“For the record, I haven’t permitted anyone to decide for me regarding on when and to who I would give my hand, even you. So, tell your cousin to look for other girls because I, Eunice Reyes, a Filipino-American of twenty-two years of existence, is already married to my room and my books,” I said, walking past through her.

“But he likes you so much. You are his type,” she insisted, walked fast until she reached my side.

“Lea, I already told you that I would never put myself into relationships, ever.”

“Don’t tell me that you are planning to remain single your whole life,” she paused and then gasped as she thought of something informative that she thought would change the world. “Are you planning to…be a nun?”

“Whatever?” I rolled my eyes and grabbed her arms as we got to the entrance of the cafeteria.

Buzzes of people and the mouth-watering aroma of the cooked beef greeted us as she opened the door, making all of them turn their heads to us. Kitang-kita ko ang mga mapanghusgang mga mata ng bawat isang nasa cafeteria. Ang kanilang mga bulungan, kahit na Ingles, ay klarong-klaro sa aking pandinig at ako ang paksa.

“Hey, Ms. Virgin, do you want to have some fun tonight? I’m good at grinding. Let’s deflorate that tight hole with some moves,” the blonde guy with a nose ring shouted, then all of them at the table laughed. “This is a once in a lifetime offer. If you’ll go for it, I’ll bring you to heaven,” he added, sticking his tongue out and swirled it around his lips.

Controlling my temper, I inhaled so much air to ease the indignation quivering inside me. I tried not to stoop down to their level, but that guy kept mocking me with his offensive joke. I inhaled again, preparing myself for a lecturing session. Sinubukan akong pigilan ni Lea nang makita niyang akma na akong susugod sa lalaking iyon, pero natigilan siya nang makita ang irita kong mukha.

“Hey, Mr. Toro,” I don’t know if that was a good rebut or insult, but he really did look like a bull. “First of all, my virginity is not a weed or alcohol that you can use for pleasure. Secondly, what you just did is an unlawful act that falls under second-degree harassment which is a violation of the New York Consolidated Laws, Penal Law 240.21-240.32. If I were to think about this unlawful act of yours, I must say that you have to be imprisoned for fifteen days. Or if you are going to continue this arrogance of yours and still do that to me or any other girls, it will be elevated to Aggravated Harassment in the second degree, and you have to be imprisoned for a year with three-year probation and a fine of a thousand dollars. Lastly, I will never give my virginity to a bull-looking guy like you. So, what were you saying again?”

Silence enveloped the whole cafeteria. I could hear nothing but the sound of the air conditioner. I hovered around, and I witnessed all of the people inside were staring at me like I did something wrong. I gazed back to Mr. Toro, still, his jaw dropped. Nababasa ko sa kanyang mukha ang kaba at alam kong hindi siya makapaniwala na ang dapat sanay hinhin at tahimik na nerd na kagaya ko ay susugod sa kanya at sasampalin siya ng katotohanang mali ang kanyang ginawa.

“Umm…it’s…it was just a joke,” he stuttered, frightened.

“It was sexual harassment,” I said, pinning my eyes to him and the others on their table. “Next time, wacth your mouth!”

They were left speechless as I had my way to the counter to order some food. And after a few minutes of staying in the cafeteria, Lea decided to get going, and I was left alone. I could still hear whispers and gossips with my name and the word “virgin” in it, making me edgy. As I stood up, I pretended I didn’t hear them and strolled outside with nothing but a veritable wish to vanish like a bubble.

I decided to go to the empty room in the very last part of the campus. It was solemn in there, and I liked how I could think peacefully when I spent my time cherishing the silent environment it had. Echoes of my footsteps were bending on each side of the room as I sauntered to the window, hoping to see the paper crane I glued on the window frame a month ago. Darkness covered the room, and only the light coming from the window illuminated inside.

The cold sensation of the iron frame crept to my fingers as I ran them across one point to another. The paper crane was gone, so I decided to just feel the air coming through the window. As I was in the middle of enjoying the damp breeze, a baritone voice broke the silence, making my heart pound like crazy.

“What is a virgin doing in this dangerous area?”

With fear gnawing at me from the inside, making me want to jump off the window, I slowly turned my head to where the voice came from. A ghastly man stood in front of me, staring at me straight in the eyes like he was hypnotizing me. Tattoos ran from his arms to his neck like patterns I wish I knew the meaning of. The corners of his lips raised, giving me a scary yet seductive smile. Hindi ko alam kung tatakbo ba ako o mananatili sa harap niya habang tinititigan ang mapang-akit niyang mga mata. Pero nang magsalita siya, biglang napalitan ng takot ang dapat sana’y paghanga na nararamdaman ko sa kanya.

“You look…scared,” he muttered with a sexy baritone voice. “You look delicious when your eyes screamed fear,” he raised his left arm, then ran his fingers to my cheek, stroking my hair down to my shoulder. 

“W-who…are you?” I asked, my voice shaking.

He chuckled, “I am a mystery bound to be solved only through luscious ways.” His fragrant breath kissed the skin of my face as he spoke every word sexily. “Do you want to know who I am? Well, nothing comes for free. So, you have to pay it with something unique like…pleasure.”