Seeing Where Things Go
"Cutting tayo," bulong sa akin ni Arden. He tempts me to reach for meditation between classes, with his wide smile and eyes that always seem to hold a secret.
Napatigil naman ako sa pagsusulat at sinulyapan siya. I can't believe he's saying this. The one and only Arden Vnusdnor was attempting to cut a class. I don't know whether to be surprised or happy. Si Arden, na laging top of the class, na hindi pa kailanman nag-late sa anumang exam, na ang mga libro niya ay laging maayos at malinis, ngayon ay nag-aalok na tumakas mula sa isang klase?
"Ano, kasama ako?" I asked, even though I still didn't know what effect this decision would have.
"Don't tell me that you didn't skip any class since this year? H'wag ako! I know you!" wika ni Arden, na may halong panunukso at pagtataray. Tinutukso na naman ako. I know he has a point. After all, I was the meanest of all the patient and disciplined students in the class, so I couldn't blame Arden if he had doubts.
Sumulyap ako kay Arden, at kita ko ang kanyang pilyong ngiti. "You got me there," sagot ko, sabay ngiti.
"Mamayang recess," with a smile on his face, confident to himself that I would say yes. Ang ngiti niyang iyon, may pagka-pilyo, parang alam na niyang walang magiging sagot kundi oo.
In times like this, I don't know how he always finds a way to teach me to change the wind. And every time he spoke, it was as if every word had a charm attached to it, so even if I had my doubts, I couldn't help but follow.
"Teka, may klase pa," I said, but it was obvious from my tone that I didn't even know why I was saying that.
"Yun na nga!" he answered, as if his every answer was mixed with a hint that nothing was more important than these moments. "Kaya nga recess! Dali na, 'di ba?"
There is no turning back. I looked at him, I couldn't argue anymore. "Fine," sabi ko, sabay sabing medyo nang-aasar. "Pero ikaw ang magbabayad ng snacks, ha."
He gave me a beautiful smile before focusing on his notes again. Para bang walang nangyaring halakhak o usapan, at balik siya sa pagiging seryoso—pero yung ngiti niyang iyon, ramdam ko pa rin. Hindi ko maiwasang mapangiti rin, kahit na may konting inis pa sa dibdib ko. Alam kong ang mga simpleng ngiti ni Arden ang may kakayahang baguhin ang buong araw ko.
While he was busy writing, I couldn't help but wonder what kind of person he was—he never seemed to lose his confidence. As for me, like a snake, I kept watching him while he was writing, waiting for him to come up with an idea again so I could talk to him.
"Mr. Mendez!" the teacher shouted, causing the entire class to turn their attention to me.
"Ma'am?" I stood up, clearly confused, trying to figure out what I did wrong.
Our teacher walked toward the window, her eyes narrowing as she peered outside. After a moment, she turned back to face me with a raised eyebrow. "Ano tinitingnan mo dito? Para kang asong ngiti ng ngiti, eh! Anong meron?"
In my peripheral vision, I saw Yael trying to keep his cool, but it was obvious he couldn't hold it in anymore. He was doing his best to suppress his laughter, pressing his folded hand over his mouth, but the effort was futile as his shoulders shook with the effort of trying not to burst out laughing.
G-go!
"Mr. Iverson, kindly answer equation number 3," the teacher called out, her tone serious as she turned toward him.
Now, I was the one trying my best not to laugh. I could feel my shoulders trembling, and my face turning red as I fought to keep a straight face, all while Yael's barely-contained laughter echoed in my mind.
