Crying Shoulder (SBHseries#1)

Kabanata 2

Nagising siya nang maaga kahit hindi siya nakatulog nang maayos kagabi. Kapag naman kasi pinipikit niya ang kanyang mga mata, Walter's image kept popping up in her mind. Napakagwapo talaga nito. His features are really soft except for his eyes.  Doon talaga siya nahook, sa mga mata nito na kapag tinititigan siya ay parang binabasa nito ang kanyang iniisip, na para bang hinihigop nito ang kanyang kaluluwa. She moved her head sideways hoping that her thoughts about him would eventually vanish. Ngunit kahit anong gawin niya ay lagi pa rin niyang nakikita ang imahe ng lalaki. Napasabunot na lamang siya sa kanyang buhok.

"Are you nuts?" Rose asked her. Napabaling naman siya rito nang dahil sa tanong nito. Kumunot ang kanyang noo at napasabunot muli sa buhok bago sumagot.

"Rose! Binabaliw niya ako!" She squeaked, half annoyed. Napatawa naman si Rose sa naging akto nito at sa huli'y napailing nalang.

"Nino? Ni Gus mo?" Binato niya ito ng unan pagkarinig niya na tinawag nito si Walter ng "Gus." Naiwasan naman ito ni Rose na naging sanhi upang si Siquia na nasa likuran nito ang matamaan. Tiningnan lang sila nito at muling bumalik ang mga paningin sa phone nito.

"Don't call him that! Ako lang ang tatawag sa kanya niyan," she softly said with her dreamy eyes, but she remembered him insulting her last night so her expression suddenly changed.   Rose as well as Siquia rolled their eyes upon looking at her

"Mas mabuti kung kumain na tayo bago pa mawala sa katinuan si Hadiya," said Siquia who was now at the door. Tumango naman silang dalawa ni Rose at sumunod dito. Pagkalabas nila ay hindi niya inaasahan si Walter na makita sa labas ng bungalow nila. He looked frustrated. Marahil hindi ito nakatulog nang maayos kagabi. Iniisip din kaya siya nito?

"Can I talk to Hadiya alone?" Tanong nito sa kanyang mga kasama. Tinapunan naman siya ng mapanuksong tingin nina Rose at Siquia bago sila iniwan ng mga ito.

"What do you want?" She tried to keep her cool. Hindi niya muna ito lalandiin baka kasi insulto naman ang aabutin niya dito. Walter's mouth is like Siquia's. It has no filter. Napatingin naman siya sa labi nito. He has a kissable lips. Ano kaya ang lasa nito? Napatagal yata ang pagtitig niya sa labi nito kaya napansin ito ng lalaki at tumikhim para mapunta sa mukha nito ang atensyon niya.

"I'm sorry about last night. I shouldn't have called you 'whore,'" hinging paumanhin nito sa kanya. He looked sincere, really sincere na kahit sinong babae ay papatawarin siya.

"It's okay. Hindi naman ako nasaktan because it isn't true," she faked a smile after saying those words. Aside from begging, she's also good at faking smiles.

"I know you have kissed a lot of gu—" pagpatuloy nito na pinutol niya rin.

"Saan mo naman nalaman yan?" Kunot noong tanong niya rito. She's never been kissed nor touched!

"Sa school..." Mas lalong kumunot ang noo niya sa naging sagot nito.

"We're schoolmates?!" Hadiya said, almost shouting. Tumango naman ang lalaki na parang naaaliw sa naging reaksyon niya habang siya ay hindi pa rin makapaniwala na schoolmate niya si Walter. Bakit hindi niya napansin ang isang 'to sa school nila? Bulag ba siya?

"Yes, we're schoolmates so what now? Am I already forgiven?" Ngayon naman ay seryoso na ulit ang mukha nito. Walang bahid ng ngiti ang mukha nito.

"Let's grab breakfast together and I'll forgive you," she said with conviction. Nagdalawang-isip ang lalaki kung pagbibigyan ba siya nito, but at the end she won. For the first time, she won.

-

It was awkward, pareho silang tahimik at nagpapakiramdaman sa isa't isa. Hadiya, as the talkative one couldn't stand the silence between them so she decided to open a topic.

"So you are my schoolmate," she said and she wanted to hit her forehead for stating the obvious.

"Yeah... We're schoolmates since I'm one year ahead of you," he answered, still walking while his hands were on his pockets.

"How come I didn't see you around?" Ito talaga ang pinagtataka niya. She was studying in their school since God knows when pero kahit ni isang beses ay hindi niya pa nasilayan ang pagmumukha nito sa eskwelahang pinapasukan niya.

"Because you're busy chasing your boys while I'm in the library, busy studying," he gave emphasis to the word "boys" na kanyang ikinalungkot. Was she that flirt that everyone knows about her? Or was she that famous? Yeah, famous because she's a flirt. Napangiti siya nang mapait sa naisip. Ilang minuto muna ang lumipas bago siya nagsalita muli.

"My boys? Wow!" she faked a laugh before she continued to speak, " They're not my boys! And I'm chasing them? Where the hell did you get that information? For Pete's sake! Why would I chase them if a lot of guys are chasing me? Swooning over me?"

"Chasing you? Then why did you shout at the front of our house asking my brother to go out with you?" That made her think for a while. Brother... Nanlaki ang kanyang mga bilugang mata nang mapagtanto ang sinabi ng lalaki.

"You're August's older brother?"

"Yes. I am the brother of August, the boy you were chasing and then when he finally noticed you... You dumped my brother like some kind of shit," she was speechless. It is a small world indeed. There are a lot of words she has in mind, but she couldn't utter a word for no reason... No reason?

"What now? Are we still going to eat together?" Tanong nito nang hindi na siya magsalita ulit. She heaved a deep sigh before facing him. Binalewala niya rin ang tanong nito.

"Is that the reason why you keep on insulting me even though you already asked for my forgiveness a while ago? For your information, I didn't dump your brother for no reason! He was asking me to sleep with him so I said no then I dum—" she wasn't given the chance to finish her sentence.

"Why? Are you still a virgin?" Gusto niyang maiyak sa tanong nito. No one insulted her like that. Hindi totoo pero masakit pa rin mapagsalitaan ng ganoon. She stopped herself from crying in front of him.

"Fuck you," she raised the magic finger leaving him shocked.