FALLING IN LOVE WITH HIM - HER FIRST LOVE

Rolling her eyes, Hera scoffed but didn't try to walk away. 

She waited and watched while Eric and Evelyn reluctantly left, followed by Hunter. 

Hunter hated the silent treatment whenever she refused to speak. Ironically he would give her the same punishment had the table turned. His indifferent attitude irked Hera nonetheless. He listened and obeyed his sunshine's orders and left her alone with his evil best friend. 

Her annoyed boyfriend didn't even spare her a glance before walking away. She should've been used to it by now. It's one of his common traits Hera was too familiar with since Hunter would act like a spoiled brat and throw tantrums every time she withstood him. 

'Funny, how he always complains that I throw tantrums and act childishly.'

Hera thought bitterly. 

Bianca looked around at the fellow students and grabbed Hera's hand, pulling her away from prying eyes and ears. "Let's go somewhere private. We need space," she offered as an explanation as she continued. Hera had to walk faster to match Bianca's quick strides. 

Hera frowned in confusion as Bianca led her to the boy's block. "It's the safest place if you want to avoid gossiping girls," Bianca offered, comprehending Hera's uncertainty. Hera had never been to this part of the dormitory. She studied her surroundings and noticed it wasn't different from the girl's block. 

Bianca opened the door to the random room without any hesitation. She walked inside, jerking her head in a gesture for Hera to follow her. 

As soon as Hera set her foot inside the room, she realised it wasn't a random room. She saw Michael sitting on the bed with his long legs stretched out, crossed at the ankles, his back pressed against the pillow placed behind him. 

'It's Hunter's room!'

Hera stayed rooted to the floor at the door, eyes wide with surprised shock. It was her first time visiting her boyfriend's room. Her heart skipped a beat or two at the thought. Her cheeks felt warm for no reason, much to her annoyance. 

Michael had his headphones on and couldn't hear the sound when the door opened. Books scattered on his ether side, a pencil between his fingers. It seemed he was watching something on his phone. Hera noticed the half-eaten ice-cream tub resting beside him on the bed. 

Hera knew Hunter and his friends were all toppers of their school. Yet, it surprised her to see Michael surrounded by books. The typical bad boys with leather jackets, who bully their juniors, indulge in illegal street racing and break the rules all the time, were all book worms and certified nerds. Could anyone blame Hera for getting astounded?   

"Boo!" Bianca cried, jumping in front of him to frighten him, and it worked. Startled, Michael dropped his phone on the bed and pulled his knees up. Bianca doubled over, laughing at his deer caught in a headlight face. Michael removed his headphones and grabbed Bianca's hand, twisting it behind her back. 

"Not cool, captain," Michael said in a disapproving tone. He laughed in satisfaction when Bianca whined, demanding him leave her hand. "Hmm, where did that hearty laughter disappear all of a sudden," he cooed, mocking her. Bianca kicked his leg, and now it was Michael's turn to whine. 

Meanwhile, Hera clenched her hands into fists subconsciously. The green monster of envy twisted inside her when she saw Bianca tugging at Michael's hair. It reminded Hera of her fight with Michael. 

Hera now realised that their fight was not always necessarily bitter. She sometimes deliberately initiated their bickerings which would cause them to fight. Hera loved her brawl with Michael as it would give her the feeling of sibling's quarrel she never got the chance to experience with Danny. 

Bianca had tainted that special memory for Hera now that she was behaving in the same way with Michael as Hera would. It was their thing to do, and Hera felt betrayed for some reason after learning that Michael and Bianca shared something similar. 

'When did these bad boys steal such a prominent existence in my life?'

Hera averted her eyes from them and let her gaze wander across the room instead. Out of all the six beds, one particularly caught her attention, the one neatly made without a single trace of a crease. The study table beside it was also neatly arranged with books. 

She didn't need any more proof to prove it belonged to her neat-freak boyfriend. 

"Why is she here?" Hera heard Michael say. When she looked at him, he didn't seem happy to see her. "Ace isn't here, as you can see," he added, glaring at Hera, a clear warning for her to get out of his room. 

"I brought her here. We have something important to talk about, so shut the fuck up and leave us alone for a while," Bianca commanded. 

