"Mister Villanueva, you failed again. Come and see me at the office after class hours.”
I was stuck in annoyance for the second time our teacher said that. There is nothing else I can do but to follow her.
“Mr. Villanueva, what's going on?” Mrs. Rama said when I sat in her office.
“Nothing, Ma'am. I just need time to focus on it really, ”I explained.
She looked at me in the face before she sighed.
“Jerry if you have a problem, feel free to share it with someone. You don't need to keep it in yourself.”
———
“Ma'am is right. What's going on with you?”Carl asked me, as we walked home.
“Bro, I don’t know either. I don't even want to fail to exams. I'm just missing the focus— ”
“because?”
He looked at me and shook his eyes.
“Look, Carl. I moved on.”
He laughed at me and then punched me in the arm.
“Jerry, Jerry, Jerry. Take a look at yourself.”He looked at me from head toe. “Is that what it looks like 'moved on'? Look at your face: dark eyebags, messy hair, dry lips. Do you look fine?”
I ignored him. I walk as fast as I could to stay away from him but he still tried to follow me.
“Bro, listen to me. I know it hurts 'what she did to you... But what else can you do? It happened. Finished. You have to forget her.”
I stopped walking when he was taken seriously.
“Let her go, man.”
That's as easy as saying because he's not in my situation. He didn't know my experiences.
Hope I can get back time when I'm still fine... that we're still fine. The time we passed the exams together.
“Jer, let's review?”
My forehead knelt as I heard the voice of a woman approaching me while carrying books.
“Didn't I tell you that don't call my name in that way? Jerry is my name not Jer.”
She ignored me. She sat in front of me and slammed the books on the table causing the noise. Because of that the librarian scolded us.
“What subject do you want to teach me?”I asked her as I was removing the papers I was finishing.
“Math. You know I'm weak of it. I'm like a calculator that has no battery when it comes to math.”
We laughed at what she said. Granted, she's really weak in grammar so she always comes to me here at the library to teach her.
She is Aubrey, my girlfriend. I'm super lucky to be her boyfriend. Imagine, she's the type of woman that men would dreamed.
“Aubrey...”
“Hmm...”
“Why did you chose me?”
She lowered the ball pen on the table as she look me in the eyes. Her two hands reached my cheeks and she pulled me closer to her.
Very close. I felt my blood rising in my face.
She put her mouth in my ear and then whispered, “So you can be the battery of my calculator.”
I left smiling, staring at her as she beheaded her papers. I just feel like I have to give her my smiles.
“Are you tired?”
I opened my eyes because of a voice.
I saw Aubrey's head resting on the table while staring at me. She pressed my nose as she smiled at me.
I settled down before hugging her.
“Are you okay?”she wondered.
“Yup. You just need to recharge your battery.”
I saw her face turned red. So cute.
“I think I can pass,” she gladly spoke to me as well.
“Of course. All is well!”
Sje looked at the clock and then showed it to me. The night was deep.
“Sh*t sorry. I slept without minding the time ”I panicked. “Are you done with your papers?”
She released her papers and smiled at me.
“I'm really sorry. You still need help with your other subjects?”
"Nope, I'm good"
I took a deep breath after seeing that she had no problem.
“I have to go.”
“Want me to sent you off?”
“I'm fine. I'll just grab a taxi, just rest.”
I helped her fix her belongings in my room. We walked down the stairs to the gate of our house.
I handed her the bag and asked her again, “Are you sure? 'I will not deliver you?”
"Of course you can now rest.”
“I'm sorry”
She walked away after I was given a flying kiss. When I noticed that she was riding properly in the car, I immediately headed back to my room.
I can't rest.
I immediately released my papers and started to answer them. It has been a few days of work. With so much of it I couldn't even sleep.
———
“Jerry!”I saw a woman running happily near me. She waved a paper in the air. When we were together she immediately jumped in to embrace me. “I passed!”
She showed me her papers and I'm grateful to see that it was all high marks.
“Congratulations! You did well.”I patted her head. “You should maintain that high grades.”
“Because of you. If the calculator doesn't have a battery, I have no use.”
I was intrigued by what she said.
“How about you? I'm sure you also passed!”
Suddenly the smile on my lips disappeared.
“You passed don’t you?”she asked again.
I was unable to answer her question so she pulled my papers out of my hand. I wanted to undo it but I saw in her face that she had read it.
She looked me in my eye.
“What happened?”
I took back my papers and gave her a fake smile.
“Your battery is running low,” I joked to her.
“Let's pass the next exam together!”she happily respond.
I was looking at my paper full of low marks. “Yeah.”
At the start of our relationship my grade was still good. I was at the forefront of our class. We passed, but for days I seemed tired. My tasks are always stressful.
I don't blame her. I just can't really do everything at once. It's difficult.
“Let's recover on the next test!”she cheer me up when I failed again.
I can't feel sadness when I failed. Maybe it's because of her and I know I helped her but the next time I failed it was also a sudden blur of our relationship.
The dew gradually diminished our relationship until it was finally gone when I saw him.
“Who is that man?!”I hated to cry to her when I saw that she had a man behind our school.
“Wait Jerry! It hurts me!”
I looked at my hand holding her arm. I hold on to it but I still apologize.
“Wtf, Aubrey! I find it hard to help you with your exams! Your undone papers I finished just for you! My grades went down because of you and this is all you'll give me after I did everything to you? Flirting with others?-”
A slap kicked my saliva.
“Is it my fault Jerry? Is it my fault that you're grades went down?
The ice seemed to pour me out because of what I heard. I glanced at her face and my eyes widened.
She is not Aubrey.
She was not the Aubrey I met.
“Who is that man? He's my Boyfriend! Not the boyfriend that I just use— ”
“Used?”I am confused by what she is saying.
“You know, Jerry, your so stupid! What do you think the reason why I chose you? Because I love you? It's all because of grades. I have no choice, you're the top one so I decided to choose you. But you know...”
One by one my tears were bursting. It continues to flow like a waterfall.
“Now that you have low grades ... I don't think I can take advantage of you anymore.”
She pushed me which caused me to fall.
———
“Let her off your hook. Moved on, man. Let her go.”
I heard those words from Carl over and over again in my ear.
I think he's right. That's probably what I'll build on again. I just have to release the calculator that consumes my battery.
“I am so sorry.”I looked up at the ceiling of our basement. “I am letting you go now.”
I removed Aubrey's body from the hook. I should have let her go with the hook because I also had a few days off her pungent smell.
