Dominika (Pale As Dead I) | COMPLETED

𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚟𝚎

┗━━━━━━━ ｄｅｅ ━━━━━━━┓
𝚓𝚞𝚕𝚢 𝟸𝟸, 𝚜𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚢, 𝟼 𝚙.𝚖.

We were introduced agad sa dad ni Paris pagkadating namin sa venue. Sa bahay lang din ng dad niya ginanap yung party ng kapatid niya. Pauline was such a sweet girl and she looked so cute sa suot niyang pink dress. She looked like a princess.

Paris told us pagkasundo niya sa amin sa gate na approved yung gift na binigay niya. I wanted to help him kasi kaya I asked him what his sister loved to do. He said hindi niya alam kasi hindi naman siya nakatira kasama yung dad niya saka yung new family no'n. Kinabukasan, he went back to me and said na nahihilig daw sa photography si Pauline. So Helen piped in and said na digital camera na lang. Later that day, Paris sent us pictures of the camera he bought. It was pink and may bunny ears pa yung case.

Shishi and Kyo were also here, but not the other members of PAD. Amy was here din. Gwen was supposed to come with us, but her uncle had a medical emergency this morning. Nasa iisang table lang kami nila Helen, Amy, Shishi, and Kyo, but kami lang apat ang magkakausap kasi si Shishi umiinom lang ng juice at pinapanood yung mga batang naglalaro. There was no alcohol allowed kasi. We were in the garden and hindi rin gano'n karami yung tao. Paris was busy speaking with his cousins on his father's side.

"Are you texting Gwen ba?" I asked Kyo. Natahimik kasi kami and he became busy with his phone.

"Uh, no, naglalaro lang ako, Ate." He showed me his phone and I smiled kasi he was playing Angry Birds. "'Wag mo 'kong tawanan."

"No! I play that din kaya," sabi ko kaya tumawa sila Helen and Amy.

While Kyo and Helen talked about a manga that I had not read yet, naglaro na lang din ako kasi ayokong mapatitig kay Shishi. I knew if I was not focusing on anything that needed full attention, sa kanya ako matutulala. So I had to avoid that.

But nakatingin siya sa akin. I might not be looking at him, but I could feel his eyes. So I lifted my gaze and nagkatinginan na naman kami kaya parang nangangati na naman yung mga paa ko na magpaikot ikot. So yumuko ako ulit. Nakakainis talaga siya.

Thursday, we stayed in the classroom to practice. Kasama dapat namin sila Helen and Paris for a few minutes before her IB course began, but pinaalis sila ni Shishi kasi baka raw mangopya si Paris. The practice did not take too long din. We went home a little past four. We were together for almost two hours and my heart did not miss a second sa pagtibok nang mabilis. Puro sermon lang naman ang inabot ko sa kanya kasi hindi ko pa rin makuha yung chorus, although he admitted that I had learned how to sing the second verse the way he taught me before.

Friday, we did not practice but he called me that night. He told me to sing my part so he would know if I really were practicing kapag nasa bahay. Sabi niya, my chorus still had not improved. My battery was at seventy-eight percent when he called, and it was only at twenty-two percent when we hung up. Sabi niya, kakauwi lang daw nila from practice. I could remember him saying that when he came back kasi he said may kukunin siya saglit. I was surprised kasi nagkwento siya sa akin kahit yung gano'n lang. I asked if he ate na kasi anong oras na rin, but he asked me if mukha raw ba siyang gutom para tanungin ko no'n. Then we went back to business na ulit.

Saturday, I did not receive any communication from him until a few minutes before midnight. He sent me a single text.

𝐏𝐮𝐩𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚 𝐤𝐚 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐤𝐚𝐬?

I confirmed na oo, pupunta kami, but hindi na siya sumagot.

And now, sinipa niya ako bigla under the table. Hindi naman malakas, parang nudge lang, kaya napatingin ako ulit sa kanya. Sinipa niya ako ulit kaya gumanti ako. Hanggang sa naggantihan kami ng sipaan and nakahalata na rin yung mga kasama namin kasi napatigil sila sa kwentuhan at tumingin sa amin. Naka-frown pa nga si Amy, eh. Nauna akong tumigil kaya si Shishi yung huling may ganti. He smirked at me as if he just had the last laugh. Immature.