Tayo Na Lang

Chapter 6

Jessma's POV

"Gaga ka kase! Hindi ba uso sayo pahinga?" naiiling na sabi ni Ali kay Ayel na kasalukuyan ngayong nakaupo at nakasandal sa headboard ng kama niya.

All of us where here in their room except Caloy na bigla na lang nawala kanina. She told us na tawagin siya kapag nagising na si Ayel but now she's nowhere to be found.

Naaawa ako kay Ayel. Hindi man niya sabihin pero kitang-kita sa mga mata niya ang disappointment na hindi si Caloy ang nakikita niyang nag-aalala ngayon sa tabi niya. Obviously, in their friendship she's the one who has been taken for granted.

"Tumawag na ba si Caloy?" Ayel muttered as she looked at her left to see the window. "Gabi na ah" puno ng pag-aalalang saad nito. I pursed my lips and looked away to hide my disappointment. Nasaan ka ba Tots?

"Pauwi na rin siguro yun, baka importante lang talaga yung pinuntahan niya. Naalala ko, may tumatawag na "Ced" sa kaniya kanina, blockmate niya daw baka tungkol sa acads lam mo na, bagsakin pa naman yun" natatawang saad ni Isa.

Nag-agree kaming lahat, bahagya itong napangiti pero nanatili ang lungkot sa mata ni Ayel. Tumingin si Ayel sakin at malungkot akong nginitian and kahit hindi niya sabihin, I can sense already what's going on.

That "Ced", siya siguro yung babaeng kinahuhumalingan ni Caloy. I knew Caloy too well,  mas pipiliin niyang samahan kami kesa sa acads niya, especially in this kind of situation where it talks about Ayel, her bestfriend. I bet that girl really mean so much to her na iniwan niya lang ng ganun kadali sa ganitong kalagayan si Ayel.

Nagpaalam ang iba na magpapahinga na sila dahil may kani-kaniya pa silang klase bukas. Ganun din ako pero mas minabuti ko na munang samahan si Ayel at nandito kami ngayon sa lobby.

Tahimik lang ito as she persistently waiting for Caloy's arrival. Maraming beses itong bumuntong hininga as she constantly checking her phone probably waiting for her text or just simply to see the time.

It's passed 11 pero ang gagang Tots ay hindi pa rin tumatawag o nagte-text man lang. And Ayel? She's in front of me while walking back and forth obviously worried about her friend.

We tried dialling her phone for a lot of tines but no avail. She's really fond of this kind of sh*t, isn't she?

The clock strikes at 12 and I'm done.

"Get back to sleep, Ayel. Wag mo ng hintayin" mariing utos ko kay Ayel na kasalukuyang nasa phone ang atensyon, if i know humahanap ito ng paraan para ma-contact si Tots pero it has to end here. She was stiffened, based on her knitted brows I could say she's having her internal battle whether to give up just like what i've said or to continue things on her own, typical Ayel when it comes to Caloy.

Nilapitan ko ito at hinawakan ang magkabilang balikat, i looked intently at her eyes and wished i did not because i only saw pain and it hurt me too. "Ayel, tama na muna for today, please?" napalunok ito, kitang-kita ko kung paanong nanghina ang ekpresyon ng mga mata niya and in that moment pakiramdam ko ay may kung anong tumusok din sa dibdib ko. I wonder how she feels like.

Ang bobo mo naman kase, Ayel.

---

Ayel's POV

"Good morning!"

Napamulat ako ng marinig ang pamilyar na boses na iyon. I looked up to see her face. Nakangiti ito maging ang mga mata nito habang inilalahad sa harap ko ang isang paper bag. She seems so happy, her eyes were showing it. I wonder if they're okay now, if you know what i mean. Umayos ako sa pagkaka-upo at kinuha ang iniaabot nito.

"What's this?"

