In His Eyes

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

In which she's sixteen...

Harriet Wade's Point of View

It was raining hard outside the Manor. Napatingin na lang ako sa labas ng aking bintana habang pinagmamasdan ang pagpatak ng ulan. Inside my room, instead of sitting on my bed, I am sitting on my cozy built-in window seats. Mas gusto kong  umupo dito habang nagbabasa ng libro. Naputol lang ang pagtingin ko sa labas ng may nagsara ng bintana. It was Raven Salazar, my neighbor, who is two years older than me. He was living in the mansion, across our manor. Pumunta lang siya dito magbigay ng fresh strawberries mula sa kanyang Papa na galing sa Japan. I will ask Auntie Auring— our housekeeper, to make me strawberry smoothie later. Pero dahil naabutan si Raven ng ulan ay dito muna siya nagstay sa kwarto ko. Hindi naman na bago sa kanya ang pagtitigil sa aking kwarto.

What I know about Raven Salazar is that he hates rain. He says it will make the ground muddy and hinder many planned things. But I disagree. The sound of the rain calms me, and the smell in the air makes me connected to nature.

"The raindrops will enter inside," he said when I only stared at his boyish face while closing my window. Tama nga naman ang sinabi niya dahil may ilang patak na ng ulan ang tumama sa mukha ko.

"Why are you looking at me funnily?" Tanong ni Raven nang mapansin na masyado akong tumitingin sa akin. Isinara ko ang libro na kanina ko pa binabasa pero nawala na ang focus ko dahil sa pagdating ni Raven sa aking kwarto. Kahit ilang beses kong basahin ang linya sa libro ay hindi ko na rin ito naiintindihan. Mas maigi na ituloy na lang ang pagbabasa kung umalis na si Raven sa kwarto ko at umuwi sa kanila.

"Tinitingnan kita kasi gusto kong malaman kung anong nakita ng mga kaklase ko sa'yo." Raven flashed a smug smile. He was very pleased that some girls in my class were very into him and his tiny group of friends. Some say they are like princes in the medieval era, but all I did was try not to puke.

"Here I thought you were sulking over something,"

"I am actually sulking," pagtatama ko sa kanya.

"Why? Are you being bullied... again?" His eyes bore into mine. I squirmed into my seat. Pero agad kong ginalaw ang kamay ko na parang sinasabi sa kanya na hindi iyon ang nangyari. The first time I started going to school in seventhgrade, everyone looked at me strangely. I was the new girl. And once you are the new girl, everyone will want to know you. But then, if you don't let them in, they will try their hardest to overpower you. Once you don't give in, they will physically abuse you. And once you fight back and show them that you are not someone else to mess with, they will run to their mother's back and point fingers.

"Huwag mong sabihin na kailangan ko na naman pumunta sa headmaster office?" His eyes glistened with concentration.

"What did you do this time, Wade?" I shake my head.

"Wala akong ginawa, Raven. It's just that Clarisse Willson is laughing at me for not having my first kiss!" Raven laughed. Clarisse Willson is my classmate, and she was so liberated at the age of sixteen. She's been with a lot of boys, and for sure, she was already experienced.

"What? You are sulking over that simple thing?!" I rolled my eyes skyward when his eyes met mine for a split second.

"Tumawa ka lang hanggang sa gusto mo, Raven. And don't call it a simple thing. I was humiliated, you know. They kept talking about the feeling of being kissed, and I couldn't keep up with their conversation. And then Marie Woods gave me a look, telling me who wanted to kiss someone like me— like death is always at my back!" Halos gumulong na sa kakatawa si Raven. Maybe because this is his first time seeing a sixteen-year-old sulking over a kiss.