Beneath Her | [R-16]

Chapter Fourteen

Gusto ko nalang lumubog sa kahihiyan tuwing naalala ko yung nangyari saamin ni Kim. I can't believe I threw myself onto him. Desperada na ba talaga 'ko?

Days have passed and I still can't take that shit off my mind. Naalala ko kung paano niya sinarado yung pinto saakin. I recall him telling me it was a mistake. It was painful. Naalala ko kung paano ako lumabas ng kwarto niya na andun si Angel. I only said goodbye to her while Kim opened the door for me. It was a fucking mess!

Hindi ko na rin siya natanong tungkol kay Jacob. I didn't want to know anymore because the less I knew the better.

Today was a Saturday and I was going to meet with Riley. Over the course of time, we became close. She wanted to borrow notes from me when I was in her grade. Napangiti ako nang makita siyang buksan ang pinto sa Cafe.

"Hi, ate." bati niya at niyakap ako. I gave her a look, reminding her to not call me ate anymore. "Sorry, Nat pala."

Paparating na yung order namin pero inuna ko nang ibigay yung mga lessons and notes ko. "Tatakbong high honors?" I asked as I stared at her flipping the pages of my notebooks.

"Sana." maikli niyang sagot at ngumiti. We were talking about clothes and boys, while sipping coffee. I haven't had this experience in a long time. I took a bite out of the banoffee parfait I ordered before I felt my phone vibrate. It was an unknown number. Tinignan ko lang siya na para bang nagpapaalam kung pwede sagutin.

"Okay lang po." she respectfully said and ate her doughnut. Pumagilid ako and covered my mouth when I answered,

"Good morning, is this Natalie Montenegro? We're from the Police Department, may I ask you to come to the station today?" bumilis yung pagtakbo ng puso ko nang marinig yun. Why do the police want to meet me? Did they know?

"Sorry, what is this about?" tanong ko, trying not to shake. Should I bring my lawyer? Ayoko namang ma shock si Riley. I just got to know her, baka layuan ako pag nalaman niyang pinapapunta ako sa police.

"This is about Kim Cooper, he said you would vouch for him and his whereabouts on the day Charlotte Angeles and Sierra Cortez was abducted." Mas nanghina ako nang narinig yung pangalan nila. It sucked the life out of me. Sweat was forming around my head. I thought about it hard. Kapag hindi ako pumunta, they'll become suspicious. Besides I know my alibi, I'll be fine.

"Okay, when?" tanong ko, trying to breathe in.

"Kim's in police custody now. You can come today." putangina. I'm so fucking unprepared. Kumalma ka, Nat. You'll be fine. Remember what Kim told you.

"I'll be there as soon as possible." sabi ko at pinatay na yung call. I was about to have a breakdown in front of Riley, a 15 year old girl. They have Kim in the police department, I'm about to faint. Hindi 'ko alam kung tatawagan ko ba si dad. I shouldn't, he'll be very mad if he knew.

"Okay ka lang po ba? You seem tensed." sabi ni Riley na nakatitig saakin. She looks worried because I've been zoning out. I gave out a smile of disappointment,

"I'm sorry, I have to go. I have a study group." pagpapanggap ko. I'm already lying to her. She gave a soft smile and nodded. She thanked me for the notes before I left.

Iniwan ko yung driver ko sa mall at nag taxi papunta sa police station. Damn it, Kim, ano bang ginawa mo? I stood in front of the station, debating if I should bring my lawyer or not. Wala na 'kong magagawa, nandito na ko.