Beneath the Archers' Sky (Iskolar ng Bayan Series #1)

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Kinabukasan, habang naglalakad ako papunta sa campus, nagtaka ako nang biglang may humarang sa harapan ko. Si Alejandro.

"Hey, Macy," bati niya, nakangisi pa rin.

"Uh, hi," sagot ko, trying to hide my annoyance.

"Listen, I just wanted to say sorry for yesterday. I didn't mean to come off as arrogant or anything," sabi niya, looking sincere for once.

Napaisip ako. Bakit biglang nagbago ang tono niya?

"It's okay," I replied, still cautious.

"I guess I was just not in my right mind yesterday. But I'm really looking forward to working with you," dagdag niya.

"Uh, yeah, sure. No problem," sabi ko, not really sure how to respond.

"Great! Well, see you around," sabi niya bago siya umalis.

Nagulat ako sa nangyari. Hindi ko inaasahan na magiging sincere si Alejandro. Pero kahit na, hindi pa rin ako sigurado kung dapat ba akong maniwala sa kaniya.

Sa loob-loob ko, nagtatanong ako: Bakit nga ba siya biglang nagbago ng tono? At totoo kaya ang sinabi niya, o baka nagpapanggap lang siya? Hindi ko alam kung ano ang dapat kong isipin, pero sa ngayon, dedesisyunan ko na lamang na maging maingat sa kaniya. Hindi ko kailangan ng dagdag na abala sa buhay ko.

As days went by, I found myself getting more and more frustrated with Alejandro. It seemed like he couldn't make up his mind about how he wanted to treat me. One minute he'd be all friendly and apologetic, then the next he'd go back to being his usual arrogant self.

"Ano ba talaga ang gusto mo?" I muttered to myself as I walked to my next class. It was like dealing with a rollercoaster ride, and I was getting motion sickness.

Every time I tried to let my guard down and trust him, he'd do something to push me away again. It was exhausting, and I was starting to feel like I was losing my mind.

"Ang labo mo, Alejandro," I muttered under my breath as I entered the classroom. I was done trying to figure him out. If he wanted to play games, he could do it without me.

I plopped down on my seat, feeling a mix of annoyance and confusion. "Kapag friendly, friendly ka, kapag hindi, hindi. Ano bang trip mo?"

"Hey, Macy," Alejandro greeted as he walked into the room. "Can we talk?"

Hinagilap ko ang mga papel ko, pretending to be busy. "Ano 'yon? Another round of mixed signals?"

"Nakakafrustrate ka, alam mo ba 'yon?" he blurted out, sounding genuinely frustrated.

Napatingin ako sa kaniya, "Excuse me? Ako? Ikaw nga 'yung laging nagpapakita ng kung anu-ano. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang trip mo."

He let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm just... I don't know how to act around you."

"Ha?! Eh, ano bang trip mo?" I couldn't help but raise my voice, feeling the irritation bubbling up inside me.

Napalunok siya bago sumagot, "I don't know. Maybe I'm just confused."

"Well, hindi mo kailangang i-confuse ako, okay?" I shot back, crossing my arms over my chest.

He looked at me, his expression softening. "I know, and I'm sorry. I'll try to be clearer from now on."

I rolled my eyes, not sure if I could trust him. "We'll see about that."

"Hindi ka na galit?" tanong niya, mukhang sincere ang tono.