She's So Extra (Kiligserye Book1) | ✅

Chapter 43

Do you remember getting bullied in school? Nung bata ako puro tuksuhan ang ginagawa ng classmates ko and looking back on it now I'm realizing that being bullied in school is way different than being bullied as an adult. When you're kids you usually bully someone dahil sa itsura nila, or their preference or dahil sa ginawa nila. But when you're an adult, it's more personal, kasi people tend to get to know you more and the more they know you, the more they can hit you where it hurts.

At ngayon? Sa pagkakataong ito? Sobrang sakit.

I haven't left the stairwell kung saan ako iniwan ni Jem para ipagpaalam na uuwi na muna ako. I'm still in shock, I'm still holding on to Jem's phone looking at the picture.

The picture was sent through the email addresses of all employees sa office namin. So that's why everyone was looking at me funny all of a sudden.

Okay lang sana kung yung picture eh, I could have easily said na kami na talaga and that would have been the end of it. But the caption of the photo was just so damaging na hindi ko alam kung makakabangon pa ako or kung may maniniwala ba sa akin kung magpaliwanag ako.

The caption reads: "She got what she paid for. #Bewareofsnakes"

Imagine re-living a moment in your life na super saya mo, then people go and taint that memory with a very bad interpretation of what really happened.

I'm caught between a rock and a hard place – on one hand I can own up to it, pero who would believe me now? Pwede naman na aminin ko nalang pero it would have been so much better if I had Chuck on my side. Ngayon? Hindi ko kayang harapin ito ng mag-isa.

I look at our picture and for the first time in three days, napaiyak ulit ako.

I put my hands over my face and let myself cry again kasi akala ko tapos na. Akala ko sukdulan na ang sakit ng nangyari pero hindi pa pala, gusto talaga akong subukan kung hanggang saan ako pwedeng mag-bend bago ako tuluyang mag-break.

I hear footsteps pero hindi ako kumibo, if si Jem yan alam nya naman kung bakit ako umiiyak. Kung ibang tao naman, I've lost the will to pretend that I'm fine. At this point, I don't really care what they think.

The footsteps stop and I try to stop sobbing. Kaya lang wala eh, alam mo yung pag nag-pipigil ka ng iyak lalo kang humihikbi.

May naramdaman ako sa likod ng mga kamay ko so sumilip ako, at may nakita akong panyo. I take the handkerchief and look down. I see shoes – awfully familiar shoes and I sigh.

He keeps quiet for a moment then, "I'm going to find out who did this." Chuck says and I bit back another cry kasi I've missed his voice. My heart aches again coz I feel the fierceness behind his voice. And I know it's a promise.

I just sigh and use his hanky to wipe my face.

I always think of things I could have said bago sya lumakad palayo sa akin nung gabing huli kami mag-usap, pero ngayon parang there's so much I want to say pero I don't know the right words or where to start.

I wipe the tears off my face pero when I look up at him, he's gone.

Mag-isa na ako sa stairwell but rather than feel lonely I am left with a sense of hope.

So I gather my courage and stand up. I feel some sort of calm now that I know he still cares enough na he came here to say something – whatever his reasons may be.

I wipe the tears off my face, keep my chin up and walked to the door back to the floor of my office.

Akala ko matapang na ako, na kaya kong harapin ang mga judgemental kong mga officemates. Pero pag pinag-bubulungan ka na, and you hear "slut" said behind your back it still stings kahit hindi totoo.