Marrying the Bully

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"The truth is, everyone is gonna hurt you. You just gotta find the ones worth suffering for."

                                                                                                     -Bob Marley-

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It’s lunch break kaya naglalakad ako papuntang canteen. 

Akalain nyong naka-abot ako ng lunch without getting kicked out? Weird right?

Kasi absent sya. Walang asungot kaya naging maayos ang morning session ko. But I still have that bad feeling na kahit na absent sya he’s still there planning his bullshit. I know he’s there, hindi ko lang alam kung kailan nya ako bubulabugin.

Pagpasok ko sa canteen agad akong nagpunta ng counter and I have to follow the line formed by other students who are also waiting for their time to be accommodated. Hindi na nga pala kami nagbabayad, kasi kasali na sa binayaran ng parents namin ang food.

Habang nakapila, napansin ko lang na parang mas umingay. I think they’re talking about something. Well, dedma…

After I ordered I looked for vacant tables.

May nakita ako sa may gitna, one vacant chair, uupo na sana ako kaya lang may babaeng agad na naupo. Then she looked at me like I was kind of…disgusting? Ewan ko, ang sama ng tingin nya.

Nagpatuloy ako sa paghahanap. May nakita ako at agad namang may ibang umupo. Then I looked for another and same thing happened as well as the next seats that I tried to take.

Sinasadya ba nilang hindi ako paupuin? I looked around and I just realized that they’ve been looking at me and whispering with each other.

Sinasabi ko nga ba! My feeling was right. May hindi magandang manyayari. And he’s there, sitting in the corner with his male friends with a different girl whose arms are wrapped around him.

Ngumiti sya. Ngiting-aso. Saka tumayo. “Blessie, no vacant seat for you? Baka kasi madumihan ang upuan ng ano…ah, alam mo na, ng…urgh…” at tumingin sya sa may puwetan nya na para bang narumihan sya.

But I stayed standing there.

Nangingiti na rin yung ibang students saka nagsalita ang babaeng nakapulupot sa kanya. “You’re so disgusting! Why are you still standing there? Can’t you just clean yourself? Babae ka pa naman, are you not aware of your monthly period?” Tapos tumawa sya and everybody followed.

Monthly period? What? Oh Sh*T!

Agad akong napatingin sa likuran ng uniform ko. May tagos! All white ang uniform namin kaya sobrang linaw ng tagos. Mas lalo pa silang nagtawanan.

“Ewwww!!!!” sabay na sigaw ng isang grupo ng mga lalaki.

“Yuck!!!”

“Ano ba yan! Nakakahiya!”

Halo-halong panlalait ang narinig ko mula sa kanila kaya wala akong nagawa kundi ang tumakbo papalabas at agad nagtungo sa pinakamalapit na CR.

I checked it right away but there was nothing from the inside. Huh? Panong?

“Teka, I already had my period for this month,” bulong ko sa sarili ko. Tiningnan ko ulit ang tagos and it’s not blood.

Tsk. So it means only one thing.

Him

Hindi ko na nilinis ang skirt at agad ng lumabas ng CR. Pumunta ako ng canteen at dumiretso sa table nya. They were all laughing but stopped when they saw me.

“Oh, babygirl bumalik ka?” nangingiting tanong nya.

He was trying to humiliate me again but heck, I’m in serious business now. I took a bowl of soup from his table and poured it to him.

Nanlaki ang mata nya sa gulat and so as everybody. They all got silent and I took that chance to speak my mind.

“Babygirl? Tsk…Is this your act of humiliating me? I’m sorry but it’s so childish. Ang babaw. You think you can make me cry by bullying me? Not a chance.”

“What if I can make you cry, huh?” hamon nya in a cold-heartless voice.

“No you can’t,” sagot ko.

“I can.”

“I’ll never shed a tear because of you.”

“Of course you will. I can make you cry and I’ll bet for it. If you win I’ll stop bullying you but if not…hmmm, ano bang maganda?”

“Ipatapon sa bunganga ng Taal,” sagot ng isang lalaking kasama nya saka tumawa.

“Ipakaladkad sa kabayo mo dude,” suggest naman ng isa.

“Ibitay sa chopper mo dude tapos paliparin mo sa buong Rostund habang nagsasabog ng confetti! Ang saya nun! Woooh!”

Mga walanghiya!

“Nah, I’ll just make her run around the campus with nothing but underware,” sabi nya at nagsigawan at nagsipulan ang mga bastos na lalaki.

“So Blessie, are you up to it? Deal?” paghahamon nya.

I’ll run around the campus with nothing but underwear? Tsss…kung tatanggi ako magmumukha akong mahina and I won’t do that.

“Deal,” sagot ko. “If you can make me cry I’ll run around the campus wearing only my undies but if not, you’ll stop bullying me.”

Tumango sya at hindi ko na hinintay na magsalita pa sya ulit and I went out. Everyone in the canteen saw and heard everything. At paninindigan ko ang bet na yun. I’ll show to them especially to him how strong I am. He can’t put me down. Sa totoo lang, hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit ginagawa nya ‘to. It’s either I did something bad to him na sa pagkakaalam ko ay wala or he has a behavioral problem. Tsss…bahala sya sa buhay nya. Basta, I need to win the bet.