Senior High
"Miss, alam niyo ba kung saan ang ABM na room?"
It was a whirlwind of nervous anticipation as I walked through the gates of my new school. The sky was a sheet of grey and the rain was falling slowly, giving the surroundings a foreboding appearance. The students were down the hallway while waiting for their own rooms to open. Others were searching for their rooms, scanning their names on a paper sticking on the classroom's walls.
"Doon po sa kabilang building." I nodded and thanked the stranger. I started walking the other building. Each step was accompanied by the faint splashes of water beneath my feet, as the tiny droplets found their way onto the paved pathways and sidewalks.
The school was surrounded with coconut trees along the way. Maputik rin ang daanan dahil puro grass. It would be faster to go that way pero ayaw kong maputikan ang aking sapatos, dumaan ako sa pathway.
The path was narrow and small. It was also old dahil puno ng lumot. I was careful to walk by it dahil baka madulas ako. May mga puno ng kalamansi sa gilid habang mga bulaklak naman sa kabila.
As I made my way across that pathway, may natapakan akong hindi ko alam.
My footing became unsure at muntik na lumabas ang kaluluwa sa katawan ko. Hindi ko na alam kung anong sunod na nangyari.
"Aray!"
Naramdaman ko na lang ang pagtama ng aking pwetan sa mismong semento. It created a loud thud. My body jarred at the impact. The damp ground started soaking my clothes, leaving me a disheveled mess. I can't help but to scoff at my own clumsiness.
I heard someone giggled nearby. Nanlaki ang mata ko at napatingin kaagad sa aking likuran. My eyes met a girl, already wearing her school uniform, with an umbrella and her hands on her lips as if she was trying so hard not to laugh at me. Kaagad siyang nag-iwas ng tingin at umaktong hindi man lang ako nakita.
Makitid ang daan pero hindi ako makapaniwala sa sunod niyang ginawa.
She just walked pass by me.
Dumaan mismo siya sa aking harap! Her feet perched as she avoided my body. Literal na dinaanan niya mismo ako!
My jaw dropped as I watched her casually walking away as if she did not witness what just happened to me.
"Wow!" napasinghal ako.
"Tangina." Mura ko.
It took me a few minutes bago ko mahanap ang classroom ko. I've been desperately searching for it and it was just near the main gate. Pagpasok na pagpasok ko ay nagpagpag ako sa basahan. Even the rug was already wet by everyone's shoes. Everyone's eyes dart around me but I could not care less. My attention was on my pants that got soaked on the accident.
I felt a sigh of relief when I found the rest room. Pumasok agad ako sa loob para i-check ang sarili ko. My hair's wet, my jacket's wet, and even my pants are wet. Kinuha ko ang towel sa bag ko at pinunasan ang likod ng pants ko. Wala naman masyadong dumi. Para lang akong umupo sa upuan na may tubig.
I fixed myself for a moment before taking a deep breath. Lumabas ako ng room at umupo sa first table. Some of the girls smiled at me. I smiled back. Hindi rin nagtagal at dumating na rin ang adviser namin.
"Ang lakas ng ulan." She commented trying to ease the silence in the room.
"Are we complete? Or may late?"
Her eyes scanned the paper she was holding consisting of the list of names in this section. She also counted the students and later on, introduced herself.
