DESPEDIDA GONE WRONG. What's supposed to be a memorable send-off party ends up in tragedy as the celebrant drops dead after making a toast. Of all the possibilities, murder seems to be most likely scenario. And the suspects? The four attendees who w...
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BEATRICE
"TRIS? TRIS?"
I unconsciously slapped away the hands of whoever's shaking my body. I heard my mother's voice repeatedly trying to wake me up. My eyes were still closed and it hurt me to try to open them.
Go away, mom. I still want to sleep.
"Tris, kanina pa nag-a-alarm ang phone mo. Wala ka bang pasok today?"
Dahan-dahan kong iminulat ang aking mga mata. I saw my mom's concerned face staring at me, her head tilted to one side and her ponytail hanging on her right shoulder.
"Bumangon ka na riyan, Tris. Naka-ready na ang breakfast natin. Hindi ka pa kumain kagabi. Siguradong gutom ka na."
My mom turned off the fan, making the room slightly warm. Wala akong nagawa kundi alisin ang kumot na nakabalot sa akin. I looked like a human burrito. Instead of standing up and rushing down the stairs, I just sat in my bed and stared blankly at the wall.
I was feeling unmotivated today. Alam kong normal na maranasan ito ng estudyanteng gaya ko. I already had previous episodes of it in the past few months. But this one hit me differently. Talagang bumagsak hindi lang ang isip kundi maging ang katawan ko.
No matter how busy I was with academics and extracurricular works, I always tried to not miss a single meal in my life. Tinuruan ako ni mama na masama ang magpagutom, kaya never kong ginawa 'yon lalo na ngayong nasa college na ako.
But last night, I missed our dinner. Pagkatapos akong ihatid ni Cole, dumeretso ako sa aking kuwarto at nagkulong dito. My mom didn't notice my absence until dinner time came. Wala naman akong ginawa maliban sa umiyak at lunurin ang sarili ko sa kumunoy ng kalungkutan.
The revelation at the police station almost broke me. I was planning to run for the student council presidency next year. So if anyone heard the clip that Sir Zafra had saved in his phone, my student-leader career would be over instantly. How could the students trust me if I used other receipts to cover up for the missing ones in the liquidation report? I wouldn't just lose the election. I might also get expelled from the university for what I did!
I know it's my fault. Dapat naging maingat ako. Dapat hindi ko pinabayaan ang mga resibo namin para hindi sana ako nagkaproblema. Maybe I shouldn't have accepted Sir Zafra's help when he offered it to me? But if I didn't and I chose to take responsibility for my mistake . . . people would find out that I was an irresponsible officer and I shouldn't be trusted anymore. My servant leadership would have been over by then!
But you know what hurt me the most? Sir Zafra himself. Instead of offering me a solution, he should have advised me to own up to my mistake. Maybe I could live with all the criticisms that might be thrown at me. I would still be proud of myself because I knew that I did the right thing, even if it could cost me one of my dreams. But I was desperate. Ayaw ko pang mauwi sa game over ang pangarap kong i-lead ang student council. So I took it.
