Pursuing My Nemesis

One

Chapter 1

I DIDN'T SLEEP a wink since last night. Buong gabi akong nagbantay at nag-alaga ng dalawang lasing sa loob ng unit ko. Lucky for me, Freeda was too drunk to even eat her chicken soup. Hinayaan ko na lang siyang matulog sa couch buong gabi kaysa gisingin pa siya at magkagulo pa ulit kaming dalawa.

It was Channing who made my head throb in pain the whole night. Nagising siya nang saktong natapos ako sa niluluto ko. He was crying, and I panicked. Akala ko ay kung may masakit na sa kanya. I was so ready to call the ambulance when he went to me and gave me a hug.

It turned out that he was crying because he was rejected by the guy that he just confessed to last night. Hindi ako nakapag-react dahil panay ang hagulgol niya sa balikat ko kagabi. But internally, I badly wanted to pull his hair out of irritation.

Kaka-break lang namin kahapon! And he's already been rejected by another person? Why was he already confessing to a guy in the first place? Ano 'yon? Hindi uso sa kanya ang moving on?

"Nemmie." Channing called me when I went out of my room. Kakagising ko lang mula sa thirty-minute na tulog ko at nakapaghilamos na. "Good morning."

Tipid akong ngumiti. "Good morning."

"I'm sorry I caused you trouble last night," nahihiyang aniya.

"It's okay. Hindi ka naman nagkalat or something else," I said. "You just bawled your eyes to sleep. Masakit ba ang ulo mo?"

Tahimik siyang umiling. "Hindi naman."

"May gamot sa kusina. Pagkatapos nating kumain, uminom ka. Mahirap magka-headache sa umaga."

Pumasok ako sa kusina para maghanda ng agahan namin. I felt Channing following me from behind. Si Freeda, ayon sa couch. Natutulog pa.

"Si Aniel ba ang nagdala sa akin dito kagabi?"

Natigilan ako nang marinig ang nakakairitang pangalan na 'yon. Unti-unting bumabalik sa isipan ko kung paano na lang niya basta iniwan si Channing sa unit ko na parang ako ang magulang ng kaibigan niya.

That jerk! He didn't even give a damn if his friend was crying and wasted! Ipinasa niya pa talaga sa akin ang responsibilidad niya bilang kaibigan nito.

"Yup," I simply replied to Channing, who was watching the color of my face change.

"Mabuti pumayag ka." Do I have a choice? "Kung matino lang ako kagabi, pipigilan ko si Aniel. Nakakahiya kasi."

I waved my hand to dismiss him. "It's fine. Mas mabuti na na dito ka niya pinunta. Wala akong tiwala sa lalaking 'yon."

Channing let out a soft chuckle. "I know. You hate him."

"I despise him," I corrected him. "Hindi mo ba sinabi sa kanya na break na tayo? Sinabi niya sa akin kagabi na dapat lang na alagaan kita dahil responsibilidad kita."

Tumikwas ang isang kilay niya. It was surprising to see Channing let himself get comfortable around me. It felt like he changed a lot in just one night. I could see that he was being who he really is. No more holding back.

"He told you that?" tanong niya.

Tumango ako. "He even said that I was the reason why you were crying."

Channing held my gaze for two seconds, then burst out laughing. Nahawa ako sa uri ng tawa niya, kaya sumabay na rin ako. We were holding the edge of the island counter, my other hand on my stomach.

"Bakit ang ingay niyo? Fuck, my head!" sigaw ni Freeda mula sa living room. Finally, she's awake.

"He's my friend! He should know that you never made me cry," naiiling na natatawang sabi ni Channing.