Cost of Taste (Published)| ✓

Kabanata 22

Warning: read at your own risk. Brief mention of sexual acts and suicide attempt

Kabanata 22

After class, I immediately went to the Medical Center where Suzy is currently admitted. Ang sabi ni Tita Susan ay naglaslas daw si Suzette.

She fortunately survived despite of the blood loss. Halos tuliro ako habang hinahanap ang room number niya.

When I was infront of her room. Pinihit ko ang pinto upang buksan ito. Franny and Camisha was already there. Pinapakain nila si Suzy na ang tingin lang ay nasa pader. She wasn't speaking to them.

"Masarap 'to, Suzy. Nagpaluto talaga ako kay Mama ng paborito mo." Ani Camisha habang hinihipan ang sabaw ng sinigang na nakalagay sa isang tupperware.

"Suzy, gusto mo ba manood ng vlog ni Mila Angeles? May bago siyang upload!" Anyaya ni Franny at pinapakita ang kanyang cellphone.

Suzette was there yet she acts like she's already lifeless. Hindi kumikibo at tulala lang. Nalaglag ni Camisha 'yung hawak niyang kutsara, agad siyang umalis para palitan ito. Franny hides his phone when he noticed that Suzy isn't interested.

"Hey." Adren came right after me. Kasunod ko lamang siya dahil dumaan muna siya sa bilihan ng mga prutas.

Tumingin muna siya sa akin at binigyan ako ng tipid na ngiti. I couldn't smile back. I still feel numb from everything. Dumalo siya kaagad kay Suzy.

"Suzy, we already called and informed the authorities about it. The school administration will also put action towards it. They may face expulsion and it will affect their records." Adren explained.

"The p-picture?" tanong ni Suzy.

"Etienne said that the picture only circulated in our strand. Hindi pa raw talaga kumakalat," sagot ko. Thank goodness the pictures didn't reach the internet yet, because once it's there — it's there forever.

"Kakalat din 'yon..." Suzy smiled bitterly.

I gulped. "Etienne made...he did something to solve it. Wala na 'yung picture."

Suzy looks up to me. Kahit may duda sa kanyang mga mata, she asked me. "How sure?"

"Etienne is the successor to EIJE. The company that focuses on advance technology and is currently the number one IT firm in our country." Adren sighed."Mayabang si Etienne, but he sure has the right to be boastful."

When I couldn't make up my mind, Etienne offered a solution. He told me that he'll hack every gadgets in the vicinity of the TVL building. He deleted every copy of Suzette's fake nude and replaced it with a warning that a fake virus has entered their gadgets. He was constantly rolling his eyes whenever he see something on their gadgets though.

Etienne had an innate talent for hacking. Iba ang level ng talino niya kumpara sa amin, he was just beyond what we can comprehend. Kaya tulad ni Adren no'ng una, I cannot read him well.

Pwede naman daw itong i-handle ng mga nasa cybercrime kaso baka mas kumalat pa ang isyu dahil mas malawak ang mga hahawak nito. Kaya naman si Etienne na ang sumalo ng paglilinis ng pagkalat ng fake nude.

Humugot ako nang malalim na hininga bago ito pinakawalan din.

I didn't post the scandal.

Wala sa akin ang desisyon. Kahit dito man lang, gusto ko pigilan ang sarili ko na maging taliwas sa aking paniniwala.

Galit na galit ako sa ginawa nila at kung gagayahin ko ito dahil gusto ko lang gumanti, what makes me different from the people that I hate? From the act that I despised? Pinapatunayan lang nito na isa akong hipokrita.