Kailan ba nagsimula maging ganito ang lahat?
Noong una lang naman, ang gusto ko lang ay mapatunayan ang sarili ko. Ang pagpapatunay kong 'yon ay papunta sa mas malaki kong pangarap, ang maging independent sa capital, sa Sanseria.
While proving myself, I met a lot of people, including my friends now.
If I where to look back, who would've thought na magiging magkaibigan kami ni Rue?
To be honest, for a short while, I saw Rue as my competitor. Noon iyon. Pero, noong nakasama ko na talaga siya sa mga competitions, I realized that we had the same goal---to win, and not to compete with each other. Yes, that makes a difference.
Looking back, Rue was even the one who guided me. Rue became my role model.
Kahit noong hindi ko pa talaga kilala si Rue, I think that he's very talented and that he deserves every win. Ngayong mas malapit na kami ni Rue, napatunayan ko lang sa sarili ko na I could never even question his abilities, nor Rue himself.
Even though I see hints of what looms inside Rue's mind, ramdam ko pa rin ang passion niya sa mga ginagawa niya. He'll fight for it, especially when it's for his goals and dreams.
I now fully understand what Ayi meant.
After an almost sleepless night, nakatulog ako. It was afternoon when I woke up---which is unusual of me.
My eyes are stinging, tila ba saglit pa lang naipipikit. My head's throbbing, and I can feel my throat almost crack with its dryness.
It was an unusual Saturday, with tito Dons waiting for me downstairs to eat lunch with him. It's like he knows that I'm not in my best condition, dahil hindi niya rin ako ginising.
"A penny for your thoughts?" Mabilis kong nilapag sa lamesa ang hawak kong pitsel.
Umaapaw na ang tubig sa basong sinasalinan ko.
"Uh," Hilaw akong ngumiti kay tito Dons. "Iniisip ko po kasi ang finals." I answered. A lie, obviously.
"Halata." Aniya, pointing under his eyes. Nang-aasar na siya!
Ngumuso na lang ako. On the other hand, tito Dons smiled as he put pancakes on my plate.
"Brunch." Aniya pa. Tinuro niya ang box ng pizza na nasa lamesa lang din.
Suki talaga ng Pizza Jinxed.
After our brunch, I immediately went to the bathroom.
Although it's just January, there's already a drastic change in the weather. Napakainit na agad, lalo na sa hapon. Parang free trial lang tuloy ang lamig noong nagdaang Disyembre.
I slumped myself on the bed after taking a lengthy shower. Kahit basa pa ang buhok ko ay humiga pa rin ako. A summer-friendly pajama terno and the electric fan on number three.
Marahan kong kinuha ang cellphone kong nasa bedside table na kanina ko pa tinititigan. Then, I pushed the power button for a while. It did not run out of battery, sadyang pinatay ko lang talaga.
Nang buksan ko ito, notification agad mula sa dalawang magkapatid ang bumungad.
I first chose to read the conversation that's less difficult to answer.
Rue Edenzel / Offline
9:37 P.M.
Did you get home safely?
Thank you for tonight. Na-enjoy ko, sobra.
Maybe you're asleep already. Rest well, Uno. :)
I took a deep breath before replying. Ni-reply ko lang kung anong naisip ko.
Muli akong napasinghap bago binuksan ang message ni Ayi. This time, a much more longer and deeper breath.
BINABASA MO ANG
Meet me Again in December.
Fiksi RemajaEdiviar Series #1 Ulla Nolany Sanabria wanted to prove to her uncle that she can do better, especially in academics. That's why in her last year of high school, she goes all out. That's how she works on her self validation, with a dream of finally l...
