Beneath the Lies

CHAPTER 5

Naglalakad kami towards the school gate. I was not yet sure kung saan kami pupunta pero tama nga siya nasa kanya parin bag ko kaya naman di ako pwedeng umalis nalang.

"Here" he said then he gave me the paperbag he was holding. "I was told na you liked kpop merch kaya nabili ako kahapon nung dumaan ako sa Evergreen Mall, EXO pa yan ahh"

I hesitated.Di ko kinuha yung inaabot niya sakin habang naglalakd kami. "Kanino mo nalaman na nagcocollect ako ng kpop merch's?"

"Kay Gray.Siya mismo nagsabi." He smiled. I was confused. Yes, tama siya. Since nagpunta ako South Korea noong grade 6 ako I had started an obsession with kpop most especially EXO. 

"Why naman niya- ay teka. Oo nga pala,ano pala napag-usapan nyo kanina?"

This time. Siya naman tong nagulat.

"N-nalaman mo yun?"

"Juice ko, wala namang ligtas na tsismis sa school na ito.So ano nga napag-usapan niyo? "

Tumawa ulit si Clint.God damn that laugh.Basa pa ang kanyang buhok at hinahawi niya ito para magmukhang maayos.

"Oh wag mo akong masyadong titigan baka mainlove ka"

Napalingon ako sa harap. Namula at nag-init mukha ko. Tumawa siya ng malakas at mas nairita ako. 

"Saan mo gusto kumain?Mahilig ka ba sa ramen?"

Clint asked. Abala parin akong irelax ang mukha ko mula nung mamula ito. Tumango na lamang ako at kukunin sana cellphone sa bulsa ko nung marealize kong nilagay ko pala ito sa bag ko. Inabot muli sakin ni Clinton yung paperbag kaya kinuha na ito sayang naman album na yun oh. Naglalakad kami while he was telling me how was his day. Napagod daw siya sa extra push-ups na pinagawa sa kanya ng coach niya, hindi parin niya maintindihan yung Ohm's Law at may kailangan pa siyang tapusin na tatlong journals.

He would also ask questions para ako naman ang magkwento.Ofcourse, I was being polite so I had my fair share of the story. I told him that I started to be interested with the works of Sigmund Freud,a psychoanalyst. Na curious siya nung una pero hinayaan niya akong magkwento tungkol sa mga nabasa ko about psychology. Sinabi ko narin sa kanya na tutulungan namin sina Matt and Ash para sa Foundations Week Anniversary since they are in SSG. Lastly, nabanggit ko rin sa kanya na di na ako masyadong pinapansin ni Gray.

Nasa Cherin Ramen na kami ng magsimula siyang magkwento sa napag-usapan nila ni Gray. According to Clint, he was approached by Gray sa basketball court with a good mood apparently. Katatapos lang ng warm-up exercise kaya nagulat daw sila kasi hindi allowed ang mga non-basketball teammate sa court during practices. May mga tumatambay kasing mga girlfriend na maiingay kapag pinapanood boyfriends nila kapag naglalaro. The coach does not like the distraction that's why he gave Clint some extra push-ups. 

"Tinanong niya rin ako kung nangtritrip lang ba talaga ako? " He started. "Kasi kung oo daw? magagalit siya sa akin kasi bestfriend ka niya? Pero Kung seryoso naman daw ako, he will happy for us." 

'That doesn't sound like Gray Sanford at all.'  I thought. I took a sip of juice from my glass and cleared my throat. 

"Yun lang ba sinabi nya?"

He smirked. "Well, I told him na seryoso ako sayo. I'll never get tired of saying that. Sinabi ko iyon sa kanya when he told me what you like and what you don't like."

I drummed my fingers on the table. This doesn't feel right. "For all I know,Gray won't let this slide."

He sighed. Just in time, our orders were served. Nagsimula ng kumain si Clint pero ako nakatitig lamang sa chopsticks. He noticed that and stopped from chewing. 

"Anong meron? Why did you stop?" 

I looked at him at napabuntong hininga. "You know what's really bothering me? Paano at bakit mo ako nagustuhan?"

"Where will I start?" Clint paused and then he fixed himself and sat up straight in his seat.