head back. Club duties and all."
I turned to leave, but paused.
I glanced over my shoulder, straight at Nova.
"Oh—and good luck with your contest. And Nova…" I trailed off, meeting his gaze.
"…I'll definitely beat you next Intramurals."
We locked eyes. Just for a second. Neither of us broke the silence, or the stare.
Then I smiled and walked away, grinning from ear to ear.
I didn't know why I said that. Maybe it was to boost my confidence for the next contest.
But little did I know, I was developing something far more dangerous than that.
But then, to my dismay, we ended up on the same team during Intramurals. And now here I was, reviewing with him in the library.
I refused at first, but Ma'am Cha bribed me with bonus grades. It would definitely help my math grade, since that was the only subject I was slightly struggling with.
I was always missing 5 or 6 points. And all because of incomplete solutions, forgotten steps, and unclear graphs.
Just kill me in Basic Calculus already.
Anyway, it was just the two of us in the quiet, deserted library. I glanced at him, and yep, he was focused on reviewing. Something I didn't know he actually did.
So he does study. I thought he just absorbed information through osmosis[3] or something.
We'd been there for almost an hour, and it was dead silent. He moved so quietly it felt like I was alone.
I was going insane.
He even had his famous square glasses on. I never thought I'd see them again outside competitions.
But now, his brows were furrowed.
Wow. I didn't know he could make that expression.
I snapped back to my reviewer when he shifted in his seat, hiding my face behind my papers.
Get it together, Jen. This isn't a nature documentary. You're not Kuya Kim[4]. He's not a rare species. He's just Nova Greatstone.
I was so deep in my thoughts that I didn't notice Tales sitting down beside Nova.
"Sorry, I'm late. Ma'am Joyce gave us an activity," he groaned, dropping a pile of reviewers on the table.
I smiled reassuringly. "That's fine. We just arrived too—"
"We waited almost 30 minutes, so it's not fine," Nova cut in, still focused on his reviewer.
Tales grinned. "I knew you'd say that—so ta-da!" He placed a mountain of snacks on the table, causing the other people in the library to shush us.
"Sorry," he mouthed to the librarian.
"These are your favorites—and Jenoah's too. So stop sulking," he said, glaring at Nova.
Then he turned to me and pulled out drinks.
I gasped when I saw the familiar rolled rainbow candy.
"How did you know this is my favorite?" I asked.
"Oh, No—OW!"
A loud thump echoed under the table.
"Tales, are you okay?" I asked worriedly.
"I-I'm fine," he said tightly, biting his lip.
"Just eat it," he smiled at me, and glared at Nova.
I didn't really notice their bickering much further.
Since I got my snack.
As I hummed, opening the snack, I took one strip. "This is my thank you, Tales," I said, handing it to him.
He chuckled. "Just feed it to me so it won't get dir—" He stopped short when he glanced at Nova.
Which made me look at him, too.
And he was glaring.
"As I said, I'll just eat it myself," Tales said, grabbing the snack from my hand and eating it, while Nova continued to stare at me.
I ate another strip and ignored him. Don't expect anything, I'm not giving you one.
"So, what subject are we starting with?" Tales asked, pulling out the thick reviewer Sir Bren and Ma'am Cha, our coaches for the Battle of the Brains, had given us.
"Hmm, is there any subject you're struggling with?" I asked, sliding the snacks Tales brought closer to Nova's side of the table.
"Hmm, how about Science first? I'm kind of having a hard time with that," Tales sighed as he flipped through the Science reviewers.
"I'll ask the questions, then the two of you answer. That way, I get to review too," he said with a smile, taking a reviewer from the pile and angling his chair slightly away from Nova, who simply leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest.
Just like how he usually is in most of our competitions.
He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. I immediately finished chewing the snack and stared at Tales, who was already reading.
"Okay, first question. What is the process by which plants convert light energy into chemical energy? Letter A. Re—"
"Photosynthesis," Nova and I said at the same time, making me glance at him.
"Wow. Of course, ranks 1 and 2," Tales groaned. "This is a multiple-choice question, but you turn it into identification. Why am I even here?" he complained as he flipped the page.
"Tales, aren't you Top 4?" I asked, making him laugh.
"That's nothing, after all, you don't even know me," he joked, making me feel embarrassed.
Then I pointed at Nova. "For your information, I don't know you because I always only notice Nova in your section."
I gasped at myself the moment the words left my mouth.
"He just wants to be praised," Nova muttered, not even looking up from his reviewer.
"That's harsh," Tales muttered under his breath, scowling at him.
I didn't respond.
I couldn't.
My mouth opened slightly, but nothing came out. My brain completely short-circuited.
Did I just admit that I look at him?
Maybe I'm just tired. Maybe I'm hungry. Or maybe I'm having a moment of temporary insanity.
But when I risked a glance at Nova, his brows were still furrowed, but his ears…
Were they always that red?
No. No. No way.
Maybe he's just cold. It is the library, after all. That's it. That's all it is.
