Dominika (Pale As Dead I) | COMPLETED

𝚝𝚎𝚗

d e e
july 17, tuesday, 8:20 p.m.

"Wrap up na?"

"Pwede naman," sabi ni Paris, bago niya alisin ang bass guitar na nakasabit sa kanya.

Kuya Chico looked at each of his bandmates who still passed the decision to him in the end. He sighed. "Sige, wrap up na. Okay na ba yung sa inyo, Shishi? Dee?"

"Okay na po," I said, kasi hindi naman sumagot si Shishi. Nakatingin lang siya sa akin na parang sagot ko ang hinihintay niya.

"Oks na rin sa'min, Kuya," Paris said, glancing at Helen who only shrugged at him.

"Okay. Kain muna tayo bago umuwi." Kuya Chico clapped his hands twice, and his two dogs he had brought with him to the practice rose from their sleep. "Saiha! Nadare!"

When I had first heard their names, natawa ako. Dragons kasi ni Recca yun, from Flame of Recca. I did not take Kuya Chico for an anime-watcher, but that anime series was kind of a classic naman. They were stray Aspin puppies na nasa labas dati ng Cantu Chords, the studio where PAD frequently rehearsed. Naawa raw si Kuya Chico kaya niya inampon. Sabi raw ng vet, more or less a month old pa lang sila when he had adopted them. They were over a year old na ngayon.

Nilapitan ko sila kanina, but they had barked and growled at me so they were put on leash. I never hurt an animal in my life, although I never owned one, but nakakalungkot lang na ayaw nila sa akin. Kahit kay Helen, ayaw nila. Si Amy, gustong-gusto nila. Maybe kasi matagal na nilang kilala si Amy.

Ngayon lang sila nakatulog. Kanina pa nila kami kinakahulan kaya hindi rin kami nakapag-start agad. Nainis pa si Kuya Clark kasi bakit daw dinala pa ni Kuya Chico yung dogs niya, but Kuya Chico had said na wala raw kasing magbabantay kasi umalis daw bigla si Meg, his girlfriend. They had a lot of pictures together on Kurai Miwako that the posters had stolen from his own IG account, so I knew na girlfriend niya yung tinutukoy niya.

"I can't stay for the meal, Kuya," Helen said. "Nag-text na po kasi si Dad. I have curfew at nine po kasi. Sorry."

"Ayos lang," sabi ni Kuya Chico, while he tried to calm Nadare, the spotted brown-and-white one, who barked at Helen's voice. Si Saiha kasi ay cream and white ang spots.

"Naninipa ka siguro ng aso no'ng bata ka kaya galit sila sa'yo," sabi ni Paris.

"Ikaw kaya sipain ko?"

"Kapag maliit talaga, mas malapit sa impyerno. Ang salbahe mo."

Tumawa kaming lahat sa sinabi ni Paris, except si Helen. Napansin ko na ang laki ng improvement nila, hindi na galit si Helen sa kanya kahit napipikon pa rin siya sa mga asar ni Paris. Mas gusto ko yung asaran nila ngayon compared sa dati na may blatant hostility coming from one end.

Bumukas ang door, at pumasok si Kuya Warren. He had gone out to smoke kasi kanina. "Oh? Tapos na kayo?"

Not really brag-material, but I had very fair skin. I had the fairest skin sa aming tatlo nila Gwen and Helen. But Kuya Warren's complexion was on another level. It glowed especially under the light. It was my first time meeting him, but damn. Nakakainggit yung skin niya. Si Emma naman, hindi ganyan kaputi. Para siyang model ng glutathione na idinaan pa sa Photoshop.

"Uuwi na rin si Helen," sabi ni Kuya Clark. Lumapit siya sa friend ko, and he kissed her on the cheek. Ginawa niya rin sa amin yun kanina, and when we were introduced before. Not just beso, but kiss. I saw Helen recoil slightly, pero hindi naman siya nagreklamo talaga. It was only Emma na hindi niya kini-kiss sa cheeks kahit dati. She said na sasapakin niya talaga si Kuya Clark if he did that. "Ingat ka," he added.