Hardest to Lose (Villaraza Series #4)

28 | Hard

28 | Hard

* * * * *

I gasped aloud when my head hit a hard object. Kamuntikan na akong magmura kung hindi ko lang naalala kung nasaan ako. I pursed my lips, held my forehead, and wished I could kick the goddamn chair.

Buwisit kasing flight 'to. Ang aga!

It was five a.m. and I was at the airport for a flight to Baguio. I was to attend a conference with my fellow student leaders. Dahil nagpuyat din ako sa pag-aaral kagabi, I wasn't in the best mood and state.

Kung bakit ba kasi na-schedule ito kung kailan malapit na ang major exams . . .

After a long muted yawn, I grabbed my phone, took a photo then posted it with a caption about the start of midterm exams tomorrow and I couldn't study because I was away. Pagkatapos ay nagmukmok ako muli at pumikit para aluin kahit paano ang antok.

I was halfway reaching my dreamland when my phone vibrated in my pocket. Busangot na kinuha kong muli iyon mula sa bulsa. It was a message. From . . . Markus.

What's your e-mail address?

What do you need it for? And why are you up this early?

After sending him my reply, I decided to sit up straight and play with my phone. Medyo nagising na ako. The vibration from my phone probably did the trick.

I was browsing photos when an e-mail came in. Lumitaw ang mga linya sa noo ko nang nakitang mula kay Markus iyon. The e-mail contained some files. Nang buksan ko ay notes niya sa major subjects ko ngayon.

These are good materials from your profs' former students. You can use them. Or ignore them, like how you ignore my feelings for you.

Gagong 'to.

I perused the files. True to his words, they were good. Iyong mga d-in-iscuss na hindi ko nakuha, naroon at mas ipinaliwanag nang simple. Kaya kahit ayoko, I sent him my thanks. Nag-reply lamang siya ng kumikindat na emoji.

Mukhang tanga.

All along, I really thought Markus was predictable. His mischief had a pattern and I had them mapped in my head. Interestingly, when he spilled his feelings for me, it had been really hard to read him. He would say words in harmony with farewells. But he would come to me the next day as if he had forgiven me for whatever I did that hurt him.

That wasn't the weirdest part, though.

What was baffling was that I wanted to know what he was thinking.

Tuwing break time ng conference, binabasa ko iyong files na s-in-end niya. Hindi na siya kumontak pa, and I was confused why it was bothering me.

Damn it.

Nothing much happened in the conference except that I had an impromptu speech there. I was so nervous that I said so many things which I didn't think about anymore. My flight back home was next day, early in the morning. Ang plano kong pag-aaral kinagabihan ay hindi nangyari dahil sa kapaguran.

"Wow. Your eyes are puffy."

She always said that.

I pouted and held the bags under my eyes. "Do I look horrible?"

Tumawa si Faye at inangkla ang braso sa akin. "No, not at all."

I grinned and we finally walked to our classroom.

I just got home an hour ago. Today was the start of our midterm exams. Hindi ako confident sa ginawa kong review kaya kabado ako. I hoped the questions wouldn't be so hard.