OTTILIE VIRSES POV
Mabuti na lang at hindi ako na-late dahil sa kakapagpag nang alikabok sa buong katawan ko. Kita naman ni Plutus na kulay itim ang uniform namin, kaasar talaga ang mokong na 'yon.
Pagdating ko sa school, panibagong problema na naman. Habang naglalakad kasi ako, napansin ko ang kakaibang tinginan sa'kin ng mga estudyante. Ang nakakapagtaka pa, titingin nila sa'kin tapos magbubulungan.
Ano kayang problema nila?
On second thought, baka dahil lang sa buhok ko? It did look a lot better today, the curls are bouncier and healthier than ever.
Surprisingly, Plutus’s ridiculous hair products actually worked.
So I tried ignoring everyone and quietly walked toward my classroom.
Pero akala ko lang pala iyon.
Without warning, something hooked around my foot. Before I could react, I stumbled forward and slammed hard against the floor.
Laughter immediately exploded around me.
Mabilis akong tumayo habang namumula sa kahihiyan. I I looked around, trying to see who did it, and that’s when I spotted her.
It was the same girl from yesterday, the one who called me a bitch because I didn’t give Plutus a chair.
She stood there with her friends, giggling like they had just done the funniest thing in the world.
“She deserved it anyway,” bulong niya sa mga kaibigan niya.
Sino kaya sa'min ngayon ang bitch?
Napabuntong-hininga na lang ako. I didn’t have the energy to fight today.
Aalis na sana ako nang mapansin ko ang stockings ko.
The only decent pair I owned now had a hole near the toes.
Perfect.
I closed my eyes and inhaled slowly.
Kalma ka lang self. Umaga pa lang. Maybe something good will still happen today.
Trying to save whatever dignity I had left, I stood up and brushed the dirt off my skirt. I pretended not to notice everyone still staring as I walked into the classroom.
Every step felt heavier because of the eyes following me.
As soon as I sat down, Jenna immediately noticed the tear in my stockings.
"Bakit may butas 'yan?" Takang tanong ni Jenna. "Anong nangyari sayo?"
“Some evil witch thought it’d be funny to trip me in the hallway,” reklamo ko habang pilit tinatakpan ang punit gamit palda ko.
"The mean girls are starting again, huh?" Dylan's added.
Nanlalaki ang mga mata ni Jenna na napatingin sa'kin, napalitan na ito ngayon ng pag-aalala.
“My poor friend,” sabi niya habang naka-pout. “Girls in this school are scary. Once a guy becomes popular, they treat him like some kind of god. Then if someone offends their ‘idol’...” Napailing siya. “Goodbye peaceful life.”
Napakunot tuloy ang noo ko sa pagtataka, "hindi ko kayo maintindihan, paki-explain."
Dylan leaned closer. “It’s because of yesterday. You didn’t give Plutus a chair, remember? People started talking about it. Now those girls hate you.”
Tumango si Jenna. “I saw posts about it on the school forum this morning. Plutus already has a fan base here, especially after everyone found out he’s the new vocalist and bassist of Slate’s band.”
I groaned.
Napapasabunot na ako sa buhok ko dahil sa stress. Pati ba naman dito sa school, ayaw ako tantanan ng kamalasan ni Plutus?!
"Gusto ko lang naman ng payapang school life, ano ba!" Napapapadyak tuloy ako sa ilalim ng lamesa ko.
Jenna and Dylan awkwardly patted my shoulder like they were comforting a dying soldier.
“Yeah…” Jenna sighed. “The bullies are probably going to get worse from now on.”
Before I could respond, the door swung open, and the teacher walked in.
Behind her was Plutus, casually slinging a guitar bag over his shoulder and balancing a stack of hardbound books in one hand as he helped the teacher.
The moment he entered, several girls immediately started greeting him excitedly.
Of course, the annoying demon only waved lazily at them with that smug grin on his face.
Then he walked toward his seat beside mine and sat down like some lazy gangster. Para itong tambay sa kanto kung makaupo, bukang-buka ang mga hita at tamad na tamad na nakatingin sa harapan.
"Tsk, kaasar," bulong ko bago binuksan ang notebook ko.
Plutus glanced at me from the corner of his eye, probably noticing my bad mood, but he stayed quiet.
~~~
Tahimik ang buong klase habang kinokopya sa mga notebook namin ang isinusulat ni Mrs. Gregory sa board. Seryoso ako sa pagsusulat ng maramdaman kong may gumagalaw sa buhok ko.
Slowly, I turned my head.
At muntik na akong mapatalon sa gulat.
Plutus was leaning way too close beside me, casually running his fingers through my curls while sniffing them like some weird demon cat.
His face stayed completely blank when our eyes met.
"Ano ba! Tigilan mo nga 'yan!" Inis kong bulong.
Sa sobrang inis ko, dinakma ko ang buong mukha nito gamit ang isang kamay ko at malakas itong itinulak papalayo sa'kin. Muntik na itong matumba sa kinauupuan niya, mabuti na lang at naitukod agad nito ang isa niyang paa sa sahig.
Hindi ito makapaniwalang nakatitig sa'kin.
"The hell?" he whispered, blinking at me in confusion.
I shot him a glare, turning back to my notebook to avoid drawing more attention. Ang akala ko, doon na matatapos ang pang-aasar niya pero umulit na naman siya.
Yumuko ito at pasimpleng lumapit ulit sa'kin.
“Hm,” he hummed teasingly. “Still grumpy? I was just admiring my work. Your curls actually look decent now. Amazing. My money wasn’t wasted after all.”
Dahil sa lapit niya, naaamoy ko na naman ang fruit-sweet scent niya. Imbis na mainis ay parang kumakalma pa ako sa amoy niya.
Teka, anong kumakalma?
Hindi pwede!
Other self, dapat inis tayo ngayon sa kan'ya.
Aakma na sana akong susuntukin si Plutus para patigilin siya ng mahuli ako ni Mrs. Gregory.
“Yes, Ottilie? Would you like to share something with the class?”
Napatigil ako.
Biglang tumingin lahat sa’kin.
“N-no, ma’am! Sorry!” mabilis kong sagot habang namumula sa hiya.
Pfffft.
Narinig kong pinipigilan ni Plutus ang tawa niya.
Sinamaan ko 'to ng tingin. Kagagawan niya 'to eh!
Walang pasabi na kinurot ko siya sa tagiliran.
“Ow—what the hell?!” Napangiwi niyang daing.
Muling napatingin si Mrs. Gregory sa kaniya.
“Plutus, is there a problem?”
Biglang umayos ang upo niya at ngumiti nang napakapolite.
“No, ma’am,” he said. “Everything’s perfectly fine. Unlike some people beside me who choose violence before breakfast.”
The girls giggled, clearly enchanted by his charm.
Ako naman, halos mamatay sa sobrang pagpipigil ng tawa. Mukhang first time mapahiya ng isang demon prince.
Plutus leaned in closer again, his voice low and dangerous.
“You’re going to pay for that,” bulong niya nang malamig. “And trust me, evil witch, I have a very creative imagination.”
Bigla akong napalunok.
Damn.
Ibibitin na naman ba niya ako patiwarik sa sports field?
Huwag naman!
To be continued...
BINABASA MO ANG
Depression Plutus (Curse #4)
ActionOttilie Virses Lang, a half-witch, half-human, inherited a haunted house from her late father. Hoping to summon his spirit, she performed a ritual from an old book she found in the house. But things went wrong when she messed up the spell, accidenta...
