"Hindi ko kaya! Don't leave me, Vincent!" Shan's over-dramatic voice.
It's 1 day before our closing party. Na-announce na rin kung sino ang with honors and with high. Of course, I'm part of the with high honors. Not to brag though.
I shifted comfortably on my chair and folded both of my legs so I could Indian sit. Habang si Shan eh hindi parin tumitigil sa kaka maktol nya. Nagulo pa ang pag sketch ko dahil puro sya alog ng braso ko.
"Mamimiss kita Vin! Bakit kasi sa Manila pa! Pwede ka parin naman maging Architect kung dito ka mag aaral ah?! May kulang na sa 'kin? May mali ba sa 'kin? Panget ba 'k—"
"Oo" agaran kong sagot na ikinaasim ng maasim naman na nyang mukha.
Nang makitang papalapit si Shan at gusto akong yakapin, itinulak ko agad ang mag kabilang braso nya para hindi 'yon matuloy.
Ipapahamak mo pa 'ko! Eh, hindi ko nalang namamalayan may mga mata na palang nakatingin sa 'tin!
I checked the window if there's a lion watching us or not. I breathed freely when I saw there was no one.
"Wag nga" Suway ko at kunyareng pinapagpag pa ang mga braso na parang may mga dumi.
If it was Gio who wanted a hug, I'd gladly give it. Eh, kaso itong mokong pa ang yayakapin ako! Tapos mapapahamak pa ako, ayoko nga. Bibigyan mo pa 'ko ng problema at responsibilidad na sumuyo!... ng kaibigan.
Bakit nga ba kasi kailangan ko manuyo?!
Kasi malamang ayaw ko na nag tatampo sya.
Pero bakit kasi sya nag tatampo?! Ano ba kami?! Gulong gulo na 'ko!
We had our free time the whole day. Classroom-based recognition lang muna ang nangyari for tomorrow's closing party. It's so boring. That's why when Gio came to sleepover, I was instantly excited.
Lagi naman kaming may sleepover. Usually he comes over at our house dahil ewan ko ba, ayaw nya sa bahay nila lalo na kapag bumibisita ang mga pinsan nya o may reunion.
"Bought brownies for you" He welcomed me into my room with a box of brownies from Goldilocks.
My face lifted as if I was a kid who just received a lollipop after craving it for so long. My phone no longer mattered when he walked towards me.
"Why did you suddenly want to sleepover?" Tanong ko dahil may pasok pa bukas, eh weekend 'to nag sle-sleep over sa amin.
His genuine smile slowly faded. "Wala, dumating kasi yung..mga..tita at ano... tito ko"
I'm not stupid. I could tell when there's something wrong with the vibes. And I am a hundred percent sure there's something off... again.
And it's the first time that he reacted this way. Yes, he sleeps over when his tita and tito are staying there at his house, but he just seems off today.
Pinasadahan nya nang haplos ang buhok nya "Ayoko munang umuwi, hindi narin ako pumunta ng bahay kanina pero nag text ako kay mommy na dito na muna ako"
I sighed heavily and nodded. Kinuha ko na rin ang panda na pajama, binigay nya, he probably bought this earlier cause he's holding another pair, naka SM paper bag pa.
When I was about to open the door of my bathroom, I felt someone holding my pulse. "I'm okay.." his voice is too soft I would melt any minute now.
I nodded, "You can tell me what's bothering you, Gio" I assured him.
He's probably pressured, or maybe he really just doesn't like socializing with his relatives it gives him anxiety.
