An Interview With a Playboy - Chapter 1

“This has been your BJ Jenna,” Jennafei smiles as she looks at the camera.

“And this has been your BJ Donald signing off. See you next week for another pack of juicy info, insights, news and stuff straight from your barkadahan,” added by Donald, who is Jennafei’s partner in being “barkada jock” in a youth television magazine show.

(Barkadahan literally means group of friends, barkada refers to a person inside the group.)

“Bye, guys!” She waived. The director shouted “Cut!” The taping is done for their latest episode.

Barkadahan Stuff. That’s the title of their show that has been airing on TV for 2 years now. She and Donald are the anchors of the show and there are 5 field correspondence. This is a show for youth. They delivered news about current evens concerning the youth. They tackled the latest fashion, cool places to hang out in, hottest music, movies, sports, arts, school stuff, jobs for the youth and even love life and relationships and a whole lot more. Their TV show is field of news and updates every week. And she is happy with their rating. In fact, their show already won a TV award.

She is happy with her work as a youth media person. She was just on her on-the-job training when she started showing in telivision in a morning news show. Aside from that, she was also writing column in a newspaper. It’s still the same she’s been doing until she graduated as a cum laude in her course, AB Communication Arts. The only difference is that she is now a youth news anchor and she’s now famous. Before, she was just a contributor in a newspaper. Now, she has her own column called “Youth Power” tackling different aspects of being youth. Aside from that, she is also a resident journalist of said newspaper.

“Jen, seven thirty tonight?” asks Donald who she did not notice on her back as they are walking towards the dressing room.

She stops and faced him. “Seven thirty?”

“You’re free, right?” He confirms while smiling.

She just understood what he’s trying to imply. Donald has been subtly pursuing her since the first airing of their show. In the span they have been working together, he never stopped hinting and teasing her, and she never took him seriously. She knew him to be a natural flirt.

She’s treating him as a friend even when he’s always pursuing her. Not that he’s formally courting her. As a partner of the TV show, she treats him well, even when he’s sometimes going overboard.

“Are you asking me for a date?” She jerked a brow.

He smiled flirtatiously. “Thank God you finally got to notice.”

She rolled her eyes and smiled. “You know I hate riddles, Donald. If you want to say something, just say it straight.”

“Okay, that’s great to hear. So I’d like to ask you straight… when will you say yes?”

She stared at him and she was unable to keep from smiling. “Damn so straight. You know what, Donald? If you won’t stop with your games and keeps on teasing, I will report you for harassment with Mrs. Jimenez.” She says referring to their executive producer. She continued walking.

“You asked me to get straight. Then you will change direction,” he says as he blocked the dressing room door. “Why do you keep on ignoring me?”

“Because I’m not really a fan of comedy.”

“I’m not joking.” The smile vanished from his face.

“Oh, yeah.” She mocked.

“Why are you so cold, Jenna? Is it true that you are a man-hater?”

That rumor. She smirked. It’s because she has never been to any relationship since she started being a public figure. She did not date any of her suitors. “If I hate men, then you would already have a bruise on your face.But if you would keep blocking the way, I might consider be a man-hater even just for now.”

He smirked again. “Ah, Jenna, you’re so cruel, baby.” He went out out of the way but continued. “Jennafei Castro, someday you’re gonna be mine. I promise,” He was widely smiling and even blew her a kiss.

She just chortled and shook her head at his expense.

It’s true that she is not a man-hater. But she hated his kind. If he was only not her partner, he would long since beat him for good -timing her. But she can’t do that because they were working together.

After resting, she went out of the dressing room carrying her bag. She decided to visit the set to discuss the next episode with the writer before going home. She found the staff and crew in front of the TV. When she saw what they were watching, she almost dropped her bag.

“Idol is now back,” says Donald.

Idol? he is Donald’s Idol? Her shock wore off easily. The hatred in heart came alive, she did not realize that its still there.

Dex Peralta… that jerk.

***

“It’s good that he’s okay.”There are a lot of people who are waiting for his return.” One of the producers Thanks!

“He’s also your Idol, Kuya Pete?” asked Donald.

(Kuya means older brother. You don’t have to be siblings biologically to address another personKuya, it’s Filipino’s way of addressing an older guy as a way of respect. Adding onto that, if Kuya is for boys, it’s Ate for girls.)

“Well, I like him as a player. He’s really good at playing basketball even if he’s a bastard. He was not present at the last conference, his team right now is underdog in standing. They were not even able to enter the semifinals. Peralta was a big loss.”

“I agree, now that he’s back, Vortex will grab the win once again .”

The news is already done but she was still staring at the TV screen. She can’t accept that the man she’s hating is being idolized by her workmates.

“I thought it’s true that that he was seriously injured thats why he quit basketball. He just suddenly vanished and went to States with out informing the press when he will be coming back.

“It’s said the underwent intensive arthroscopic surgery and therapies in States. They said its Menincus cartillage that was injured on his knee. It’s good that he had a fast recovery.” Donald added.

“Really? Have you watched the whole interview?”

“The interview was brief. He does not take long interviews. You already know that person, even way before, he’s a man of few words. He almost never takes interviews. Maybe because he came from a filthy rich family thats why he has the guts to snob the press. He only took an interview for PBA’s publicity. Still, he did not give any information of what happened o him in USA. He did not answer a lot of questions.

(PBA is Philippine Basketball Association)

She smirked. She of all people knows best how hard to get any information from Dex. What she went through was not a joke just to interview himfor their campus paper. And because of that interview, he was able to play with her heart, which deeply wounded her.

“If we can only have him as a guest and be interviewed. But I know it’s impossible.” Donald said.

“What does it take to get him nod for an interview?” Kuya Pete asked that made her look at him.

