Hey You

Chapter 5

"Eh ikaw naman kasi, bakla, bully ka rin eh. Why do you like picking on the new kids? She's not a freshman is she? Sabi ko naman sayo off limits dapat yung freshmen. They're practically babies. Don't traumatize them," Danny said after plopping down on Jane's bed.

"Hoy, hindi ko sya binubully noh. Ang ayos pa nga ng paghiram ko ng pen and paper sa kanya eh. Hindi nga ako nang-aasar. Gusto ko pa nga makipagkaibigan. Sabi ni mommy I need to get my act together this year, so I'm trying to behave," Jane defended herself.

Her cousin munched on the beef jerky he bought after school while he stared at his cousin. "Buti naman. Pero ayan na-karma ka tuloy. Ngayon na seryoso kang nakikipag-kaibigan, ayaw tuloy makipag-kaibigan nung tao sayo."

She shrugged. She let herself fall on her bean bag chair. "Wala naman akong ginawa ah."

This made Danny chuckle. "Resident demonyita ka kasi ng school na toh and everyone knows it," he teased her.

"Well yeah, pero noon yun. Bagong buhay nako ngayon. And besides, kaya nga sya napili kong kaibiganin kasi she's new to the school. She doesn't know me. Clean slate kumbaga," she reasoned.

He laughed. "Not anymore. No more clean slate for you. Ang kulit mo kasi," he teased her again as he tossed her some of the snacks they bought from the store next to their school.

She only shrugged. "Ay ewan. Basta I have her pen pa. Ibabalik ko na lang sa kanya tapos mag-sosorry na lang ako kung nakulitan sya sakin kanina. Pero ha, I was genuinely trying to be her friend."

He shook his head. "Girl, can you blame her? Even I won't make friends with the people I meet in detention if I was her."

She mocked him by trying to copy him. "Ang arte mo bakla. Eh bakit ako kinakausap mo eh halos every week akong may detention ah."

He snickered back at her. "Eh wala eh, sa kasamaang palad, pinsan kita. I have to deal with you or else wala akong ride to and from school."

She rolled her eyes and continued munching on her chips. "Buti alam mo."

Meanwhile, Nella arrived at her aunt's house an hour later than usual.

"Mommy!" Charlie, her little cousin, hurried towards his mom when he saw her on the kitchen.

"Hi baby," the woman greeted her son with a hug and a kiss.

"Good afternoon po, tita Weng. Sorry po ulit natagalan akong pick-upin si Charlie," Nella went over to her aunt and gave her a cheek-to-cheek kiss as a greeting.

Wendy, or most commonly known as Weng to her friends and family, smiled at her niece. "That's okay, Nels. Had I known na mauunahan ko pa kayo, sana sinundo ko na lang kayo pareho. Hindi na lang sana kayo naglakad. Pasensya ka na ha, sa kabila kasi ako dumaan. I would've pulled over din had I seen you two walking home. Akala ko kasi mauuna pa kayo sakin makarating ng bahay."

Nella smiled a little. "Okay lang po, tita. Kanina pa po ba kayo? Kumain na po kayo?" She asked.

"No, nauna lang ako ng mga five to ten minutes sa inyo. Nag-uwi ako ng kare-kare at menudo dyan from the Filipino store. Why don't you get cleaned up while I help Charlie para sabay-sabay na tayo kumain?" Weng suggested.

"Sige po," Nella replied politely. Then she asked to be excused and went to her room to get ready for dinner.

"Late po ba ulit si tito Kahl ngayon?" Nella asked at the dinner table after she and her aunt and little cousin said grace together.

"Oo eh," her aunt nodded. "He's got some paperwork to catch up on. Ang dami pa nyang kelangang i-fill out na report because he didn't have time throughout the day. Kinain na yung oras nya kaka-travel from one facility to the next. Ayun, nandun pa sa office nila. He's going to stay there until matapos lahat ng report nya for today. But he's off this next three days, so makakapagpahinga naman sya," Weng explained.

