Eliz's Point of View
"Hello, Grandpa, I'm out of the airport," I said as I slowly walked along the sidewalk, looking for a less crowded place. I glanced at my phone's screen.
It's already past four in the afternoon? Why did my flight feel so long? Grandpa spoke again on the other end of the line. "Wait for us, Neil and I are at the intersection."
If I'm not mistaken, that's just across the street. I should've gone straight to Starbucks earlier to avoid the hassle. I know one of the staff at the airport, so I ended up chatting a bit.
"Okay, I'll wait for you—hey, what are you doing?!" I shouted angrily, holding my phone and bag tightly. My eyes widened at the sight of the man in front of me. Of course, it was a snatcher. The call ended abruptly! This guy is so annoying; I still had something to say to Grandpa!
"Give me your wallet and phone!" I briefly looked at the man in front of me. Is he really a snatcher? He doesn't have a black mask, nor does he have a gun or knife. But honestly, he's quite good-looking. Why doesn't he try modeling instead of snatching? The income is obviously better there.
"Excited? Hold on, okay? You're too eager," I said, swatting his hand away, which surprised him. But he wasn't deterred and tried to pull my shoulder bag.
"What's with you?! Just take the suitcase! I need this for my Starbucks coffee!" I said, annoyed.
I held my phone and the lace of my bag tightly. Is this guy weak? I'm quite skinny, yet he can't snatch my bag. "Give it to me if you don't want to get hurt!" he said in a low, angry voice. I wasn't intimidated and pinched his ear with my left hand.
He let go of me and grabbed his arm, but I tightened my grip on his ear, which was turning red. It's good that no one is around because this is embarrassing. Should I teach him the proper way to rob someone?
"P-please stop, I'll just rob someone else—" Fear was evident in his voice, making me smile.
"Eliz? Who is that?" I was startled to see the car that was supposed to pick me up, with Grandpa Sevastian inside.
"Ah, he just needed to make a call, he ran out of credit," I said with a smile, letting go of the man.
He quickly ran away from our spot, looking back at me as I waved at him. Neil began loading my suitcases into the car's trunk. Thankfully, everything fit.
My cousin had requested chocolates and shoes, so I bought them. And who am I to refuse my most handsome cousin, right? Once I was sure everything was loaded, I got into the car because we were running late.
"How are you, my dear? Did anything happen to you?" I stopped and sat properly at Grandpa Sevastian's question. Nothing happened, right?
"Nothing, Grandpa," I said.
"Good. Be careful and avoid trouble. Get your life in order." My eyes widened at Grandpa's words, and I turned to the other side so he wouldn't see my face. Does my life look disorganized? Sometimes I want to flush his dentures down the toilet. Grandpa seems to have a screw loose.
Maybe the reason I often get kidnapped is because people are really desperate, and in that case, they have no choice but to resort to crime. And it's not my fault if I keep getting kidnapped or something.
But... I couldn't help but laugh, remembering when I was sixteen and accidentally knocked Grandpa's dentures into the toilet. I never told him, but I did wash them.
"What's so funny, Eliz? My reminders are no joke," Grandpa said seriously, looking at me.
"Your dentures—uh, nothing." I closed my mouth and got serious. He might send me back to Japan, and that would be hard. I looked out the window at the people, the surroundings... nothing had changed. Is this the best? The Philippines is very different from Japan.
*
"Why are we here, Grandpa? Don't tell me I have to attend classes, the school year is already over." I looked around the campus owned by Grandpa Sevastian.
Nothing has changed; the atmosphere is still pleasant because of the large trees positioned in the middle of the campus. The large fountain in front of a huge building is also very eye-catching.
"Ah, Grandpa—huh? Where did he go?" I almost strained my neck looking for Grandpa. So I've been here alone for a while? I sighed and started walking aimlessly. Who cares where I end up? I probably won't get lost.
This place isn't that big, but even so, the tuition is very expensive. Even though I'm the granddaughter of the school owner, I don't take advantage of that. As much as I want them to see me as an ordinary student, it seems difficult.
"What on earth...?" I said, staring at a large tarpaulin. My tarpaulin!
Did they really use me as the model for Cortejo Campus?! I know I'm beautiful, but what size is this tarpaulin?! Calm down, Eliz, there can't be anything worse than this, right? And one more thing, I look younger in the picture, so they won't recognize me.
While looking at the tarpaulin, I noticed a tall guy approaching. He seemed to be trying to recognize me because I saw his forehead crease. "Eliz, is that you—Hey!"
"Maybe it's not me, duh, Nathan," I said with my arms crossed, glaring at him. "Care to explain that... to me. Now." I pointed at the tarpaulin.
"What's the big deal? It's beautiful, and there's another one over there—" I covered his mouth with my hand because what he might say could ruin my life, duh?
"Another one over there? Are you serious?" I removed my hand from his mouth and looked around in disbelief. "Nathan, you better not be joking."
Nathan smirked and pointed towards another building. "I'm not joking, Eliz. You really should check it out."
I walked towards the direction he pointed, feeling a mix of curiosity and dread. Sure enough, as I turned the corner, there was another huge tarpaulin with my face on it, this time with an even cheesier tagline: "Eliz Cortejo – Our Campus Pride."
I groaned inwardly. "Why do they have to make it so embarrassing?"
Nathan chuckled behind me. "You're like the school's mascot now. Everyone's talking about you."
"Great, just what I needed," I muttered sarcastically. "Is there anything else I should know?"
"Well," Nathan began, trying to hold back a laugh, "they're planning to make a life-sized statue of you at the front gate."
My eyes widened in horror. "What?! A statue?! Please tell me you're joking."
Nathan burst into laughter. "Okay, okay, that part was a joke. But seriously, you should get used to the attention. You're kind of a big deal now."
I sighed and rubbed my temples. "This is not what I signed up for."
Nathan gave me a sympathetic pat on the back. "Come on, let's get you settled in. Grandpa Sevastian is probably wondering where you are."
As we walked back to the main building, I couldn't help but feel a mix of embarrassment and annoyance. Being the granddaughter of the school's owner came with its own set of challenges, and it seemed like I was about to face them head-on.
As we entered the building, I took a deep breath and prepared myself for whatever was to come. This was my new reality, and I had to make the best of it.
"Welcome back, Eliz," Nathan said with a smile. "Let's show them what you're made of."
I nodded, determined. "Let's do this."