Aurora Borealis

Chapter 6 - Etched Scars

>> • LAUREN • <<

"Tulungan niyo naman akong maglinis dito." saway ni Tohru at inilapag ang walis at dustpan sa gilid sakaling sobra silang maging makalat. Yes, I excluded myself because the only room that I'm comfortable of making it untidy is my home.

"Para sa bagong ship, JamOn!"

"Foolish."

"Come on, Wendy! I know you also like it!"

"No. Your overloading cringiness is lethal."

"I second Wendy's notion!" sagot naman ni East na patuloy sa paglalaro ng confetti na nagkalat sa sahig. "By the way, congratulations to Jamila!"

"Cheers!" we cheered in chorus as we gulped on our own Coke bottles in celebration of Jamila and Talon's official relationship. Masiyadong naging mabilis ang mga pangyayari at sa isang date pa lamang ay napasagot na nito ang kaibigan namin. That's what Wendy told me.

These guys have a lot of free time. They always do what pleases them. West was the one who arranged the set and even though are schedules as college students doesn't align with each other, pinilit pa rin nila na matuloy 'tong pinaplano nila.

And here we are, making ourselves merry at Tohru's house in the midst of unholy hour. Sinigurado nilang magma-match ang rason na ibibigay nila sa magulang ko dahil sa aming lahat, ako siguro ang may pinakastriktong magulang. West's pretty good at flattering people with their cooking.

Wala namang gaanong nagbago sa bahay ni Tohru, maliban sa iilang bagong litrato na nakasabit sa pader ng kanilang sala. The tie rack beside the door has some fancy colored coats hanged in it, although it's supposed to be where neckties are hung.

"Hahaha! I can't believe na tinakbuhan mo s'ya kung kailan inaaya ka na niyang manood ng fireworks display." saad ni West.

"G-Gusto ko na kasing umuwi. I mean, ang dami niyang hinandang surpresa para sa 'kin pero hindi na talaga kaya ng katawan ko yung pagod." nahihiyang saad ni Jamila.

"I feel you. Socializing really exhausts me." pagsang-ayon naman ni Aero na nakaupo sa tabi ni East. I noticed that he's been secretly sneaking behind East earlier while looking at her headband.

I'm starting to get suspicious of him because of the way that he looks at East's headband.

"Ano ba naman kayo? What matters is that they're already official. Sabihin mo lang kapag pinaiyak ka ni Talon, reresbakan nila West." wika naman ni Tohru.

"Why us?" tanong nito.

"Moral support ako. Cheer ko lang kayo sa gilid. I'm good at it!" buong pagmamalaking sagot nito.

I sensed someone approaching me so I left on my seat on the stairs, pretending that I need to get more Coke since I already finished mine. Tumungo ako sa kusina at binuksan ang ref ni Tohru. Mabuti na lamang at may extra pang Coke dito para maging props.

Itinabi ko muna ang basyo ng Coke na walang laman sa ibabaw ng ref at saka kumuha ng baso upang doon isalin ang nakuha kong extra.

"Crackhead." wika ng tinig na 'yon na sinundan din pala ako hanggang sa kusina.

I paid no heed to his voice. Binagalan ko ang pagbubukas sa bottle cap upang ipakitang abala ako sa ginagawa ko.

Sumandal siya sa may countertop ng sink at tumabi sa 'kin. He's wearing a chocolate colored jacket along with a pair of maong pants. From my peripheral view, I could see those olden marks left and once filled with piercings of different variants. His eyes were looking down the floor while his fingers engaged in a tap dance with the synthetic opal-colored marble countertop as its countertop, as if waiting for a time to strike a conversation.