Find me in your pages | THE WATTYS 2023

Chapter 2:

The school week carried on as usual. Tinatamad ako gumawa nang assignment pero gusto ko pumasa. Si Gwen ay isang top achiever, sa totoo lang, naiinggit ako minsan sa talino nya. Lalo na sa mga quiz, pero Hindi ko itatanggi na mabait syang kaibigan. I like her like that, sweet and kind. "Xerenaaaa. Lutang ka na naman. Iniisip mo siguro ako no?" Tanong ni Lucas sa akin, nakakaasar na minsan ang pagmumukha nya, buti na lang may itsura at mabait din. Hindi tulad nang ibang mayaman na ubod nang sama ang paguugali.

"Ang kapal mo palagi. Kilabutan ka nga, nanginginig bakla kong pagkatao nang dahil sayo." Reklamo ko habang nagpupunas nang pawis after nang PE class namin. Nakapagshower na ako at nagpalit nang uniform pero init na init parin ang buong katawan ko mula sa exercises. "Anyways, nagugutom ako. Let's go get some snacks muna." I invited him, kahit sobrang tamad na ako kumilos. It's been two weeks since we started hanging out, he wasn't that much of a bad person after all.

"Sure, Rena. Libre ko. Oh. By the way, my brother is coming back from Palawan to study here sa manila, his name is Nikolai. He's a nice person din, you might get along with him." Lucas suggested. Wow. I wasn't aware na mag kapatid pala si Lucas. Not like I care about it, okay na ako sa mga nakikilala ko dito sa school. Lucas is already like a best friend to me, pero hindi parin buo ang tiwala ko sa kanya.

Naglakad kami nang patuloy sa hallway papunta sa canteen habang nagkwekwentuhan kami about random things sa buhay. Until I noticed myself asking a lot about Nikolai. "Bakit ba hindi kayo sabay nagaral dito? I mean...Bakit sya sa palawan napunta?"

"He had to do some business there with daddy while studying kaya doon muna sya tumira. Daddy said na he can stay here to finish school and focus first unlike there. We're not in good terms pero it looks like we need to get along." He dropped a coin at the vending machine para makakuha nang coke. Never knew they were this rich to have a business. Ano pa bang aasahan ko? We're literally in a prestigious school sa manila, at eto lang ako. Isang swinerte na galing public school na mukhang patatas.

"We can actually get along, Lucas. Sadyang ayaw mo lang talaga dahil mas pabor si dad sa akin kesa sayo." May hindi pamilyar na Boses ang nagsalita mula sa likod, dahilan kung bakit kami napakingon. "Oh? Is she your girlfriend? Looks like you got yourself a catch, considering that you're a complete failure, a disgrace to our family."

"Stop blabbering nonsense, Niko. Alam naman nating sipsip ka lang at mayabang. And no, she's not my girlfriend. Xerena is just a friend, a close one."

That's his brother? Nikolai? Sounds like a complete asshole. "Chill, Lucas. I was just playing around. You act like you don't know me." Napatingin sakin si Nikolai at agad naman na kumunot ang aking noo nung nagkasalubong ang aming mga maya. "Xerena huh? I'm Nikolai-"

"At wala akong pakialam. Tara na nga Lucas." Hinatak ko ang kaniyang kamay para makaalis na kami doon. Tsk. Ang yabang! Napansin kong padabog na pala ang aking lakad kaya ako ay napatigil. "That was your brother? He got the looks but not the attitude! Kadiri sobra...Para syang gwapo na tambay lang sa kanto!"

Natawa naman si Lucas sa naging reaksyon ko sa kapatid nya. "Yeah. I know right? But he's nice, Xerena. Trust me. We just started fighting because...Childhood. I can't tell you why right now kung ano ang dahilan." He sounded...sad. Agad naman akong nagalala dahil nagiba na lang bigla ang ihip nang hangin sa paligid namin. Nakakapanibago. "Tara na? Bibili ka pa nang snacks di ba?" Tanong nya sa akin na para bang walang nangyari. Napatango na lang ako at nanahimik. Was it something sensitive? Maybe it was something I shouldn't even know, for now at least. But I'm concerned.

Umupo kami sa cafeteria as I held my cup of coffee. Tahimik lang kami parehas at Walang nagsasalita. Awkward. Maybe I should initiate the conversation this time, sya naman kasi palagi ang nagstastart. "Are...You okay? Kanina ka pa tahimik." Tanga! Bakit yun ang tinanong ko?