It was the first Friday of March and we just had finished our last examination for this academic year. Nakatambay lang kaming magkakaklase sa loob ng classroom namin, kumakanta ng Huling Sayaw ng Kamikazee habang may nag-gigitara.
Ngunit sa sitwasyon namin, hindi ito ang huling sandali naming lahat. Napag-desisyunan kasi namin na sama-sama pa rin kami sa Senior High. Sabi kasi ng mga higher batch na nasa kolehiyo na ngayon, wala naman daw kwenta ang SHS dahil 'yung mga subjects na itetake roon ay itetake pa rin sa college. Iba lang daw 'yung pangalan ng mga subject.
"So anong strand kukunin natin, guys?" tanong ni Jennie.
"Paki-exclude 'yung STEM sa choices, please. 'Wag po natin pahirapan sarili natin sa Calculus at Chemistry," sumagot si Allison.
"You forgot Physics, honey." Liah laughed.
Isinulat ni Jennie ang mga strand sa whiteboard. Minarkahan niya ng ekis 'yung STEM, kaya ang natitira na lang ngayon ay ABM, HUMSS, at GAS.
"Gusto niyo bang mag-ABM? May accounting do'n..." ako naman ang nagsalita.
HUMSS ang gusto kong strand dahil mahilig akong magsalita at paborito kong subject ang English. Selfish man ang dating ko sa part na 'to pero gagawin ko talaga ang lahat para makumbinse 'yung mga kaklase ko na HUMSS ang piliing strand sa SHS. Sanay naman ako sa pakikipag-debate dahil may tatay akong abogado, tapos 'yung kapatid ko aspiring lawyer din. Imagine being around those two all the time!
"What if GAS? I think that's the safest strand since it's generalized. Wala siyang specialization, lahat tayo makikinabang," Jennie suggested.
"No! Ano na lang sasabihin sa'tin ng mga tao kapag nag-GAS tayo? Bobo tayo? Walang pangarap? Patapon?" one of our classmates contradicted.
"Oo nga! Tama 'yon!" a lot of people agreed to that stereotype.
Jennie hushed my classmates by tapping the board with her hand. Since she has an authoritative aura when serious, everyone shut their mouths and put their attention towards her.
"What's with the strand-shaming, guys?" seryosong tanong niya sa lahat habang nakakunot ang noo. "GAS strand is made for students who couldn't decide yet for college. Tapos ngayon, i-sheshame niyo 'yung strand na kesyo pang-bobo 'yon? Bakit, have you guys figured out what you wanna do in your lives? Tigil-tigilan niyo 'yang mindset na 'yan ha. Walang superior and inferior strand dito."
There was a moment of silence after Jennie said those things. Tama naman kasi siya talaga. Sa'ming magkakaklase, si Jennie 'yung palaging tama. Siya rin 'yung palaging top 1 at nakikipag-debate sa mga teacher kapag may nakita siyang correction sa mga quizzes or exams. Para bang sa edad na dieciséis, ang dami niya nang alam na tama.
At the end, our class decided to go for HUMSS, which made my heart warm. I felt like the universe became in favor of me. I think our whole class was made for this strand because none of us wanted to become a medical doctor, an engineer, an architect, an accountant, or a businessman. Lahat ng gusto naming career after college ay connected sa Humanities and Social Studies.
While we were on our way home, I asked Jennie about the course she wanted to take after Senior High.
"Siguro anything na related sa SocSci. Nando'n kasi talaga passion ko, e," she answered.
I thanked her and the driver when they dropped me off in front of our house. Pagkarating ko sa bahay, tumambay muna ako sa sofa namin at doon namahinga. Tinanggal ko 'yung black shoes ko at ipinatong ang mga paa ko sa center table. Habang nag-iiscroll ako sa cellphone ko, bigla akong nakatanggap ng tawag mula kay Esteban sa Messenger.
"Hello bebe."
My heart felt warm when he said that. Nakaupo siya sa bleachers at may tuwalya na nakapatong sa mga balikat niya. Water break siguro ulit nila.
BINABASA MO ANG
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