Nagpatuloy ang discussion. Talagang nakinig ako sa mga itinuturo niya dahil hindi ko naman iyon maintindihan nang tinangka kong basahin kanina. May kutob rin ako na magkakaroon ng quiz, hindi ko gustong bumagsak si Anja dahil lang sa akin.
Mr. Yniguez moved smoothly through the lesson, explaining each concept with a calm authority that demanded attention. I found myself actually taking notes, something I rarely did. I couldn't afford to mess this up—not for Anja's sake.
"Alright, class," sandali siyang huminto upang iligid ang tingin sa kabuoan ng klase.
Kinakabahan man ay hindi ako nag-angat ng mga mata, tuloy lang kung anong sinusulat ko sa notebook ni Anja.
"I think it's time for a little refresher. Let's make sure we're all on the same page before we move forward."
Iyon lang naman ang sinabi niya pero parang umangat na ang kaba ko hanggang lalamunan, tipong hindi na ako agad makahinga. Ano naman kaya ang pakulo niya ngayon? I watched as he scanned the room, his eyes thoughtful. He seemed to be looking for someone specific, and I prayed it wouldn't be me.
Nahuli niya ang aking mga mata. Agad akong nag-iwas ng tingin.
Fuck!
"Anja," tawag niya sa akin.
Inaasahan ko na iyon pero kabado pa rin talaga ako. My heart dropped as I waited for his next words.
"Perhaps you can help everyone remember the topic you discussed last week during your reporting activity. Can you give us a brief overview of the key points you covered on photosynthesis and cellular respiration?"
God! How would I know that? I wasn't Anja, and I had barely been paying attention during her report last week. Sana pala nakinig ako! I remembered vaguely that she had talked about something involving plants and cells, but that was it. My mind went blank, panic setting in.
I swallowed hard, trying to buy myself a moment to think.
"Um, sure," I said slowly, stalling for time. "We talked about, uh, photosynthesis and... um, how it's related to cellular respiration."
"Yes," Mr. Yniguez prompted, kalmado niya akong pinapanuod. "Can you elaborate on the process of photosynthesis for us?"
I glanced over at Anja, who was sitting in my usual seat. She was giving me a subtle, pleading look. She knew I was in over my head, and so did I.
Tangina talaga!
So, alam nga niya na hindi ako si Anja kaya imbes sitahin ay ipapahiya niya na lang ako sa sarili niyang paraan. Ganoon ba?
I took a deep breath, trying to recall anything I could from her presentation. I had to at least make it sound convincing.
"Well," pilit na pilit kong itinatago ang kaba na umaabot na talaga sa aking mukha. Pakiramdam ko ay pati sentido ko ay kumakabog na! "Photosynthesis is... um, it's the process by which plants use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen. The, uh, glucose is then used as energy, and the oxygen is released into the atmosphere."
Mr. Yniguez nodded, but I could see that he wasn't satisfied with just the basics.
"And cellular respiration?" he asked. "How does that connect to photosynthesis?"
I could feel my palms starting to sweat. Refresher lang, ah? Palagay ko naman na-refresh na ang mga kaklase ko! Bakit parang gusto niya pa na ulitin ko sa harap ng lahat ang report ni Anja?
"Cellular respiration," I said, struggling to remember more, "is... it's the process by which cells break down glucose to produce energy. It's sort of the reverse of photosynthesis because it uses oxygen and releases carbon dioxide and water as byproducts."
