This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, are purely coincidental.
One-shot
-------------------------------------------------------------------
"Dami pang gustong sabihin, ngunit huwag nalang muna." I hummed in a familiar tune while scanning all the photos I captured earlier during the school's founding anniversary.
Most of it are images of the varsity players during the game, students having fun in every booth and pictures of the crowd during the live band session. Ngunit may nakatakas na dalawa o tatlong imahe ng isang pamilyar na mukha.
I smiled.
Who would have thought na makikita ko pala siya dito, lalo na ang muling makakuha ng kanyang litrato.
I checked the date and then I started to laugh. Tadhana nga naman, masyadong mapaglaro.
Sinara ko ang laptop bago nilagay sa aking gilid at sumandal sa head board ng kama. I closed my eyes then suddenly, memories came, flowing into my mind like a water in a river.
I was a school photographer back then. Bawat event na may kinalaman ang aming skwelahan ay nandoon ako, taking pictures of its every moment upang may mailagay sa school newspaper. And every basketball game they have, nandoon ako. Simula noong freshman hanggang sa maging senior ako.
I know him since we were kids ngunit hindi ko lang alam kung kilala nga niya ba ako. I spent my high school years watching him from afar using my position as the official school photographer as an excuse. Pero parang hindi na naman iyon kailangan dahil siya naman talaga ang laman ng sports section ng school newspaper sa tuwing may laro ng basketball, since he's the school's MVP. Kaya naman sa bawat pagkakataon na meron ako ay hindi ko ito pinapalampas. I sounded like a stalker, I know.
Wala naman talagang nakakaalam tungkol sa pagka crush ko sa kaniya but the editor in chief has been teasing me about it simula nang mapansin niyang halos lahat ng kuha ko sa tuwing may basketball game ay sa kaniya naka focus. Even in some school events that are unrelated to sports ay nandoon siya. It's like I was capturing every moment he has spent. Dahil alam kong hanggang dito lang talaga ako. I was like a stupid fan girl, a silly girl who takes picture of her crush. And even after years of trying to ignore my stupid crush on him, nandito parin talaga.
It was my last entry for the year at dahil graduating na kami, our EIC created Memory Lane, the newspaper's special edition. It consists the journey of the school journalists from the beginning until the end. I compiled all the photos I have taken since freshman year. I selected ten photos out of fifty. Ang mga litrato na napili ko ay litrato nang unang kuha ko nang makapasok bilang photojournalist, ang basketball game kung saan siya unang nag MVP, ang outing naming mga journalist, ang huling Press Conference na aming nasalihan kung saan umabot kami ng National, at ang mga random na kuha ko sa mga estudyante na kung titignan mo lang ng mabuti ay makikita siya doon.
Nang maipasa ko ang mga iyon ay tinadtad ako ng asar ng aming head. Hindi ko naman ito pinansin dahil sanay na ako sa mga asar niya. Ipinasa ko din ang isang maikling tula na naisulat ko noon, pangdagdag lang ng content sa creativity section.
Nang ma release na 'yon ay halos naging usap-usapan iyon sa school dahil 'yon ang unang beses na nag release ng isang special edition newspaper for the graduating journalist. Hindi naman ako na bother nang asarin ako ng aming head tungkol sa tula at iilang pictures na naipasa ko kasi alam kong hindi naman iyon mapapansin dahil isa naman talaga 'yon sa highlight lage. He's famous in school kasi. Pero ang ipinagtataka ko lang ay nang isang araw tinawag ako ni Sara, ang aming head, sa HQ.
