SILENT UNIVERSE (FRANKIANA)

Chapter 23

Diana's POV

Nagpaalam muna ako sa kanila na pupunta lang ako saglit sa CR where in fact lalabas lang talaga ako at pupunta sa sasakyan para mag transform as Dion.

Nasa sasakyan nako at sinuot ko na ang magic ring. Bakit ganun? Bakit wala paring nangyayari? Don't tell me wala na tong bisa? Hindi pwede. I promised Franki. Tinawagan ko si Argel para lumabas muna at puntahan ako dito sa kotse. Pumasok na siya.

"Are you sure? Panong hindi gumagana? Patingin nga. Ako nang magsusuot sayo. Oo nga. Ba't ayaw?."

"Argel, pano to? Anong gagawin natin?."

"Hindi ko alam. Siguro sabihin nalang natin sa kanya na may emergency. Dating gawi."

"But I promised. You know me, I never break a promise."

"Pano nga eh wala na nga tayong magagawa. Diana, it's impossible to make someone who's already dead for a long time to just show up. Mabuti nalang sana na yang nagpapalit ka ng katawan, but to actually bring Dion back to life, I don't think so."

Siguro nga wala na kaming magagawa, pumasok nalang kami pero laking gulat namin nang makitang Franki's sitting beside Someone. Wait, Dion?

Imposible. How?

Lumapit kami sa kanila, tumayo naman yung lalaking kamukhang kamukha talaga ni Dion wearing a tux para ibeso ako sis.

"Miss me? San ba kayo galing?." Tanong pa niya.

"Wait--how?." Yun nalang nasabi ko.

"Mahabang storya. Mamaya ko nalang ipapaliwanag sayo. Come on, let's just enjoy the night. Right Franki?." Upo na nito.

Umupo narin kami ni Argel. Talaga bang--Ewan ko nalang. Hindi ko na alam kung anong iisipin ko. Hinawakan nalang ni Argel ang kamay ko sabay bulong sakin,

"I don't know how on Earth all of these happened, but take this as a favor for you nalang." Napansin kong napatingin saglit si Franki saka bumalik sa pakikinig kay Dion. Si Dion ba talaga to?

"For another intermission number, let's all welcome Miss Diana Mackey. Give her a round of applause please."

Kaya tumayo nako.

"Go Diana." Cheer ni Argel sakin.

Naglakad nako papunta sa center.

I sighed as I looked at Franki still busy talking to Dion.

He said
There's nothing like your smile
Sort of subtle and perfect and real

He said
You never knew how wonderful
That smile could make someone feel

..

Franki's POV

I'm talking to Dion pero napatigil ako once Diana started singing. She looked at me for a second before she focused her gaze to Argel. He's a lucky guy alright. He must have won her heart like they said.

Gusto ko si Diana, worse is mahal ko siya pero hindi pwede. Maliban sa hindi naman mutual ang feelings namin for each other, alam kong kung nagkataon mang maging kami hindi rin kami matatanggap ng family ko. Si Dion, siya ang pwede kaya wag mo nang isipin si Diana Franki because you're never gonna be more than friends.

And he knew
Whenever you get bored
You scribble stars on the cuffs of your jeans

And he noticed
That you still fill out the quizzes
That they put in those teen magazines

But he kept it all inside his head
What he saw he left unsaid

And though he wanted to
He couldn't talk to you
He couldn't find the way
But he would always say

If I could tell her
Tell her everything I see
If I could tell her
How she's everything to me
But we're a million worlds apart
And I don't know how I would even start
If I could tell her
If I could tell her

FLASHBACK

I don't know what got into me, that I attempted to kiss her. Epekto lang siguro to ng alcohol. We were just centimeters apart when she stopped me.

"What are you doing?." Wow, he got Diana's voice too? Mukhang gulat pa siya na medyo galit. Nababaliw na ata ako.

"I want to kiss you." I said aggressively.

"What? No. Frances, listen. You can't." She said pushing me a bit further.

"Why?."

"You know what, I have to go." Now she turned back into Dion. Of course Franki, hindi yan si Diana. Si Dion yan. What were you thinking?.

..

Kumakain na kami ng lunch ng co-workers ko sa office dining area.

"Huling sinabing nagkasakit si Ma'am Diana noon pang naghiwalay sila nung ex niya. Ano na naman kayang dahilan nun ngayon?." Tanong ni Jamie.

"Well, I overheard Sir Argel talking to Ma'am Diana on the phone kanina nung nasa CR kami. Sabi ni Sir Argel siya na daw ang bahala sa mga gamit ng baby." Kwento ni Akie.

..

Habang nakatayo na kami malapit sa kotse ni Diana,

"Thank you for tonight. I didn't know na may side ka palang ganun. Sumakit tiyan ko sa kakatawa, grabe." Sabi ko.

"Well, expect it. Sa ganung paraan lang kita sasaktan."

Silence.

EOFB

He thought
You looked really pretty, er..
It looked pretty cool when you put indigo streaks in your hair

And he wondered how you learned to dance
Like all the rest of the world isn't there

But he kept it all inside his head
What he saw he left unsaid

I can't help it, I couldn't stop staring at her while she's singing. Nakikita ko sa mga mata niya ang sobrang kalungkutan, pero bakit? Bakit naman siya malulungkot?

Nagulat nalang kami nang lumapit si Argel sa kanya na may dalang flowers na I think artificial lang. Kinilig silang lahat habang labag to sa loob ko. Natawa saglit si Diana as Argel slowly planted a soft kiss on her temple bago bumalik sa upuan niya.

If I could tell her
Tell her everything I see
If I could tell her
How she's everything to me

But we're a million worlds apart

I don't think I could take this anymore, nag excuse muna ako para mag cr. Iyak lang ako nang iyak sa loob. Masaya na siya Franki, dapat masaya ka narin.

Nang walang ano ano'y,

"Franki, are you okay? Si Maza to." Nag-aalala niyang tanong. Lumabas ako at niyakap siya.

"Mazaaaa.."

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?."

And I don't know how I would even start
If I could tell her
If I could tell her
But what do you do when there's this great divide?

He just seemed so far away
And what do you do when the distance is too wide?
It's like I don't know anything

And how do you say
I love you?
I love you
I love you
I love you

But we're a million worlds apart
And I don't know how I would even start
If I could tell her
If I could