Chapter 1: The Girl in the Background

If San Andres University were a movie, Gabrielle Maury Ramirez would be the girl you'd barely notice in the background of a classroom scene - quietly scribbling in her notebook, hoodie two sizes too big, hair in a loose ponytail, eyes fixed on the floor.

And she was okay with that. Or at least, she told herself she was.

Gabrielle pulled the sleeves of her gray sweatshirt over her hands as she waited in line sa canteen. Wednesday. Tuna pie day. Paborito niya. The smell of fried food lingered in the air, blending with the ever-present scent of photocopied paper from the student org booths just outside.

"Next!" the canteen lady barked.

She stepped forward, offered a shy smile, and held out her bill. "Isang tuna pie po, tsaka iced tea. Small lang."

Simple. Predictable. Safe.

As she turned around, tray in hand, her gaze flicked - just for a second - towards him.

Aiden Nicholas Perez.

Fourth year. BA Communications. Vice President ng student council. Everyone knew him - the kind of person whose name floated in hallways and group chats even if you'd never actually spoken to him.

He was sitting by the window with a group of seniors. Laughing. Relaxed. Wearing a plain white shirt and black-rimmed glasses like he wasn't breaking hearts by just existing.

Gabrielle's heartbeat sped up, but she quickly looked away, pretending to study the available tables.

He doesn't even know I exist.

She found a seat near the corner, back to the wall. Safe. Out of sight. Just how she liked it.

Later that afternoon, habang pauwi na siya, her phone buzzed.

[Notif: Department Bulletin Board - Career Development Program Announcement]

She tapped it absentmindedly.

Are you a 2nd or 3rd year student looking to grow your professional portfolio? Apply now for the San Andres Career Training Program. Limited slots only. Application closes Friday.

Gabrielle stared at the screen. Her first instinct was to ignore it. Too competitive. Too public. Too... not her.

But then, a strange thought crept in.

"What if I tried?"

She looked down at her reflection in her phone screen - tired eyes, chapped lips, hair she hadn't brushed properly since Monday.

"What if I stopped hiding?"

For the first time in a long while, she didn't just go home. She walked into the library, pulled out her planner, and started writing.

Gabrielle sat in her usual corner of the library - second floor, third table by the window. It overlooked the university garden, where orgs sometimes held events or awkward TikTok dance challenges. From here, everything felt far away, like watching life happen from behind glass.

She flipped open her planner. Blank. Still smelled like new paper even though she bought it three months ago. That was the thing about Gabrielle - she planned a lot but followed through on almost none of it.

She took a deep breath and scribbled:

Career Development Program - Apply?

Deadline: Friday

Requirements: Resume, short essay, mock interview.

Her pen hovered. Resume? Wala pa siyang proper resume. Wala pa siyang orgs. Wala pa siyang anything.

Her stomach twisted. Bakit ko nga ba ito iniisip?

"Uy, Gabbie!"

She jumped a little at the voice. Only one person called her that with that much cheer.

Lara Dizon, her seatmate in two classes and the closest thing she had to a best friend on campus. Lara was everything Gabrielle wasn't - outspoken, fashionable, and always somehow in five places at once.

"Ang weird mo talaga. Library after dismissal?" Lara plopped down across from her. "Tapos may planner ka pa talaga? Planner, girl? Anong year na?"

Gabrielle laughed softly. "Trying to be... productive, I guess?"

Lara leaned forward, squinting at her notes. "Career program? You're applying?"

Gabrielle shrugged. "Thinking about it."

Lara's eyes widened. "Girl. That's so not you. Pero I support! G ka if G ka."

"G ako... maybe," she mumbled.

Lara gave her a look - half teasing, half proud. "You know, you could really slay if you wanted to. Like, seriously. Cute ka naman, matalino ka pa. Kaso you keep hiding."

Gabrielle blinked. "I'm not hiding."

"Hmm. You're... low-key vanishing," Lara said, smiling. "Pero it's okay. Maybe it's time for a little glow-up, no?"

"Hindi naman para sa glow-up - " she started, then paused. Was it?

She glanced down at her planner again. Her heart beat a little faster.

Maybe it wasn't about becoming someone new. Maybe it was just... becoming more of herself.

Thursday, the Next Day

Gabrielle spent most of her free period rereading the program announcement and jotting ideas for her essay. Her fingers trembled slightly as she typed on her laptop in the campus caf�.

"I've always been the kind of person who stays in the background. But I've realized that just because I'm quiet doesn't mean I don't have something to offer."

She deleted it. Rewrote. Paused. Overthought.

Then, a voice beside her made her freeze.

"Hi, is this seat taken?"

Gabrielle looked up - and almost choked on her coffee.

Aiden. Aiden Perez.

Up close, he looked even better than he did from afar. He had that kind of calm presence that made people lean in without realizing.

"N-no, go ahead," she said, barely meeting his eyes.

"Thanks." He sat, opened a laptop, and started typing. Probably working on some important student council proposal or thesis.

Gabrielle tried to focus, but her brain was screaming.

He's here. Right beside me. Breathe. Breathe. Look normal. Don't look -

A few minutes passed. Then, to her shock, he turned to her.

"I like your laptop stickers," he said casually, nodding at the tiny illustrations on her case - a stack of books, a coffee cup, and a sleepy cat.

"Oh. Thank you," she said, blinking.

"You draw those?"

Gabrielle hesitated, then nodded. "Y-yeah. I mean, just for fun."

"That's cool," he said, smiling. "Very chill vibe."

Then he turned back to his screen.

Gabrielle sat frozen for a beat. That was the most they had ever spoken. Her heart was in her throat.

Did he just - ?

She didn't know what it meant. Maybe nothing. Maybe everything.

But one thing she knew for sure - she was applying to that program.

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That night, Gabrielle drove herself home in her little gray hatchback - nothing fancy, but sleek and spotless. She parked in the basement of the condo her parents had bought her when she got into San Andres University.

The guard greeted her. "Good evening, Ma'am Gabbie."

She smiled politely. "Good evening po, Kuya."

Her unit was on the 10th floor. One-bedroom, minimalist, overlooking the city skyline. Quiet. Safe. Hers.

Inside, she kicked off her sneakers, dropped her tote bag, and moved automatically - aircon on, fridge check, shower ready. Her routine was clockwork.

But as she toweled her hair dry, something tugged at her thoughts.

Most people at San Andres wouldn't guess she came from a well-off family. Her last name was known in business circles - her father owned a chain of auto dealerships across Luzon, and her mom ran a boutique PR firm.

But Gabrielle never liked attention. Hindi siya mahilig mag-post ng branded bags or Starbucks cups sa Instagram. Hindi rin siya mahilig sa parties. She preferred quiet caf�s over loud org events, and wore the same muted earth tones every week.

She had money - yes. But she never wanted to be known for that.

Her phone buzzed. A text from her mom.

Mom: Hi baby. Kamusta school? You need anything for your condo?

Gabrielle: All good, Ma. May program lang ako gusto salihan. Will let you know pag sure na.

Mom: Go! We support you. Just be confident, anak. You have so much to offer.

She smiled a little at the screen.

Sometimes she wondered if her quietness disappointed her parents. But they never pressured her. They just kept cheering her on - even when she didn't know where she was headed.

She placed her phone on the nightstand, curled up in bed, and opened her laptop one more time.

"I've always been the kind of person who stays in the background. But I've realized that just because I'm quiet doesn't mean I don't have something to offer."

This time, she didn't delete it.

She hit save.