Forbidden Relationship (Forbidden Love #3)(On-Going)

Chapter 28

"Ihahatid ka ni Kuya Yhael?" tanong sa akin ni Sovie nang maihatid na niya si Daniel sa kwarto nito.

Kaming dalawa na lang ang natirang gising dahil tulog ng pareho si Yhael at Kuya Zhack habang nakasandig sa sofa.

"Hindi ko nga alam e. Sabi niya magpapahinga lang siya pero hanggang ngayon hindi pa rin gising," sagot ko habang pinagmamasdan si Yhael na tulog na tulog.

"Gisingin ko—"

"'Wag na. Magpapasundo na lang ako," putol ko sa sinasabi niya.

"Eh, baka hanapin ka niyan paggising niya," sinabi ni Sovie.

"Hindi—"

"Aphle." Sabay kaming napalingon kay Yhael nang marinig naming tinawag niya sa ako sa mahinang boses. Nakapikit siya pero nakakunot ang kaniyang noo.

When I looked at Sovie, her eyes were wide and she seemed to want to laugh. "Why?" I asked.

Umiling-iling siya habang natatawa. "Gisingin mo na nga 'yang si Kuya Yhael. Kung ano-ano nang napapanaginipan niya."

I grabbed Yhael's arm and shook him gently. "Yhael," I woke him up.

When he opened his eyes, they were wide as he stared at me in disbelief. "Are you okay? Why is your face red?" I asked.

Ginulo niya ang kaniyang buhok bago umiling. "Wala 'to. Dahil lang sa alak," sagot niya.

Tumayo siya bago inayos ang uniform na suot. Tumingin siya kay Sovie bago nagsalitang muli; "Sov, ikaw na magsabi sa Kuya mo na umuwi ako. Ihahatid ko pa kasi si Aphle."

"Ihahatid mo pa ako?" tanong ko sa kaniya.

"Oo," sagot niya. "Nakapagpahinga na rin naman ako. Madali akong malasing pero madali ring matanggal ang tama ko."

Tumango-tango ako bago tumayo para kunin na ang bag ko. Yhael and I said goodbye to Sovie before we left there.

***

One and a half months passed. Today is the first day of the quarterly examination for this first quarter.

I don't talk to anyone in the room, even though these past few weeks they have always been paying attention to me. Whether female or male. Sometimes, I was even included in their gossip about a teacher.

"Aphle, sama ka sa 'min!" sigaw ni Sovie na nakatayo sa pintuan ng room. I raised the reviewer I was reading to answer her invitation non-verbally. She shook her head at me before coming over and sitting next to me. Our classmates were at the door, waiting for us. "Tara na. Tama na 'yang review mo. Wala nang binatbat sa 'yo si Rich."

Umiling ako. "Hindi ako pwede mag-failed. Ayokong maging failure sa mata ng mga magulang ko. Alam mo naman 'yon, 'di ba?" sinabi ko.

Bumuntong hininga siya bago tumango. "Sige, review ka na riyan." Sinabi niya bago tumayo at bumalik sa mga kaklase namin syaka sila umalis para pumuntang canteen.

When I could no longer see them and hear their laughter, I just held my breath while staring at the reviewer on my armrest. I wanted to join them and have fun, but I couldn't. I knew I would cry later because of what Mommy and Daddy would say to me when I failed this exam because I chose to have fun rather than review.

"If you want to be happy, choose it. Don't confine yourself to the words in your notebook," I heard Rich say. He was second in the whole class.

I faced him with my full attention. "You won't be a failure if you don't think you are."

"My parents will think and say that I'm a failure," I said. Even though the teachers and other classmates looked at us as rivals, we didn't treat each other like that.