Secrets of the Pineda

5. Worried

Venice's pov

When I entered the room everybody are quite. Not the usual scene na nag tatawanan at nagbibiruan ang mga boys. Wala man lang akong makitang cards or board game na nasa harap nila. Walang natutulog o nag lalaro sa gadgets nila. I just stand in front of the classroom and stared at them. Wondering what's going on.

"Venice. Huy. Venice?" I got back to my senses when someone called me. Napatingin ako sa mga girls na nasa gilid ng room. They sat on the floor. They look scared, worried and nervous. Lumapit ako sakanila and sat at the floor facing them.

"Hindi mo ba nabasa text ko sayo?" I shake my head to faith. Hindi ko na check phone ko dahil sa pag mamadali. I woke up late dahil anong oras na ako natulog dahil sa videocall namin ng family ko sa Cali and oo na! Dahil sa pag iisip kay garrett kagabi. I don't know pero It just hit me why he annoys me a lot. Crush niya na ako? Or sadyang papansin Lang siya? Ugh! I didn't know talaga!

"Nako naman. Sana binasa mo. Sabi ko dun wag ka na pumasok dahil hindi maganda atmosphere dito sa room ngayon." It's faith who kept on talking. Chezka and Samantha are just staring at me with a worried and nervous look.

"Why ba? What happened?" I asked them curiously. Sam point the boys at the back who are just staring at nowhere. Mukha silang problemado, galit, kinakabahan at nag aalala. Some of them are pacing back and forth. Some of them are just standing and sitting without doing anything. Nakakapanibago sila. Ngayon ko lang sila nakitang ganito.

I looked around and I didn't see garret. Late na naman ba? Tsk. That boy, he will just do whatever he wants.

"Venice? are you listening?" Na pa-huh lang ako kay Sam.

"Sabi ko, hindi maganda mood ng mga boys. I heard something happened to garret kaya sila ganyan." Just hearing garret's name suddenly got my full attention.

"What happened to him? And bakit ba if something happened to garret? What's the connection about their moods?"

"Didn't you know?" Finally Chezka speak.

"Can you please enlighten me. I am just a newbie so I don't know anything here." I asked patiently. Nag katinginan muna silang tatlo. It's like they are communicating with their eyes. Suddenly it's Faith who first spoke.

"Garret came from a very rich and influential family here in the Phillipines. Have you ever heard 'pineda empire'?" I shake my head as an answer.

"It's their clan. And mga pineda ang #1 na nangunguna pag dating sa business and politics. You don't want to mess with the pineda, Sabi nga nila. Dahil sila ang makapangyarihan dito sa pilipinas. Kumbaga, isa silang royal family. Iniidolo, nirerespeto, sinusunod, kinaiinggitan at Kinakatakutan. Lahat ng gustuhin nila. Kayang kaya nilang makuha at magawa." Sabi ni Chezka.

"Ang 'pineda empire' ay pangalan ng company at organization nila. Their family are the #1 mafia in Asia. They are protected by polices, soldiers, assassins and yakuza. Legal man o illegal. They are dangerous. No one can ever dare to hurt them." Kinakabahan na kwento ni Samantha and ditto.

"And then? Where is garret in the story?" I suddenly want to know about garrett. Kung ganun pala ka-powerful ang family nila. Why are they all worried to him? Ngayon lang din kaya nila nalaman?

"Well, nabalitaan namin na may pasa sa mukha si garret. Hindi siya nagpunta sa family gathering nila. Instead he slept in his fun room at the fifth floor."

"What? May pasa? Bakit daw? What happened?" Now it's me who is worried.

"That we didn't know." faith said and she sighed.

"You know, We've heard also that garret's great grandfather is here today and talking to the head director of our school." Chezka.

"That's why the boys are like that. Malapit silang lahat kay Garrett. For them they are all brothers. Galing man sila sa mga mayayaman o mahirap na pamilya, garrett treated them the same way. Garrett is like their leader but more on their big brother who will always be there to help them." Samantha.