This is How We End (Published under Pop Fiction)

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Ilang beses na akong nagpupunas ng pawis sa noo ko pero ramdam na ramdam ko pa rin ang panunuot ng init, lalo na sa likod at sa leeg ko. I sighed and shifted uncomfortably on my seat, swiping the sweat under my eyes once again with the white hanky I brought to school.

Zoey came back after a few minutes, carrying two large cups of apple smoothies. Nakangisi niya itong ibinigay sa akin.

"Salamat..." ani ko at pinaglaruan ang straw na nakatusok sa lalagyan. I squinted my eyes at the scorching sunlight to get a better glimpse of the players at the field. They were bathing in their own sweat, too. Nasa lilim na nga kami ng puno pero init na init pa rin ako. Paano nalang kaya sila?

"Ahhh, what a sight." Zoey mused and then giggled when the spiker of the team, Euron, leaped a few feet off the ground and sent the ball smashing to the other court. It earned another howl of cheers from the audience. Halos yugyugin ako ni Zoey nang lingunin ni Euron ang direksiyon naming dalawa dahil sa sobrang ingay ng kaibigan ko.

"Ang gwapo niya! Shit!" a scream of delight tore from her throat again. Halos mabingi ako. This time, Euron ignored her and concentrated on the game.

Bahagya akong ngumuso. After the prom night, I was living in a series of busy days and was quite occupied by our projects in school. Kaliwa't-kanan ang pagpapasa namin ng mga proyekto, lalo na ngayong malapit nang magtapos ang taon. I licked my lower lips and sipped on my smoothie.

This school year is about to end... Zeus is going to graduate and he'll go to college.

Parang sinisilaban ang dibdib ko sa naisip. Hindi lang sa init ng panahon kundi pati na rin sa umokupa sa aking isipan. So he'll be gone in less than two months, huh? I'm not sure if I'm going to see him this summer. Based on what Zoey had said, their family takes a vacation every year to faraway countries. Last year they'd been to Egypt, and I couldn't mistake the photos in their living room are taken in some Mediterranean Island.

Ihinilig ko ang ulo sa bakal na nasa likuran at sumimsim ulit. To be honest, I've little to no interest with the volleyball game today. Gusto ko lang talagang makahinga nang kahit konti mula sa tambak ng gawain namin. Mamaya ay babalik na naman ako sa paggawa ng projects. Watching volleyball and hearing my friend cheer for her crush is one way to clear my head.

"Naia..."

Napatalon ako sa kinauupuan nang marinig ang baritonong boses ni Zeus mula sa likuran. I turned and saw him in his drawstring pants and white shirt, looking fresh and clean despite the heat. Nakasunod sa kaniya si Levi na mukhang iritado at kakagising pa lamang. Kinukusot nito ang mata.

The white baseball cap on his head shaded half of his face a bit, making his prominent cheekbones look sharp from where I'm sitting. And his deep-set eyes almost disappeared with the shadows. I've never known that baseball caps can look so stunning to someone until I saw him.

"Hello, Zeus." Tipid kong bati sa kaniya.

"What are you doing here? Ang init init..." aniya.

Inirapan siya ni Zoey. "Pake mo, Zeus? Eh gusto naming panuorin si Euron eh..."

Zeus turned sharply at me, raising one of his eyebrows as if to question me. I answered it with a mild shake and a shrug from my shaky shoulders.

"Crush mo ang totoy na yan?"

"Anong totoy?" hinampas ni Zoey si Zeus sa hita at sinamaan ng tingin. "Halos magkasing-tangkad na nga kayo eh! Ang kapal mo, ah! Palibhasa, hindi ka marunong sa volleyball kaya inggit ka!"