Immortal City

Chapter 43

Chapter 43
Facade

Hindi naman pala ako mamamatay dahil abot naman pala ng paa ko ang sahig ng pool. Nag-panic ako ng kaunti at todo ang pagpumagaypay ng mga kamay pero abot ko naman pala. At ngayon ay lamig na lamig ang katawan ko pag-ahon ko sa tubig.

"Grabe ka, Celestine, tinakot mo ko!" sabi ni Ione at agad akong inalalayan. "Do you secretly have a death wish? Bakit lagi ka nalang napapahamak, ha?"

I cough and she rubs my back. When I've calmed down, she takes my robe and hands it to me. "Ginulat mo kasi ako," reklamo ko. "Akala ko kung sino."

"Akala mo si Daimon Clyde mo?"

And I cough again, maybe even blushing a little. "Bakit mo ba ako sinundan? Himala yata at hindi ka tulog ngayon. Don't tell me Luna is here too?"

"Wala, ako lang. Bakit? Disappointed ka?"

"Why would I be?"

"Because I'm not your best friend, nor your boyfriend." She gives me a knowing look, wiggling her eyebrows and smiling annoyingly.

"We're just friends." That's what you say, but why are you blushing so hard, Celestine? Well maybe because the last time I told Daimon we were just friends, he was kissing me and stripping my clothes off.

"Sinong niloko mo, Celestine? Walang maniniwala na friends lang kayo ni pogi." Umupo kami ni Ione sa isang tagiliran, ako basang-basa at siya ngiting-ngiti. "Ikaw, ha, may Zairus ka na, may Daimon Clyde ka pa."

My face falls.

"Shit— Sorry, landmine. Erase, erase." She grimaces at her own brashness, slapping her mouth as if scolding herself.

"Why did you follow me here, Ione?"

Tinignan niya ako na mukhang guilty pa rin sa huling sinabi niya. "Well... I'm kinda worried about you. 'Cause you know, you almost drowned and all. Pati miss na rin kasi 'di na tayo classmates nila Luna at manyak. Uy, ha, 'wag ka masyadong kiligin na miss kita."

I laugh, lightly shaking my head at her antics.

"Pati ano..." umpisa niya na parang nahihiya. "Sorry rin."

My eyebrows raise in question. "Para saan?"

"Kasi ano... Uhm... Parang... nagsungit yata sa'yo si Julien dahil sa ginawa mo sa points?"

Oh.

When I decided to reset the points of our competitors and Julien was worried about Ione having to deal with her class alone. Hindi naman 'yon nangyari dahil nakalabas na si Kaven ng infirmary.

"It's perfectly fine, Ione," I assure her. "I'm at fault too since I didn't consult you guys about my decision first. Naiintindihan ko naman kung bakit naging gano'n ang reaksyon ni Julien. I would be skeptic too when it comes to Luna. Don't worry about it, I didn't take any offense."

She sighs like a big weight has been taken off her shoulders. "Buti naman. Akala ko kasi galit ka na. Tapos 'di mo pa ako ginising last week para doon sa hint, ang sabi ko pa naman sa'yo gisingin mo ako."

My jaw drops. "At ako pa talaga—" I jokingly slap her arm. "Ikaw kaya 'tong hindi magising kahit ilang beses ko na gisingin! Itanong mo pa kay Cenon kung paano mo itaboy ang kamay namin sa pag-gising sa'yo."

Natatawang nagtaas ng kamay si Ione at halos sumingkit na ang mata. "Oo na, oo na. Hinay-hinay lang naman sa atake."

I look at her again in mock disbelief.