Carnage of Vicinity (At a Not-So-Ordinary Senior High)

CHAPTER 09.00: Storm Before Another

VICINITY

TWO WEEKS HAD ALREADY passed. If I were to describe how the past weeks had passed by, I'd say that it was kind of slow, yet still fast for the four of us: Cameron, Michaela, Rainier, and I.

It was slow because a lot of things had happened. Nand'yang pupunta kami sa library during break times, o 'di kaya ay nagba-browse sa internet for additional materials. Sa bahay rin namin kami dumidiretso para mag-prepare as a group. We were giving our all in order to prepare for the Battle of the Brains at malinaw ko naman 'yong nakita sa efforts na binibigay ng bawat isa.

On the other hand, time also flew fast dahil hindi namin namalayang dalawang linggo na ang lumipas mula nang magsimula ang venture ng TEAM VMRC on winning the school fair. Mukhang tama nga ang sabi nila na mabilis ang takbo ng panahon kapag okupado ang isip mo ng maraming bagay. Well, hindi lang naman ang preparation naming apat ang pinoproblema ko. Cameron and I, together with the other class officers, were also preparing for our input in the school fair. We had our own competitions to be held. Hindi namin pwedeng isantabi ang tasks naming iyon para magbigay daan sa TEAM VMRC.

Ah, mukhang masasanay na akong tawagin na gano'n ang grupo namin.

Speaking of our group, naging maayos naman ang takbo ng relationship namin sa nagdaang linggo. As if they haven't had a beef, nagpatuloy ang preparation namin para sa paparating na patimpalak. We spent most of our time in my house at doon pa nga sila kumakain ng hapunan minsan. Natikman nila kung gaano ako kasarap magluto- which was the siblings claim, by the way- and they didn't disappoint to appreciate my craft. Well, syempre bukod kay Cameron. He's the only one who kept on saying na matabang o masyadong maalat ang luto ko kahit hindi naman. Ano pa bang aasahan ko sa kaniya?

Oh, I suddenly remembered. Since the day he unnecessarily confronted the siblings, wala na siyang iba pang sinabi sa dalawa na hindi involved ang affairs namin as teammates for the school fair. Bumalik pa nga sila ni Michaela sa pagsasagutan na parang lagi silang may debate. Everything was normal and seemed like nothing happened. Unless, you'd discard the minor changes with Rainier.

I noticed that he became aloof again. Halos hindi na ulit siya kumikibo at si Michaela na ang nagsasalita on her behalf. I couldn't exactly tell kung dahil ba 'yon sa mga pinagsasabi ni Cameron, pero I could say that it was the case dahil kinikibo naman ako ni Rainier tulad ng sabihin niyang masarap ang luto ko sa adobo.

Hindi ko rin naman kasi maintindihan ang dickhead na 'yon kung anong pumasok sa isip niya that noon. Did he not know that it's offensive to doubt your friendship with your friends? Kung hindi man friends ang tingin niya sa kanila- o sa amin, which I had no worry about- he didn't have to go that far and ask unnecessary questions. If we were in a corporate set up, he would be called unprofessional. Baka nga matawag pa siyang unethical. Wow, OA.

"How are your preparations doing, Vi? Have they bore any fruit yet?"

Nilingon ko ang pinanggalingan ng boses at tinantsa ito ng tingin. It's Cameron, smiling at me like a mad dog, taking his seat beside me. Nasa school kami noong mga oras na 'yon at kakatapos lang ng klase namin sa isang subject. Cameron erased the writings on the board kaya naman kakabalik niya lang sa upuan. Well, it's one of his unspoken duties as the class president. Pwede niya naman sanang iutos sa iba iyon pero siya pa rin ang gumawa. What a lovely leader he was.

"Yes, kind of, I guess." I heaved a sigh as I straighten my back against the chair. Parang mababali na ang likod ko dahil sa isang araw na pagyuko while reviewing in my study table at home. "Naaral ko naman na lahat ng general at surface-level topics na kailangan kong maaral. I'll proceed on the most complicated and deeper ones this week. After no'n, I'll get back from where I started. Siguro naman ay magiging effective na iyon just like how I do my thing back in Junior High."