Cheater
"Ali, dalian mo!" Nasa labas na kami ng classroom ni Ashira habang hinihintay ang kakambal niya. The first day just finished. Wala rin kaming masyadong ginawa.
"Almost there!" Sagot niya habang pinapasok pa ang mga notebook sa bag.
"I told you, kaya ko naman nang hintayin si Yino sa labas mag-isa. But you insisted to wait with me." Sabi ko sa kanila nang pababa na kami sa building.
Yino just texted me saying that he's already outside. Ready na kaming umuwi pabalik ulit sa Manila para makita ko na si Daddy.
"Here!" He waved at me when we reached the school gate. Hindi na ako nakapag paalam kina Ali dahil nagmamadali na talaga ako.
"Goodluck, Lull!" I heard them shouted.
Sa back seat ako umupo dahil nasa shotgun si Klei. Doon ko lang din nalaman na kasama pala siya.
Sa daan palang ay kinakabahan na ako, it's been a while since I last saw my Dad. Hindi ko alam kung anong una kong sasabihin, should I ask about his favorite food? Or what about his favorite place? Oh, no, no. Calm down, Lull.
"I know you're nervous. Kalma ka lang, it's just Tito Kayram." Yino said when we encountered a red traffic light.
"I know, I know."
"So, ano nang nangyari kay Ava? Kailan daw alis?" Tanong ni Yino maya-maya.
"Hindi niya pa rin sinasabi. Pero 'yung huling kita namin ay noong nagpunta pa kami sa Baguio." I was just here listening. Why would I even care about her departure?
Nang muling umandar ang sasakyan ay nagsalita si Yino, "Bakit ba kasi ayaw mo pang umamin? Will you just let her leave without you saying anything?"
Nakita ko sa side mirror na napailing si Klei. A simple confession drives him like this, maybe he's afraid of rejection? Pero obvious naman na hindi siya mare-reject dahil gusto rin siya ni Ava.
"May mali tol, may mali talaga. Hindi ko alam kung ano, pero pakiramdam ko meron. I just want to know what's wrong and after that wala namang problema sa confession. Pero kung magco-confess agad ako, it might just be a fail relationship para sa'ming dalawa. No one wants that." Thinking about it now, he has a point. Kung hindi niya aalamin ang mali at umamin agad, both of them might just suffer.
"Okay, it's up to you." Yino replied.
I slept a little dahil malayo pa naman ang biyahe. Nagising lang ako noong may narinig akong malakas na busina.
"The heck? Anong problema ng truck na 'yon?" I heard Klei.
Napasilip din ako sa labas ng bintana at nakita kong malapit na pala kami sa bahay. We were stuck in a traffic kaya naigala ko pa ang mga mata ko sa labas. Nang magawi ng tingin ko ang Starbucks ay may nakita akong pamilyar na kotse. It was a blue Ferrari. It was Eagan's.
I saw him opening the car door for a girl. That girl is not familiar, I haven't seen her before. Pilit kong kinukumbinse ang sarili ko na baka kaibigan niya lang o pinsan at may iba pa silang kasama pero wala nang tao ang lumabas pa mula sa sasakyan. It was just the two of them. Still, sinasabi ko sa sarili ko na wala naman silang ginagawang masama, maybe they just wanted to catch up. I didn't want to overthink anything.
Until I saw the girl kissed him. Not on the cheeks, not on the forehead, but on the lips.
Why...
My whole world stopped, hindi ko alam ang gagawin ko. I wanted to go out and confront him pero hindi ko magalaw ang katawan ko. Gusto kong magalit, gusto kong mainis. But I remembered we're not official. He's not yet my boyfriend, he just told me he likes me. And I thought.....I thought he was serious.
BINABASA MO ANG
The Mistake Of Falling For You
RomansA maldita naive girl and a matured gentle boy. With a silver spoon in mouth, Lully never thought of other things rather than getting the attention of her Dad. For herself, she's nothing but an immature girl, not knowing what the future has prepared...
