Basta't Kasama Kita

1

Flashback: College Days

"It was the first day of my first year in college - new school, new environment, new teachers, new classmates, new friends. As I tried to look for my classroom, I noticed that some girls would look at me and giggle. I am not the one to brag but I know that I am leveled up there in the looks department. I had girls crushing over me even in my old school. My grades don’t disappoint too. I am not normally on the honors’ list but I could be if I really wanted to. I guess I’m smart but not in the bookish kind of way. I easily understand lessons taught in class but sometimes I just feel too tired and lazy to study. With all the basketball games and practices that I had to go to, who wouldn’t be?

I reluctantly walked to the room which had the number 401. I checked the room number again before finally going in. I stopped as I got both feet inside the room. I looked around for an empty seat and that’s when I saw her. She was smiling at the person she was talking to. And at that moment she looked my way. Our eyes met. With her smiling eyes on mine, I couldn’t stop myself from smiling too. She smiled back at me for what seemed like forever (in reality it lasted just a second). And with just one look, in my seventeen years of existence, I knew my life would never be the same again.”

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“Dude, napapansin ko lang ha. Bakit ba palagi ka na lang nakatambay dito sa tabi ko before and after each class? Palagi naman tayong magkasama sa breaks or vacant periods natin. Sorry ha. Pero nababakla ka na ba? May crush ka ba sa akin?” Fred asked one morning.

The seating arrangement for all their subjects was based on their surnames at magkahalo ang babae at lalaki. Greg Randall Antonio was second in class and was seated at the first row, right side of the room next to a petite girl named Macey Afuang. Si Frederick Perez naman ay nakaupo somewhere in the middle of the fourth row.

“Gago! Ang tagal na nating magkaibigan, ngayon mo pa ba ako pagdududahan na bakla ako,” ang sagot ni Greg.

“So bakit nga nandito ka palagi sa pwesto ko?”

“This is the best spot para matitigan ko s’ya without her noticing it,” Greg said while looking at someone.

Sinundan ni Fred ng tingin kung sino man ang tinitignan ng kanyang kaibigan at napansin si Alessandra Gallego na nakatagilid na nakaupo habang nagbabasa ng libro. “Crush mo si Sandra?”

“Oo dude!”

“Kelan pa? Do you get to talk to her? Balak mo ba s’yang ligawan?”

“Hindi ko s’ya masyadong nakakausap, minsan lang pero palagi about class. I wanna get to know her more.”

“Kung sa bagay cute naman talaga s’ya. At sabi nitong katabi ko ay mabait daw ‘yan at matalino. School mates ‘ata sila nung high school.”

“Si Ingrid? Magkaibigan sila ni Sandra?” he asked referring to the girl who was seated on Fred’s left but was nowhere in sight at that moment.

“I think so. Minsan napansin ko silang sabay bumaba eh.”

“Great!”

“Teka, teka! Ano naman ‘yang naiisip mo?”

“Dude, kailangan mong kaibiganin si Ingrid para makalapit tayo sa barkada nila at makalapit ako kay Sandra.”

“Ano? Bakit ako? Bakit hindi mo na lang derechong kaibiganin si Sandra?”