"And who's the genius who thought it was a good idea to let the tiger guard the sheep?" Michael asked, snorting in amusement. It earned him a slap to his chest from Bianca. Hera bit her lip to hide her smile. She knew she was the sheep in Michael's eyes and Bianca, the ferocious animal who would hunt her down. 

'At least he believes I'm the one with harmless intentions here.'

"Hey," Michael protested when Bianca grabbed his phone. The latter clicked her tongue in disapproval as she eyed the video playing on his phone. Hera widened her eyes in shock as she saw the glimpse of the video. Two naked bodies, one male and a female, pressed against each other indecently. They were doing the dirty. 

'Oh, my God, the idiot is watching porn!'

Hera looked away in a flash, feeling awkward. Her cheeks felt hot while she tried not to blush. 

"Leave, or else I'm deleting all your favourite collection of porn saved in your phone," Bianca threatened, checking his video folder. Michael grunted in displeasure and nodded his agreement. It was cute to witness him pouting like a baby. "Good boy, now move your ass," Bianca cooed, tossing his phone at him. 

Michael pocketed his phone and grabbed the ice cream tub before walking to the door. The purple content inside caught Hera's attention, and she noticed it was Ube–Macapuno ice cream, her favourite. She moved her eyes off the dessert, and when she looked at Michael, she found him staring at her with a pleased smirk. 

"You don't love him enough to deserve this," Michael said accusingly, proving her guess right. His tone carried the bitterness his eyes expressed. 

'Hunter bought it for me.'

Hera held her smile back because Michael's jab hurt more than it should. 

"I loved him enough to take him back even after he cheated," Hera pointed out, her tone as harsh as Michael's. 

"You know it, he regretted his mistake and truly repented," Michael shot back bitingly. Hera sighed in frustration and looked away. People wouldn't understand that regretting wasn't enough after cheating, would they? They would know it only when they stepped into her shoes. 

Michael left, and Hera could tell without turning around because he slammed the door too aggressively on his way out. 

"Come in, Piggy. Make yourself comfortable. We have so much to catch on," Bianca said while sitting on Hunter's study table, sarcasm dripping from her voice. Hera walked towards her and sat on Hunter's bed without hesitation. When she inhaled, the air around her, the bed and pillows smelt like Hunter's shampoo and his cologne. 

"You and I aren't best friends, Bianca," Hera pointed out as a response to Bianca's sarcastic remark. "And we'll never be, I assure you, Piggy," Bianca retorted. Hera scanned her movements when Bianca grabbed a book from Hunter's table and tossed it onto Hera's lap. "Go ahead, open it," she said. Hera was confused but did it as told. 

Hera's breath hitched, her mouth fell open, and her heart promptly forgot to beat in a regular rhythm as it skyrocketed. It was Hunter's sketchbook filled with sketches of Hera. 

Hera knew Hunter's talent as a painter. Whether it was a pencil or a paintbrush, his fingers always knew how to brush them against the white canvas. She had seen his drawings and sketches during their combined art class, but he never showed her this one. 

"He has plenty of those finished sketchbooks locked inside his closet," Bianca supplied while Hera's fingers caressed Hunter's favourite pieces of art depicted on the paper. "It only took him three nights to finish the whole book. He has been missing you and drawing your face on this book ever since you started this ridiculous fight," Bianca revealed. 

Hera's eyes were wet with tears, and her heart filled with warmth and affection. He had captured the emotions on Hera's face so beautifully on the paper. If Hera knew him any better, it was the sequence of their fight. It displayed Hera's angry eyes when she glared at him during Noel's fight. She was pointing an accusing finger at him in another. She had her lips pursed in disapproval in another sketch. 

She was wearing her uniform in some and casual clothes in the others. 

One sketch showed their moment when he kissed her in the dining hall. Hera was scowling, a deep blush on her cheekbones highlighting her embarrassment after he kissed her. Hera looked over her shoulder in one sketch and flipped him the bird in another. There were so many it forced her to relive every moment of their fight. 

"He's skipping meals, and he hardly slept these days, you know," Bianca was saying, her voice filled with worry for her best friend. Lost in thoughts, Hera barely registered Bianca's voice. 

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Spoiler alert...

"As Mike said, you don't deserve him. Why do you hurt him so much?" Bianca asked. Her tone suggested she wasn't expecting the answer to that question. She was directly accusing, passing the final judgement. 

"You should leave him if you can't love him enough to make him happy," she declared.