A Heart That Needs A Beat

Kabanata 13

"Anong type?!" Terrence turned to me, his ears slightly red. "Sorry sa mga pinagsasabi nito, may topak lang talaga sa ulo," he said, gesturing to Baldo with mock exasperation.

"Hehe..." I laughed awkwardly, feeling my cheeks heat up. I was too flustered to say anything else.

Bigla akong kinalabit ni Tristan, who had just arrived from the lockers. "Ano daw? Ano bang pinagsasasabi ng mga 'yan?" tanong niya, nakakunot ang noo.

"Ewan ko rin," I said with a shrug, trying to act casual.

Napansin kong biglang umirap si Kairus mula sa pwesto niya. Aba?! Anong problema nito?

"Hoy, huwag niyong binu-bully si Cleo ha," biglang singit ni Taro, crossing his arms and frowning at the group.

"Anlayo naman ng sinasabi mo, pre!" sagot ni Charles, natawa pa.

"Si Terrence lang naman binu-bully namin," dagdag ni Baldo, sabay tawa.

"Good, good," sagot ni Taro, tumango-tango pa na parang satisfied.

"Anong good?!" reklamo ni Terrence, throwing his hands up in frustration.

Hindi siya pinansin ni Taro, na tumungo na sa upuan niya at sumandal. Napansin ko pang nagtatangkang magpapunas ng pawis kay Maggie, pero as expected, tinanggihan siya nito. Bumalik na rin sa pwesto si Tristan at agad na naglaro ng ML sa cellphone niya, mukhang walang pakialam sa gulo sa paligid.

I turned my attention to Kairus, who had just sat down in his usual seat, now wearing a fresh black t-shirt. He was wiping his sweat with a towel and looked like he wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.

"Ayos ka na ba?" I asked, testing the waters.

He didn't answer.

Kinalabit ko siya nang bahagya, hoping for a reaction, but he continued ignoring me.

"Uy, ayos ka na ba?" I tried again, my tone lighter.

This time, he stopped wiping his sweat, folded his towel, and carefully placed it inside his bag. He then adjusted his chair and leaned back, completely avoiding eye contact.

Hindi talaga mamamansin?!

Kinalabit ko siya ulit, determined to get at least one word out of him.

"Bakit ba?" He finally snapped, irritation evident in his voice.

Napaatras ako saglit pero nagtanong pa rin. "Kung ayos ka na ba," I repeated.

"Obviously," he replied curtly, turning his gaze away.

I frowned, feeling a mix of concern and annoyance. "Kanina ka pa iritado. May nangyari ba?"

"Wala," he said with a sigh. "Pagod lang ako."

"Oh! Okay," I said with a small smile, trying to cheer him up. "Mamaya mawawala na 'yan. Rest ka lang."

He didn't respond.

"Uminom ka ng tubig," I suggested, hoping that hydrating might help with his cranky mood.

Still, no response.

Napabuntong-hininga ako at tumayo na lang. "Okay, hindi na kita guguluhin. Rest well, ha?" I said before turning back to my seat.

Tumango lang siya nang bahagya, but that was it. No words, no smiles. Ang bigat naman ng mood nito.

Pagkaupo ko, I leaned my head on the desk. Pagod na rin ako. Matagal na rin simula nang huli akong napagod ng ganito, at parang nararamdaman ko na ang epekto. Hindi ko namalayan na nakatulog na pala ako, at ang sunod na alam ko, ginising na ako ni Tristan dahil dumating na ang sunod naming teacher.