This is How We End (Published under Pop Fiction)

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"My name is Parvana Naia Bukhari-Kiram."

My classmates exchanged knowing glances with each other. I smiled at them, but didn't get one in return. Nazrah smirked from the back and then whistled.

"May asawa ka na diba?"

Hindi ko siya sinagot at dumiretso sa upuan ko. Hindi ko rin tiningnan ang mga nagtatanong at kuryusong mga mata ng mga kaklase ko sa akin. Zoey scowled at her and when the teacher turned, to my horror, she raised her middle finger to Nazrah.

"Fuck off! Mas maganda pa rin si Parvana kesa sa iyo!" she half-whispered, half-yelled.

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko sa ginawa ng kaibigan. Before she gets into trouble, I hurriedly tugged the hem of her uniform to sit her down and squeezed her arms.

"Tama na yan, Zoey."

"Namimihasa, eh. Puro lang naman make-up ang mukha niya!"

Napailing nalang ako sa sinabi ng kaibigan. Nazrah keeps on bickering at the back, sending death glares to the two of us every now and then. Ayaw ko ng gulo kaya inignora ko nalang siya.

She can hate me all she wants, it's her energy she's wasting on hatred after all... not mine.

What happened last summer is still unbelievable. My getting married spread like a wildfire in our neighborhood. They're amazed and surprised to see such a young girl like me get married and constantly asks if it's really true. I soon got tired of explaining and just let them think what they want to think of me...

Nang sumapit ang lunchbreak namin ay hinila ako ni Zoey kung saan kami madalas na kumain noong nakaraang taon. I followed her silently while she talks about her newly-discovered K-POP band.

Ever since what happened, Levi and Zoey were very careful with me. It's been months since I last saw him, and the two of them pretended as if he didn't exist in the first place. None of them wants to talk about him and during our long strings of conversations, no one dared to mention him.

The harsh sunrays made my eyes squint as we crossed the field. On the surrounding cemented benches around the Mango tree, a tall figure is hunched over something. My heart pounded wildly at the familiar nape of the neck and the soft raven hair falling over the forehead. The stance is a bit different but...

"Levi!"

Nag-angat ng tingin si Levi sa aming dalawa. The blank expression on his face crushed my heart. Napailing ako at mas lalong binilisan ang paglalakad. It was so silly of me to think that it was Zeus. They're both Ferrers. Of course, the strong family resemblance would make me want to think of him.

Biting my lower lips, I sat across his younger brother. Am I missing him too much that I started imagining his face on his brother? The thought shot a dull pain to my chest, quickly overwhelmed by the bouncing energy of Zoey as we fall into our conversations.

Half a year has passed but I'm still struggling. I badly want to know if he still visits his parents and his younger brother. Ni minsan ay hindi ko siya nakita sa nakalipas na anim na buwan. And if he really visits, Levi didn't bother telling me, thinking that it would hurt me all over again. I think he and Zoey made a pact not to tell anything to me about Zeus, allowing me to fully heal from the disaster that is my wedding.

Malik went back to Sulu to continue his trainings and fulfill his responsibility as the Datu's son. He visits every weekend. Our relationship has improved over time. I started telling him about Zeus and he's started telling me about the serf's daughter that he's infatuated with. Despite the marriage, we act like friends that my father finds very inappropriate.