The Guy in the Levi's Shirt

Prologue

PROLOGUE:

2004, MANLUNAS NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

OUCH. Ang sakit. Ang sakit-sakit…

“Wala. Wala akong gusto sa’yo. Kaya puwede ba? Tantanan mo na ako.”

Ouch. Ang sakit talaga…

 Bakit gano’n? Parang may tumutusok sa puso ko nang paulit-ulit. Ang sakit-sakit…

“Nakakairita ka na. Stop assuming that I like you too. You’re not even my type.”

Ang sama-sama niya… I-I can’t believe it!

He left me. Dumbfounded. Shocked. Surprised. And hurt.

Iniwan niya akong nakatunganga sa gitna ng hallway while I was watching him walk away slowly. Every step he took, a piece of my heart left with him.

“Masyado mong feel na feel ang pangangantiyaw at pagtulak sa’yo sa’kin ng mga kakilala natin.” He scoffed. “We’re not even friends so stop acting like we’ve known each other long…”

Napahawak ako sa dibdib ko. It was beating eratically.

Kung kanina, malakas ang tibok nito dahil sa sobrang kaba… Ngayon, mas malakas ang tibok nito when he rejected me.

He was very cruel.

Kailangan ba talagang maging gano’n ka-prangka? He could’ve told me we’re only meant to be friends… Pero anong ginawa niya? He said we were noteven friends-!

I feel humiliated kahit na walang naka-saksi na nangyari. We were the only ones at the hallway that time. But still… I felt like he was laughing at me secretly.

I have experienced rejection many times before but not for the same reason.

I have felt unwanted before pero… mas masakit pala talaga kapag ang lalakeng mahal mo ang nag-reject sa’yo.

Now I know. Sigh.

Every time I remember what he said, I felt like I’ll never be confident in myself again.

Masyado kasi akong confident. Look what it did to me.

I Sighed.

Sad and rejected, I slowly returned to our classroom.

Buti na lang kaunti lang kami. Onti lang ang makakaalam ng nangyari. Almost every one of my classmates know how much I’m in love with him.

Pagpasok ko ng room, ang malulungkot na mukha agad ng mga kaibigan kong sina Hannah at Clarisse ang bumungad sa akin.

They looked at me with pity in their eyes.

Lalo akong nalungkot. I didn’t want anyone to pity me…

I hate that.

“Anong nangyari? Anong sinabi niya?” tanong sa’kin ni Hannah, ang best friend ko.

Nagsimulang magtubig ang mga mata ko nang maalala ko ulit ang nangyari…

I was staring into space when I saw him. Dumaan siya sa harap ng room namin.

Matapos niyang malaman na gusto ko siya, napagdesisyunan ko na harapin siya dahil ang sabi sa akin ng mga kaibigan niya ay may gusto rin daw siya sa’kin and that he was only shy to admit it.

I figured I should ask him myself and make him spill the beans. And I immediately thought that that was the perfect time to do so.

I ran out of the classroom to chase him.