Ang Girlfriend Ni Crush(UNDER REVISION)

Chapter 25

INSIDE THE ZONE

SKYLIE's•

DINALA ako ni Raj sa hillside ng campus kung saan tanaw ang bakanteng lote na dini-develop pa rin hanggang ngayon, karugtong ito ng paaralan at gagawing geodesic dome ayon sa sabi-sabi ng iba. Binitiwan ni Raj ang kamay ko at saka siya namulsa, nakatingin lang sa hindi naman kagandahang tanawin na nasa harapan namin. Puro excavators and crane trucks lang naman ang makikita mo.

"Akala ko umuwi kana," panimula ko.

I didn't get an answer for a few seconds. Raj is Raj nga talaga. He's always like this, though; there's a long silence before you can even hear his words. He seems to be someone who thinks things through before voicing them out.

"Don't let her talk to you like that," he said, nowhere near my question. "Her words were overly harsh. She was being rude and imprudent toward you."

"Thank you for getting me out of there, Raj." Ngumiti ako at tumabi sa kanya. I folded my arms over my chest. Sinulyapan ko siya saka ako tumingin sa tinitignan niya. He loves this view? "She's not like that. Siguro wala lang siya sa mood," sabi ko. Siguro nga galit talaga siya sa akin o baka may iba pang dahilan? Hindi ko alam. Pero gusto ko pa rin siyang intindihan. Hindi naman siya magkakaganon kung wala lang. "Maybe she's just having a bad day right now."

"Everyone is having a rough day, Skylie Rae. That's normal. However, saying those things to you just because her day hasn't gone well is definitely not acceptable. She even defined your worth out of nonsense. That is utterly silly of her."

Galit na si ser. Naka-Canadian accent na.

Hindi agad ako nakasagot.

She's definitely not okay. Napapaisip ako kung masama lang ba talaga ang araw niya o ano? I saw her crying. I know I saw it. Nag-aalala ako. Gusto kong malaman kung bakit. Gusto kong malaman ang nangyayari. Gusto ko sana nandoon ako para sa kanya kaso baka lumala lang because my presence alone can be the start of trouble. I wanted to be upset with her words, but I couldn't. I'm worried; that's all I can do. Her anger earlier was a defense mechanism. Her mind was unconscious; that's why she was just spouting whatever she wanted. Her rage dominated her.

"I'm...hurt, yeah. But..." I looked down and chuckled weakly. "I'm still worried about her. Alam kong hindi siya okay. Alam kong may problema siya ngayon. Ramdam ko sa bawat bitaw niya ng mga salita at lalong-lalo na sa lalim ng tingin niya."

Her eyes were so full of sadness and pain. The moment her eyes bore into mine, her emotions swung toward me as if they were some sort of string that connected with each other. Nasasaktan ako ngayon, hindi ko alam kung dahil sa mga sinabi niya o dahil sa alam kung nasasaktan din siya. I'm unwell. Gusto ko siyang puntahan. Gusto ko siyang yakapin. Ngunit ayaw ko namang sumama lalo ang loob niya dahil sa akin. Mas mabuti sigurong ganito na muna kami; hindi malayo pero hindi rin naman malapit sa isa't isa.

"Do you like her?" Biglang tanong ni Raj. Napatingin ako sa kanya, nakatingin na rin pala siya sa'kin. Paano niya nasabing gusto ko si monster? Halata na ba ako masyado? "I'm sure you do. Your face always lights up when she's around, and your gaze is fixed solely on her. Every time you know she is there, your eyes have a new gleam. Am I wrong?"