The Lost Diary of Rizal

Capítulo Trece (CHAPTER XIII )

CHAPTER XIII

Capítulo Trece

"Val, your friend's here." My mom announced. I looked up from my bed and saw Adele skipping into my room. She thanked my mom and sat on the edge of my bed. "So... Why haven't you gone to school lately?" She asked me when she heard the door clicked. I peeked at her from my comforter. I had our air condition blasted to the lowest temperature. 

"Does your mom know about this? Or do you just pretend to go to school anyway?"She followed up when I didn't answer. I remained silent and buried my head in my pillow. 

"Okay... Then you don't mind me telling her you haven't been in school for three months now." She threatened to make me talk.

"Go ahead. I don't care anymore." I mumbled.

"What is wrong with you, Val? You aren't like this!" Adele said annoyed at me, probably from ignoring her. I wanted to tell her everything but it was useless. No one would believe me.

"Is it because of the guy before? Did he have anything to do with this?" Adele hounded.

Her words were like a shotgun burrowing two huge holes into me. She is right. I haven't been in school for the past three months. No one at home noticed since they were mostly out during the day and whenever they do see me, they would think I just came home from school. No one bothered asking except Adele. I would've kept it at that, anyway.

"You can't let a guy do this to you!" Adele scolded me. "Get up."

"Why are you here, Adele? Why do you even care?" I asked her. She was never interested in anything but herself. 

"Because," Adele looked away. I saw her blush in the dim lighting of my room. "Because we're friends..."

"Uh huh," I nodded.

"It's true! I am worried about you..." Adele said softly. "Besides, I am lonely without you around. I have no one to talk to. You were always there to listen to me."

"I thought you and Christoph are already together?" I asked her. I was unsure if I was seeing a new side of her. 

"Yes, we are. But he's a boy. I can't go shopping with him or complain to him about him." She tells me. "I just miss you... I have no one else to talk to."

"Don't you have a sister?" I asked her. She really sounds forlorn.

"We kind of don't talk much. Besides, I'm the only one who came back to the Philippines." She explains. Oh right, her family is back in the States. I realized how lonely she must've been in the past three years. She never really showed it. She never really talked about it either. She was keeping her loneliness to herself all this time. My heart flew out to her and I sat up on my bed. 

"Aren't you cold?" I asked her eyeing her laced tube top. She looked up at me with a forced smile. "Well, I guess you could come here and tell me all about your crappy boyfriend."

I moved over to give her space beside me on my double sized bed. She giggled and we tucked ourselves into the warmth of the comforter. We stayed lying there in silence for a while. 

"What happened to you, Val?" Adele asked in a soft voice. She turned her head to look at me while I fixed my gaze on the ceiling. "The last I heard, you fainted in school with your wheeled luggage. You weren't planning on running away didn't you?"

I laughed at her statement. It does seem to look like it. My parents never really found out about it. I recalled what happened to me on that day. I had discovered that the Narra door, the portal that was supposed to lead me to my happiness was gone and possible burned. It was a huge shock to me that I fainted in the middle of the hallway. I woke up in the clinic and saw my luggage beside me. The nurse had asked me a few questions about my physical and psychological well-being. I answered her truthfully and withheld any information that would make me sound that I'm crazy. She forwarded me to the guidance counselor who again tried to know what had really happened to me and if I was having any family problems at home. I told her there wasn't and even if she tried to get my parent's numbers, I just gave her the old ones that they don't use anymore. After a whole day of being investigated, I was allowed to go home, where I remained till today. The packed luggage remained in my closet, unpacked and alone. Just like how I had been feeling for the past three months. I had spent the first week crying my eyes out and refused to leave my room for dinner saying that I already ate outside. I cried myself to sleep for a month. All I ever do is eat twice a day, read Rizal's diary over and over again and regret the day I left him. I was so angry with myself. I blamed myself for ever leaving that night. I should've stayed. Just thinking about it brings back anger, regret, sorrow and pain all over again. I don't know what to do anymore. I had myself convinced that night that I would return to his time and live with him till his fateful day. I was so prepared and excited. Have you ever felt when you were a kid and your dad promised to take you to the movies, or an amusement park, or any place that you really wanted to go to, but in the last minute, when you have waited all the while even if he's late, he would just call you and apologize that he wouldn't be able to make it? Do you remember the huge disappointing feeling you had when you heard that you wouldn't be able to go? Do you remember the pain of a promise being broken?