Loss of Tempo

Chapter 3

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Chapter 3

"Ano? Nabalik ba?" tanong ni Haya.

I nodded my head elusively. Her eyes narrowed a bit when she noticed how my cheeks reddened. Iniwas ko ang tingin ko at pinagmasdan ang karatig na kiosk. The umbrella-like footings were filled with students. It was our break time so students were all over the place.

Hindi rin naman nagtagal ang pagtila ng ulan kagabi. Maybe, it heard my prayers because after minutes of waiting, it slowed down in a heartbeat. Hinintay ako ni Daikon makasakay sa Jeep pagkatapos no'n ay wala na. I was too shy to say good bye so I just stared at him which I immdiately detached.

"Ingat ka," aniya.

Nang medyo nakalayo na ang jeep, I refused to look over my shoulder. The gloomy weather eventually corrupted my mind along with the thoughts that I was going home. Was it . . . even a home?

"You like him, beh." It wasn't a question but a realization.

I jumped on my seat when I heard those words from Haya. My eyes widened. Mas nanliit ang mata niya sabay turo sa akin. Naging mabilis ang pag-iling ko. She mirrored my response by shaking her head — maybe because of disappointment or disapproval or something.

I like Daikon?

No. It wasn't true. Why would I like him?

Huh! There were a lot of things that were likable to him. He was the captain of the volleyball team, popular, kind, and . . . good-looking. He was nice to me. He was nice to everyone. Kapag ngumingiti siya, lumalabas ang maliit niyang dimple. His eyes were deep-set, complementing the hues of amber color. But, despite those likable traits, I didn't like him. I was here to study and not to go feverish over a guy.

"I- I don't like him."

Mas nanliit ang mata niya sa naging tugon ko. She crossed her arms above her shoulders as she squinted her eyes more. Parang hinila ang nguso niya sa gilid habang duda akong pinagmamasdan.

"Talaga? E, bakit parang nangangamatis 'yang mukha mo, beh?" puna niya.

I felt like being scrutinized for a shallow reason.

"B-Because you're claiming that I-I l-l-like him. E-Even though I r-really don't."

Pumalatak siya. "Tignan mo! Hindi mo nga masabi nang straight! Gusto mo siya!"

My eyes dropped to my plate as she argued my affection towards the guy. I wanted to defend myself but it was hard because she might already conclude that. Hindi naman mahirap magustuhan si Daikon. Katulad ng sabi ko, he was likable. Girls, in my observation in my first few weeks, were fond of him. They flock to him like he was the candy of their eyes.

"H-Hindi . . . "

Bumuntong hininga siya at muling umiling. "Naku, Messara, ako na nagsasabi sa 'yo. Huwag. Playboy 'yon. Sa tagal kong nasa school na 'to, lagpas na sa daliri ang mga naging girlfriend niya."

Umiling ako kahit alam kong hindi niya papansinin 'yon.

"Maraming nagkakagusto kaya marami ring nagiging girlfriend. Tignan mo, may nililigawan daw sabi nila Vincy."

Hindi ako umimik. It wasn't a secret that he had a lot of admirers. I know that in the first place.

"Mga athlete talaga!" bulalas niya. "Pero in fairness beh, lahat ng naging jowa niya, mga magaganda. Marunong din mamili, e."

May sasabihin pa sana si Haya pero nahinto siya dahil sa ingay sa katapat naming kiosk. Parehas kaming napabaling doon. Even though I wasn't looking to the girl beside me, I could imagine Haya's irritated reaction along with the annoyed sigh.