Under His Hoodie

Chapter 30

Nagpatuloy ang pageant. Natapos ang performance namin ni Miro. I think I did a great job. Dahil sa likod ay nginingitian ako ng mga kandidata. I smiled back too. Todo puri ang make-up artist sa ginawa ko. I shyly answered, I didn't expect na magugustuhan ng lahat.

After talent portion ay muli kaming tinawag lahat sa stage upang tawagin ang mga pasok sa top six. "First candidate to seal the spot is...Candidate number 12!"

Nagsigawan ang lahat ng tao dahil si Kestrel iyon. Agad siyang lumapit sa stage at ngumiti. Akala ko hindi ako tatawagin pero ako ang panghuling tinawag. Si Miro din ay nakapasok.

Evening gown na at question-and-answer ang sunod. Binago ng make-up artist (na isa ring hairstylist) ang buhok ko into a bun. May paiwan na tingi ng buhok sa may bandang noo. My dress was also quite daring. May cut ang slit ng phoenix red dress kaya lantad ang legs ko. The golden and silver sequins were glistening as I moved

Hindi tulad kanina, hindi na ako kinakabahan. But still, there was a little bit of pressure. At hindi lang 'yon, nasa akin ang atensyon ng lahat so I need to make things perfect.

So far naitawid naman namin ang evening gown. But I was mesmerized by Kestrel. Ang ganda niya sa suot na silver backless gown. With her black killer heels, she ended her performance very well. Pinanood ko ang reaksyon ni Nazareth while Kestrel was there. Para siyang bagot na bagot. Pero nang ako na ang tinawag, nagliwanag ang mukha niya. As if he accepted being a judge here only to see me. Thinking that made my heart flutter. I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart.

Sobrang bilis ng pangyayari. After the evening gown, candidates lined up for an ending remark. Sabay-sabay kaming pumasok sa backstage bago muling luminya ulit sa stage after a break.

They randomly called the candidate for the Q & A.

"Candidate number 12!"

Pumunta si Kestrel sa harapan, with her chin as high as the clouds. She classily walked towards the front of the stage. Tuminding ito pagkatapos.

Sinuotan kami ng headphone. Kaya hindi ko na naririnig ang paligid ko. Parang rock ata itong nagpla-play sa headphone. Ang ingay. Imposibleng marinig ko ang nangyayari sa paligid ko. The question was asked to Kestrel. And by looking at her, I think she nailed it. She answered confidently, without hesitations. Nagpalakpakan ang lahat ng tao after that. Ngumiti si Kestrel sa lahat at kumaway.

Tinawag na ang sunod na kandidata hanggang sa ako na lang ang natira. At nang tinawag na ako, parang nabingi ako sa sigawan ng lahat. They were cheering for me!

Lumihis ang mata ko kay Nazareth. His smile grew wider. I smiled back. Nagulat ako nang bigla niya akong kindatan. What the hell! Namumula tuloy akong humarap sa emcee.

"Here's the question. Do you agree with the death penalty? Why?"

Natahimik ang lahat ng tao. They were waiting for my answer. Nanginginig ang kamay kong kinuha ang mic. Hellary, think! Think!

Death penalty...

"No, I don't agree with death penalty," tugon ko. "Death is an escape for criminals. Let them suffer. Let them feel the guilt every day in jail. Let their crimes hunt them every day. If we would kill them, they won't be tormented. But if we not, we have the chance to let them be wretched for the rest of their lives," I added.

Naghiyawan ang mga tao sa sagot ko. Halos mabingi ako. And when my eyes reached Nazareth's eyes, kitang-kita ko kung gaano siya ka-proud sa 'kin. Parang gusto ko tuloy siyang yakapin. I want to end this pressure that I am feeling right now. Parang gusto kong bumaba sa stage na ito at sabihin kung gaano ko siya kamahal.