Depression Plutus (Curse #4)

CHAPTER 15 Bullies

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. Plutus' ridiculous hair essentials actually worked, so I decided to just ignore the attention, silently walking down the hallway towards my classroom.
 
Pero akala ko lang pala iyon.
 
Without warning, I felt something catch my foot, and before I knew it, I was stumbling forward. I lost my balance and hit the floor hard. The sound of laughter erupted around me, filling the hallway with an unpleasant echo. My face flushed as I quickly tried to gather myself. I glanced up, trying to spot who had done it, and that’s when I saw her.
 
It was her. One of my classmates, the same girl who had called me a bitch yesterday for not giving Plutus a chair. She was standing there with a group of her friends from another section, smirking and giggling like they’d just pulled off the prank of the century. 
 
"She totally deserved it." She muttered with her friends. 
 
Sino kaya sa'min ngayon ang bitch? I just heaved a sigh, resisting the urge to snap. It wasn’t worth it. Not today.
 
Tatayo na sana ako ng may mapansin ako sa soot kong stockings. The only decent pair I had got a hole in the toe. A visible, ugly tear. I closed my eyes for a second, inhaling deeply as I tried to keep calm.
 
Kalma ka lang self, umaga pa lang, may mabuti ding mangyayari ngayong araw. With as much dignity as I could muster, I stood up and brushed the dirt off my skirt, pretending I didn’t notice everyone still watching me. Without looking at anyone, I made my way into the classroom, feeling every step as heavy as the stares burning into my back.
 
As soon as I sat down, Jenna leaned over, her sharp eyes immediately catching the hole in my stockings.
 
"Bakit may butas 'yan? Anong nangyari sayo?" Sunod-sunod na tanong ni Jenna. 
 
"Some evil witch out there thought it’d be fun to trip me in the hallway," I muttered, tugging at the hem of my skirt to cover the tear.
 
"The mean girls are starting again, huh?" Dylan's added. His voice was casual, but the way his brow furrowed said enough.
 
Nanlalaki ang mga mata ni Jenna na napatingin sa'kin, napalitan na ito ngayon ng pag-aalala. "My poor friend," she pouted her lips. "The girls in this school can be really vicious. If a guy becomes popular and gets a fan base, they practically worship him. And if anyone treats their ‘idol’ badly, well… let’s just say, your peaceful day is over." 
 
Napakunot tuloy ang noo ko sa pagtataka, "hindi ko kayo maintindihan, paki-explain."
 
Dylan leaned forward, lowering his voice. "It has everything to do with yesterday. You know, when you didn’t give Plutus the chair? Word got around, and now those girls are out for blood."
 
Jenna nodded. "I saw it on the school forum this morning. Plutus already has a fan base at CA, especially now that everyone knows he’s the new vocalist and bassist for Slate’s band. They’re obsessed."
 
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 both patted my shoulder in a show of support, their sympathetic looks only making me feel worse. "Yeah, well, the bullies are probably going to start coming out of the woodwork now," Jenna said, sighing.
 
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. As soon as he entered, a few of our classmates started giggling and throwing their enthusiastic "hi’s" his way. Plutus, as usual, waved them off with that infuriating smirk, completely unfazed by all the attention.
 
Then he strolled over to his seat, right beside mine. He dropped into the chair, his bag on the back of the chair, hanging. Para itong tambay sa kanto kung makaupo, bukang-buka ang mga hita at parang tamad na tamad na nakatingin sa harapan.
 
"Tsk, kaasar," bulong ko bago binuksan ang notebook ko.
 
Plutus glanced at me sideways, probably catching my mood, but he didn’t say anything. Just sat there, cool as ever, while I calmed myself not to choke him to death. 
 
~~~
 
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 glanced to the side, and there was Plutus, leaning way too close, his hand running through my curls as he sniffed it, his eyes were void of emotion when he met my gaze. 
 
"Ano ba! Tigilan mo nga 'yan!" I whispered, my tone laced with annoyance.
 
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 perp umulit na naman siya. 
 
While pretending to jot down notes, he leaned in again, his voice teasing. "Not in the mood, huh? I was just appreciating my work. Your curls, they're beautiful. Guess my money didn’t go to waste 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, do you have something you’d like to share with the class?"
 
I froze, feeling the eyes of the entire class on me. My face turned bright red as I shook my head quickly. "N-no, ma’am. Sorry."
 
"Pfffft."
 
The teacher nodded and turned back to the board, but not before Plutus suppressed a laugh. I glared at him, annoyed beyond belief, and decided to pinch his waist in retaliation.
 
"Ow! What the—" Plutus cussed under his breath, which immediately caught the teacher’s attention again.
 
"Plutus, is there a problem?"
 
Plutus, of course, straightened up instantly, flashing one of his overly polite smiles. "No, ma’am. Everything’s fine."
 
The girls giggled, clearly enchanted by his charm. I could barely hold back my laughter this time, seeing how flustered he got for once. But as I tried to keep a straight face, Plutus leaned in closer again, his voice low and dangerous.
 
"You’re going to pay for that," he whispered.
 
Doon na ako napaseryoso, kabado akong napalunok sinusubukan na magpatay-malisya sa sinabi nito. Damn, ibibitin ba ako nito patiwarik sa sports field? 

 
Huwag naman!
 

To be continued...