Chapter 17: Jogging
The sun rose, casting a light ray on Aria's window. Aria woke up early, the clock showing 5 am. She did her daily morning routine and while doing it, she suddenly thought of something.
"Hmm... Since parte naman ako ng varsity team, I think na I should increase ang aking physical activities. Baka kulangin ako ng hangin sa court so increasing my stamina and endurance is key," she thought to herself. "And since mamaya 11 am pa ang start ng klase, mag-jogging muna ako sa labas,"
She quickly got dressed in her running gear, put on her airpods, laced up her sneakers, and headed out for a jog around her condo complex. The morning air was crisp, and the streets were quiet, allowing her to focus on her breathing and the rhythmic sound of her footsteps.
Then she saw her old-time crush, Orion, also jogging along the same path. He was covered in sweat but still looked effortlessly cool. Noticing her, he jogged over with a smile.
Orion's smile as he jogged towards Aria made her heart skip a beat.
'...ang swerte siguro ng magiging gf ni kuya Orion...ba't may romantic background music?' Aria thought as she stared at Orion.
Now playing: You are so beautiful by Eddy Kim [Kdrama OST]
"Heyy, Aria!" Orion greeted her, slightly out of breath but cheerful, "Aria?"
Realizing that the romantic background music was from her airpods, Aria snapped out of her thoughts, her cheeks flushing slightly.
"Oh, hi, kuya Orion! Sorry, nafocus lang ako sa music," Aria replied as she took off her airpods.
Orion chuckled, "No worries!" and he continued, " Nag-jojogging ka pala every morning? Di kita nakikita ah,"
Aria smiled, trying to steady her breath. "Actually, kakastart ko lang ulit. I realized na kailangan ko 'to to improve my stamina. "
"Dapat lang!" Orion said, genuinely enthusiastic. "It's a good habit to have. Baka gusto mo mag-jogging tayo every morning?" he suggested.
Orion's suggestion made Aria's eye twinkle, "Really? I'd like that, kuya Orion."
"Oo naman!" he said with a grin. "Ilang beses na ako nag-jog na ako lang mag-isa, ang boring na, Plus, we can push each other to do better."
Aria agreed, feeling a surge of excitement. "So bukas tayo magstart kuya? same time?"
"Yes, same time," Orion confirmed. Then he paused and scratched his head, "Pero not really every morning ako available mag-jog. Wait, check ko muna class schedule ko," he said as he opened his phone.
Orion scrolled through his schedule, making faces as he looked at his packed week. "Available ako every Friday, Saturday, at Monday morning. So saan tayo mag-jog tuwing Wednesday?"
Aria burst out laughing, shaking her head. "Kuya, kakasabi mo lang na available ka lang sa Monday, Friday, at Saturday."
Orion laughed along with her. "Sorry, nagulo na ako sa kakascroll. Okay, Friday, Saturday, and Monday mornings. Pwede ka ba?"
"Yes, those days work for me," Aria replied, still giggling. "Pero bakit parang may araw na hindi ka na pwedeng mag-jog?"
Orion shrugged dramatically. "Ewan ko ba. May days na may klase agad ako sa umaga or may training session. But we'll make it work. Promise!"
Aria nodded, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. "Alright, bukas same time. Walang malalate kuya ha!"
Orion chuckled, giving Aria a playful salute. "Walang problema, I'll make sure to set my alarm early. Baka nga mas maaga pa ako sa'yo!"
Aria grinned, feeling the friendly banter lightening the mood.
With a final wave, Orion jogged off, leaving Aria standing there with a wide smile on her face.
'Di ko inexpect yun.. More time with kuya Orion!' Aria smiled, overjoyed at the thought.
She felt a renewed sense of energy and excitement as she continued her jog.
After jogging and walking on and off for 30 minutes, Aria headed back to her condo. She took a quick shower and breakfast, and since it's calculus day, she made sure to review her notes for her calculus class.
'Malapit na 11 am, mag-ayos na ako,' Aria thought as she glanced over the clock that displays 10:20 am.
By the time 10:30 am rolled around, Aria was ready to head to campus. She grabbed her bag and made her way to USTP, the familiar sight of the campus filling her with a sense of belonging. She spotted Emily and Marcus near the entrance, chatting about how they hate math.
"Hi Em, hi Marcus!" Aria greeted them with a smile.
"Yey, nandito na si Aria!" Marcus responded. "Ready ka na sa calculus?"
"Hmmm... slight?" Aria laughed. "Kayo? Hate niyo parin ang math?"
Marcus nodded emphatically. "Naman! Simula pa nong lumabas yang x and y's na yan, di ko na kinilala ang math,"
Emily chuckled. "Alam mo naman Aria. Try lang namin na hindi makatulog sa klase,"
They made their way to the classroom, navigating through the bustling campus.
Inside the classroom, they found their seating spot which is on the middle. Aria took out her notebook and pen, glancing over her neatly organized notes. She felt prepared, thanks to her morning review session.
The professor entered the room, greeting the students with a warm smile. The lecture began, and Aria focused intently, jotting down important points and following along with the examples on the board.
"So class, what do you think that graph would be if it is a exponential function?"
"What's the difference between inflexion and reflexion?"
"How about this graph, what do you think this function is?"
"Is logarithmic function the same---- blah blah blah"
As the class progressed, Aria found herself engaged. Although the lesson was hard, she was able to keep up with the yapping of the instructor.
Unlike her friends, Emily and Marcus who ended up zoning out during the discussion.
By the time the bell rang, signaling the end of the class, Aria felt satisfied with her understanding of the day's lesson. She packed up her belongings and joined Emily and Marcus as they headed out of the classroom.
"Good job, guys," Marcus said, clapping Emily and Aria on the shoulder. "We survived yet another calculus session."
"Survive ah, physically there but not mentally nga kayo ni Emily kanina," Aria chuckled as she remembered the zoned out faces of her friends.
Emily rolled her eyes playfully. "Hoy hindi noh, Nag-mental break lang ako kanina. You know, recalibrating."
Marcus laughed. "Anong recalibrating na nalalaman mo Em,"
Aria grinned, shaking her head. "Sige continue pa sa recalibrate mo na yan Em."
"Totoo naman ahhh," Emily replied and just when she was about to continue, Aiden walked up to them.
"Guys about our dance practice, how about we do that at McArthur?" Aiden suggested as he joined in.
Marcus considered it for a moment. "Goods ang McArthur. It's spacious enough sa routine natin."
Aria and Emily also nodded.
After confirming that it was okay to practice at McArthur, Aiden quickly took out his phone and messaged the group chat to update everyone on the venue.
"Hey guys! We're going to practice at McArthur. Make sure to arrive by 2 PM sharp." --Aiden
"Okay, kain muna kami ni Member 1," ---Member 2
After messaging , Aiden turned off his phone and asks Aria and her friends.
"It's almost 2 pm. Are you all going to McArthur right now? If yes, then how about we go together?" Aiden suggested as his gaze lingered a bit to Aria.
"Sure," Marcus nodded.
Aria and Emily exchanged glances and sighed, and after a moment they also agreed.
Aiden smiled. "Great! Let's go then."
The group made their way across campus towards McArthur. As they walked towards McArthur, the atmosphere was noticeably quieter than usual. Aria, Emily, and Marcus exchanged occasional glances but mostly kept to themselves, each lost in their own thoughts.