XII
"EMERGENCY meeting? Anong emergency meeting? Ba't hindi ko alam na meron?" Sunod-sunod kong tanong nang makarating kami sa rooftop.
"Emergency nga, diba? Pa'no mo malalaman?" Napailing siya.
I bit my lip because of embarrassment. My eyes wandered around. "Where are the others? Is this the meeting place? Para sa'n 'yong room ng club natin?"
He sighed then walked silently towards the railings of the rooftop. I followed him and glanced at the students walking on the field.
"Ang daming tanong." He coldly said.
"Kung sinasagot mo na lang kasi." Pairap na bawi ko at natahimik nang may naalala.
Ba't ako sumama rito? Why did I let him? We're not in good terms, right? Am I drunk? I should've rejected him earlier! But how can I escape from Harold if I did?
Lumayo ako ng kaunti sakaniya matapos maisip 'yon. Tahimik lang kami at walang nagsasalita.
Fifteen minutes had passed but no one arrived. Lingon nga 'ko nang lingon sa pintuan pero wala.
"Where the fuck are they?" Irritation laced my voice. I hate waiting, adding the fact that I'm waiting with the guy who ditched me. "Why are they not here yet?"
He fixed his glasses and his brows narrowed, guessing because I cussed. The hell I care. He glanced at me before looking away. "Because they don't have a reason to be here."
My eyes landed on his face, irritation inside me growing. "What do you mean they don't have a reason to be here? We can't start the meeting until we're complete—"
"There's no meeting." Inayos niya nanaman 'yong salamin niya. I don't know if it's just me but I sensed fear laced from his tone.
I stared at him for five seconds then my eyes widened in realization. "You didn't."
His nose crinkled and his lips pouted a little. "There's no meeting." He repeated like I didn't hear him the first time.
My brows narrowed furiously. "Ba't mo 'ko hinila rito?!"
He shrugged. "Two birds."
"Anong two birds?!"
"First, to save you from Harold."
Napakunot-noo 'ko. "Should I thank you now? Even without your help, I could've managed to get away from him." I laughed at myself. No, you couldn't have, smartass.
But still.
"I'm sorry." Napatingin ako sakaniya at tanging seryosong ekspresyon niya lang ang sumalubong sa'kin. Nakaiwas siya ng tingin. "Second, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that."
Napatawa ako ng sarkastiko."Dapat lang! It's not like I asked for your help—"
"I didn't mean to ditch you at the party."
My mouth slightly parted because of what he said but I immediately closed it and set my eyes on the ground.
What? What?! What should I say? Should I be mad? Or argue with him?
"Sadyang hindi ko talaga natanggihan 'yong Mommy ni Cheena. Their family is one of our closest friends. Mapa-personal or business. And Tita Chela, her Mom, was nice. She was very hard to reject." He fixed his glasses before looking at me. "I'm sorry, Joshan. Forgive me?"
I was taken aback by his tone. It's begging, like a kid, saying sorry for the window he broke.
My head nodded unconsciously.
