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All Chapters of She Didn't Know He Noticed: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

27 Chapters

Prologue

Rain has always been honest with me.It doesn’t pretend. It doesn’t sugarcoat. It doesn’t say “I’m fine” when it’s breaking inside. When it falls, it falls, diretso, walang pasikot-sikot. Tonight, as I sit by the window of my small dorm room, watching the raindrops blur the campus lights, I feel the same way. Parang ako ’yung ulan—heavy, messy, inevitable.I should be studying for midterms. I should be highlighting notes, rereading chapters, pretending my life is perfectly fine. But how am I supposed to focus when all I can see is the message glowing on my phone?“We need to talk tomorrow. After class. Don’t be late.”Just that.No emojis.No “babe.”No “love you.”And for the first time in months, I felt the ground shift beneath me.Talk. Ryan wants to talk.Alam ko na agad ang ibig sabihin nun. I may not be the prettiest girl on campus, but I’m not slow. I can feel it, that cold distance, the gaps forming between us like broken puzzle edges that no longer fit. And I’ve been trying t

Chapter 1

Hindi ako nakatulog.Or kung nakatulog man ako, siguro mga sampung minuto lang ’yun, yung tipong pagkapikit mo, may konting pahinga sa utak, tapos biglang babalik yung kaba, parang alarm clock na walang snooze.Pagmulat ko, madilim pa rin sa kwarto. Alam kong maaga pa, pero hindi ko na mababalik ang tulog ko kahit anong pilit. Parang may kamay na humahawak sa dibdib ko, mahigpit, hindi ako pinapalaya.“Shoot,” bulong ko habang nakahiga, staring at the faint glow ng streetlights na pumapasok sa blinds. Ang tahimik ng buong dorm floor, pero sa loob ko, ang ingay—parang may drumline sa ribcage ko na walang balak tumigil.Ito na ’yun. Ang araw.Huminga ako nang malalim, kahit parang walang pumapasok. I pressed my palms sa mukha ko, hoping plastic-bag-over-my-head feeling would disappear, pero hindi. Nandun pa rin. Clinging. Heavy.Tumagilid ako to check my phone.7:04 AM.Wala pa ring message from Ryan.Wala man lang “Good morning.” Wala man lang kahit simpleng “See you later.”Wala. As i

Chapter 2

I don't feel like myself the moment I woke up. Parang may ibang tao na nakaupo sa katawan ko habang nakatingin sa dilaw na liwanag ng umaga na sumisilip sa mga bubong ng campus.I don't know how to show myself in a familiar place where I usually go, o paano lalabas ng dorm room na parang may direksyon ang puso ko.I slowly moved myself from my bed. Ang unan ko’y basa pa sa luha. Ang buhok ko’y medyo tuyo pero buhaghag, parang nagtatangkang sabihin sa mundo, “Hindi ako okay.” Pero kailangan kong ayusin ang sarili ko. Kailangan kong lumabas. Kailangan kong pumasok sa mundo na tila normal, kahit alam kong ang lahat sa paligid ko ay may kulay maliban sa akin.Naka-white tee, ripped jeans, at lumang sneakers lang ako. Hindi ko pinansin kung gaano kabagay sa fashion ang itsura ko. Wala akong pakialam. Walang energy. Walang gana.Habang naglalakad ako sa hallway ng dorm, naririnig ko ang tawanan ng mga kaklase ko, mga magbabarkada, particularly everyone inside the campus. Lahat sila masaya, h

Chapter 3

The next day felt heavier than yesterday, which was funny. Hindi pa nga lumilipas ang buong linggo, pero pakiramdam ko buwan na ang pagod na iniipon ko. My body moved, but my soul was somewhere else, probably still under that acacia tree, clinging to the last pieces of yesterday’s heartbreak.I walked slowly across campus, clutching my books close to my chest as if they could protect me from anything—or anyone—I’d rather not see.I kept replaying Sevi’s words in my head.“Kung sakaling hindi mo kaya… nandito ako.”Ang dali niyang sabihin, ang hirap paniwalaan. But somehow, it made the world feel less suffocating.Until I turned the corner.And saw Sophie.Her. Again.She was standing near the bulletin board outside the student lounge, her glossy dark hair flowing perfectly, her pastel purple top hugging her tiny waist. She looked like she didn’t know how to have a bad day. Or maybe she simply didn’t have any.I froze instantly.Just my luck.I considered turning around, but before I co

Chapter 4

May mga araw na mabigat. May mga araw na mas mabigat. Pero ito—ito yata ang araw na literal na ayaw ko nang gumising. Yung tipong pagkadilat mo pa lang, gusto mo nang ipikit ulit kasi alam mong wala namang magbabago. Alam mong sa oras na tumapak ka sa labas ng pinto, ibang mundo ang sasalubong—isang mundong hindi mo naman piniling pasukin.Pero kailangan.Kailangan kong pumasok.Kailangan kong harapin yung campus kahit gusto ko nang magkulong, magtago,m at maglaho."Lord," bulong ko habang nag-aayos ng bag, "konting awa naman."Huminga ako nang malalim, binuhat ang bag ko, at lumabas ng dorm.The hallway felt colder than usual—o baka ako lang talaga. Students walked past me, laughing, chatting, scrolling through their phones. Normal life.Pero sabay-sabay silang tumahimik nang makita ako.Actual silence.Napatingin sila. Napatingin ako pabalik—hindi dahil confident ako, kundi dahil nagulat ako sa reaksyon nila.May bulungan. May pabulong na tawa. May nakataas ang kilay. May nangu-ngus