Pagmamaang-maangan ko kahit alam ko naman na ang sagot. For the past two weeks ay inaaraw-araw na niya ang pagbibigay ng breakfast sakin as if trying to get my attention back since I started avoiding her two weeks ago too. She sat beside me as she munched in her own food. "Pancake and iced coffee, sana magustuhan mo."

"Salamat" itinabi ko iyon gilid ko. I can't eat it since kumain ako ng almusal kanina, ibibigay ko na lang siguro kina Justine mamaya. I was enjoying a silent and peaceful morning awhile ago but it seems like i'll be having a bad day ahead.

"Hindi mo ba titikman? I made it for you, nagkandapaso-paso nga ang mga kamay ko oh!" she showed her hands pero hindi ako nag-abalang tignan pa iyon at tanging blangkong ekspresyon lang ang ibinigay ko sa kaniya. "Thank you sa effort, bigay ko na lang kina Jus mamaya para di masayang, sige una na ko." walang ganang saad ko as I stood up and walked towards our other teammates while carrying the food she gave.

"Ayel ko!" She called out but I didn't look back.

Let's keep it this way, Caloy. Quota ka na eh. Tama na muna, tama si Jess. I'll let your action do the talking kase sobra na eh, sorry if this sound so immature pero kase she's the very person i expected to be by my side  when i woke up noong nag-collapsed ako, but she wasn't there. She left me for her girl.

"Kaya mo naman pala eh. Tuloy mo lang para madala, nakakalimot eh porke nagka-jowa na naman"

Nandito kami ngayon ni Jess sa UPTC. Nagke-crave daw kase siya sa Coco then wala naman siyang ibang mahatak since kami lang ang nasa dorm kanina, hindi naman na ako tumanggi kase ililibre niya naman daw ako kaya heto.

"Naaawa na nga ako eh, she's been very persistent for the past 2 weeks naman, baka hindi niya lang talaga sinasad---aray!"

Reklamo ko, bigla ba naman kase itong nambatok. I death glared at her pero ang gaga ay tinawanan lang ako. "Stop being so marupok nga when it comes to her, napaghahalataan ka talaga eh." She teased me, napasimangot naman ako cause deep inside, i'm worried.

"Stop it, Jess. It's not funny"

"Nakakatawa kaya, hindi mo ba naa-appreciate yung katangahan mo?" Then she laughed hard not minding the people around us, what she said hits my boiling point so i slapped her shoulder hard making her groaned in pain. "Aray ko! Nakakalimutan mo na bang volleyball player ka?!" She hissed while caressing her shoulder that i slapped.

"Gaga ka kase!" Sabi ko rito at nagpatiuna nang maglakad, ang gaga ayun humagalpak muna ng tawa bago ako hinabol sa paglalakad.

"totoo naman kase! hindi ba ha?" Pang-aasar pa nito, "stop it jess, ano baaa!" I shouted in frustration pero nagpatuloy lang ito sa pang-aasar until we reached the Coco.

Hindi ko na lang pinansin si Jess kahit patuloy siya sa pang-aasar kahit nakapila na kami sa counter, natapos siyang bumili and we decided to go eat in shakey's cause you know pizza is our life!!!

Naglalakad na kami papuntang shakey's, si Jessma sa wakas ay nanahimik din. As we walk, may kung anong pakiramdam ang bumalot sa dibdib ko. My heart was pounding fast because of unknown reason. Hindi ako mapakali, noong malapit na kami sa shakey's, there's something inside me na nagsasabing huwag ng tumuloy, but i didn't listen. But only if I'll be given a chance to erase everything what i'm seeing right now in my memories, i'll take it gladly.

"Jess! Ayel! Dito!"

the owner of the voice was the least person i expected to see here. Celine Domingo's waving her hand at us as she's sitting in front of a familiar built of a woman...hair tide in a pony, wearing a maroon shirt with her surname on it.

"Carlos" i whispered, reading what is written on the shirt.

Sa mga oras na iyon, wala akong ibang naririnig kundi ang unti-unting pagkabasag ng kung ano sa loob ko.