In Between Takes

what if she texted the wrong number

Maine was scrambling through her notes, because being a Statistics major was no joke. Wala pa rin kasi syang nasisimulan sa thesis nya - kahit objectives or possible title - but it was supposed to be done in groups. Iyong dalawang thesis mates nya, chill lang, sa isang bar. Ipinagtanong kasi nya kanina bago umuwi kung nasaan kaya iyong mga kagrupo nya dahil hindi pumapasok ang mga ito, at nagpanting na lang ang tenga nya noong marinig na... alak ang piniling harapin noong dalawa.

Where the hell are you?! She texted, because she was damn furious. Submission na next week. They have to find a thesis adviser dahil magkakaubusan na ng slots, at iyong adviser na gusto nya, tatlo na lang yata o dalawa ang tatanggaping thesis. 

It took her phone ten minutes before it vibrated. Why are you asking and shouting?

Gano'n? Kapag may exclamation point at question mark, galit agad? I'm not mad. She typed back. I'm deeply angered! And by asking where the hell are you, I'm asking kung bakit kayo nasa bar!

What?

Aba, at nagmamaang-maangan pa! I asked them kung nasaan kayo bago mag-uwian. You know me, guys. I rarely get mad pero sana naman, cooperation!

Why would I?

At doon na talaga nagpanting ang tenga nya. Agad syang tumakbo pababa ng dorm, at nagpaload sa pinakamalapit na tindahan. Namura pa nga nya ang Globe dahil ayaw mag-register ng unli call nya, and hell be damned - regular load na ang ginamit nya because she was so frustrated with her thesis mates. They were pushing her to her limits!

"Hello?!" She screamed at the phone. Poor thing. "Nasaan na ba kasi kayo?! I've been trying to contact you since early this morning but what do I get? Wala! Wala because you've been slacking off at sobrang irresponsible nyong dalawa ni Kin! Why do I always get this kind of treatment? Sa tingin nyo gusto ko kayong maka-grupo?!"

She had said mean things, but both hell and heavens be damned - she's mad. And when Maine Mendoza is mad, no one could stop her gun from firing. "Why are you not talking?! I am removing you from my group!"

A male voice registered, at kinabahan sya doon. "If you're going to remove your two other mates, then it won't be called a group, Mendoza," the voice said. "It would be individual work."

Para syang binuhusan ng malamig na tubig sa batok, and her mind stopped working. He rarely talked in class, because he was the almighty I-can-do-any-school-work-without-you-because-I'm-fine-on-my-own-you'll-just-drag-me-down-with-your-stupidity kind of student and the stop-talking-to-me-I-don't-want-to-hear-your-nonsense-musings-because-I'm-deeper-than-a-well kind of person but nonetheless, she recognized his voice.

"F-faulkerson?"

Richard Faulkerson Jr. had helped her quietly in both of their three years in college. Hindi nya lang sinasabi kung kanino. Grade conscious kasi sya, well, aminado naman ang dalaga doon, but somehow, the young man had helped her in his own ways. Palagi kasi syang tumatambay doon sa gazeebo malapit sa College of Allied Medicine dahil tahimik doon (students of Allied Medicine spend more time in the university hospital than in their own building). 

Once, naabutan nya itong natutulog sa kabilang side ng gazeebo. She had always occupied the right side, and he was sleeping on the left. Nagpapadyak pa nga sya doon (lightly, because she's afraid he might wake up) dahil heto sya, nagpapakahirap mag-aral, samantalang ito... natutulog lang during his vacant hours na para bang walang looooong quiz sa susunod na subject.

She was torn whether to wake him up and make him leave, but then the rational part of herself reasoned out na hindi naman sya naiistorbo ng pagtulog nito. She sat on her usual spot, opened her books, and tried to focus.

She can't.

"Urgh!" She groaned in frustration. Hindi sya naiingayan. Nadidistract sya! She stared at his sleeping form, and repeatedly scolded her own brain not to be bothered by his existence. Richard was oftentimes called RJ, but at times, she prefers to call him Richard, because it gives a better effect to his personality. Pero syempre, sa utak nya lang 'yon, kasi hindi naman sila close. Sa ngayon, meron pa syang twenty-pages na kailangang i-summarize at gawing reviewer and she had like, only two hours to do that.

Tapos nasasayang pa sa pagka-distract nya sa lalaking 'to.

She was just thankful na hindi kita ang mukha nito. Richard was too good-looking for anyone's taste. Halatang anak-mayaman, dahil sobrang puti at sobrang kinis. Even his pores weren't evident, if you got close to his face. Tapos sobrang bango-bango pa. She can't blame women if they find him irresistible. And, he always gets the top score in tests. Maine comes in next.

Iyon nga ang hindi nya ma-gets, eh. Kung sya ang tatanungin, doon sya magkakagusto sa friendly, kahit hindi kasinggwapo nitong si Faulkerson, basta ine-entertain sya. Ang daldal kasi nya, kapag naka-close ang isang tao. Okay, gwapo si Richard, but she just doesn't see herself... falling for that kind of person.

"I'm dead," she told herself, as thirty-minutes passed at nakakatatlong page pa lang sya. "I'm so, so, dead." Bumagsak na ang mukha nya sa table. Minsan, ang hirap din mag-aral talaga, at igagapang mo ang sarili mo just to get your way through college.

She then heard sound of crumpling papers, and she lifted her head, only to see Richard handing her pieces of papers. Hindi ito nagsalita, at umalis na. Medyo nag-buffer pa iyong pangyayari sa kanya for three minutes until she decided to read the papers, and saw the summarized version of those twenty-pages with explanations on how to do this and that.

She got the highest score on that quiz.

"I have a reserved slot in Mr. Guinto's," she almost held a yelp at the mention of that name. Mr. Guinto! He had always been the kind of teacher na tahimik lang at mabait pero sobrang talino at powerful sa numbers kaya naman gusto nya kay Sir Nic! "It's yours now."

Wa - wait? "Ano?!"

"Deaf now?"

"Bakit mo ibibigay sa akin 'yung slot mo?!"

"Because you're so mad," he replied, as if the slot didn't matter to him. "You're ugly when you're mad."

"Ang sama nito!" She can't believe her ears. And her lips, mind you. Was she just - teasing him? "Parang pangit naman ako sa 'yo lagi!" Considering how you ignore every one in class. "But really, Faulkerson, akin na lang talaga 'yung slot?!"

"Hmmm," he hummed.

"Pero paano ka?!"

"I already told Mr. Villaverde," he replied. "He's my adviser now."

Grabe, iba talaga pag matalino! Ang bilis siguro maka-isip nito ng title at objectives kaya naman pasok agad sa adviser! "Talaga?!"

"Oo nga," he said, now sounding irritated.

But she didn't mind. May slot na sya! She mean, sila, kung magtitino sina Kin. "Oh my god, Faulkerson! Thank you ng sobra-sobra! You don't know how much it means to me! I love you I love you I love you I love you ng sobra-sobra ulit! Thank you! Tuloy ang OJT ko dahil sa 'yo!"

Hindi kasi sila makakapag-OJT hangga't hindi pa natutuloy ang defense nila ng Chapters 1,2,3. 

His voice now sounded like he was smiling over the phone. "I don't mind, Maine," he said. "I never did."

Hindi na sya nagtanong pa how she ended up texting him instead of Kin.