["PLAY THE KING" IS ACT TWO OF THE "PLAY" SERIES. PLEASE READ "PLAY THE QUEEN" FIRST.]
It's been four months since Priam Torres, the once unpopular president of the Elysian University Student Council, assumed office. Thanks to his chief-of-staff Cas...
Oops! Ang larawang ito ay hindi sumusunod sa aming mga alituntunin sa nilalaman. Upang magpatuloy sa pag-publish, subukan itong alisin o mag-upload ng bago.
REYNARD
THE PLOT thickened. I was engrossed in writing my latest article about the LEXECOM when a call unexpectedly came through. Hindi ko in-expect na tatawag ang taong 'yon sa 'kin dahil akala ko'y gusto niyang manatiling tikom ang kaniyang bibig. But for some reason, she finally decided to spill the beans. Yeah, it's a she.
"Are you sure it's not a trap?" Rie asked me when I whispered the update to her. She hadn't asked to be kept in the loop, but I chose to share with her anyway. "Baka malaman kong nawalan ka na naman ng malay mamaya, ah?"
"I don't think so." I shook my head slowly. "Masyado pang maaga para targetin ako at i-check ulit ang phone ko kung may bago na akong discovery. If I were them, I'd wait a month after classes resume."
"Basta ayaw kong makarinig ng masamang balita tungkol sa 'yo."
"Wow! Are you really that concerned about me?" I pressed my hand to my chest. "Medyo na-touch ako ro'n, ah! Don't tell me na napo-fall ka na sa 'kin?"
"Anong fall-fall ang pinagsasabi mo riyan?" Tinaasan niya ako ng kilay. "As your fellow campus journalist, we have to watch each other's backs. Kargo ng konsensiya ko kapag may nangyari sa 'yo lalo na't ina-update mo ako sa development ng iniimbestigahan mo—which I didn't ask for, by the way."
"I appreciate you looking out for me." I grinned broadly. If that's her preferred love language, I'd gladly accept it. "Don't worry! Kapag meron ka ring explosive exposé, you can count on my support!"
"Hopefully, it won't be as dangerous as yours." She lowered her voice after a sigh. "Maiba ako. Kapag nakuha mo na ang lahat ng mga detalyeng kailangan mo, what will you do with them?"
"Of course, I'll write an in-depth article about it! Then I'll submit it for publication gaya ng ginawa ko sa mga nauna kong exposé."
Sumeryoso ang timpla ng mukha ni Rie. May nasabi ba akong masama? "Sa tingin mo ba'y ipa-publish 'yon ng editors natin? Our managing editor is a CBA student. What if she's secretly supporting Esteban, 'tapos harangan niya ang article mo?"
"Why wouldn't they?" I squinted slightly. "If they were willing to publish my exposé on a university official and a college instructor, why wouldn't they publish an article about a college student?"
"'Sabagay." Umaliwalas na ang mukha niya. Wala siyang dapat ipangamba. Naniniwala akong walang kikilingan at poprotektahan ang mga boss namin. "Anyway, good luck sa meeting mo sa 'yong source. Mag-ingat ka."
"Thank you, Rie!"
"Call me Rie one more time, babawiin ko 'yong sinabi kong mag-ingat ka."
I waved at her before exiting the editorial office. I hit a snag last December, but this year was looking promising. If my source agreed to go on record, I'd finally have something concrete to work with.
