A Burnt Flower's Ashes

Chapter Twenty-One

"Class dismissed. Go have your lunch."

The entire class instantly became a flock of starved birds the moment our professor ended the discussion. My classmates kept complaining. Nakakagutom daw ang subject na ito at halos isumpa pa nila ang aming guro.

My classmates usually like Sir Hana but their attitude changes when he starts teaching. Isn't it interesting how people could come to hate a person just because he's doing his job?

Or maybe I'm just pissed that they're speaking ill of Sir Hana. Of course I'm bound to be upset if they're talking about him in a spiteful way.

Nilapitan ko ang aming propesor na noo'y nag-aayos ng mga gamit niya. Abala naman ang mga kaklase ko at paisa-isa na silang lumalabas kaya walang nakapansin sa amin.

"So far, this is the worst and the most boring class that we've had, Sir Hana." I commented.

Ngumiwi siya. "Your brutal honesty is incredible, Suna. Thanks for letting me know, though."

Ever since that incident, Sir Hana has been extremely careful in meeting me privately. It became difficult to talk with him lately, so I really appreciate small talks like this one.

I smiled. "Have your lunch, Sir. Eat well."

His cheeks flushed. Kinilig. He faked a cough then averted his gaze from me. "Likewise."

Pinagmasdan ko siyang maglakad palabas ng klase at napabuga na lamang ako ng hangin. I want to be with him, but I don't want to put him at risk. I wonder how long will I have to endure this kind of setup.

"Uriel," I turned to him. "Hindi ka ba kakain?"

My seatmate acted as if nothing bad transpired. It's not like I'm expecting us to be super friends after what happened, but I'm just glad that Uriel is treating me the same way as before.

Some things are best left unchanged, because even a slight turn in the journey can possibly have a massive effect on your destination as a whole.

And the friendship that we have, bound by the few little moments that we shared for the past three years, is something that can disrupt my routine if taken away from me.

Mahalaga sa akin ang pagkakaibigan namin ni Uriel. Parang hindi buo ang araw ko kapag hindi niya ako sinasakal.

"Hey, it's lunchtime." I poked the madman beside me who slept soundly on his seat.

Naalimpungatan naman siya. "Fuck off, freak."

"How many f's were in that sentence?"

He groaned. "Leave me alone, will you?"

"It's lonely to eat by myself. Join me."

"What is wrong with you?" He finally snapped. "I'm not hungry, you dork! Go away!"

My eyebrows creased when I noticed the redness of his face. Malalim ang bawat paghinga ni Uriel at tila mabigat ang talukap ng kanyang mga mata. It gave me the impression that he's not feeling well today.

"Are you okay?" I asked him softly then made an attempt to touch his neck, but he was fast to swat my hand away.

He shot me his usual fuck-off-or-I'll-seriously-kill-you look, but it didn't scare me in the slightest. I mean, he's Uriel. Sisigawan niya ako at iinsultuhin pero hindi naman niya ako sasaktan.

Sabay kaming napalingon sa may bintana noong gumuhit ang kidlat sa madilim na kalangitan sa labas. Tila kuminang ang mga mata ni Uriel nang biglang bumuhos ang malakas ulan.

"It's raining." He whispered, admiring the heavy downpour outside. Himalang tumayo siya mula sa kanyang silya upang lumapit sa bintana.

Parang kanina lang tamad na tamad pa siya tumayo. Just how much does he like the rain?