SIXTEEN
I do stereotype men. Pare-pareho lang sila... they only want the thrill of the chase, the excitement of the hunt. At kapag nakuha na nila ang gusto nila – once they've proven themselves to the world, once they get their much needed dose of ego boost – ah, wala na. All of a sudden, they lose interest.
Kaya nga hindi ako pumapasok sa serious relationships eh – I'm afraid. Papaano kung kagaya lang siya ng iba? What if I am never good enough for anyone? Darn it.
Sa mga panahong ganito na emo mode ako, lagi akong pinagsasabihan ni Grammy. She'd always say, and I quote, "Outside your comfort zone is where the magic happens."
Well, too bad, hindi nga ako naniniwala sa magic 'di ba? But I do believe in one thing: I won't have the right to cry for what I've lost if I didn't even have the courage to fight for what I want.
So yeah, let the Hunger Games begin.
"Psssst, nakita mo ba si Key?" Tanong ni Milo sa lalaking pinahinto niya sa paglalakad, hinigit pa niya ito sa braso.
"H-ha?" Kabadong sagot nito. Tsss. Kung maka-asta at sutsot naman kasi 'tong si Milo eh, kala mo gangster.
"Si Keith Ayala," Milo sighed impatiently. "Alam mo na – SC Vice President, matangkad, mayabang, feeling pogi."
"Ah, oo," tumango ang batang lalaki in agreement. Nakasuot na siya ng maskara pero with the way he speaks and acts, all fidgety like that, I could tell straightaway that he's a junior high freshman.
Umiling si freshie awkwardly, "Uhm, hindi eh."
"I see. Sige, thanks," I cut in, saka ko tinanggal 'yung nakahawak na kamay ni Milo sa kanya. Ako naman ang humigit kay Milo sa braso at saka ko siya hinila papunta sa medyo isolated na part ng gym.
We've decided to make this gymnasium the venue for our Acquaintance Party para medyo makamura. In-allocate kasi namin 'yung budget sa pag-improve ng food and sound system at pag-hire ng interior designer and events specialist eh.
Quite lavish, yes. Pero meh, it's our final year! At worth it naman dahil like how we wanted it to be, nagmukhang set ng Gossip Girl itong gym ng Manila International School with all the classy black and gold drapings and strategically set modern-Victorian décor.
Saya na sana eh, kaso mukhang meme naman yung mukha nitong kasama ko. Geezus, what's with him and why is he acting all grumpy?
"Hoy Milo, problema mo?" I asked when we were finally away from the crowd. "At bakit mo binully 'yung bata kanina? Goodness, you're such a thug!"
The whole time that I was talking, Milo's eyes were just fixed on the floor. Para siyang suwail na batang ayaw makinig sa mabubuting pangaral ng kanyang ina. Well, this is weird. May sakit ba siya? Medyo normal naman siya kanina ah.
"Ihhh Pring!!" Bigla niyang sigaw, to my utter surprise. He raised his gaze at napakagat pa siya sa labi niya the moment our eyes met. "Shet!"
"Geezus! Ano?" May pagka-nerbyos kong tanong, napahawak pa ako sa dibdib ko. Why is this annoying guy acting all panicky anyway? Nakakahawa eh.
"'Yung brief ko, shet," Milo lifted his arm para matanggal 'yung pagkakahawak ko dito, he then seized my wrist saka niya ako sinimulang dalhin patunong God-knows-where. "Samahan mo ako sandali sa locker room."
Whoa. Teka. What the hell?!
"Excuse me? You want me to what?" Huminto ako sa paglalakad para harapan siya because I just had to scoff in his face. "No, you know what? Forget it. Magpapanggap na lang ako na wala akong narinig para sa ikabubuti ng lahat."
