Clandestine Clyde

Clandestine Clyde

clan·des·tine
/klanˈdestən,ˈklandəsˌtēn/
adjective

Kept secret or done secretively, especially because something is illicit.

"Did you see it? The Comet Clyde!" Dorothea stated as her attention was fully on the view she saw through her dark green binoculars.

It was a fast splice in the vast night sky.

"I saw it! I swear, ang ganda-ganda niya!" She exclaimed with beaming delightfulness. She's so bright at the moment that she lights up the entire night. She is a sunshine

"6 factorial, 720 over ——" The tall lad, meanwhile, has his full attention on his math assignment while his legs overlapped each other, sitting on the roof deck's hard and rough floor. With his sweaty-cold palms, he tore the paper out of the notebook.

It was a fast splice on the vast lined paper he has.

"Mamaya na 'yan, Clyde!" The girl then snatched her friend's notebook from him. Irritated, Dorothea forced Clyde to stand up.

"Wala na. Na-miss mo na 'yung comet. Alam mo ba, 50 years ulit bago magpakita 'yon? Wala na, baka dedos na tayo noon."

Dorothea ranted to Justin. The lad just stood there, staring blankly at his friend, with his signature resting face—— he blinks fast every two seconds. And per Justin the human he is, he only chuckled at his friend's words.

Ganiyan naman siya lagi eh.

"Kaya nga tayo pumunta rito para makapagpahinga, ta's hindi ka rin naman pala magpapahinga." Her friend walked towards her and then took his notebook in her hand.

"Tapusin ko muna assignment ko." Justin sat down once again and let his notebooks eat his consciousness. Dorothea, on the other hand, looked at her friend—with pity visible in her twin black orbs.

"Masakit pa rin ba?"

Justin looked up. The ink of his pen started to bleed on his notebook full of equations. He can't speak.

Nobody dared to speak.

Kasi alam nilang nasa katahimikan lamang mahahanap ang kasagutang inaasam.

Oo, masakit pa rin kasi.

Such a rhetorical question, isn't it?

"Alin ang masakit?" Justin asked back. Kung sa iba niya ito tinanong siguro magmumukhang nagpapatay-malisya lang siya, pero hindi naman kasi ibang tao ang nasa harapan niya ngayon. Si Dorothea na 'yan eh.

Alam niya lahat ng masakit sa kaibigan niya.

And that simple question holds a deeper meaning.

"Pakiramdam ko ba? Okay na ako, hindi na ako mainit ta's hindi na rin masakit ulo ko." He forced to let out a chuckle after his statement—trying to lighten up the atmosphere in between. Pero hindi eh.

Dorothea can see right through Justin Clyde.

And Justin Clyde always knew that.

"It's been months, Clyde." As she's slowly approaching her friend, gently crouching 'till she finally sat down, she stared at him with eyes hoping she will get a new answer from him.

"Okay na ako" Justin responded. Dorothea had no choice but to let out a sigh and slowly put her palm on her face.

Gano'n pa rin, walang bago.

Limang buwan na matapos "iyon" pero gano'n pa rin ang sagot niya.

"Hindi ka okay, Justin."

Limang buwan na ang natapos, pero gano'n pa rin ang sumbat ng kaibigan niya.