Grape Juice (By the Border, #1) ✓

2

I was stuck to my seat during our Creative Nonfiction class.

Inutusan kami ng guro na maghanap ng partner at magkasamang mag-revise ng maikling istorya. Binigyan kami ng isang araw para matapos ito. It wouldn't be a problem at all if I had friends. One by one, my classmates all found their partners while I watched their interactions from afar.

Some of them spared me a glance, whispered to their friends, and broke out in giggles. I wanted to say I didn't care, but for a split second I had the urge to throw my chair in their general direction so everyone would stop. Isang tangang desisyon, dahil kung ginawa ko iyon, pagtutulungan lang nila ako. They would all throw their chairs in unison, and no one would think of missing my face.

So I sat there, ignoring the very subtle mockery, my eyes trained on the board that had words written on it with chalk: A NOTE ON REVISING.

That would be easy to do alone, but I doubted if Mrs. Hudson would accept any output if her instruction was clear: no partner, no grade. Wala akong maidahilan. 29 lamang kaming nandito sa classroom, at ni isa ay walang nais maging partner ko. Wala pa si Kenzie dahil mukhang hindi na naman sila d-in-ismiss ng kanilang coach sa tamang oras.

Ngunit dumating siya ilang segundo bago simulan ni Mrs. Hudson ang kaniyang lecture. Kahit sa distansya ko ngayin ay kitang-kita ang nakatali ngunit magulo niyang buhok, ang jersey niyang hindi pantay ang pagkasuot, at ang malawak niyang ngiti na madalas niyang ipinamamalas sa mga guro para maiwasan ang kanilang sermon.

"Valeria," tawag ni Mrs. Hudson, "you're five minutes late."

"Yes po, Ma'am, sorry po talaga! Coach had us running extra laps! Ayaw niya kaming pakawalan kanina kasi bibihira lang daw po kami kumpleto." Like any other day, Kenzie's smile was too hard to resist. Our teacher's face visibly relaxed.

Hinugot ni Mrs. Hudson ang kaniyang hininga bago sumagot. "Take a seat now and look for a partner."

"Si Santiago, Ma'am!" Kenzie's smile grew wider. "What do we need partners for?"

The teacher nodded in my direction. "May partner ka na ba?"

"Wala p—"

"Si papa niya raw, Ma'am," tugon ng lalaki sa likuran ko, at nagtawanan ang buong klase.

"Itikom mo 'yang bibig mo bago ko 'yan tahiin," banta ni Kenzie na muntikan pang sumugod kung hindi ko siya tinitgnan nang masama.

"Kung wala ka pang partner, sige, kayo nalang ni Valeria."

Of course Mrs. Hudson didn't care about what just happened. They began calling it a "small fiasco" after a teacher was fired because he protected me from a bully whose family had ties to Arden's governor. Tulad ng iba, pinili niya ring magpanggap na walang naririnig na kutyaan at batuhan ng mga ganitong salita.

"I believe she can explain the assignment to you," dagdag niya matapos niyang umiwas ng tingin. "Now, class, is everyone ready for today's lesson?"

"Yes," tugon naming lahat, including Kenzie who didn't look ready. Ni hindi pa siya nakararating sa puwesto niya. Narinig ko ang pagtunog ng upuan sa likod bago naglakad papalapit dito si Kenzie. Siguro ay walang imik niyang pinalayo ang nang-asar sa akin kanina.

"So, the assignment," she whispered when she was within reach. "Ano raw gagawin natin?"

Muntik ko na siyang hindi masagot dahil naabala na naman ako kaiisip. All I could think of was how interesting Kenzie was. Imagine not having the slightest idea of what you had to do, with nothing but trust in your classmate whom no one wanted to work with. "Revision," sagot ko habang sinusulat iyon sa aking notebook. I underlined the word twice. "Kailangan na raw nating matapos bukas."