One of the Boys 1 & 2 (Published by Pop Fiction)

Chapter Eleven

Present

Eminent

That was my first kiss after 7 years. Everytime I'd close my eyes, I could still feel it. The feeling was beyond indescribable. Wala akong pinagsabihan ng mga nangyari aside from sister and uncle.

I imagined him saying, "Anak, you deserve to be happy. Baka hindi lang kayo ang para isa't isa, pero alam kong kaya mo. You're brave. Nakaya mo nga ng wala ako, makakayanan mo rin ng wala siya."

He was right, and I trusted his words even though they didn't directly come out from his mouth. Kasi kung nandito siya, 'yun ang sasabihin niya. I remembered every piece of advice he had given to me.

I wanted him to be proud of me from up there. He wasn't going to be proud if I let myself be carried away from everything that was not good for me.

Meanwhile, Doms directly told me, "May dahilan kung ba't nangyayari lahat ng 'to, Ags. Hindi pa naman ending. Baka nga wala ka pa sa climax. Pwede ring hindi pa nagsisimula o sinusulat pa lang Niya." She made my heart calm. She was not uncle's replacement, but she was definitely one of the many or maybe, few reasons why I did not quit.

Last week ko na sa pediatrics department. Dr. Hizon and I went back to normal. Normal as in nag-uusap kami. Nagbibiruan, pero walang malisya. Alam na namin kung saan kami lulugar. Alam ko na ang limitasyon ko at alam na rin niya kung anong desisyon niya.

We decided not to make things harder for us so we ended up being less than friends. Acquaintance, maybe?

"Princess doctor!" Kalvin hugged me. Ewan ko ba kung anong trip nila. Since prince doctor daw si Apa, ako naman daw ang princess doctor nila. Ang daming kumakalat na issues, pero hindi naman namin pinapansin. Kahit nga mga bata, inaasar kami. Naririnig din kasi nila sa nurses.

When Apa told me he'd take me home 'that' night I got almost (?) drunk, everyone had this doubtful look the day after, except Kirky and Anthony, thank God.

Zoe, Dyma, and Abby, whom I thought would not judge me, interrogated me. Denzel, whom I sort of despised, looked at me like I did something wrong. Hindi pa rin kami nag-uusap. Wala rin naman kaming pag-uusapan.

Ang dami kong naririnig na pati yung bagong doktor, na-seduce ko. I even heard a nurse saying na kaya pala nakakapasa ako dahil nga inaakit ko yung mga doktor. I almost confronted her, but then she lowered her head and I decided not to stoop down. Gossip freaks.

Anthony, my good friend, told me I shouldn't listen to them. Si Kirk naman, another good friend of mine, patay malisya. Nakakatawa dahil sila pa ang nagdedefend sa'kin sa mga tao kahit wala naman silang alam. I was so thankful I had them.

I carried Kalvin and kissed his cheek. He lost a lot of weight dahil sa sakit niya. "Can you stop calling me princess doctor? I know I look like a princess, but I'm not Princess Doctor. I'm not Prince Doctor's princess. He likes someone else, alright?"

Nandito si Kalvin para bisitahin kaming naging doktor at nurses niya pati mga naging kaibigan niya dito sa hospital. Nagkuhanan pa nga ng phone numbers mga parents. Nakakatuwa lang dahil kahit nasa hospital sila, hindi sila nawawalan ng mga kaibigan. Hindi sila nawawalan ng karamay.

Kalvin pouted. "Okay, but do you like him?"

Binaba ko siya. "Nope." He was still pouting. May inabot siya sa aking dalawang invitations para sa birthday pala niya next week. Yung isa raw, para kay 'Prince Doctor'.

We both stopped talking when we saw Czarina watching us like she was not pleased at what we were saying. "I'm Prince Doctor's princess, not her." She frowned, her arms folded. Tumingala siya para tingnan si Dr. Hizon na nasa tabi niya. "Diba, prince doctor?" Magkaholding hands sila.