Hey You

Chapter 6

The next day, Jane sighed while she leaned against the lockers.

"Pagod ka na kaagad, teh? Second day pa lang natin ah, a whole school year to go pa," Danny grinned while he rummaged through his locker.

"I feel like I searched the whole school already," she frowned.

"She probably doesn't want to be found," her cousin replied. "Tsaka bakit ka ba all worked up sa kakahanap sa kanya?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "I have her pen, remember?"

He raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Yun nga lang ba talaga?"

She shook her head and rolled her eyes at the same time. "Eh ano pa nga ba?"

He smirked and bobbed his eyebrows this time. "Sige nga, patingin nga yang pen na yan. Gano ba kamamahalin yan and you're in dire need to return it as soon as possible? Unless—"

"Ewan ko sayo. Dami mong alam," she cut him off before he could say more.

This made him chuckle. "Girl, did you forget na you once told me you were curious?" He reminded her with a wink.

"I don't remember," she crossed her arms.

"Sus, paalala ko sayo?" He challenged her.

"'Wag ka nga," she shoved him playfully. She scanned the area for a certain familiar face. A few friends said hi, but still no sign of the one she had been looking for.

"From what I remember, ang sabi mo when I finally came out to you was: 'okay lang, cuz. It doesn't matter if you're gay. Ako nga may pagka-curious din eh,'" he reenacted for her. "Ring a bell?" He winked.

"Tse," she stuck her tongue out at him. "Sinabi ko lang yun to show my support sayo, dinamayan lang kita para you don't feel bad," she argued.

Danny let out a loud roar of laughter like he was making fun of her.

"Huy," she scolded him. "Ingay mo ha."

"That's the biggest lie I've ever heard coming from you. Biggest BS ever," he shook his head.

"Hm, tara na nga. San-san na napunta tong usapan na toh," she locked arms with him and pulled him away from the lockers when suddenly, she bumped into someone. "Sorry," she apologized. The moment she turned to see who she had collided with, her eyes widened. "Hey, you." Those were the only two words that came out of her mouth.

Nella locked eyes with Jane and realized she just found herself next to the girl who made detention feel like hell for a "first and only-timer" like her. "You again," she greeted her back.

Danny grinned. "I forgot I needed to go to the restroom before eating. See you, cuzzo!" He blew her some kisses before he literally ran to give the two girls some privacy.

"Oookay," Jane dragged the word just because she didn't know what to say. "So, um," she squinted at the name tag Nella was wearing. "Janella Salvatorre. What kind of last name is that?"

Nella frowned. "My last name," she answered.

"Yeah, what kind of last name is it?" Jane tried to clarify.

"It's my last name," Nella continued to frown. She wasn't sure if she understood what was being asked of her. "That's the kind of last name it is: it's MY last name." Even she was starting to confuse herself.

Jane chuckled. "Sorry, I mean: is it Spanish—or—"

"Oh," Nella tried to think. "I think it's Spanish. I don't know, but I'm Filipino." She didn't know why she felt the need to actually respond to Jane's question when she knew she didn't owe her any explanation.

"I knew it. I didn't want to assume, so I asked. Do you speak Tagalog?" Jane asked again.

"Yes," Nella answered plain and simple.

"Oh, cool, cool. Nag-tatagalog ka rin naman pala. I'm Jane," Jane introduced herself. She extended her hand to offer Nella a handshake.

It took a while before Nella realized Jane had just introduced herself and had wanted to shake her hand. "I know. Everyone knows."

Jane looked to the sides of her and around her. "Sorry? Kilala moko?"

Nella sighed. "Seryoso, Jane? Who doesn't know you?"

This made Jane's eyebrows meet in the middle of her face. "How? You're new here, aren't you?"

Nella raised her eyebrows. "Okay," she shook her head. "Could I please access my locker? I need to get my lunch out of there."

This made Jane even more confused. "Wait, did you do some research before coming here? I heard some kids do that to get to know the people in their new school. I won't find it weird, I promise. I mean they call me queen bee of the school, but that's not true. 'Wag kang magpaniwala sa mga nababasa mo."

Nella rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Excuse me, I need you to move, please. Matatapos na lang yung half an hour of lunch break natin, hindi pako nakakakain. I can't think when I'm hungry so I need to eat now." She motioned for Jane to move.

Jane stepped to the side to allow Nella to access her locker which was just a few lockers away from Danny's. "Promise nga, I won't find it weird na you try to search for people that goes to the school you're moving to para i-get to know yung mga tao na magiging schoolmate mo—"

"Hindi ako bago dito, Jane. We've been classmates since sixth grade," Nella shook her head.

"Shut up. No way," Jane frowned. "Are you serious?"

Nella rolled her eyes. "I think you're too fixated on you and the things that you think deserve your attention na marami kang hindi napapansin sa paligid mo," she told her. She closed her locker and started walking away.

"Hey, wait up. That's not true. Baka naman nag-transformation ka ng todo kaya hindi kita nakilala. Maybe sobra yung glow up mo 'cause really—how could I not have noticed you before or mapansin man lang na we've been going to the same school since sixth grade?" Jane asked in disbelief. She thought: surely, Nella had some kind of transformation that's why she didn't remember who she was.

"Ewan ko. Tanong mo sa ego mo, queen bee," Nella shrugged. "Some people are just so caught up and so focused with themselves, they become blind to those around them."

Jane swallowed. She thought Nella's accusations about her weren't true—or were they? She was starting to question herself. "Okay. You're right. Maybe I really was being too selfish to pay attention to the people around me. I'm sorry."

Nella sighed. "To your defense, I wanted to stay invisible. I lurked in the shadows where no one could see me. That's probably why."

Jane continued to frown. "Why?"

Nella stared at her. "Why ang alin?"

Jane looked into her eyes. "Why do you like staying invisible?"

Nella exhaled heavily. "I'm not a people person. Umiiwas ako sa mga tao lalo yung grupo nyo. Allergic ako sa mga tao. Really, I am," she reasoned.

"Grabe ka naman," Jane wore a concerned look on her face. "I really am sorry that I never noticed you, Janella. Pero sabi mo nga, to my defense, you like to stay hidden. Maybe had you come out of the shadows more often, I would have noticed you."

Nella sighed. "Don't worry, hindi ko kelan man pinangarap na mapansin mo o ng kahit na sino, so you don't need to apologize."

This made Jane feel bad on the inside. "But I do now. I notice you now, so I won't forget about you again."