Taming the Chaos

CHAPTER 3

After the game, we headed straight to the cafeteria since we were all starting to feel hungry.

Napansin din ni coach na naging maayos ang laro ko pagkatapos ng ibinigay niyang break sa'min. Kaya maaga niya din tinapos ang practice.

Mabuti na din 'yon at ang hirap pagsabayin ng pag-iisip ko at paglalaro habang hindi naman niya nilulubayan ang sistema ko.

"Bro, what's your relationship with Serena?" Tristan began to speak, sumubo pa ito ng kinakain niyang burger habang ang atensyon ay sa akin.

Napatingin din ang iba kong kaibigan dahil sa tanong niya.

Wait, he knows her?

"Oo nga, Raven? Isa ba siya sa mga pinorpormahan mo?" Dash follow up while his mouth is full. "Are you serious about her? Kaya ba umiiwas ka sa mga babae this past few weeks?" He added at muling kumagat sa hawak-hawak na pagkain.

"No, she's not. Wait, how did you even know her?" I said, looking at them with a face full of curiosity. "I thought she was a transferee and new to this school, isn't she?" I added.

I know almost all the girls on campus, so it seems unlikely that she slipped under my radar. Lalo na ang mga tulad niyang magaganda.

With that beautiful face of her, her angelic voice, her smile na mahahawa ka na lang dahil ang sarap-sarap nitong tingnan, and also that ocean-blue eyes of her.

"Nah, Raven. She's not. She's actually famous across the whole campus, bro, because of her unmatched beauty and she's also running for summa cum laude, she's freaking smart, bro." Tristan explained. "You didn't know her, until now?" Pagtataka pang tanong nito.

"Dude, think about it, If he had known her for a long time, we would've seen him flirting with her already. Looks like he just met her recently," Dash pointed out.

They laughed at what Dash said and nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"She's one of the smartest on our campus, but many still doubt her abilities," Tristan continued. "You talked to her, didn't you? Did you notice the way she speaks?" he asked, making sure.

My forehead creased, and my eyebrows furrowed at his question. There was nothing wrong with it, but something about it felt off.

I knew he was just asking and confirming, but I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else he was hinting at.

"Raven, stop glaring" sabat naman ni Reid na kanina pang nakikinig lang sa pagkukuwento nitong si Tristan.

"And what's wrong with the way she speaks?" I ask harshly.

Naiinis ako sa hindi maipaliawanag na rason. I mean, napansin ko naman sa una pa lang kung paano ito magsalita and I thought she trying to seduce me but in a cute way, or am I the only one who thinks that?

Have I actually lost my mind?

Mukhang nagulat pa ang mga kaibigan ko dahil sa marahas na reaction ko.

"She has a Specific Language Impairment (SLI) or Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), where they struggle with language aspects. They're smart in other areas, but when it comes to speech, their development is slow and challenging." Muli niyang pagpapatuloy. "Kaya marami pa din ang nagdududa dahil sa disorder na meron siya. But you know what's admirable about her? She doesn't pay attention to what others say about her. Instead, she's more determined to prove them all wrong-that despite her disorder, she can excel in the field of arts, or in any type of subjects or activities. Kaya natatameme na lang ang iba kapag nagsimula itong magpinta." He shared this with a sense of pride, as if they were close friends or even family, boasting about her achievements.