QED CLUB: the go-to place of students and teachers in Clark High whenever they have mind-boggling mysteries they want solved. For months, club president Loki Mendez has been managing it alone, but circumstances will force him to open its doors to ne...
Oops! Ang larawang ito ay hindi sumusunod sa aming mga alituntunin sa nilalaman. Upang magpatuloy sa pag-publish, subukan itong alisin o mag-upload ng bago.
ALISTAIR
LORELEI COULD not have seen this coming. She was staring at me as if she had seen someone she thought was long dead.
I stepped down from the platform and walked straight to the last row of chairs. Some female students giggled as I walked past their seats. Lorelei sat frozen on hers. Nang nakaupo na ako, ni hindi man siya lumingon sa akin. Given her apparent shock, I also did not try talking to her. Baka pino-process pa niya ang pag-transfer ko rito.
When the homeroom session was over, she finally turned to me and looked so curiously. Hanggang ngayon yata'y hindi siya makapaniwala na nandito na ako. She got to her feet, grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of my seat. Nagtilian ang mga classmate namin hanggang sa tuluyan na kaming nakalabas. This was not the reaction that I was expecting from her.
"Sa ganitong paraan mo ba ako balak batiin, Lori?" nakangiti kong tanong matapos niyang bitiwan ang kamay ko. She had not greeted me "hi" nor "hello" and even a good morning. "Hindi mo man ako nginitian nang dumaan ako sa tabi mo."
My childhood friend looked up at me and folded her arms across her chest. Imbes na sorpresa, mukhang mas nanaig ang mga tanong at pagtataka sa kanya. "First things first: What are you doing here? Did my dad send you?"
"What am I, a dog to do your father's bidding?" I replied. But truth be told, she was half-right about it. Ngunit hindi na niya kailangang malaman iyon. Baka magalit pa siya o mawala siya sa mood ng ganito kaaga. "I'm not here under anyone's orders. I'm here because of you, Lori."
"B-Because of me?" Her eyes blinked twice. Her voice began to trail off as she looked away. "Are you here to protect me . . . again?"
"As always, Lori," I answered with conviction.
Then there was silence. Alam ko namang hindi niya kailangan ang tulad ko sa tabi niya. But given everything that had happened to her, I wanted to be of help in any way that I could. Kung hindi siya komportable roon, hindi ko ipagpipilitan ang sarili ko. The most important thing for me right now was to let her know and make her feel that I was here for her—literally and figuratively.
We stared at each other for seconds, then she averted her gaze.
"By the way, how's that detective boyfriend of yours? His name is Loki, isn't it?" I asked just to break the awkward silence that ensued. "It's been weeks since I last saw him."
She bit her lower lip and hesitated for a second. "He's been indefinitely suspended by the school admin. It's quite a long story."
I would have been clueless about it if Tito Walter did not let me know. Just a week or two after my visit to Pampanga, he summoned me to the Rios residence. We were supposed to discuss my decision on whether or not I would consider his offer. I already had an answer. But our conversation started from a different angle.