“What are you thinking Kuya Pete?”

“If we can have him as a guest in our 2nd anniversary episode, and we’ll be able to take an interview from him, we will surely get a high rating. Therefore, we have to do something to make him nod to a guesting here.”

Her eyes almost blew out from what she heard from Kuya Pete. An interview with Dex Peralta? Oh, no… not again!

She heard Donald laugh. “What makes you think that he will agree? Even Loren Valencia who is a respected media person, he declined, what would make us different? He won’t agree for an interview from us, especially guesting to our show even if Mrs. Jimenez offers him 1 million. Why, he could buy this whole production company with all his family’s wealth.”

(Php1,000,000 is equals to USD22,500)

Jenna nods as if she’s included in their conversation. And also, she likes Donald’s reasoning to dismay the producer.

“You have a point, but well, we could at least try to convince him. You don’t know, there might be a miracle and he suddenly agrees.”

Finally, she joined the discussion. “There is no miracle, Kuya Pete.” The two men looked at her. She just gave them a faint smile and prepared erself to move away.

“Jen, wait!”She stopped and looked at Donald. “You share the same university with Peralta, right?

“And what of it?” She asked with arching eyebrows.

“I’m just curious. Maybe you know each other?

If she can only kill him from her stare but she kept her face blank, she does not want them to notice that she’s hiding something. “I know him because he’s famous in the campus but does not know me.”

“That’s too bad then. If you only know each other, you might be able to conince him for a guesting.”

“Forget about him. there are a lot of other interesting personalities we can have as a guest for our 2nd anniversary episode.” She closed a she finally went over to the writer as she originally planned.

***

From staring at the LCD of her laptop, she looked at her bedroom door when she heard her brother, Jonas’s voice. He was sweating all over and he’s wearing jersey. It seems that he came from playing basketball again.

“What?” She lazily asked as she looked at the computer again. What she hates the most is being disturbed while writing. Jenna was finishing the article she will be submitting for her weekly column in a paper.

Jonas went in and she heard him dropped his body as he sits on her bed. “Ate, help me with my assignment in Trigonometry. It’s too hard.”

(Ate means older sister, likewise, Kuya is older brother, again you don;t have to be blood related to call a person Kuya or Ate in the country, but this time, he was calling her ate because they are blood related)

Jonas is a sophomore college student in Computer Engineering course. Everytime he’s asking for help in his assignments, its usual for her to castigate him because he’s not taking his studies seriously. It’s because he’s focusing on basketball. But this time, she does not have time to catigate him when her whole focus is on writing.

“Later. After this.” She said as she continued typing on the laptop. Although he’s speaking with him, her attention is not on her brother.

“Okay, thanks.” He stood up and finally went out of the room, but to her irritation, he spoke again.

“Have you heard the news?”

“What news?”

“Kuya Dex is back from the States.”

Her fingers froze on the keyboard. She gritted her teeth. It took her hours before she could successfully free her mind from destructive thoughts. She needed to clean her mid so she can concentrate in writing. She can’t believe her concentration has been disrupted by whats been bothering her since yesterday.

“I thought it’s true that his foot was cut because of his injury last year. It’s good that it wa not true. I miss how Kuya Dex played. And now that he’s back, there is a big chance for my favorite team to enter the finals. Wohoo!”

She clenched her fists die to extreme irritation.

“How about you, Ate? Do you also miss Kuya Dex?”

She focused her blazing eyes towards her bother, she caught him throwing her a teasing smile. “Do you want to fail in Trigonometry?”

He erased his grin. “Ate, I was just asking. I meant nothing about that.”

“Well, I don’t have the time to answer your question. I’m busy and I need you to get your but out of my room.”

Jonas can’t do anything but comply. She knows that he only complied because he needs help with his assignment, but if not, she’s sure that he will keep on teasing her. Even when he was young, it has always been his hobby to tease her about Dex. She’s thankful that her brother grew up some maturity and laid low on teasing her.

She gasped when the door opened again as Jonas entered his head alone.

“Just a question, Ate.”

“What!?”

“Do you still love Kuya Dex?”

“She threw towards him a book she has grabbed. It reached the door as Jonas closed the door before it reached him.

“You dimwit! I won’t help you with you assignment, you brat!”

When he opened the door again, she looked for something else to throw but he evaded it once again.

“I was only joking, Ate.”

“Don’t expect me to help you with your assignment. Get out!”

“Okay, if you won’t help me, I will go to Kuya Dex. I’ll tell him that you terribly miss him and you are still so dead over hills in-love with him up to date. How do you like that?”

She feels that she will have a blood pressure. “Tell those freaking lies to him and I’ll kill you!”

“Lies? Maybe you have forgotten, but I’ve been a witness of your love story.”

“She fiercely looked him down. She was gritting her teeth as she grabbed a big figurine on the table. When she was about to throw it, he’s already gone. She sighed angrily. She closed her eyes and she calmed herself. When she realized that she was still holding the figurine, she put it down right away. It’s too expensive for her to throw. It seems that she’s being violent again.

There is only one person who can make her violent. One person she has been irritating her from the start. And she hated him even more when he played with her when she has to take an interview with him to save her scholarship at the same university they were attending.

In fact, his comeback should have no effect on her anymore. Even when he was in the Philippines, their path never crossed again after he graduated from their university. She only often see him on TV during telecast of his games as Jonas and their father watched along. That’s why she does not understand why it’s affecting her since she found out that he’s back in the country.

Dex has sinned her big time. It was very painful how he played with her heart before. She hated him then and till that moment. And she’s annoyed with herself to discover that she has not forgotten the past yet. The past that caused her heart to be as hard as it is now…

End of Chapter 1

***