Who's That Boystown Girl (COMPLETE)

4

CHAPTER 4

NATIONAL NEWS ANCHOR announces, "Two days before Christmas, mga kababayan. Siguruhing walang hindi pasasayahin..."

Nalunod ng malalim na pag-iisip ko ang kanyang tinig maging ang pagtipa ni Knight sa kanyang laptop sa mesa habang siya ay nag-aaral. Ang kanyang kapatid ay lumabas upang bumili ng makakaing hindi luto ni Knight na siyang hindi ko maintindihan dahil mukhang hindi niya ito gusto samantalang napakasarap naman magluto ng kanyang kapatid.

"Ayos lang bang mag-isang lumabas si CJ?"

Knight looked up and shook his head. "He's smarter than anyone in the family. He probably rang his bodyguard without letting us know. He won't take a chance to give other people time to mess with him."

Hindi ko gaanong kinausap si Knight hanggang sa siya ay matapos sa pag-aaral. Tinabihan niya ako at saka mahinang nagsalita. "What are your plans for Christmas?"

Tinignan ko siya at nakakawindang ang kalmado ngunit may babala pa ring mukha niya.

As each day passes by, little by little, his impression from me that he looks like a girl slowly disappears and changes to a man. I don't know when this happened but I certainly am aware of it. I have no idea if he is either.

"Should I have one?" I bitterly laughed. "Nasa ospital pa rin ang lolo ko. Maaaring pumuslit ako sa pasko para makita siya."

Knight hung his head low beside me as he took deep breaths. "I just received a call from a doctor I know that your cousin insisted on taking him home, with a medical aide that her parents will pay for."

Napakunot ang noo ko at sinubukang hindi magmukang nasaktan sa aking narinig. Wala na nga siguro talagang balak na ipaalam ni Jeya ang kahit na anong mangyayari kay lolo. Ngunit siguro naman ay hindi masama kung alamin ko ang tunay na dahilan ng biglaang pagtrato niya sa akin nang ganito, hindi ba?

Hindi ako naniniwalang dahil ito sa kanyang inggit. Madali akong makaramdam ng ugali ng tao at hindi ko iyon naramdaman kay Jeya. There must be something else.

"Hindi ko mapagtugma, Ren. I'm sorry but when I heard of that, I had her parents' background investigated. They have lots of debt to pay and they were well employed and making money enough to send her to school. But the medical aide and expenses to the hospital that they shouldered, it makes no sense. It's quite a lot of money."

"Ano namang ibig mong sabihin?"

Umiling siya at saka bumulong. "Sana hindi tama ang kutob ko. Pero malalaman lang natin ang totoo kung makakausap natin ang lolo mo."

"Bakit ba gusto mong makausap natin siya nang sobra?"

He breathed in and said, "Actually, your broken phone was a new clue. I had it decoded off its history as far as it can go and there came certain irregularities with the pattern of calls and texts you receive. It had only always been someone named Mang Ador, Lolo G, Rejeiana, and your friends. But this past month, there came two unknown numbers who broke the cycle. The one came up with a text with an address and some sort of a communication or a transaction. Am I not right?"

I nodded. This was getting way too far from being just a simple kidnapping case. It was as if I am actually afraid of what's to come now.

"And the other one is a call. Kung hindi ako nagkakamali, iyon ang tawag noong oras na magkasama tayo sa kwarto mo at ayaw mong sumagot sa kausap mo sa phone. I have suspected right."

I met his eyes which are staring hard down on me as if he caught me doing something bad. He then made me follow him to the bedroom and we sat together down the bed.