ETB #1: Lost in Blank Stares

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

“Gago, hindi nga ako ang gumawa nun. Malay ko ba? Baka lasing tapos na-wrong send,” palusot ni Rejiel nang kinumpronta ko siya tungkol sa message ni Stefano last week.

Hanggang ngayon, palaisipan pa rin ang message na iyon. It looked like a drunk text—kasi naman, hindi iyon ang usual na typings ni Stefano. Normally, his messages were polished, complete sentences, no shortcuts, and always grammatically correct.

I couldn’t help but replay it in my mind, analyzing every word. It wasn’t just the sloppy typing that caught my attention—it was the raw frustration behind it.

Iniisip ko rin na baka pinagtripan lang ni Rejiel ang phone niya kaya nagkaganoon.

“At kanino naman niya isesend? Sa girlfriend niya?” I laughed, trying to make it sound like it wasn’t a big deal.

Ngumisi si Rejiel at tinaas ang kilay niya. “Malay mo.”

Unti-unting nawala ang ngiti ko habang umupo ako pabalik sa lounge chair, nag-iisip. Siguro nga wrong send lang. After all, he unsent it the next morning. But the thought that he might have sent it to someone else made me feel even more annoyed.

My friends were urging me to join them in the pool, pero nawalan na ako ng gana. We were at Angelo's house, having a pool party, but I just couldn’t shake the frustration building up in my chest. The sun was still high, and the water sparkled under the heat, but I just wanted to be alone for a bit.

“LQ pa rin kayo ni Pres?” tanong ni Jethro habang lumalangoy papalapit sa akin.

“Eh kayo ni—ah!” I shouted, cutting myself off when he suddenly splashed water in my direction.

“Chismoso mo!”

I glared at him while wiping the water off my face. “Ikaw yung unang nag tanong.”

Jethro chuckled, shaking his head deliberately to splash more water my way.

“Gago ka talaga!” I groaned, moving back to avoid getting soaked again.

When he got out of the pool, I pinched Jethro's arm in retaliation, earning a yelp of protest.

“Aray naman! Grabe ka! Parehas lang kayo ng kaibigan mong mapanakit!” Jethro exclaimed, rubbing his arm while pouting dramatically.

"Deserve mo. Ang jejemon kasi ng mga SP mo," I said, pretending to gag.

"True the fire! Tuloy, tanong nang tanong mga blockmates ko kung may girlfriend ka na raw ba," Namyy chimed in as she walked toward us with Shyra, leaving the other boys in the pool. They were messing around, jumping and splashing each other.

“Me, having a girlfriend?" Jethro lifted his head, deep in thought. "Possible pa ba yun ngayon?"

Shyra, Namyy, and I exchanged glances before looking back at Jethro, shaking our heads in unison. “Malabo na yata.”

Jethro laughed, either at the thought of him not having a girlfriend or because of the reason why he couldn't have one anymore. I wasn’t sure which it was, but either way, we all laughed.

"Bakit nga pala wala si Pres?" Namyy suddenly asked, glancing over at the pool where the other guys were.

"LQ pa sila ni Cas eh," Jethro teased again, sitting in front of me while looking at me with a smug grin.

I glared at him. "LQ, ampota!"

He laughed. "Wala bang chance magkaayos kayo?"

I furrowed my brows. "Ayos naman kami ah? Ano bang problema? Kayo lang naman ang nag-iisip ng kung ano-ano diyan."