I immediately turned back to my reviewer and pretended I was extremely interested in the difference between mitosis and meiosis.
The review dragged on quietly after Tales' last teasing remark, but I was barely listening anymore.
I glanced at Nova.
His head was bowed, brows drawn in concentration as he flipped through his reviewer. The way his fingers delicately turned each page was like he was following some invisible rhythm.
Then I noticed it, the way he tapped the side of his pen twice before underlining something. The way he read questions silently, his lips barely moving with the words. And that faint frown every time he didn't get something right away.
He'd pause, tilt his head slightly, then carefully try again.
He was quiet, but never absent.
Still, but never boring.
And then there was that subtle cologne I couldn't quite place, like a fresh detergent scent that's somewhat soothing. Never overpowering, just enough to make me lean closer without realizing it.
Nova pushed his glasses up again, and that's when I noticed it, the faint crease near his eyes from frowning too much during contests. A tiny mole near his jawline, barely visible.
I wondered why I had never noticed it before.
I wondered why I was noticing it now.
Tales had already moved on to another question, but my mind wandered. I found myself watching Nova trace something on his notes, a formula, maybe, and suddenly all I could think about was how sharp his handwriting was. How neat yet small and cursive they are that you can't even read them.
As the days passed, I started thinking about the things I shouldn't even noticed in the first place.
He was straightforward and strangely gentle in the way he treated silence, not as something to fill, but as something to think in.
That's when it hit me.
I wasn't just intrigued anymore.
I wanted to understand him. I wanted to know what made him tick. What made him laugh, what happened to make his smiles so rare, so fleeting, and what it would take to make him smile like that again.
I liked his voice, even when it was deadpan. I liked that he didn't interrupt. I liked that he remembered every answer I gave, just like I remembered the way his voice softened when he said my name during that quiz bee last month.
I liked—
No. You don't.
Fuck.
I was falling for Nova Greatstone.
It was quiet and gradual, like the sunrise you don't notice until the light is suddenly everywhere.
But nope, who would want to fall in love with their rival?
So, no. Get a grip, Jen!
And there I was, sitting across from him in a nearly empty library, surrounded by reviewers and half-eaten snacks, my heart doing backflips while my brain tried to act like nothing was happening.
He looked up then, meeting my gaze.
"Why are you staring?" he asked, one brow raised.
I blinked, flustered. "Nothing. You just have dirt on your forehead."
He instinctively reached up to wipe it.
There was nothing there.
But I smiled, because maybe I just wanted an excuse to look at him a little longer. Then I quickly turned back to my reviewer and pretended I was deeply invested in mitosis versus meiosis, even though I was a blushing mess.
The rest of the study session passed in a quiet blur, Tales humming between questions, Nova leaning back in his chair with that impossibly focused stare. I answered every question like my life depended on it.
Maybe it did.
Eventually, the sun dipped low, and the library lights cast soft yellow shadows over our table. Ma'am Cha passed by to collect some papers, saw us still there, and whispered a gentle "good luck" before leaving.
"Last question," Tales yawned, stretching. "Then I swear, I'm throwing all these papers off the rooftop."
I smiled. "Shoot."
He smirked. "What do you call the part of the brain responsible for memory?"
"Hippocampus," Nova and I answered in unison again.
Tales groaned. "Get a room. Seriously."
"The audacity," I laughed, shaking my head as I slumped into my chair.
"Okay. I'm ready," I yawned, stretching my arms.
Nova just looked at me, eyes unreadable, lips twitching into the faintest smile.
A real one.
It was the first time I had ever seen him smile, a quiet, fleeting curve of his lips that caught me completely off guard. I couldn't look away. It felt rare, like it belonged only to that moment.
Like it was meant only for me.
It was finally the day of the contest. We had just finished answering, and now all that was left was to wait for the results.
And honestly, my nerves were wrecked.
My hands were shaking, cold and clammy, the kind you get when your anxiety has nowhere to go. I pressed my fists into my lap, but it didn't help.
Then, beside me, I heard his voice.
"Nervous?"
I flinched. His voice was calm and low, slicing through me like velvet over steel.
I glanced sideways to see Nova looking at me, one eyebrow raised, lips tugging slightly upward.
"N-no," I stammered, looking away quickly.
I might actually die from how hard my heart was pounding.
I didn't know if I was nervous about the results…
Or because he noticed me.
Before I could process the mess of emotions threatening to spill out of my chest, someone grabbed my arm.
"Jen, I'm nervous," Tales whined, clinging to me like I was the only stable thing left in the world.
And honestly?
At that point, I wanted to cling to him too.
"Me too," I chuckled, holding back the tears as I held onto him. We were two disasters holding each other together while laughing.
But it didn't last.
Because from the corner of my eye, I saw Nova suddenly stand up.
"Hey, where are you going?" Tales asked, still clinging to my arm.
Nova didn't answer. He didn't even look back. He just walked straight out of the Audiovisual Room, as if none of this affected him.
"Where's he going? The awarding's about to start," Tales muttered, confused.
