WINSTON AND RINGO (Montana Series 3 | BXB)

24: Yellowbell

˖ ๋࣪⸙˖

My Christmas break filled my home with unusual silence. Hindi ko inaasahan na sa pananatili ni Lolo sa bahay ay magkakaroon ng hindi inaasahang gulo. I expected Mom would tell me everything that night, but since that moment, I noticed she kept avoiding to talk about what had happened.

Even my dad and Lolo seemed refraining from talking about it and acted like nothing happened. It was all about Ringo, and it made desperately curious.

"Now you're seeing more of their true colors," said Austin as we sat for breakfast.

Wala si Mom dahil inaasikaso niya ang birthday ni Lolo na magaganap mamayang gabi. Si Dad naman ay nasa office, at si Lolo ay mayroon daw nilakad tungkol sa negosyo.

"Don't try to ruin my breakfast," I warned, striking my brother a sharp look.

He shook his head smiling. "It seems you need to learn more about our family. Kawawa ka naman dahil mukhang mas marami akong nalalaman kumpara sa'yo."

"Bakit? Bukod sa pagbibigay ng kahihiyan sa pamilya natin, ano pa ba ang alam mo?"

I expected him to feel mad about my statement, but to my surprise, he was smiling. "Really? How about you? Do you think everyone around you are pleased in everything you do? Tandaan mo, may mga tao rin na hindi gusto ang mga galawan mo."

"Cut the bullshit, Austin! Pagod na ako sa kakaganyan mo. Just tell me what you want to say!" My voice echoed to the whole dining area.

He half-smiled. "I like seeing you suffer because of your foolishness. But let me tell you this, I'm sure you will cry like a baby one of these days."

Hindi ko na napigilan ang sarili ko at mabilis ko siyang nilapitan. I grabbed him on his collar and pulled him near my face. "If you're not going to say anything, just shut up your mouth!"

After giving him a long glare, I pushed him to his seat and left him alone. Habang papalayo ay dinig ko ang nakakaloko niyang tawa, dahilan para lalong uminit ang ulo ko. I knew I shouldn't listen to him, but his words still put a bad effect on me.

I left the house to avoid squabbling with Austin over his cryptic statements. Paikot-ikot lang ako sa Montana, naghahanap ng mapupuntahan. Then, I received a message from Ashwin telling me Ringo visited him. Hindi malabong palagi silang magkasama dahil sa Pine Village lang rin naman ang bahay ni Ringo.

The only person that could make me calm was Ringo, so I decided to go over Ashwin's place. Dumaan muna ako sa mall para bumili ng pagkain. Ringo adored eating sweets, so I bought chocolate milkshake and cookie icebox cake.

Along the way, I almost bumped into someone else's car. Mabuti na lang ay pareho kaming nakapagpreno kaya naiwasan ang disgrasya. The guy on the other car rolled down his window and bowed his head to me.

"Sorry, bro," he said.

"It's fine. Mag-ingat ka na sa susunod," sagot ko.

As I looked at him, I noticed his familiar face. He's Arrow James Castellan of Business Program. Hindi ako mahilig kumabisa ng pangalan at mukha, ngunit bukod sa basketball team namin ay kilala rin ang archery team nila sa Northside High.

"Okay, bro. Take care!" he said and waved at me.

After my encounter with him, I continued driving. Nang marating ko ang bahay sa Pine Village ay mabilis akong pumasok sa loob. Ringo and Ashwin were watching a TV show called Asia's Next Top Model.

"Hello, cousin," greeted Ashwin, while Ringo just smiled at me.

"Hi!" I responded and dropped the food on the table. "Sigurado akong ikaw ang pumili niyang pinapanood niyo," sabi ko sa pinsan ko.