I Don't Want to Fall in Love</3

Chappie 24: Secret's Out.

--->NARRATOR<---
Mag-isa lang si Mai na naglalakad galing ng CR ng makita niya sa hallway ang grupo nina Nathalie.
“My God Nat! Ano bang pumasok sa isip mo’t gusto mong kausapin yung loser na yun?!” inis na sabe ni Desiree.
“Hindi loser si Jacob!’ sagot ni Nathalie.
“Ano bang hinding pinagsasasabe mo jan? 1st year pa lang tayo loser na siya!”
“Look Nat, hindi ko alam kung anong nangyayari sayo, pero tandaan mo, were queens of the school! We cant let the other students see us hanging out with LOSERS, isipin mo ngang katayuan mo dito sa school!” pangaral naman ni Leslie.
“Guys, bakit ba pinagpipilitan niyong loser si Jacob? I mean, he’s a musician like Josh, he’s not part of any teams but he’s sports minded like Gino, and he’s really intelligent like Nick.”
“Siguro nga, but he’s just a scholar, he’s way down our level!” Sabe ni Desiree.

Mai had just enough, kaya tinuloy na niya yung paglalakad niya pabalik ng canteen when they spotted her.
“Mas bagay silang magkaibigan ni De los Reyes.” Sabi ni Leslie, tumigil si Mai sa paglalakad she then looked at Leslie.
“Gold digger na, social climber pa, I’m telling you Nat, if you continue talking to him, tatanggalin na kita as co-captain ng cheerleading team AND vice president ng drama club. Kaya mag-isip ka na kung anong mas gusto mo.” And with that, iniwan na ni Leslie at Desiree si Nathalie. Natahimik si Nathalie ng iniwan siya ng mga kaibigan niya.
“Tch, bitches.” Sabe ni Mai as she started walking again.
“Mai, pwede ba tayong mag-usap?” sabe ni Nathalie sa kanya.    

Mai and Nathalie went to the elementary building and to the playground, they sat down the swings, nobody talked until Nathalie broke the silence.
“I love Jacob. Mahal ko siya at ayokong mawala siya.” Mai looked at her, no emotion on her face. Tears started falling from Nathalie's eyes again. Mai sighed.
"Talk to him." 
“I did, sabi niya sana daw hindi ko siya pinabayaang lumayo. But I didn’t know, hindi ko alam kung ano yung pinapasok ko, I know I was wrong, hindi ko inisip yung realtionship namin. Mas inisip ko yung sarili ko, and this is my fault and I’m really regretting my descision, if I didn’t do it, we would still be okay. Sana nung inamin ko sa kanyang mahal ko siya, nung naging kami na, sana tumigil na ko sa pagsama kina Leslie, kaso tanga ako e. Mas pinili ko sina Les kesa sa kanya.” She cried.

“Bakit sakin mo sinasabi to?”
“I don’t know, probably because ikaw lang naman nakakaalam ng situation namin. Pathetic right? Matapos kitang awayin kahapon, eto ako sayo nagddrama.” she sniffed.
“Ano bang iniiyak mo jan? Kung mahal mo talaga siya, don’t you think you should prove it? Sino nga bang pipiliin mo? Yung status mo ngayon or si Jacob?” Nathalie looked at her.
“Why are you?...”
“Alam mo, tama ka rin naman e, sasaktan ko rin si Jacob kahit anong mangyari, but he said he’s willing to get hurt, coz that’s how love is. Pero katulad mo, ayoko rin siyang masaktan, he’s nice and I like him, but only as a friend. Mahal ka niya and naniniwala akong ikaw lang yung nasa puso niya. Naguguluhan lang siya kasi nahihirapan siya sa situation niyo. At kung mahal mo talaga siya. Siyang pipiliin mo, hindi yung mga taong tinatawag mong 'kaibigan' ngayon.”

--->MAI<---
Wednesday morning, as usual sinundo ako ni Jacob sa apartment, pero unlike yesterday all throughout the walk to school, hindi kami nag-uusap, nasa high school building na kami pero all we said to each other was good morning and baka uulan. Pagdating namin sa classroom, nadun na yung dalawa ni Desiree and Leslie and as usual they started berating us.

“Wow, ang sweet naman, nadito ng loser couple.” Sabe ni Desiree.
“Ang aga-aga nagkakalat na kagad kayo ng BV.” Dagdag naman ni Leslie. I rolled my eyes at them, magsasalita sana si Jacob but I told him not to waste his breath at them.
“Mukhang natuto ka na kung san ka dapat lumagar De los Reyes, tama yan dapat kay Jacob ka na lang sumama, total kayo naman yung magkalevel e. A scholar and a fellow scholar.”
“Teka Jacob, balita namen, naospital mother mo, diba maglalaba lang siya? Bakit kase pinahihirapan mo pang nanay mo e, ngayong hindi naman niya kayang tuition dito, bakit kase kating-kati kang makisalamuha samin?”
“Sumosobra ka na!” inis na sigaw ni Jacob.

