Glasses

Chapter 3: Sleepover!

Later that evening...

I and Riley are DOTA2-ing again. We are doing the thing that made us closer more than with anybody else. He currently has the wheels and I'm just the spectator.

The storm in my heart has fortunately subsided. In fact there's no storm at all.

He's really good at DOTA2. He can just literally sit there and smile and have a good time watching other players to be out their minds and trashtalk each other. I often see him laugh secretly when it's me who's in that position of losing brains. 

I'm swimming with these thoughts when all of a sudden my fingers touched a nearly dried liquid on the desk. And when I look at it, it's blood. 

"Riley, Riley."

"Oh?"

"Ano 'to?" (What's this?)

"Ano 'yan?" (What's that?)

But his attention is on his game.

Nevermind, talking to him when he's fired up on his game is not my thing and not his thing either.

So I just get a dishcloth and I removed the blood.

Now I'm asking myself where did it come from? I mean I don't have any wounds in my skin. And so as Riley.

"Ha? Papalit kang laro?" (Changing games ha?), I asked when I noticed he exited Dota2.

"Oo wala mang kwenta mga tao don." (Yup. They're worthless opponents anyways.)

I didn't say anything. He's always like this, full of himself.

"Yung kanina yan no?" (That's the one a while ago right?) I asked as a new game loads on screen.

"Oo. Di ko nga natapos eh. Nakatulog ako." (Yup. Damn, I didn't finish it. I fell asleep.)

"Napapadalas yata yan no? Maantukin?" (It's often happening right? Very sleepy?)

"Oo ewan ko nga eh. Hahaha." (Yea, I don't know either. Hahaha)

I did not answer. But then...

"Ri, di mo pa sinasabi sakin kung bakit ka umalis ng bahay nyo." (Ri, you never told me about why you've left home.) I asked straightaway.

He's silent. And behind his trademark smile is the anxiety he's hiding from me for quite some time.

"Naiinis nga 'ko don di ba? Alam mo naman 'yon." (My family is annoying. You know that, don't you?)

"Bakit? Anong kinaiinis mo?" (Why? What makes you annoyed?), I asked.

"Alam mo na din naman eh. Mga parents ko kasi." (You know it too. It's my parents.) He said, still playing.

"Di ako naniniwalang dahil lang sa parents mo." (I don't believe it's just your parents.) "Dali sabihin mo na sakin. Di ko na papabayad sa'yo yung mga utang mo." (Come on say it. Tell me and I won't make you pay your debts.) And then I smiled.

Yea, I put that smile on because this must be tough for him.

He smiled back.

"Parents ko nga kasi." (Really, it's because of my parents.)

I lost my patience this time. I can't accept his excuses anymore, blaming it all to his parents.

"Tumigil ka na Riley." (Cut it Riley!), I cried. "Nagmessage sa FB mommy mo last time. Nangungumusta." (Your mom messaged me on Facebook last time, asking about you) "Kaya palagay ko hindi naman ganon kasama ang mga magulang mo para umalis ka sa sarili mong bahay nang ganon-ganon lang." (I don't think your parents are that bad for you to leave your own house just like that.)

He was astonished and was left quiet. His car in the game was left moving on its own and it crashes multiple times.

.

.

.

I was waiting for his answer. 

There's tension.

.

.

.

Then...

.

.

.

"Sleepover!" 

WHAT THE HECK!

"Ano?" (What?) I asked with a surprised and puzzled reaction.

"Ayaw nila akong payagang mag-sleepover kaya bahala sila." (They didn't want me to go sleepover here so I just escaped.)

"Anong sinasabi mo?" (What are you talking about?)

"Ahhh, nakakapagod. Ikaw na magpatay diyan ah. Tutulog na ko." (Ah, it's exhausting. You turn that off, I will take my sleep.) He said. Then he jumped on my bed.

I was left hanging.

"Riley..."