Heart Over Mind

Ken's Point of View

It was a beautiful Sunday morning, and the church service had just ended in our town. People were buzzing around like bees. Everyone was greeting and hugging each other. People in San Esteban seemed to be very close to one another, except for us who had just moved from the hot city of Manila.

It turned out that life in the province was like this. The climate was cool because I could see trees almost everywhere, unlike in Manila where tall buildings were the only things visible.

We moved to the province because my grandfather wanted to live here. He was bedridden and he wanted to die here. Every time I remember this, it hurts me. I love my grandfather very much, and I don't want to see him suffer. He has difficulty breathing and chewing. Only the IV and oxygen tank are keeping him alive.

Whenever I think of it, I feel like I want to take away his pain.

"Ken, let's go!" my mom called out to me.

I noticed that my dad and sister were no longer there. They must have gone ahead to the car. I'm getting bored because I know where my mom is taking us. I'm annoyed at her obsession with fortune-tellers.

"Mom, why are we here again? Didn't you say last time that it was the last time?" I said with an irritated tone.

I was on the verge of tears. My mom can be so frustrating!

"Oh, honey, can you please indulge your mom? I just want to see the future of our business..." she smiled at me when she said that, and that made me even more annoyed because she had convinced me once again.

When I finally gave my agreement, my mom went inside the purple tent purposely designed for fortune tellers.

"Seriously!" I muttered to myself, annoyed, as I ran my fingers through my hair.

The tent was located near the plaza, and I was fascinated by the scenery there. I glanced at the entrance to the tent. It will be a while before my talented mom comes out, so I decided to take a walk in the nearby park.

I'm already seventeen years old, and I'm in senior high school now. My parents enrolled me in one of the prestigious private schools here in the province, Crimson Academy, and I can say it's just about right, with no difference from my previous private school.

As I reached the platform of the park, I immediately felt the fresh and cool air. I could sense the relaxation in the surroundings. The noisy children playing shuttlecock in the shaded part of the park, sweating but not concerned about any problems because it's their freedom. It feels good to be a child again.

I also heard the sound of a man selling dirty ice cream near the pavement near the monument. A couple bought from him and they were so sweet. I rolled my eyes and muttered to myself, "They'll eventually break up!"

Suddenly, a ball from those teenagers playing hard hit my head, causing me to fall to the grass due to the pain. I heard them shout from a distance, "Oh!" but it was too late, they hit me and I couldn't forgive whoever did that.

After a moment, I managed to sit on the grass. I felt him approaching me, and the first thing I noticed was the expensive shoes he was wearing. He looked rich, but my gaze shifted to the ball and my anger resurfaced. I picked up the ball even though I was still dizzy from the impact.

I was about to slam it on his face when he blocked it.

"Ah!" I blurted out as I lost my balance, and he quickly wrapped his arms around my waist, causing us to fall to the grass and him underneath me.

I couldn't hear anything but the loud pounding of my heart, and it seemed like he couldn't hear anything either. I couldn't stop staring into his eyes. I couldn't figure out what I was really thinking at that moment. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt, and I could see his white and sweaty arms. From his physical appearance, I could say he had a good body. Not muscular, not skinny either, just right.

Time seemed to stop, but my heart was pounding so loudly, and I didn't know what it was screaming. I was bewildered by what had just happened. I blinked my eyes as he shone brightly in my vision, and I shook my head to wake up from my imagination, but I wasn't mistaken.

It was all just my imagination, and I was alarmed by the way he was staring at me. I immediately wriggled out of his arms and sat down. I composed myself and reflected on what had happened.

I heard him giggle, so I quickly looked at him. I saw his innocent face again. His bangs reached his eyebrows, but it was not covering his blessed face. I felt his sweat stick to my clothes, but before I could feel disgusted, the wind carried his scent to my nose, and I was surprised that he didn't smell bad.

"Why did you do that?!" I asked him angrily while looking at him. I was really annoyed.

"You were acting so stupid!" he replied with a smirk.

"What did you say?! You're the one who caused me trouble, and yet you're calling me stupid! You're something else!" I was really irritated.

"Tss! Just go home, kid..." he said emotionlessly before standing up and picking up the ball that was just a few steps away from us. He stood there arrogantly.

I was seething with anger as I watched him walk away, but before he completely left, he turned to look at me.

"Next time, don't be so weak. It's so obvious that you have a crush on me, right?" he teased with a grin before walking away. My blood boiled, and I ruffled my hair again. I saw my shoes, took them off, and grabbed a nearby toothpick.

I calculated our distance, aimed for his head, and threw my shoe as hard as I could, but before it could hit him, I heard the loud laughter of his friends who were watching us. My jaw dropped as I watched him effortlessly catch my shoe.

Ken's Point of View

He stopped where he was standing and looked at me with anger in his eyes. I wanted to stare back, but I couldn't handle his intense gaze. It seemed like he was already cursing me in his mind. I felt uneasy in my position.

"You really annoy me, don't you?" he said with full annoyance. It was clear that he was really mad at me.

"But it's your fault in the first place!" I pouted. I felt more embarrassed because of his facial expression, and it was obvious that he was trying to hold back his laughter.

"What do you want? Do you want us to announce that we made a mistake? Or do you want a thousand promissory notes?" he shouted in my face and deliberately breathed on me.

He looked at his friends and gestured to them. I became nervous because they also signaled that they were leaving.

"Okay! Good luck, bro!" one of them shouted.

"See you tomorrow, Champ!&qu