The Last Rule

Chapter 29 - Guilty

"ACKKK nakaka-inlove talaga si Astro, pinagbukasan niya ako ng gate!" tili ni Teby the moment she barged into my room. I rolled my eyes so hard I'm pretty sure I gave myself a headache. Mabuti sana kung si Teby lang, pero no, here come the others.

"Hindi mo nakita sa Kuya Calli sa treadmill?" sabat ni Jierlyn, naka-smirk pa, and I swear the girl was enjoying my misery.

"Topless," Raela added, wiggling her eyebrows like it's some kind of breaking news. Eww! I wanted to shriek and hide under my blanket, but instead, I just sighed and threw my hands up.

Stop!" inis na sabi ko sa kanila, tinaasan sila ng kilay.

"Bakit ba nagmamadali mo kaming pinapuna dito? Ikaw naman ang nahuli," said Cleo, crossing her arms like a mini lawyer ready to prosecute Teby. I blinked. Wait, they're here? I didn't even know they were coming over. Teby just magically summoned everyone to my room, and now my peaceful relaxation is ruined.

"Eto na nga," Teby announced dramatically, sliding onto my bed like she owned the place. "Alam mo ba kung nasaan si Dos ngayon?" She looked straight at me, expectant, eyes wide like she just dropped the bomb.

Okay. That was weird. She made our friends rush into my house just to ask about Dos? The last time I talked to him was four hours ago. I remembered him saying he had to work on his thesis with his groupmates. Simple, ordinary, normal. I shrugged and answered casually, "He's with his groupmates, gumagawa ng thesis."

Teby didn't say anything. Instead, she whipped out her phone and angled it toward me. I frowned. "Why?" I asked, already feeling that tight twist in my stomach.

And then I saw it.

A photo.

And even though the guy in the photo was turned away, one look at the posture, the hoodie, the messy dark hair... it was unmistakably him. Dos. And he was holding... three cup noodles.

"Bumili lang ng meryenda, sis," Nixie voiced out what I was already thinking.

But there was hesitation in Teby's eyes, a flicker of something that made my chest tighten. She double-tapped the image, revealing the full picture, and my heart skipped.

I swallowed hard.

There he was. Standing casually in the convenience store, hoodie half-slouched, hands occupied with cup noodles... and a bracelet on his wrist. My bracelet. The one I gave him. Kitang-kita sa picture ang 'Araw' na nasa bracelet, confirming that it wasn't just someone who looked like him. It was Dos.

And then, my stomach sank even further.

It wasn't because of Dos.

It was because of the girl beside him.

I didn't know her. Not even a hint of familiarity. She was facing him, laughing like he'd just said one of his stupid, silly jokes. Side view, completely unbothered, smiling. And I didn't know if I wanted to throw something at her, or throw my own brain out of the window.

"Girl..."

I don't know how to react, or even what to feel. Hindi ko na ma-process kung sino 'yong nagsalita. Either way, the room had gone completely silent. Every eye is on me, waiting for my reaction. Waiting for me to implode. I hated it. Hated it. Was it pity? Judgment? I couldn't even tell.

"Baka siya 'yong groupmate," Raela offered, trying to reason with me, probably sensing my impending meltdown.

"Kilala mo ba 'yong mga groupmates niya?" Cleo asked, arms crossed, scanning my reaction like she expected me to spill secrets.

I opened my mouth but stopped. Every time he mentioned thesis group stuff, he never gave names. Always "groupmates ko" this, "mga kagrupo ko" that. And I never asked. Never questioned it. And now, I regretted that.