"Buti naman po off na sya. Kayo po, tita? Yung likod nyo po? Baka masyado na po kayong napupwersa kaka-add nyo po ng hours sa trabaho," Nella asked with concern.

"Oh, Nels. You're just like your mom, palagi na lang kayong worried sa akin. Parte naman na siguro sa mga matatanda ngayon na sumakit yung likod because of work, right? You don't have to worry about me," Weng reassured her.

"Syempre naman po, tita. If mom was here, she'd be worried about you too," Nella reminded her.

Weng inhaled then held her breath for a few seconds before exhaling. "I can't argue with you on that," she said quietly. "Anyway, ikaw? Ano bang nangyari sa school kanina? Why were you given detention?"

Nella nearly lost her appetite when she was reminded that her school records were no longer detention-free. "Di po kasi ako umabot sa first class ko," she frowned at the thought of it.

"Hm? Why?" Weng asked while they ate. "Maaga ka naman pumasok kanina, diba?"

Nella sighed. "Ayun na nga po, tita eh. You would think na hindi ako mali-late kasi maaga na nga ako pumasok so I can get my schedule and get to class ng hindi nagmamadali. Had I known na they were going to do a tardy sweep on the very first day of school, hindi ko na lang po sana pinuntahan and kinausap yung counselor ko." She put her spoon and fork down on her plate and fidgeted with her hands under the table. Talking about silly mistakes like that made her feel uncomfortable.

"Talaga? Bakit naman ganun? They should've let you off the hook since first day pa lang naman, nangangapa pa yung mga bata," Weng shook her head in disbelief.

"Hindi na daw po kasi ako bago sa school. I've been there for almost four years now, I should know where the classes are, and alam ko rin naman po talaga. Getting lost wasn't the problem. Hindi ko lang po siguro talaga namalayan yung oras. Masyado po ako naging kampante na I have enough time. Maybe lesson na po yun sakin not to let my guard down, specially senior year na po namin. I need to step up and be on top of my game lalo po na graduating na po ako and we're going to apply sa mga colleges soon. Nakaka-frustrate lang po na nadungisan yung record ko just because I didn't run fast enough to beat the clock," Nella's shoulders slumped down in disappointment.

Weng could see the frustration in her niece's demeanor. "Nels, one little detention won't even make a dent on your college application. Yung iba nga dyan may listahan ng detention, yet nakapasok pa rin sa mga prestigious schools. Don't be too hard on yourself."

Nella frowned even more. "I just can't get over the fact na it could have been prevented, tita. And because I was careless, ayan po tuloy. There's going to be that smudge na I can never remove from my record. It's going to be there permanently. It's going to be there forever."

Weng smiled. "Nels, colleges are not looking for perfect students. They're looking for extraordinary people that can do things in a special way that benefits not only the college but also the people around them. That doesn't mean those people don't make any mistakes. Ang hinahanap nila are those na mga shapeshifters. You get what I mean? They want people that not only can adapt to changes but also make something great out of it whether the change is good or bad. You can't keep beating yourself up for one little mistake, Nels."

Nella tried to calm herself down. "I'm just scared na maging catalyst po toh sa catastrophe that's waiting to happen up ahead. Like—what if one detention leads to another, and another, and another. Pano po if I can't stop yung pagiging palpak ko sa mga bagay-bagay? Pano po kung mag-domino effect po lahat ng kapalpakan ko hanggang sa I won't be able to regain the momentum I need to get back up, and instead, I would be in a continuous spiral down the pit of despair? Ayoko po mangyari yun." This made her want to cry.

Weng continued to smile. "Parehas na parehas talaga kayo ni ate. Parehas kayong praning. Yung sinasabi mo? That would only happen so long as you let the negative thoughts torment you. Just remember what I said: Do not just adapt to changes, make something good out of it whether the change is good or bad. Malay mo—malay mo may malaking purpose pala why you were put in detention on your first day of school. Nels, don't be so focused on the bad that you end up missing out on the good."