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Chapter 6
#wrewp
Bakas ang pagtataka sa mukha ko. Now it was coming from his mouth that I was his rival. So Grant admitted that he was competing with me! At para saan? Anong akala niya sa akin? Hindi kayang sumalo ng suntok? Baka nga susuntok pa lang si Rom ay bumulagta na siya. Hindi naman ako nakikipagsuntukan pero kuha nga ng galit ko sa sinabi nito, baka tumalsik siya sa malayo. At isa pa, kaya ko naman ang sarili ko. Hindi ko kailangan ng tulong niya. Why would I fucking ask for his help? Ako pa ngayon itong parang na-gi-guilty sa estado niya.
"Anong akala mo sa akin, mahina?" inis na sabi ko.
"No, that's not what I meant."
"E, ano pala pre?"
He pursed his lips. He glanced at his swollen hand as he spoke. "If you punched him instead, you won't be able to write your notes. Will you like that? Hmm?"
"Ah!" Natatawang pinagmasdan ko siya. "Notes!"
Umismid siya sa reaksyon ko.
"Then Gabe or Lorie can write it for me instead! They know how to write, they're not disabled."
Kumunot ang noo niya sa 'kin. "As if."
Hindi makapaniwalang pinanood ko si Grant. Tang ina, minamaliit ba niya mga kaibigan ko? Okay, sige. Tamad nga sila. Pero mapapakiusapan naman ang mga iyon. Pero hindi ko pa rin maunawaan kung dahil lang sa hindi ako makakapagsulat ng notes kaya siya ang sumalo. Sa tingin ko, may mas malalim pang rason.
Tinapon ko ang yelo sa panyo ko at kumuha ng panibago. Muli kong kinuha ang kamay niya at ipinatong doon ang panyo. Pinapanood niya lang ako habang ginagawa ko iyon. The bustling street every morning wasn't visible anymore as the night wrapped around the skies like a blanket. The silence of the avenue was deafining as the moon watched us with its soft glow.
"My parents . . . " he halted his words. It felt like he was hesitant to say it. "They're a queer couple."
Umawang ang labi ko. Umangat ang tingin ko sa kaniya. Seryoso ang kaniyang mukha. He stared back at me behind his rimmed glasses. I couldn't describe his emotions based on his face; they were complex and sifted. He might be happy, he might be sad, or he might be more. Hindi ko maunawaan pero mabigat ang mga iyon.
My silence to those words were his greenlight to continue. Hinayaan ko lang siyang magsalita pero ang dami nang tumatakbo sa utak ko. Why did he say it even though he was hesitant? We were supposed to be enemies. Archenemies. Pero bakit niya pa rin sinabi?
Was he already comfortable with me? Hindi puwede!
"Our biological parents died because of an accident. Emily was just a baby when our aunt and her partner adopted us. So we grew up with them. I was there when they faced a lot of discrimination. I was there when they were thrown harsh words because they're both women who love each other." Bumuntong hininga siya. "They asked us to keep them as a secret. Kaya kapag kailangan ng magulang sa school, ang helper namin ang laging pinapapunta. They don't want Emily and I to be bullied."
"Wala silang ginagawang masama," sabi ko.
There was no difference between a heterosexual and homosexual couple being in love. Both boil down to one thing — love. At kahit kailan, hindi iyon naging masama.
"I know." Nag-iwas siya ng tingin sa akin. "Queer love shouldn't be defined by societal norms. But sadly, it is imminent to face a lot of struggles from the scrutinizing eyes of many. We cannot blame them for choosing the path where peace is louder than the unsolicited voices. That's why even though it was a hard pill to swallow, I did not question it anymore."
