marked

marked 02

"Champion . . ." There was a long pause. Yung alam mo yun? Yung nakakabitin talaga.

Kitang-kita ko yung hopeful facial expressions ng bawat isa sa crowd. Dalawang teams yung nagcompete ngayon. Isa from school nila Janella, which is Janella's team and the other one is from Pasay. They say na mahigpit daw ang rivalry between CVSU and MUNIV sa kahit anong larangan (sports man yan o acads), at naniniwala naman ako doon.

There's a lot of supporters here. Hating-hati yung crowd. Daming supporters ng MUNIV pero di naman nagpakabog syempre ang CVSU.

"HI-FLYERS FROM CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY! CONGRATULATIONS!" Natabunan ng hiyawan at palakpakan ang pag-aannounce nung emcee pero naintindihan ko pa din naman crystal clear.

I smile when I saw Janella with her team jumping in celebration. Nakipaghandshake sila doon sa competitor nila as a form of good sport.

"Fudge, cuz! I love youuu!" Rinig kong tili ni Alexis pero hindi siya narinig ni Janella na nandoon sa small stage. People started loosing and leaving the area. May music naman na tumugtog sa mga PA system kaya malabong marinig talaga si Alexis.

May dinner mamaya sa hotel somewhere here in Pasay para i-celebrate yung pagkapanalo ni Janella. Planned na yun last day pa kahit hindi pa sure kung sila ba magchachamp. Tita just wanted to throw a celebration. Win or lose.

Bumaba kami sa bleachers at pinuntahan si Janella. We congratulated her. Simon placed his bomber over Janella's shoulder dahil naka-leotard pa rin siya until now. I find it sweet.

Tumaas ang kilay sa akin ni Simon nang makitang nakangisi ako sa kanila. "What you doing?" He asked defensively.

Chuckling, I raised my brow. "Shipping the two of you."

"What the f, Sadie?" Gulat niyang sabi at saka agad na lumayo kay Janella. Wala naman nakakapansin sa pang-aasar ko kay Simon kasi busy silang lahat don sa nanalo.

I raised my hand for a peace sign.

Maya-maya ay lumabas na din kami ng Complex. Sumakay na ako sa silver Lexus NX ng parents ko. Taray. Kasama ko din si Alexis, nasa backseat kami pareho.

"Are you going somewhere? Saan kayo bababa?" Dad asked, eyes still on the road.

Nagkatinginan kami ni Alexis and we both giggled.

4:30 pa lang ng hapon at 8 pm pa yung dinner kaya may chance kami na gumala muna dito sa Pasay. Excited kaming lahat dahil first time naming makakagala nang sama-sama without our parents. Yay!

Alexis bit her lower lip, trying to suppress her smile. "Uhm, sa Bowling Alley daw po, Tito." She answered. "Sabi po nila Simon."

My phone vibrated causing me to divert my attention. Kinuha ko ito mula sa aking backpack purse at nakitang may nag-message.

Simon:
Una na kayo. Sunod kami

Agad akong nagreply.

Sadie:
Bakit?

Simon:
May dadaanan lang

Kinalabit ko si Alexis sa tabi ko. Pinapanood niya yung malaking self-contained fountain na nadaanan namin sa harap ng Complex pagkalagpas namin sa Derham.

"Una na daw tayo sabi ni Simon." Sabi ko, returning my phone.

"Saan ba'ng Alley? MOA?" Singit ni Dad.

I shook my head. "Greenhills lang, Dad." Sagot ko at muling humarap kay Alexis.

Nakadisplay yung meaningful smile niya at parang may naiisip na hindi ko alam. Hindi siya sumagot kaya inisip ko na lang kung ano ang pwedeng mangyari sa dinner mamaya. I looked at my outfit eventually and heaved a sigh. Haay. I hope I dressed well today. Tinanggal ko na kanina yung jacket ko kasi medyo ramdam ko na yung init. Wearing a pastel pink crop top and a high-waisted boyfriend jeans pairing with a white canvas sneakers. Somehow, fine. Jeez.