Halfway Down There

Chapter 04

Inilapag ko ang dala kong TVET book sa fashion design and two sketch pads on the table. I've been doing basic dress sketches belonging to different popular designers. I'm not a professional yet at creating my own craft so I seek ideas from others.

"Cazzo." (Fuck) Natulala si Euna habang fini-flip ang pages sa libro niya. "I never thought fashion was this broad."

"May profession bang hindi broad?" I asked without the intention of being sarcastic but it sounded like that.

Sumimangot si Rosette habang tinitingnan kaming dalawa ni Euna.

"We're not backstabbing you, Rosette. 'Wag ka mag-worry." Euna grinned teasingly. "Kawawa naman. Fine, I'll teach you more Tagwords."

Rosette only rolled her eyes. Wala raw siyang tiwala sa mga tinuturo ni Euna sa kanya. I also thought Euna was bad at it, but she's actually pretty good at using the language. She might be acting humble so as not to raise expectations or something else. Siniko niya ako sa gitna ng mga iniisip ko.

"Rosetta, we're doing you a favor. The least you can do is treat us," panunuya ni Euna kay Rosette.

"It's a modern gen, idiot."

Dramatiko siyang tiningnan ni Euna. She scoffed a little exaggerated. "Having a physical tutor is better. Gaga."

"Gaga," Rosette mocked her.

Humalakhak ako sa tabi ni Rosette kaya lumipat ang tingin ni Euna sa akin. She flipped on the book again but she haven't even read it when her eyes looked back up. Her judgmental eyes were directed on my almost-finish sketch. Inabot niya ang mga palette para mag-suggest ng kulay na mas babagay sa damit.

Unfortunately, the surface of our table almost fell because she was putting too much weight on the edge which caused me to trace a random line! Nagtaas siya ng kamay in a defensive manner.

My heart dropped at the sight of my sketch. "Ikaw ang ipa-remake ko nito, Euna."

"Is that..." She hissed, squinting her eyes and already forgetting what I had said. Namula ang pisngi niya. "'Yung pogi! La mia cotta, Rosetta!" (My crush, Rosetta!)

Mala-demonyong ngumisi si Rosette habang kumakaway sa lalaking hindi ko kilala. He looks asian with his eyes. Bumaling siya sa amin at lumiko sa kung nasaan kami nakaupo, pero ngumiti lang siya at nilagpasan ang lamesa namin. I glanced at Euna teasingly. Hmm, so he likes guys like him! Tumawa ako nang pabulong siyang nagsabi ng kung ano-ano.

"He's a newbie actually, and Euna has already fished him. How shameless," panunuya ni Rosette.

"It's normal. Everyone has a crush at first sight, scusi," depensa ni Euna.

"Huy, true!" I agreed, giggling as I imagined every guy here I came across with. "I can't even count them all."

Hindi actually crush, pero iyong attracted ka na for their physical features. Every guy around here has good looks, so I was probably attracted to a lot of people more than ten times already. That kind of feeling usually doesn't last for a day. Kaya sa huli, wala pa rin akong hinahangaan, which is kind of depressing.

I don't need a boyfriend, especially since it's the one and only condition I need to follow, but for a crush... I'm going to find one.

I slammed my sketchpad close and decided to continue designing using my Ipad. Nahihirapan ako sa paggawa ng paulit-ulit na button sa magkabilang side ng damit sa parte ng baywang. Tinatamad ako kapag detail by detail. I sighed heavily, my eyes dropping on Euna's work.