GABRIELLE
AFTER WHAT happened in the library, I tried to avoid Zerachiel the whole day. It was easy, he was busy, and we did not have any subjects together today. Bukas ko nalang poproblemahin ang nangyari.
Should I act as if nothing happened? Wala naman talagang nangyari— or that was what I wanted to believe. But the swollen lips, the drip of saliva on his chin, and the lust-induced eyes he sported as he panted in front of me, breathing so close to my face that I could smell his minty breath. He copped a feel of my breast, and he basically devoured my lips.
Why did I let him do that? Why did I let it happen in the first place? Dapat ay sa unang pagdampi palang ng labi niya sa akin ay tinulak ko na siya. Bakit ko hinayaang humantong sa gano'n? I didn't like the kiss— that was what I wanted to believe, but I knew deep within me, I liked it. I liked it more than I wanted to admit.
It was my first time kissing. It was my first time feeling a man's lips on my lips. I had never experienced intimacy with anyone, and Zerachiel just showed me how hot it could be. I wasn't naive when it came to sexual urges or any intimacy. I had read books about it. I had watched dramas that showed intimacy and sex. But I never thought it would be so intense that I almost forgot where I was at that time.
Kung gano'n siya humalik, dapat ay iwasan ko talaga siya. He was a beast. My lips were swollen after our kiss. Halos hindi ko makilala ang sarili ko no'ng tinignan ko ang sarili ko sa salamin. Mabuti nalang talaga at may dala akong face mask, ginamit ko muna 'yon sa sumunod na klase ko at nagpanggap na medyo masakit ang pakiramdam kaya nagsuot ako ng gano'n.
My mission to avoid Zerachiel failed when the next day fell onto my palm. I couldn't do anything to escape this class. Kung p'wede lang sanang hindi pumasok ay ginawa ko na. Ngunit alam kong hindi basta-basta 'yon. I had to maintain a high grade for my scholarship. Hindi puwedeng bumagsak at baka mawala sa 'kin 'to.
Kakaunti palang ang tao no'ng pumasok ako sa amin silid-aralan. The pale silver glow that filtered through the window bathed the room with enough light to show the way to my seat. I walked to the seat I planned to sit on for the rest of the period. May nakaupo na sa tabing upoan nito. Sana ay hindi na ako istorbohin ni Zerachiel.
Habang hinihintay ang aming professor, pinanuod ko na muna ang payapang labas. The sun was not visible due to the thick bank of clouds gathered through the bleak sky. The soothing tendrils of air twirled as the first drop of drizzle caught my attention. Hindi tulad kahapon, ngayon ay makapal ang ulap at mukhang uulan pa.
"H-hello," the guy next to me whispered.
Napatingin ako roon at nakita kong nakangiti siya sa 'kin. I thought his name was Lloyd. He was one of the smartest students in our class. He was the typical nerdy but handsome student who wore glass not because they wanted it, but because they had to. The thick frame of his glass made me think that it might be so hard for him to see without those.
Hindi kami masyadong nag-uusap ni Lloyd. May mga iilang pag-uusap namin at tungkol naman 'to sa mga projects or requirements namin. I had a prejudice against him when I first saw him. I knew it was not good to judge someone based on how they looked or how they were the materialization of something you read from books. Akala ko kasi no'ng competitive siya at ayaw niyang nilalamangan kaya hindi ko masyadong pinagtutuunan ng pansin.
"Hello," I smiled at him.
He was about to say something when I felt someone behind me. Napatingin din si Lloyd sa likod ko at nanlaki ang kaniyang mga mata. Napatingin din ako roon at halos tumayo ako no'ng nakita ko si Zerachiel sa likod ko, nakatingin sa akin ng mariin.
"Am I disturbing something?" The tone that slipped off his lips was dark and edgy, something that did not settle well with me.
"N-nothing important, Z-Zera!" Ani Lloyd at napatingin sa 'kin.
