"Ano ka ba naman, Alexis! What on earth were you thinking at iyon ang sinabi mo sa kanya, ah? Close ba kayo?" Lustre talking to herself habang siya ay nasa kanyang kwarto. It was late evening at hindi siya makatulog, reminiscing what happened earlier. "Tssss! Ayoko ng pumasok bukas. Aaaaaaaaaah!" she added out of frustration.
After a week...
"Poe was right all along.
You can't bury your heart
And think it's not going to come back at you.
That beating, thumping thing it does.
If you took it out of your chest,
You'd think dying wasn't so bad."
Said Lustre. She was under a tree looking for fresh air. She decided to spend her lunch break dito. Tahimik. For the past few days, lagi lang siyang andito. Ilang araw niya na ding iniiwasan si Reid. Thinking it's for the better. She's having this weird feeling everytime na naririnig niya 'yong pangalan ng binata o nakikita, since magkaklase sila. Saying a poem out loud was one of her hobby to fight boredom o kapag naguguluhan siya.
"You rem—" Just when she is about to continue, she was cut by a voice.
"You remember what it was like
When it was beating
Feeling the red warm juice running through your body.
Red and salty and warm
Red tears, red eyes, red lips
All the redness of red
Beating that heart into the ground
Until it won't give up.
Poe was right,
But not like he thought
Not like he thought at all."
It was Reid. Naikinagulat na naman ng dalaga. 'what the fuck?' she thought.
"Tell-tale heart by James Dean. Rebel With a Pen." They both said in unison to close the said poem.
"That was... deep." Said Reid looking directly to Lustre. "Oh, akala ko ba ako ang broken dito? Eh bakit parang mas malalim pa ang pinagdadaanan mo kaysa sa akin?" he added.
"Wala kang pakielam!" pagsusungit ng dalaga. Pero deep down her, she was in awe that Reid knows the poem too. Oo, given na matalino siya. Pero she didn't thought that he is into poetry din. Small world, indeed.
"Meron ka ba?" asked Reid without any hesitations.
"Ano? Bastos!"
"What? I just asked you kung meron ka. Ang sungit mo kasi." Said Reid, defensively.
"Part of the rule, you don't just ask a girl about her period. That's a major blow, dude! Girls find it offensive." Sabi ni Lustre.
Raising both hands as a sign of defeat. "Sorry. Hindi ko alam. Before kasi, Erin was comfortable with it." He said.
"Guess what, I'm not Erin. Never. " giit ng dalaga upon hearing the name Erin.
"Sorry."
"Nah, wala 'yon. Just don't do it again. Other girls may think you're disrespecting them." She explained.
"Ano ba kasing ginagawa mo dito? And talking alone? That's weird." Sabi ni Reid.
"Embracing the beauty of nature. Just... resting my eyes from toxic." Sagot ng dalaga.
"So I assume, I am part of the 'toxic' that you're talking about?" seryosong sabi ng binata.
"Huh?" she lost count on how many times na nagulat siya sa mga remarks ng binata.
"Broken ako, oo. Pero hindi pa naman ako namamanhid, Nadine. Of course, I noticed. Na iniiwasan mo ako. Yes, my eyes are only with Erin before pero that doesn't mean na hindi na ko natingin sa paligid ko. And with that, these past few days you're not with your usual self. Dati kahit papaano nagkakaroon tayo ng small talks, be it for acads. Pero ngayon, kahit about sa acads wala na. What's with you? May nagawa ba ako?" nagtatakang tanong ni Reid.
Lustre's out of words. First, he was serious about calling her Nadine. Next, his speech. 'Shit! Napapansin niya pala 'yong pag-iwas ko. Tsk. Triple shit!' she thought.
"I should be the one feeling uncomfortable sa loob ng room 'di ba? Kasi andoon si Erin with us. Pero bakit pakiramdam ko, ikaw 'yong nagiging uncomfortable. Just tell me, kung may nagawa ba ako. Kasi I thought after everything that happened, nung kinomfort mo ako, I thought I earned myself a friend. Akala ko lang pala." Pagpapatuloy ng binata.
Hindi maexplain ni Lustre ang nararamdaman niya after hearing those words from Reid. She didn't expect na ganito 'yong impact ng pag-iwas niya sa binata.
"Arte mo! Ano ba kasing ginagawa mo dito?" Iyon na lamang ang nasabi ng dalaga.
"You told me that in order for me to pay you with that community service thing I should live again. So here I am. Trying to live again." Kumpara sa seryosong tono ng binata kanina, ngayon ay mas masaya na ito habang nakatingin sa dalaga.
"Nasagot ba 'yong tanong ko? Ang sabi ko bakit ka andito?"
"Naisip ko, for me to live again I need good company. I need you, Nadine. Help me live again. Friends?" said Reid while extending his hand to Lustre.
'I need you, Nadine.' Nage-echo sa utak ng dalaga and that left her speechless.
