CHAPTER 20. What binds them together
JAEMIN‘S POV
Inayos ko ang mga papel na kakapasa lang ng mga nasa detention room. Then lumakad na ako pabalik sa SSC Office.
Nakita ko si Lili na nilapag ‘yung pinapakuha kong folder sa kaniya.
“Thanks, Lili!” sabi ko sabay yakap sa kaniya ng marahan. Hinagod niya saglit ang likod ko.
Umalis na rin agad ito dahil may klase pa raw sila.
“How long have you known Khali Vernon?” biglang tanong ni Kenneth.
“Since elementary!” masigla kong tugon. Tumango ito.
“So you‘ve always been with her throughout these years?” he asked.
Bigla akong napaisip sa tanong niya.
Naisip ko at narealize na... Hindi.
Hindi kami laging magkasama noon. Hindi pala kami laging nagkikita noon. Kasi lagi siyang nawawala, tapos babalik. Lulubog-lilitaw.
Minsan bigla bigla nalang siyang mawawala, bigla-bigla nalang rin babalik. Malalaman ko nalang na wala na siya kapag tinawagan niya na ako na umalis na siya.
Kahit ganon, we are still friends.
Hindi naman sa dalas niyong magkasama nasusukat ang pagkakaibigan eh. Pero na-realize ko rin na, wala nga pala kaming gaanong bonding ni Lili?
Kasi everytime na uuwi siya dito sa Philippines, parang ang lamig-lamig niya at ang hirap kausapin.
Nag aalangan rin ako noon na ayain siya, kasi everytime na uuwi lagi siyang pagod. Para bang pinilit niya lang ‘yung sarili niya na puntahan ako kahit hindi niya na kaya. Kaya ang ending, nasa bahay lang kami at nanonood. Mag-uusap ng konti.
Hindi ko naman siya matanong kung bakit lagi nalang siyang may sugat. Ang malala hindi pa normal na sugat. She was always covered in bandages.
She was... always broken.
She visits me when it‘s my birthday. Sometimes she also come in Christmas Day and gives me some gifts.
She visits randomly, actually.
And everytime I meet her... she is always getting colder and colder...
Her eyes are always dead.
Even so, she remained nice to me. She takes care of me a lot. She was still a friend to me. So I didn‘t mind even if she‘s always a different person whenever we meet. Because she is still my bestfriend, Khali Vernon...
Then one day she decided to stay in Tenebrés to study in the same school with me for High School. That was in Westwood High. And I will never forget our first quarrel that time...
I knocked on the door as much as I can as I call out Lili‘s name full of desperation.
“Lili! Please open the door! Stop it!” I screamed.
BINABASA MO ANG
GANGSTER ROYALTIES: The Gangster Society
ActionKhali Vernon took the risk and came back to Tenebrés City, will she come back as the infamous Shadow of the Gangster Society, too? The society ruled by the most feared and toughest gangsters called as... GANGSTER ROYALTIES. But being one isn't every...
