Hues of an Abstract Mind (Arte del Amor #4)

Chapter 7

"Why are you looking at me like that?" inis kong tanong kay Ciana nang napalingon ako sa kaniya.

Kanina pa kasi siya nakatingin sa akin, ang ayos-ayos kong nag-aaral dito habang siya ay nakadapa doon sa kama ko.

She just raised her eyebrows at me. Mabilis kong inikot ang swivel chair ko para harapin siya at nang malaman ang problema niya simula kanina.

"What? Don't look at me like that, Cian! Don't even look at me at all!"

It's like I'm talking to a ghost! Hindi niya ako pinakikinggan! Ayaw ko namang magpatalo sa kaniya kaya hinarap ko na lang ulit ang mga worksheet sa lamesa ko, at least ang mga ito, kahit nakakainis, hindi ako titingnan katulad ng tingin ni Ciana sa akin!

I tried looking back again to check, but she's still looking at me like I'm an unidentified foreign object.

"It's annoying, really!" Binato ko sa kaniya ang pinakamalapit na bagay sa akin, ang pencil case ko. She shielded herself with a pillow.

"I'm just not used to you being so serious! You've been studying so hard. Aren't you supposed to work at your own pace? That's the point of being homeschooled. No pressure, Missy."

"This is my pace." simple kong sagot.

"Besides, I need to give these to my tutor in a few days. She has to check my progress." Naaalala ko pa rin 'yung araw na nakausap ni Mama ang tutor ko at na-disappoint siya sa akin.

It's something that I wouldn't want to experience ever again.

Mom used to teach me the subjects when I was younger but now, I can do it on my own. That means I have to manage to get good grades all by myself, with my own efforts.

It's just that I can't bring myself to study hard subjects without the help of a tutor to pressure me into studying. Kung ako lang, hindi ko naman paglalaanan ng oras 'yon kung alam ko na mapapagod lang ako.

"Pumayat ka,"

"It's not nice to comment about other people's bodies."

Naramdaman kong may tumama sa backrest ng upuan ko. Nang tumingin ako sa sahig para makita kung ano 'yon, binato niya pala sa akin ulit 'yung pencil case.

"I know! Ayos lang naman 'yon, Missy. Ang sa akin lang, pumayat ka kasi nakalilimutan mong kumain kaka-aral."

"Huh? Parang hindi naman ako pumayat." sabi ko, hindi na nag-abala pang itanggi ang huli niyang sinabi.

In a blink of an eye, Ciana walked up to me and grabbed my worksheets away from my table, away from me. "Hey! Ano ba?"

Ayan tuloy, nasulatan ko ng mahabang linya 'yung papel. That would bother me for sure.

"Hindi ikaw 'to! Gaga ka ba? Kailan ka pa nag-aral nang ganito?"

"Since forever!" Okay, that was a lie... but still! This is what I'm doing now!

Nakapamaywang niya akong hinarap. She's literally looking down on me because I'm seated on this chair. Napanguso ako dahil sesermonan niya na ako. Ramdam ko na.

"What is this about, Missy?"

"What? This is about me, studying."

She nodded her head as if she's sure of something, like she did not hear a word I just said. "I know what this is about."

I raised my hand to stop her from talking.

"Just give me back my worksheets, please." seryoso kong pakiusap sa kaniya kaya wala na rin siyang nagawa.