The Golden Ruins (High School Series #2)

Chapter 5

"Ilang butas ang mayroon sa straw?"

We all turned our heads to face Zhef with his chin cradled in his hand, staring into the void and the question held the secrets of the universe. It was their break from practice.

I was here because I waiting for Cal for our tutoring session later. We only had two more subjects to finish!

Skye responded with a grim tone, "Magkakabutas ka sa mukha kapag sinapak kita."

Kleo, standing nearby, joined the discussion with unexpected passion. "Malamang, isa!" he declared with a twinkle in his eye. "Isipin mo, Zhef. Ang straw, para lang 'yang katawan ng tao. 'Yong unang butas ay parang bibig na ginagamit para kumain, tapos 'yong butas sa baba ay para sa paglabas!"

They share the same brain cells.

Cal massaged his head with a frown, muttering, "Ang sakit niyo sa ulo."

My notebook already boasted a detailed chart of the players' positions during their intense game. Cal and Gio, the dynamic duo, served as opposite hitters—Cal taking the first spot, and Gio claiming the second. Zhef and Skye skillfully juggled their roles as middle blockers; Skye held the first position, and Zhef, the second. As for Van, he was the designated outside hitter.

"Chi-chi!" The setter, while wiping mist off his glasses, suddenly found himself wrapped in Kleo's arm. "Dalawang butas ang mayroon sa straw, 'di ba?" Kleo threw the question out as if it were a declaration of war.

"Huwag niyo akong idamay," Chi-chi answered placidly.

"Hey! Participate in group activities!" Gio chimed in with a chuckle. "A straw is a single object. It has one hole that contains two openings on each end."

We blinked simultaneously, staring at him in awe. Gio had just dropped a wisdom bomb on the great straw debate. He had always been the wise one.

Zhef scratched his head. "Ahh..."

"Now, enough chattering," Gio grabbed a ball from the basket, declaring the end of the break. "Get back to practice!"

Everyone dashed to their places at his command.

I wiped the beads of sweat from my neck as their training came to an end. It was finally time for our tutoring session. Cal grabbed his bag with a noticeable grumble of annoyance as he stepped out of the court.

I ran after him, laughing at the dispirited look on his face. The guy really despised the idea of hitting the books!

"The boys are really fun to be around," I remarked while walking beside him. Despite his reserved nature, I found myself constantly wanting to engage him in conversation. "I wonder how you got along with them, considering you're such a meanie!"

He shrugged. "Hindi kami magkakasundo noong una."

I shot him a wide-eyed look. "Really? Why? What happened?" I bombarded him with questions.

In response, he gave me a mean look, signaling the end of the discussion, so I relentlessly poked his side until he gave in. "Magkaaway pa nga kami ni Chi-chi," he mentioned.

"How so? He seems really calm, though!" I gasped before playfully jumping around him. "Maybe you did something to him?" I immediately assumed that it was him who was the problem.

"Hindi kamo magkapantay," he said. "Ilang beses kaming nag-aaway kasi masyado akong mahigpit maglaro, habang siya naman, kampante lang."

He settled into his chair, opening his book without entertaining any more of my queries. I hadn't even realized that we had arrived, too engrossed in his unexpected storytelling. I was usually the one spinning tales, so it was refreshing that he decided to open up about something!