Chapter 5

When Ryan walked away with Sophie clinging to him like she owned him, like she won, something inside me didn’t just break. It collapsed. Parang bumagsak ang buong mundo ko sa isang iglap.After he disappeared into the crowd, the hallway slowly returned to its usual noise, but none of it sounded real. Everything felt like slow-motion static, like I was floating outside my own body habang yung mga tao sa paligid ko ay nagbubulungan pa rin tungkol sa akin.“God, ang pathetic niya.”“Did you see her face? Sobrang desperate.”I stood there, frozen. Nanghihina. Humihikbi nang hindi ko namamalayan. Para akong lumulubog sa sarili kong katawan, sa sarili kong kahihiyan.No one helped me. No one approached me. No one even asked if I was okay.I hugged my arms around myself, trying to keep the pieces of me from falling apart.Finally, my body moved on its own, tumalikod ako at naglakad. Hindi ko na alam saan. Basta malayo. Malayo sa lahat. Malayo sa kanila. Malayo kay Sophie at Ryan. Malayo sa m

Chapter 6

The hallway earlier seemed shocked, parang nag-apocalypse.The moment Sophie froze in front of me, the energy in the entire welcome area shifted. Students stopped walking. Others literally stepped back. Yung iba tahimik, yung iba nakanganga, and a few even took out their phones. May nakatutok na camera, may naka-video na. Lahat naghihintay kung ano ang susunod na mangyayari.And in the eye of that storm, I stood straight. Calm. Unbothered. Composed in a way Diane-from-last-semester could never have imagined.At the edge of my vision, I felt a presence before I even saw him.Sevi.He was there—quietly, steadily, like a constant heartbeat. He must have seen the commotion from afar and followed, because before I even turned, nakatayo na siya sa gilid ko, one hand casually in his pocket, his other arm brushing slightly against mine.Not touching—just close enough to say I’m here.Protected.Tethered.Safe.“Diane,” he murmured, eyes checking my face subtly, “you okay?”Sophie flinched at

Chapter 7

For the rest of the afternoon, I felt eyes on me, hundreds of them.Some curious. Some stunned. Some admiring. Some terrified.But one pair followed me like a shadow.Ryan.With every building I entered, ramdam ko yung presensya niya.With every corner I turned, naririnig ko yung faint echo ng footsteps na alam kong kilala ko.May parang gustong sabihin ang katawan ko na hindi ko maintindihan, akala ko dati kailangan ko siya.Ngayon, kailangan niya ako.At yun ang dahilan kung bakit hindi ako pumipihit pabalik.Hindi pa… but I knew this moment would come.When classes ended, I walked toward one of the empty consultation rooms near the library—mahaba ang hallway, tahimik, at walang masyadong dumadaan. Perfect place to breathe.Perfect place for confrontation.Pagpasok ko, sinara ko ang pinto at huminga ng malalim, leaning against the desk. The sunlight from the window hit my hair in a way I barely recognized.This was not the Diane who begged him. This Diane had leverage.I was placing

Chapter 8

Sophie’s voice, small, trembling, poisonous, hung in the air like a blade about to fall.“Ryan… what. Are. You. Doing?”The room froze. Walang gumalaw. Walang huminga. Walang nagsalita.Her hand tightened around the spare key, knuckles whitening. Ryan’s eyes widened, panic flickering across his face like a glitch.“Wait—Sophie, this isn’t—”But Sophie wasn’t listening.Her eyes darted everywhere—Ryan’s hand on my wrist, our barely separated faces, the heat between us na obvious kahit walang salita.She looked like she’d been stabbed.And I didn’t look away. Hindi ako umalis. Hindi ako umatras. Hindi ako tumakbo. Because this wasn’t my shame to carry anymore.It was hers.“Ryan…” Sophie whispered again, voice cracking violently this time. “Why was she—why were YOU—”Ryan stepped back, releasing my wrist as if burned. “Sophie, let me explain—”“No.”Her voice rose, shaking with rage. “No, Ryan. Walang explanation sa nakita ko!”I watched her unravel. Just like she watched me unravel las

Chapter 9

Tahimik lang ako habang naglalakad palabas ng room. My footsteps felt heavy, parang bawat hakbang ay may kaakibat na memorya na kailangan kong bitawan. Sa likod ko, naririnig ko pa yung muffled voices—ang iyak ni Sophie, ang paulit-ulit na pag-assure ni Ryan na “I’ll always choose you.” Para bang echo siya na ayaw mawala kahit anong pilit kong i-shut off.I knew he’d say it. I knew he’d pick her. Pero iba pa rin when you hear it out loud—when you see him wrapping his arms around the girl who destroyed you while everyone watches like you’re the villain.I scoffed. Sarcastic. Bitter. Defensive.Pero pagkalabas ko ng hallway, parang biglang may bumagsak na bigat sa dibdib ko. And for a moment, I didn’t know if I wanted to scream or collapse.“Hey.”I stopped walking.Nasa gilid ko si Sevi, hands in his pockets, ang medyo magulo niyang buhok sumasabay sa hangin mula sa bukas na corridor. His face was softer than usual—less playful, more concerned.“You okay?” tanong niya, voice gentle.I

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