Transferring to several schools because of his family's business and getting adored by random strangers for his handsome Westerner features, Jonas Stevenson has had enough. But meeting Corliss changed his perspective in life. With the growing feelin...
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***
GAYA NANG napag-usapan namin ni Corliss, hinintay ko siya sa may gate. I was playing with my phone as I waited for her. Maraming bumabati sa akin at inaaya akong umuwi kasabay nila. Tinanggihan ko silang lahat. Wala na namang bago ro'n.
Nang makita ko si Corliss ay namumula ang pisngi niyang lumapit sa akin. She hugged her little whiteboard as she approached me. She looked very uncomfortable.
"Hey!" I called out as I stood beside her. Kumaway siya sa akin na balot pa rin ng hiya.
Napansin kong maraming mata ang gulat na gulat sa aming direksyon. Hindi na iyong nakapagtataka dahil madalas kaming malayo sa publikong lugar. But this is the first time I'm meeting a girl after school... and a junior as well.
'Kanina ka pa?' She wrote on her whiteboard, still with a blush on her cheeks.
Ngumiti ako. "Nope. Kadarating ko lang din." That was a lie. I've been here for about fifteen minutes but she doesn't need to know that. I'm willing to wait for her. "Tara na?" anyaya ko.
Napansin ko ang pagka-ilang ng mata niya. Marahil dahil sa mga matang nakabuntot sa amin. Napakagat siya sa ibabang labi bago tumango. I was tempted to touch those lips of hers but I shove the indecent thoughts away. Hindi ako gano'ng klaseng tao.
Ngumiti na lang ako nang makalabas na kami sa school. I could hear so many voices whispering, possibly gossiping about us. Actually, that's not a possibility. I'm sure of it already. But I don't care. They're not my problem.
Dumaan kami sa plaza at nakita ko ang stall ng ice cream. "Gusto mo ba ng ice cream?" tanong ko.
Napatingin din siya sa stall na 'di kalayuan. Tumango siya at pinuntahan namin 'yon. We both got cookies and cream and had chocolate icing on top. What are the odds of liking the same flavor?
We stayed there for a short time. Habang kumakain ay napag-usapan namin ang ilang subjects sa schools at kung sino mga gusto at ayaw naming teachers at subjects.
After finishing the ice creams, we continued on our way to her house.
'Hindi mo ba kasamang mag-celebrate ng birthday mo ang family mo?'
Umiling ako. "Hindi. Nasa New Zealand kasi sila ngayon. Pabalik-balik sila dito at do'n dahil sa business namin," kuwento ko sa kanya. I could see how she was diligently listening to me.
'Dito ka ba pinanganak?'
"Yeah. But my family has not been based on a single place because of dad's work. We've been moving back and forth from New Zealand, Australia, and the Philippines. Mom is a Filipina tapos Australian si dad pero laking New Zealand."
