Between Your Lips and Mine (Cervantes Series)

1

this is a reboot.

111022 #BYLAMwp Chapter 1

"Ang New Year's resolution mo ay i-accept ako sa Facebook."

"Wala. Akong. New Year's. Resolution," I say slowly, making sure every word gets into Santiago's head para hindi siya paulit-ulit. I woke up early this morning to make sure I get some quiet time before he arrives dahil alam kong everyday mission niya yatang rindihin ako. I am sure that he arrives to school almost late every time (and never late-late). I don't know why he's here early.

He laughs. "Bakit wala? Meron nga! Kasasabi ko lang e."

"Shut up." Bakit siya ang magde-decide ng New Year's resolution ko?

He slides his phone on my armdesk. Paulit-ulit niyang t-in-ap ang Cancel at Add Friend sa profile ko as if that's going to do anything.

Sometimes I wonder what's going on inside his head. Or if there's anything inside his skull that resembles a brain.

"Accept mo na . . . accept mo na," he says in a sing-song manner then continues what he's doing.

I shake my head. "No."

He whines. Whines. With whining noises. Like a pre-schooler. Hindi talaga nagma-match ang physique at pagkilos niya. He's tall, has broad chest and shoulders, and a really nice tan but I'm never telling him that because he will hold it against me.

One time in freshman year, I slipped and told him that the waves of his hair framed his face nicely. One month niyang pinagyabang 'yun at paulit-ulit na b-in-ring up every time he had the chance. He only stopped when I told him it looked ugly dahil masyado nang mahaba. He now regularly cuts his hair every six weeks, and I always tell him it doesn't look nice para di na niya ako asarin.

"Bakit ba ayaw mong maging Facebook friends?" he asks as if hindi obvious ang sagot. He keeps on tagging me on random things and it's so annoying. I can't just ignore kasi tatanungin niya ako whenever kami magkikita, and that's every day. "Siguro kasi hindi mo mapigilan sarili mong i-stalk ako kasi marami akong pictures."

I tear my gaze off his phone and shift it back to him. What.

He laughs. Sinabayan pa siya ni Sabrina na sa tabi ko nakaupo. Santiago raises his hand for a hi-five but immediately puts it down when Sab stops laughing promptly and puts on a poker face colder than mine.

Imbes na ibaba niya ang kamay niya ay tumayo siya at naghanap ng sasalo ng hi-five niya. Pre-schooler talaga.

Sinalo 'yun ni Erina na kapapasok lang. Among our little friend group, si Eri ang pinakatumatagal sa ka-childish-an niya. But that's most probably because Eri's so carefree she seems absentminded most of the time. She likes giving people nicknames. She calls herself Rina the First and Sabrina as Rina the Second. She's also too kind to the point of being gullible. If it weren't for Sab na lagi niyang kasama at laging mukhang naghahamon ng away, she would have been in trouble way too many times. Her sober and drunk mode were interchanged when she was being calibrated as a human being. Kung kailan siya may alcohol influence, doon siya nagkakamalay sa paligid niya.

Napatingin ako kay Sab nang idantay niya ang braso sa armdesk ko. "Sarap ng tulog ko," sabi niya na kinainggit ko. I haven't been sleeping well lately.

She turns her head to me. "Three hours," she adds, showing me three fingers while looking genuinely happy.

Tinitigan ko lang siya. Unbelievable.

Sab can pull an all-nighter like it's not taking a toll on her body. Sabi niya ay nasanay lang siyang laging puyat or maaga masyadong gumigising dahil varsity siya noong high school. I keep telling her that it's not healthy, pero binabalewala lang niya because she feels perfectly fine. And I partly believe her dahil siya yata ang pinakamalakas sa 'min physically. I think she can lift Santiago over the corridor railings then throw him downstairs without breaking a sweat.