Dancing with the Devil

Chapter 15

"What? Cat got your tongue?"

I look at her confused. What was her name again? As far as I know she's one of Keaton's friends. Friend huh? May limitasyon at hangganganan kung saan lang pwedeng makialam ang isang kaibigan. At sa kaso niya, wala siyang karapatan na makialam.

"Ano ulit pangalan mo?"

"W-what?" She looked flustered at my genuine question.

I can see her cheeks burning. Who wouldn't? Bigla na lang siyang sumugod kasama ang isa niyang kaibigan na tahimik lang sa kanyang likuran ngunit sigurado ako na suportado siya sa kung ano man ang gagawin. Tapos ang ibubungad ko sa kanya ay hindi ko man lang siya kilala.

"Ikaw! You're such a flirt!" Itinuro niya ako. 

People started to flock around us. Instead of choosing a calm and private conversation, she opted for other students ogling over us like we were some kind of a drama. I knew it, she wanted to get their attention.

"Keaton's courting you and yet you kiss another man?" singhal niya. Hindi makapaniwala. Ako rin, hindi makapaniwala sa sinasabi niya. "Kung hindi ka nga ba naman malandi!"

Ang mga mata niya ay puno ng galit na hindi ko alam kung saan ng galing, maliban na lang sa may hinalikan akong iba. Bukod pa doon ay wala nang iba. I don't see anything wrong with it either.

I'm weighing everything. Ayokong emosyon ang pairalin, kung ako lang ay kanina ko pa siya pinatulan. But realizing that we were in the university's premises made me think twice.

She was just there in front of me. Kuyom ang kamay, namumula sa galit. 

"I let him court me, yes." I admit. Trying to explain, kahit na hindi ko naman kailangan ipaintindi sa kanya. "But that doesn't mean that he's my responsibility, in fact why would I even prioritize him more than myself?" Binibigyang diin ang lahat.

"Do you even hear yourself?! Our friend's courting you, pinayagan mo siyang manligaw." Sigaw ng isa sa akin. She almost near me, pinigilan lang ng kaibigan sa pamamagitan ng paghawak sa kanyang braso.

I massaged my temple, I'm losing my mind in this situation I'm in. Ni hindi ko alam bakit ako ang ginugulo nila, kung may tao man na dapat kumumpronta sa akin 'yun ay ang kaibigan nila.

"Do you even need to shout? You're showing them how you're losing your class, even your manners have gone awry." Pointing out how irrational and stupid they become.

"First of all, I let him court me. Ano ba ang ligaw? You get to know each other, right?" I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "We're not in the western country that you seem to see courting and dating as one. It doesn't mean that I let him court me, ay parehas na kami ng nararamdaman."

"Courting me means that Keaton is making me like him, he is basically proving himself to me."

"It was his entire decision to court me, so why are you so mad and upset that I kissed somebody? Si Keaton ba kayo?"

I get it, with my actions I hurt Keaton. And I would be willing to explain kahit na hindi ko alam kung anong kailangan ipaliwanag sa kanya. Manliligaw ko siya oo, but I treated him as a friend.
 
"Bullshit! Anong mindset ang meron ka?" She exclaimed.

Of course, small minded people don't understand complex things.

"Anong mindset ang meron ka?" I repeated her own words. "You're all talk, try to comprehend what I'm saying first before you open that damn mouth of yours."

"What's happening here?" I heard a voice from afar.

Mabilis na nahawi ang dagat ng mga tao. Nang tinignan ko sila ay mabilis silang nag-alpasan. My god, people can't really understand when to give the privacy that others need.