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Chapter 14

Chapter 14

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"...gela... Angela... ANGELA."

After many tries, her friend finally caught her attention. It's been almost a week after the incident where she bumped into Alvin in the school library. Pero kahit ganun na katagal, hindi pa rin maalis sa isipan ni Angela ang mga pinagsasabi nito sa kanya. Hindi niya talaga maintindihan kung bakit kung sino pa ang inaakala mong mabait at napaka-perfect sa halos lahat ng bagay, eh sila pa palang may tinatagong hindi kaaya-ayang side.

"May problema ka ba?" tanong ni Angelo na humabol sa kaibigang halos di na niya nakakausap for the past couple of weeks. "You've been acting a bit off lately. Are you mad at me again?"

Binagalan niya ang paglalakad. "Huh? Hindi. Marami lang akong iniisip kase."

"Like what?"

Hindi siya nagsisinungaling kay Angelo, pero hindi rin naman niya sinasabi sa kanya ang lahat. Sabihin na lang natin na medyo may takot lang siya sa magiging reaction nito, kaibigan man siya o hindi, dahil baka lalo lang mapasama ang damdamin niya.

She shrugged. "Wala lang. Tungkol sa school. Malapit nanamang matapos 'yung school year diba?" she made an excited face. "Konti na lang summer na!"

Now that, on the other hand, was a lie...

Nahawa si Angelo sa ngiti niya. "Oo nga... but before that, something also important is going to happen first."

"Ano 'yun?"

Tinaasan lang siya nito ng kilay. "What do you mean 'Ano 'yun'? Nakalimutan mo na? ... wow, you really have a lot i  your mind, don't you?" seeing that his friend is just as confused as he is, in-explain niya na lang. "It's the Prom Night, Angela. You were crazy about it at the very beginning of the school year remember? It's our first one so you kept saying 'gagawin kong memorable ang gabing 'yon' and 'magiging prom queen ako' tapos I think meron pa ngang bit na sinabi mong 'that night will be the night na makukuha ko na rin ang first kiss ko—'."

"SHHH! Angelo ano ba?!" Angela "whispered". "Baka may makarinig sa'yo."

"So what? What's the issue?"

"Angelo, alam mo namang 16 na ako diba? Nakakahiya kapag may nakaalam na NBSB na nga ako NKSB pa!"

"NKSB?"

"No Kiss Since Birth."

"Huh?"

"Hindi ko rin alam. Imbento ko lang din 'yon," she explained. "Basta walang dapat makaalam na wala pa akong first kiss."

Suddenly, another voice joined their conversation. "Weh?!" the giggling girl asked. "Wala ka pang first kiss, Angela?"

"Sophia," sabay pang sinabi ng magkaibigan.

"Really, President? Hindi pa nahahalikan ng anyone si Angela?"

"Sige, ipangalandakan mo pa," sagot ng pinag-uusapan.

"How can that be? Eh ang ganda-ganda mo?"

Naging speechless si Angela at saglit na napahiya sa di-inaasahang compliment.

"Sophia," Angelo startes in a quiet, almost a whisper, voice. "I think it's best to keep that our little secret, okay? Angela doesn't really like talking about it. Right, Angela?"

"Huh? Ah, oo. Oo, sa'tin-sa'tin lang 'yun ah? Huwag mo ipagsasabi sa iba."

The already smiling girl laughed. "Of course."