"Hey" I raised my head to see who it was. "I knew you'd be reading here again" he said, smiling. I motioned for him to take a seat. I don't want to be rude kaya hahayaan ko nalang siyang makiupo sa harapan ko. Aalis din naman ako mamaya maya pag hindi ko na kinakaya ang presensya niya.
We're now sitting face to face. I'm holding a hardbound book in both of my hands. I'm having a good time reading here. Not until I saw his face for the third time in a row this week. He can already irritate me just by getting close to me.
"Clark" I say, taking a look at the book he's holding. That's my way of saying hi, by the way. He put his book on the table and took two highligher pens from his pocket. Apple green and yellow. He'll probably use it again to emphasize an important scene or a good phrase or quote from the book he's reading. He referred to it as annotating. I'm a bookworm as well, but I'm too lazy to do any atonating or whatever.
He looked me in the eyes as he opened the book. Then he returned his attention to his book. He's back in the habit of reading a classic. I'm not interested in reading a classic. Why? Because I'm having trouble understanding every single word on each page. I've already purchased a few classical books, but after reading two to three pages of them, I gave up because it felt like I was attempting to understand an alien language.
"Fantasy again, huh?" he smirked. We're not even close. We just happened to see each other a lot in our school's library during the week. He took pleasure in seeing how irritated I was by his presence. I can tell by the look on his face.
We are not what you would call enemies. He never does anything to offend me, but being with him makes me feel things I can't explain. No, if you think it's about love or something, you're mistaken. It's not like how the main character in a romance novel feels when he or she believes she or he is already in love with the other main character in the novel. Like a butterfly in your stomach, tachycardia-or whatever. But there's something strange about it-it's as if there are some sort of invisible threads connecting me to him. Not in a romantic way, but in a way that I couldn't explain. Ugh, here we go with these strange feelings again.
"I'm leaving." I still have two classes this afternoon. We still have an hour left, so I'll just keep reading this novel in our classroom. Also, I can't stand the fact that this person is sitting right in front of me.
"So early. Don't you want to hang out with me for a few more minutes?" I stare at him blankly. Isn't it possible for him to just leave me alone? I'm not sure why he enjoys getting close to me.
Since last year, he has been ruining my peaceful reading. Telling me about his birthplace, hobbies, weekend activities, and other interests. I can't figure out why he's telling me those things. We're not friends. I don't think of him as one. Well, I don't have any friends or even close friends. But it doesn't bother me that I don't have one. I don't trust him, so I can't call him a "friend." We never had a chance to properly introduce ourselves to each other. I'm talking about things like saying our names and shaking hands. I can still recall how I came to know his name.
Flashbacks
Tug!
What the-
I looked around to see who the hell put those books on the table that I was occupying in an unrespectful manner. I'm sitting in one of the library's corners, near the back exit. A round table separates me from that jerk who is smiling at me and taking the seat in front of me. This space is only suitable for two people, which is why it is located in the library's side corner.
He placed a scrap of paper on the table and moved it closer to me. I fixed my gaze on the piece of paper with symbols written on it. Those symbols rang a bell for me. I gave him a puzzled look as I stared at him. Why is he handing me a piece of paper with a code on it? Is he asking me to assist him in deciphering these symbols, or what? And why would he choose me to be his helper? I'm just a regular student here, with no friends. So, how did I get his attention? Is he a transferee? I had a lot of questions for him, but all he did was nod.
I guess I'll just have to decipher whatever is written in this paper.
A3 C1 A1 D2 B5
Isn't it a combination of the alphabet and numbers? I've memorized a few codes in the past for fun. I can't remember their names, but I remember how they worked. On my tote bag, I take out a sheet of yellow paper and a pen and draw a grid.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
A | A | B | C | D | E |
B | F | G | H | I/J | K |
C | L | M | N | O | P |
D | Q | R | S | T | U |
E | V | W | X | Y | Z |
A3 = C C1 = L A1 = A D2 = R B5 = K
Clark? Is it his name?
I turned to face him as he began to tap his finger on the table. Ah! Morse code!
M... Y... N... A... M...
"Aha! Your name is Clark?" he nodded. Is he mute? Maybe? Bakit pa niya ko pahihirapan kung kaya niya namang magsalita, right? But why use codes? He can simply write it in a normal way, which will make it easier for me to understand what he was trying to say. He can also communicate using sign language. Perhaps he's that intelligent to use codes to introduce himself to someone.
A week later
"Hello!" Napakunot ang noo ko. Someone had placed his book on the table. Itinaas ko ang tingin ko para tignan kung sino. It's him, to my surprise. At mas lalong kumunot ang noo ko nang mapagtanto ko na nagsalita siya! Nakakapagsalita siya! Nanliit ang mata ko sa kanya. Natatandaan ko pa kung paano siya nagpakilala sa'kin noong nakaraang linggo. Tapos malalaman ko na nakakapagsalita naman pala siya? Ha!
"What do you want from me?" I asked calmly. I don't want to be blacklisted from this library for making a loud noise.
"It is not yet the appropriate time to tell you."
What?!
End of flashbacks
I smiled at him to show him some respect, despite the fact that I'm sick of being around him. I'm not sure why, but he has this energy that makes me shiver.
I shook my head.
"I have tasks to complete." Kinuha ko ang librong binabasa at tumayo sa aking kinauupuan. Iniayos ko muna ang upuan bago tumalikod papunta sa pinto palabas. Isa kasi iyon sa mga rules dito sa library namin, parte narin ng pagdidisiplina nila sa mga estudyante na nag-aaral dito. By the way, I'm a student at an international school in Manila. I got in here thanks to a friend of my father's. I'm already living on my own. At nagtatrabaho para mabuhay. Kung kaya't malaking tulong na ang ginawa sa akin ng kaibigan ng pumanaw kong ama.
I was about to close the library's glass door when I heard the man say something that made me look at him puzzled.
"I'll see you there."
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Thank you for reading the first chapter!
:)
