The Mendacious Top Tier

Chapter 22: Unexpected Reward

It's been an hour, but I still couldn't sleep well. What happened earlier at home kept replaying in my brain. That dad keeps abusing me, and mom is just watching me. Like it's just a normal thing that a parent does if their child doesn't meet their expectations.

I can feel my heart aching so much while thinking about it. Why do I feel like I needed to get great grades to be considered as their daughter?

Bumangon ako and lumabas sa room ni Ate Sweow. I went to the kitchen and looked for something there. Nang makita ko na ay kinuha ko ito. I smiled bitterly while looking at the knife that I'm holding.

I pressed it on one of my hands and I can see that a lot of blood came out of my hand. It's hurt a lot . . . but it still can't compare to the pain my heart feels right now.

I'm doing my best to get the grades that they want me to achieve, but disappointed pa rin sila sa akin. Ano bang tingin nila sa akin? Na isa akong genius na kayang i-maintain palagi ang pagiging Top 1? Na madali lang ang maging high school student?

Suddenly my cellphone rang, so I quickly took it out of my pocket, hoping it was mom or dad. Baka kasi nagsisisi na sila sa ginawa nila sa akin.

I can feel na bumagsak ang shoulder ko when I saw who it was.

"Hello," I answered in a lower voice.

"Where are you fucking now?" he asked.

"It's none of your business," I said tiredly.

"Your parents came to our house earlier, and they looked for you. Fuck, kaya paano naging none of business ko 'yon, Lyra? Sabihin mo sa akin kung na saan ka ngayon."

I breathed heavily. "If I tell you now where I am, are you going to tell mom and dad too?"

"No, I'm just curious kung na saan ka."

Malamang hindi s'ya aamin sa akin ng totoo.

"Did they say something about me besides sa pagtakas ko?"

"Kung makausap daw kita, I should fucking tell you to go back to your house this morning and that you have to go to fucking school."

"They are really the best parents," I said sarcastically. May pake pa sila sa pagiging student ko, but they didn't care about my own feelings.

"Can we talk in person? I need to say something to you.

"You are the reason why my parents are treating me like this, Henry. Why would I want to talk to you?" I asked irritably. Hindi n'ya ba nararamdam na sa pagkuha n'ya sa pagiging Top 1 ko ay nagalit ang parents ko sa akin?

"I'm doing my best to get that fucking Top 1 because that's what my fucking parents want. I don't like being in the top 1, Lyra. The two of us are just the same. We are doing this to make our parents proud, and we don't want them to b--"

"No, we are not the same, Henry. If we were, I would blackmail or threaten you already not to snatch my rank. So don't you dare say that we are the same again. You don't know what happened to me earlier," I said seriously and hung up the phone. I put the knife in my jacket pocket.

I decided to leave Rafael's house. Baka kasi mahanap pa ako nila mom and dad dito then madamay pa sila Rafael. I don't want that to happen.

I saw a convenience store that was still open. So I came there and went inside.

"One pack of Marlboro," I said to the cashier, and I handed her the payment. When she gave it to me, she still couldn't take her eyes off my hand. Ngayon lang ba s'ya nakakita ng blood? Kung makatitig kasi s'ya parang hindi s'ya makapaniwala sa nakikita n'ya.

"Totoo ba 'yan na dugo?" she asked curiously.

"It's just fake blood," I lied. If I said kasi na totoong blood ito. Baka madami pa s'yang itatanong sa akin.

I went out and sat on a bench nearby. I was about to light the cigarette I bought, but someone grabbed it from me. Napatingin ako sa kanya. I frowned when I saw who it was. Why is he here again?

"Ngayon ko lang nalaman na naninigarilyo ka, Lyra," he said and was about to take the lighter from me when he suddenly stopped.

"What happened to your hand? Bakit madaming dugo ang lumabas?" he asked worriedly. He was about to touch it, but mabilis ko itong iniwas sa kanya.

"Stop pretending to care and worry about me. You already achieved your goal. Why are you still bothered by my wounds?" He didn't answer naman. "Does my presence make you threaten to be yo--?"

"Can you fucking stop talking about our rank? Nasa labas na tayo ng school."

"Then, what do you want us to talk about?" I asked irritatedly. "Don't tell me, may bago ka na naman iba-blackmail sa akin? Or another strategy mo para sayo na naman ang Top 1 by next month?"

"No, it's not like that. I just want our relationship to be improved," he said seriously and tiningnan ako ng deretso sa mata.

I breathed heavily. "What kind of relationship improvement do you want?"

Yumuko naman s'ya and put his face close to my ear.

"Hulaan mo." Umayos na s'ya sa pagkakatayo.

"If mahulaan ko nga, ibibigay mo na ba sa akin ang pagiging Top 1 mo by next month, Henry?" I asked annoyedly. For sure, he won't just give up on that easily.

"Are you begging now?" Pang-aasar n'ya.

"No, I'm not. You're asking me something na dapat kung hulaan. I should also receive a reward if tama ang hula ko."

He smirked. "Okay, you will receive a reward, but it's not about the ranking. I will fucking decide what kind of reward that you will receive, but I will only give you three chances."

I nodded and stand up. "Toxic friendships?"

He's eyebrow furrowed.  "Hindi."

"Friends with benefits?"

"Hindi."

"Dating?" I said hesitately.

"That's what I mean," he agreed.

I smiled. "Then, what is my reward n--" I suddenly paused when I realized something. So, ang gusto n'yang i-improve sa relationship namin ay da--

I couldn't finish what I was thinking when he suddenly gave me a quick kiss on my lips. My eyes widened when he finished doing it. What is that kiss for? Is that my reward? Bakit parang feeling ko s'ya ang nabigyan ko ng reward?

"That's the reward that I want to give." He held my one hand that had no wound and placed a single white flower there. Maliit ito na hugis star, and has a yellow color in the middle. It's fluffy, which makes it soft when you touch it. My eyebrows furrowed. What kind of flower is this?

He smiled and turned his back on me and walked away from me. I just sat on the bench again and touched my lips. Shit, that was my second kiss.

My shoulder dropped. Ang first kiss ko, hindi ko man nakilala kung sino ang humalik sa akin. Then now with my second kiss. Si Henry pa talaga ang nakakuha, na s'ya rin ang isa sa mga dahilan kong bakit nangyari iyon sa akin kanina. I just looked at the sky. What exactly is fate planning for me?