Rough

Chapter Five

THE DOOR SLAMMED CLOSE when Sondra reached her room. Bumagsak siya sa sariling kama at galit na nasabunutan ang sarili. Then she let out a heavy breath and stared at the ceiling.

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Her fingers felt her own lips. Why him? Why Millian? Of all the people why...

She shuddered at the very thought of how he possibly looked at her when she kissed him. Pakiramdam ni Sondra, hilakbot na hilakbot ang mga mata ng lalaki sa club habang pinipilit na ilayo siya mula rito.

Pagkatapos, pagak siyang tumawa. Naalala niya ang sermon nito. Para bang pinagsasabihan siya na huwag kung kani-kaninong lalaki lumalapit... o humahalik.

"Iyan ka na naman, eh..." naluluhang hilamos ng isa niyang kamay sa gilid ng mukha. "Pinapaasa mo na naman ako sa wala!"

Maximillian had always been that way. Lagi nitong ipapakita at ipaparamdam sa kanya na concerned ito. Magagalit tapos ang palalabasin na dahilan ay inaalala lang siya nito. What was crueler than a heart breaker was a man who would show and make you feel that he cares for you, yet... would put you off-limits when it comes to having his heart. He would show it in every way that he cares, yet he wasn't in love.

It was torture... a torture...

Tears began rolling down her cheeks. Sinubukan naman niya, 'di ba? Sinubukan niya noon na ipa-realize sa lalaki na marahil, isinasaalang-alang siya nito dahil mahal siya nito. Not because he was her father-figure or her guardian or anything else platonic...

She tried, right?

Memories began flashing...

When she was already nine years old-- months after Maximillian moved to their place-- this girl named Pepper, a daughter of a lawyer who was their close neighbor, began hanging out with Maximillian. May pagka-loner pa noon ang lalaki dahil siguro sa pagdaramdam sa pagkawala ng ama kaya naman kahit sino na lang ang lumapit dito para makipagkaibigan ay tinatanggap na lang.

That Pepper made her pout everytime she would visit the Hawthorne mansion.

Masyado nang napapadalas, eh.

Hanggang sa nadatnan niya ito sa salas, bihis na bihis. She wore a pink cropped tank-top, jeans and a pair of Sketchers colored white and pink. Her hair was tied up in double buns. In Sondra's thoughts, masyadong feeling Chun-Li.

"Hi," ngiti nito sa kanya. Deep inside, Sondra knew it was just for show. There was something unnatural about the way Pepper's lips curved and how her eyes looked at her.

"Bakit ganyan ang suot mo?"

"Oh, we're going to the theme park kasi! Me and Maxi."

She calls him Maxi now? Ew.

Lalong naningkit ang mga mata niya. Una, walang sinasabi sa kanya si Maximillian na aalis ito ngayon ng bahay. Ikalawa, wala rin itong sinabi na isasama nito si Pepper sa isang theme park.

Inekis niya ang mga braso at matamang pinagmasdan ang babae. Nakasuot lang siya noon ng low-waist na pantalon na may makukulay na patches ng kiss mark, mga bulaklak, cool words at heart. Ang suot niya namang spaghetti strap na top na kulay yellow-green ay sakto lang sa katawan niya. She just got her bangs weeks ago, and her hair had rows of little half-ponytails held securely by butterfly clips.

Siya namang labas ni Maximillian mula sa dining area. He wore a pair of jeans and a loose striped shirt. His hair was parted in a curtained hairstyle as gorgeously as Leonardo DiCaprio and Aaron Carter did. Bumagay sa lalaki at sa blond nitong buhok.