That Boystown Girl [COMPLETE]

20

CHAPTER 20

Boys and Fear of Mommy 

REN

I STARED AT HIM for a moment, trying to configure out his actions but nothing reasonable came out of it.

Iniabot pa niya lalo ang kanyang mga kamay sa akin at saka ito iniwagayway nang bahagya. Pati ulo niya ay nakayuko nang tila ba sigurado siyang bibihisan ko siya.

"Para kang bata, umayos ka nga," seryoso kong angil sa kanya. Para ko na nga siyang pinagagalitan kaso mas lalo pa yata niya akong sinusubok nang umusod siya palapit sa akin at saka muling iniabot ang mga braso.

Tinabig ko nga ang kamay niya at saka siya sinamaan ng tingin. "Kapag hindi ka pa umayos, Knight malilintikan ka sa'kin!"

Right then and there, after I said the magic words, he looked up at me with tears brimming his eyes and started pushing his lower lip forward as if he was about to really cry. I huffed in utter disbelief.

Is this why he's not supposed to drink?

He's acting like a kid.

"Stop acting like a kid," I sternly told him.

"I'm not acting! Help me change already. I smell so bad!"

I watched him struggle in taking his shirt off. I was stunned with the purely ignorant way of him retracting his arms one by one from the sleeves rather than peeling the shirt from the hem and pulling it up over the head. When his elbow got caught up in the sleeves, he looked at me and said, "Help me or better cut this thing off. Find scissors."

I huffed out another set of air and prayed that this will not last overnight.

HE WAS WEARING an undershirt when I finally got to take off his shirt, fortunately. I never dreamt of spending my time with him seeing an inch of skin that wasn't supposed to be seen. Knowing the sober Knight, he might have been arrogant enough to tell me that I like what I am doing right now.

I stared at him as he wriggled himself into the blanket. "I don't want that shirt. Let me sleep like this. It's hot in here," he said as he began pressing his back against the sheets.

I felt defeated as I saw the empty second pallet of the double deck bed. I can't use that since Jeya took all of her things away. I miss her.

"Why are you just standing right there, let's sleep!"

Nabigla ako sa sinabi niyang tila hindi niya talaga pinag-iisipan.

"Sleep with me!" he insisted as if he couldn't sleep alone. If not for his voice, I would have thought he was afraid of something.

I planted my hand on my hip and stuck the other one onto him. "Bayaran mo ako," pang-aasar ko sa kanya. I should try this and see whether he would finally break his pretence but then I was surprised when he suddenly pulled out a string out from underneath his undershirt and a punched one-peso coin dangled as a necklace. Ngayon ko lamang ito napansin.

"You take this," he slurred and without me even realizing, he placed the necklace on my palm as he pulled me down on top of him.

Just as when I lifted myself away, he was already fast asleep.

HINDI AKO NAKATULOG.

Pagkatapos ko siyang mabanyosan kagabi ay sinubukan kong magliwaliw sa sala ngunit wala ring pinatunguhan ang pagbabasa ko ng aklat.

Inunahan kong magising si Knight at ako ang naghanda ng almusal. Inabala ko ang sarili ko sa paglalaba at pagpupunas ng sahig hanggang sa mag-umaga. Nasa bulsa ko ang kwintas na basta na lamang niyang iniabot sa akin kagabi na siyang bumubulabog pa rin sa isip ko hanggang ngayon. Ganoon ba kamahal ng lalaking ito ang pera para gawin itong pendant?