Masked Feelings

Chapter Forty-Seven

S T A C E Y

"Staks? Uy beh, okay ka lang? Tulala ka dyan?" Nagtatakang tanong ni Ate Yves sa'kin.

Tipid akong ngumiti sa kanya at tumango. "May iniisip lang ako, Ate."

She raised a brow at me, not taking my answer. "Beh, birtday na birthday tapos ganyan mukha mo. May problema ba?"

I shook my head. "Wala naman po, Ate Yves. May iniisip lang talaga ako."

"About? I mean, seryosong bagay ba? You can tell me naman if there's something bothering you." She sat beside me and held my left hand on the table. "What's wrong, Staks? Tell me."

I stare at her for a few seconds and then take a deep sigh afterwards. Maybe I should tell her nga. I said in my mind.

My head is hurting already because of that thing na kanina ko pa pinag-iisipan.

I don't know if it's just my imagination or it really happened before. Some kind of a memory na hindi ko matandaan. I don't really know.

I jut saw some flashes of blurred images in my head along with some unknown voices when I saw that...

... that mark.

What was that mark, anyway?

I really think that I have seen it before. Somewhere or on someone, I don't know. Basta sure ako na parang nakita ko na sya dati.

Pero ang sabi ni Jho kanina, bago lang yun. Like parang scar sya, ganun. Hindi na ako nagtanong pero sigurado ako na hindi yun bago.

That scar mark looks like matagal na. I mean, you can easily tell if bago pa lang yung peklat or matagal na by just looking at it.

And yung kay Jho, hindi sya mukhang bago. Pero ang pinagtataka ko lang, papanong kanina ko lang nakita yun?

We've been living in the same house, always kaming magkasama but never kong nakita yung scar mark na yun sa pulso nya. Kanina lang talaga. So how?

"Staks?"

I felt a squeeze on my hand, pulling me out from my reverie. I looked at Ate Yves who's staring at me worriedly.

"Okay ka lang?" She asked.

I bit my lip and shook my head. "Honestly, no. I'm not okay, Ate Yves."

"Why? What's bothering you ba?"

I sighed. "It's about Jho."

"Hmm? Kay Jho? Bakit, anong meron kay Jho?"

"I don't know how to say this but.... I think I might have met her before. Like parang 3 years ago? It's weird, yeah. But I feel like parang nagkakilala na kami talaga dati. I... I just don't.... remember how." I said.

I'm feeling of mixed emotions right now. Excitement... and also, I-I'm confused. Sobrang naguguluhan ako ngayon.

I don't know what to think, honestly. It's like there's something deep part on my mind that I cannot open. Parang may harang. Ewan ko. Hindi ko ma-explain.

Basta pakiramdam ko, may kulang. May kulang sa mga alaala ko. Pero hindi ko alam kung ano. Hindi ko nga maalala, diba? Tsk!

"Uhm, Staks?"

Napatingin ako kay Ate Yves. "Y-Yeah?"

"Naguguluhan ako, ah. Papano mo nasabing parang nagkakilala na kayo ni Jho before?" Kunot na kunot ang noo nya at halatang naguguluhan din talaga sya.