“Tama na Les!” Pigil ni Nathalie, kadadating lang niya and to everyones surprise pinagtanggol niya si Jacob.
“My God Nathalie! Don’t tell me pinagtatanggol mo yang loser na yan!” sagot ni Desiree.
“Yeah, I am! Dahil sumosobra na kayo! Ano bang kasalanan sa inyo ni Jacob?!” I looked at Jacob, kahit siya mukhang nagulat sa ginagawa ni Nathalie, I smiled seems like she chose him.

--->JACOB<---
“It’s his fault for being such a social climber!” sagot ni Leslie.
“Social climber? Please. He is not a social climber, mabait si Jacob and he never took advantage of anyone else! Pwede ba Les, itigil niyo ng pambubully sa kanya.” Sagot naman ni Nat, hindi ko alam kung ano, pero hindi talaga ko makapaniwalang pinagtatanggol niya ko, at kina Leslie pa
“Nathalie, binabalaan kita, mas pinipili mo bang loser na yan kesa samin?” sabi ni Leslie.
“Yeah, I am. Boyfriend ko siya, at nagkamali akong kayo yung pinili ko in the first place. Jacob will always be better than you two.” Sagot niya as she looked and smiled at me.
“OMG! Oh no you didnt!"
"Yeah, he is. We've been together since last year, and we've been friends since we were little!"
"Eew! Kadiri ka! Fine! Sumama ka sa loser na yan! Wala kaming pakialam!” Sabi ni Desiree.
“And just so you know, tanggal ka na sa squad and sa drama club!” pagkatapos nun umalis na yung dalawa.

“Nat. Sigurado ka ba?” tanong ko sa kanya.
“Oo naman.”
“Pero pano yung…”
“Okay lang yun, sorry Jacob kung nagpakasilaw ako sa status sa school na to.” I smiled back at her.
“Seems to me like you reached a descision, right?” sabe ni Mai, I almost forgot about her.
“M-mai!” She smiled.
“I’m happy you chose him.” Sabe niya kay Nat.
“And as for you, don’t worry about me, alam ko na kahit wala kang sabihin, naiintindihan ko.” She smiled at me.
“Sorry Mai… hindi na sana…”
“Jacob, stop saying you're sorry. I told you, you deserve to be happy, and alam kong magiging mas masaya ka sa kanya. Sige na, mukhang marami kayong dapat pag-usapan, I’ll see you guys later, okay?”
“Salamat Mai.” Sabe ni Nat.
“Thank you.” sabi ko and with that umalis na siya.

--->MAI<---
“Mai!” tawag sakin ni Aria as soon as she arrived.
“Morning.” I smiled at her.
“Totoo ba? Si Jacob at Nat?” I nodded.
“Pero… pano ka? Okay ka lang ba?” Tanong niya sakin.
“Pshh… Oo naman.”
“Pero…”
“E ikaw ba Aria? Okay ka lang ba? With how things are mukhang tayo na bagong friends ni Nat.” Mukhang nagulat siya sa sinabi ko. I mean, its no brainer naman na, with what happened kanina, outcast na si Nathalie sa mga dati niyang kaibigan.
“Oo, as long as it’s okay with you, too.”
“Oo naman."

“I heard about Jacob and Nat.” sabi sakin ni Josh during recess, magkatabi kami sa pila.
“Who hasn’t?”
“So… okay ka lang?” Tanong niya sakin.
“And for the nth time. Yes, I’m fine.”
"Akala ko nanliligaw siya sayo?"
"Kayo lang naman nagsasabing nanliligaw siya sakin e. Sige na, salamat sa libreng Mogu-Mogu, balik ka na kina Aya.”
“Teka, ikaw?” tanong niya sakin.
“Dun na lang ako kina Jacob, guguluhin ko muna sila ni Nathalie.”
“Bakit ba kasi hindi ka pa sumabay samin? Ano ba talagang problema niyo?”
“I told you, hindi ko alam. Sige na!”        
 

"So you and that Nat girl are friends now?” Tanong sakin ni Alex. 
“Yeah, I guess. She’s actually kind of nice, if she wasn’t friends with Leslie and Desiree in the first place, I guess we could have been friends ealier.” I told her as I removed my glasses and laid down on my bed.
“Hmm. Maybe, anyway Tom’s been coming here a lot lately.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, does he know where you are exactly?”
“As much as I know, he thinks I’m somewhere in Manila, yun e kung hindi pa sinasabi ni Tasia! Gad! I hate that bitch!”
“Relax Mai, so? He’s still calling?”
“Yeah, but I don’t dare answer. Baka as soon as I did, matrace niya exactly where I am now, and I can't let that happen.”
“You’re still mad at him?”
“Aleeex.”
“Yeah, I know. But I mean, hindi mo ba talaga papakinggan explanation niya? I mean, for the months you two dated, I know he was really in love and sincere and kind and thoughtful and honest and…”
“Fine Alex, you made your point, but it still doesn’t change the fact that he cheated on me. End of story.”