I could only stare at Nova's back until the door closed.
After a moment, I heard myself ask, "Tales…do you know Nova's Facebook?"
He turned to me, amused. First confused, then teasing.
"And why do you want it?" he asked, leaning closer. "For what?"
I looked away, laughing nervously. "Uh—so I can tag you guys in the group photo," I said casually. "I am part of the Creatives team, remember?"
Half-lie. Okay, more like seventy percent.
Because the truth was, I'd been searching for Nova's account for days. Nothing ever came up. Even his family, there wasn't never really information about them online.
Tales blinked. "His account's private. But…" He pulled out his phone. "…Here."
He showed me the screen.
Nova Augustine.
I stared. "Nova Augustine?"
Turns out he wasn't using "Greatstone" at all. And to make it worse, his account had no profile picture. No banner. Just…nothing.
"Yup. He uses his middle name. Too many people kept adding him, so his phone couldn't handle all the notifications. So yeah, secret identity level," Tales shrugged.
I immediately typed the name into my phone.
Nova Augustine.
There it was.
Should I…add him?
My thumb hovered over the Add Friend button like it weighed a ton.
"I'm really nervous," Tales sighed dramatically, clutching his chest. "I can't take this. I'm stepping out for a bit."
And just like that, he bolted out of the AVR, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I stared at Nova's profile, overthinking everything.
Then I heard someone call my name.
"Noah."
Or...was that my name?
I turned.
Nova had returned and was now sitting beside me like he hadn't left earlier.
It was the first time anyone had ever called me that. It never even crossed my mind that someone could shorten Jenoah into Noah.
I pointed to myself. "Me?"
"Yes. There's no other Noah here, is there?" he replied casually.
My heart lurched.
He reached into his pocket and pulled something out.
"Here," he said, handing me a small pack of chocolates. "To calm your nerves."
I froze, taking it as our fingers brushed. He looked back toward the stage as winners of other contests were announced.
The chocolate felt heavy in my hand, like something sacred. I opened it slowly and took a piece.
The bitterness hit first.
Then sweetness.
Should I thank him? After all, these past few days, he's started to be nice to me. But he's still distant, though.
I glanced at him, whose eyes were focused on the stage. "Nova," I said softly.
He looked at me. "Hmm?"
I smiled. "Thank you." Then I continued eating the chocolate while grinning ear to ear.
He blinked, making me laugh.
He arched a brow, "What?" I asked him, and he smirked faintly and leaned closer.
"You've got chocolate on your face," he said casually.
My eyes widened. "Where?" I asked, wiping the sides of my mouth.
He didn't answer.
Instead, he reached out, gently brushing his fingers against the corner of my lips.
"Here," he said softly.
My breath hitched as his hot breath hit my face. As I can feel the heat from his thumb wiping the corner of my lips.
I felt my cheeks heat up, as I felt my heart beating as if it wanted him to know that it was beating for him. Because it wasn't just the touch that made me like that.
It was the way he didn't look away from my gaze.
The way my entire body paused, as I stared back into his sharp, dark brown eyes, glistening as I saw his gaze travel down to my lips, then back at my eyes.
I gulped as I felt my body heat up. I can even feel chills from my whole body as he stared straight in my eyes. And I felt the worms[5] inside my system eating away at the lining of my stomach.
"Noah, I—"
"Jen! Nova! Let's go!" I immediately looked away and gave Tales a thumbs-up.
"Let's go," I said not even sparing a glance at Nova's face, and Nova just nodded before walking behind me.
I didn't even know what happened the rest of the day. I just knew that after Tales called us, they later called our category.
And yes, we won.
And it was because of him.
Students from STEM and GAS yelled and jumped in joy as they held the banner of the three of us. I could even see Keth crying with joy as he gave me a heart pose. And I could see people cheering and clapping, even our opponents who gave us a thumbs up. Tales was even dancing with the trophy that we won.
But none of it mattered to me.
Because before the applause, before the award.
Nova Greatstone didn't just win the contest.
He won my heart, too.
[1] In a debate, the Negative side (or Opposition/Con) argues against the resolution or motion, aiming to disprove the Affirmative's case by showing the proposed idea is unnecessary, harmful, impractical, or that the current situation (status quo) is better.
[2] In a debate, the affirmative side supports the resolution (the topic being debated), arguing for a change or a specific position, carrying the burden of proof to show why their stance is necessary, beneficial, and practical, and must present a complete case with evidence to persuade the judges, acting as the team that agrees with the motion.
[3] Osmosis is a process by which molecules of a solvent tend to pass through a semipermeable membrane from a less concentrated solution into a more concentrated one, thus equalizing the concentrations on each side of the membrane.
[4] Alejandro "Kim" Ilagan Atienza, also known by his nickname Kuya Kim, is a Filipino television presenter and former politician. Prior to becoming the resident weather anchor for TV Patrol, Atienza served as councilor of Manila's 5th congressional district for three terms.
[5] It was actually butterflies, but since we have a resident doctor here, he prefers to call them worms.