Totally Hooked

Chapter 9: Friend or Foe

*Year 2010*

I run to her side and ask one of the other students near by to call the school doctor and they run towards the clinic. I looked up at my two other friends, they looked down at us horror evident in their eyes habang magkayakap pa rin sila. 

I scanned the second floor and saw no one but the two of them up the stairs. Dumating ang doktor and I allowed him to treat Mitch habang ako ay umakyat ng hagdan to confront the two other people involve. 

"Anong nangyari?" umpisa kong tanong sa kanila. Pero bago pa man sila nakapagsalita. A girl from the crowd shouted something that made my heart sunk and my blood turned ice cold.

"DI MO SIYA DAPAT TINULAK MIGGY." followed by a series of other remarks katulad ng. 

"BABAE PA RIN YUN."

"UMAWAT KA LANG DAPAT."

Hindi ko napigilan ang sarili ko. I threw daggers at him. Denise was murmuring something pero wala na kong maintindihan ang tanging nasa isip ko is Mitch's face while lying on the ground with blood on her head. Pano niya nagawa yun sa kaibigan namin. We were suppose to be friends. Pero nagawa nilang saktan ang kaibigan nila.

I grabbed his collar and pulled him closer to me. Den was still  getting in between us. Trying to pry me off of Miggy. I let go and was about to punch him in the face when Den got in between us, luckily I was able to stop my fist kung hindi siya ang matatamaan.

I looked at her and I suddenly felt sad about everything. Tears were forming in my eyes so I just decided to walk away from where we were. I went straight to the nurses office but the nurse told me na dinala si Mitch sa hospital. Tinawagan na din nila ang parents naming apat and we went home early.

After that day, everything was different especially saming apat.  Parang may sarisarili na kaming buhay. Parang hindi kami lumaking magkakasama at magkakaibigan. 

Mitch was comatose for 1 month. Okay naman daw lahat ng functions niya sa katawan and problema lang ay hindi siya nagigising. I went to the hospital every day to see her. Pero ni isang beses hindi ko sila nakitang dalawa na dumalaw. 

A part of me wanted to believe na aksidente ang lahat katulad ng kwento nila sa mga magulang namin lahat. And Mitch's parents understood them. Kasi they knew us from when we were born, magkakaibigan ang parents namin so they didn't think that we would hurt each other intentionally especially at alam nila kung gano kami kaclose bilang magkakaibigan. They believe that we always have each other's back. 

Pero it doesn't change the fact that silang dalawa lang ang nasa second floor nung nahulog si Mitch. No one saw what really happened between the three of them pero lahat kami ay walang nakitang ibang tao bukod sa kanilang tatlo sa taas ng spiral staircase na yun. 

The two of them were getting bullied everyday dahil kumalat ang kwento na tinulak ni Miggy si Mitch. At umikot din ang chismis na kaya nagaway si Mitch at Denise ay dahil may ninakaw si Denise kay Mitch. Which earned them glares and threats for majority of the student population. Napadalas ang pakikipag away ni Miggy pero kung dati ay tinutulungan ko siya, I found myself ignoring anything that's happening.

Denise on the other hand is getting constantly picked on by other girls that turns into extreme pranks most of the time. Miggy was always there trying to protect her pero kelangan niya ding protektahan ang sarili niya. 

I tried making things easier for Denise kahit papano. I warned her a couple of times about pranks na gagawin sa kanya ng ibang mga tao. Kahit papano ay malapit pa rin sakin si Denise at babae siya. She would always just smile at me and say thanks everytime na sinasabihan ko siya. Pero alam namin na hindi na katulad ng dati ang samahan namin.