Bittersweet

Chapter 21 - Boyfriend

Our vacation and celebration at Elyu has ended, and we’re back to our regular lives as students and athletes. Exams are just around the corner, with only a few weeks left to review and continue the lectures.

Tired and sweaty, Cania sits beside me, panay ang paypay niya sa sarili dahil halos walang hangin dito sa field kung saan ginaganap ang PE namin. Our second quarter of the first semester will have us presenting a folk dance, a traditional pairing of boys and girls. Hinati kami into two groups since we're only a few in our section.

All the Grade 12 students from different strands are participants in this performance task, to be held at our amphitheater. Wala pang date kung kailan, but our PE teacher commanded us to start practice dahil early is better than late. Sadly, Eleven isn't in my group; napunta siya sa Group 1.

He's our escort, that's why he was paired with Julia, our class muse. It’s not a big deal for me—it's for our grades—but Dice can’t stop teasing me. Kanina pa niya ako inaasar, aware siya na crush ni Julia si Eleven kaya nga sila naging escort at muse dahil sa tuksuhan. But it doesn’t mean na magseselos ako.

Eleven and I admitted to each other what we really feel, but the thing between us isn’t clear as water. And Dice’s teasing is not helping right now. Hindi ko na nga nakakasama si Eleven lately. He’s been busy with their practice, ewan ko ba kay Ma’am, sila ang priority.

“Kung ako ‘yan, iiyak na ako sa selos. May pa-hawak pa sa bewang! Dapat d’yan pinuputulan ng kamay eh!” Dice grinned, clearly enjoying watching me squirm.

I couldn’t help but glance at Eleven and Julia. It was part of the dance, but Julia’s face was blushing so hard while staring up at Eleven. A pang hit my chest out of nowhere, and I couldn’t help but frown. I heard Eleven’s laugh and quickly looked away.

Paglingon ko, Dice was still smirking beside me. “Lumayo ka nga sa akin! Naiirita ako sa pagdikit mo, ang init-init na nga lang eh!” I said, annoyed.

He stepped back, giving me space while laughing. I had been wanting to throw the ball I was holding straight at his face, but instead, I clenched it tightly in my hand. He really loves messing with me. The heat from the sun wasn’t helping either, making my head feel even hotter.

Cania, ever the mediator, slapped Dice's head with her mini fan. “Manahimik ka nga! Lalo ka lang nagpapainit ng ulo dito, eh! Ang ingay mo puro ka pangaasar, ihahampas kita sa puno!”

And just like that, they were bickering like cats and dogs again. Keyshia and Devyn were quietly watching us. Vixon had gone to the canteen to buy water and still hadn’t come back. Out of sheer frustration, I stood up and left the field. Practice was already over, and PE was almost done anyway. Dice called after me, but I didn’t look back. I had art club today, so I headed toward the art room.

The art room was on the rooftop, and there was no elevator in this building, meaning I had a long flight of stairs to climb. When I finally reached the rooftop, a peaceful breeze greeted me. The quiet was a welcome change from the noisy field.

Inside the art room, everything was still. Konti lang kami sa club, so I’m used to having the place to myself. I sighed heavily, grabbing the biggest canvas from the cabinet. Gusto kong ma-distract, to get rid of the thoughts running through my head. I chose dark colors—black and deep red. Umupo ako sa harap ng canvas, pinatong ito sa stand, and started painting.

I painted a dark shore with a storm raging in the sky, my brush moving furiously. All my frustration—Julia’s blushing face, Eleven’s laugh, their closeness—it all played over and over in my mind. My hand shook, and I ended up ruining the painting with aggressive strokes.

A knock on the door snapped me out of my thoughts. When I turned around, I saw Eleven standing there, looking worried. It made my irritation worse. Instead of greeting him, I turned back to my painting, my hand brushing the canvas even harder, wrecking the stormy shore I’d been working on.