The Engineer (Batchelor Series #2)

7

Drakon Da Vinci
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As I sat in front of the TV with my parents, I tried to focus on the show they were watching. Drag Race Philippines, a competition among drag queens, was in full swing. Week 6 na, and Mama looked on the verge of tears as her favorite contestant, John, had just been eliminated.

“Bakit di nag-double shantay sila huhu, Davidson i-off mo na ang T.V, di ko na kaya tapusin 'yan," she said, sniffling dramatically.

I rolled my eyes at her dramatics. "Ma, it's part of the competition. May mananalo, may matatalo."

Dad chuckled beside her, trying to console her. “Ikaw nalang sana ang nag-judge dyan Josephina, wala ka nang magagawa mahal, competition 'yan.”

Mom clung to Dad, her tearful eyes pleading. “Eh kasi naman ang ganda ng track record ni John! Tapos maliligwak lang? Sayang sya, mahal, huhu.”

I resisted the urge to sigh aloud. "Ma, competition yan po. It's either you win or lose."

Oa talaga si Mama. I was sure I’d inherited my chill attitude from Papa. Si Manuel, my younger brother, probably got Mama’s flair for the dramatic. Just late bloomer lang siya.

Mom wasn’t done yet, though. “Eh! Hindi! Madaya! Kung nag-bakla nalang kayo ni Ting-ting, edi sana may mapanood ako na drag queens dito. Hindi pa huli, anak. Magpaka-bakla ka na."

I shook my head, snorting softly. Pambihira talaga si Mama. Ever since she got pregnant, she'd been hoping for a daughter. Sorry nalang at mas malakas kapit ni Papa kay Lord.

“Pag naging bakla ang mga anak natin, Josephina, gagawa ulit tayo ng bago, mahal,” Dad joked, winking at her.

Mom elbowed him. “Che. Manyak. Lakad ka na doon sa pasahero mo. Binigyan mo pa talaga ng discount, eh estudyante na kwarenta anyos na. Umalis ka nga.”

I grinned. Linggo ngayon, and Sundays were always family days. Manuel hadn’t shown up for breakfast though. Mom said he had someone he was talking to, which made me suspicious. Manuel with a girlfriend?

I decided to investigate and climbed up to his room. "Manuel, nakabihis ka na ba?" I called through the door.

“Matatapos na, Kuya! Nagpatutor pa kasi ako sa classmate ko sa Chemistry,” he replied. Yeah, right. Chemistry? Girlfriend, more like.

I leaned against the door. “Palusot ka pa. May girlfriend ka, noh?”

There was a pause. He was taking too long to respond. Gotcha.

“Wala, Kuya! Gusto ko lang maka-graduate muna sa SHS tapos mag-claim ng free scholarship sa DLSU. Ikaw siguro ang may girlfriend. Puro sad posts nga ang pinopost mo sa Facebook. Sad boy ka, noh?”

Tama ba naman na ako pa ang tinutukso? But in fairness, I had been feeling some type of way since I saw Renz’s Facebook post. Yung tarantado, flirting with some random girl. Didn’t expect that from him, given the way he’d been acting all buddy-buddy with me lately.

Shaking my head, I ignored the thought and focused on getting Manuel ready for our day out. I slipped into my worn-out sneakers, while Manuel showed off his shiny new pair. "Saan mo naman nakuha 'yang bagong sapatos, ting-ting?" I asked, smirking.

He grinned mischievously. "Inipon ko po 'yan, Kuya!"

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Ting-ting, huwag kang magpaloko sa babae. Gamitin mo nalang 'yan sila para sa sarili mo."

Manuel and I spent the rest of the afternoon bonding. We ate burgers, played at the arcade, and caught a movie—Aquaman, one of Manuel’s favorites. After the movie, he was still buzzing with excitement.

"Kuya Drakon, the best ka talaga! Ang saya ng araw na 'to!" he said, grinning from ear to ear.

I ruffled his hair. "Glad you enjoyed, ting-ting. Masaya rin ako na kasama kita."

We wandered the mall after that, browsing shops and just enjoying the day. Until we found ourselves in a skincare store.

Manuel tugged at my sleeve. "Kuya, buy one take one na yung moisturizer! Libre mo naman ako!"

Before I could respond, a familiar voice interrupted.

"Babe, eto na yung gusto kong moisturizer at lip balm."

I froze. That voice. I knew it. My stomach twisted. I turned, and there he was. Renz—the same Renz who had been flirting with me just days ago—was standing with some girl, calling her babe.

I didn’t want to cause a scene, so I tried to focus on Manuel. "Manuel, mamaya nalang—"

But Renz caught my eye before I could finish. "Pre-med?" he said, sounding surprised.

I clenched my jaw. Pre-med, my ass. I was starting to feel like I’d been played all along. Was I just another one of his jokes?

Renz looked at me like nothing was wrong, like he hadn’t been messing with me this entire time. Kingina talaga.

"Uy, Kuya Drakon!" Manuel tugged at my sleeve again, oblivious to the storm brewing inside me.

I forced a smile, trying to act normal. “Sige na, ting-ting, kunin mo na.”

But as Manuel grabbed his moisturizer, Renz sauntered over. “Uy, chill ka lang, Drakon. You seem tense.”

“Tense?” I echoed, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Bakit naman ako magiging tense, 'tol? Ikaw lang naman ang andito, di ba?”

His grin faltered for a second. "Pre-med, wala ‘to. Girlfriend ko naman siya, since bago pa tayo magkakilala."

I stared at him, trying to piece together my thoughts. So I wasn’t the only one. He had a whole other life outside of teasing me, and I was just… what, a distraction?

Renz shrugged, unaffected by the tension. “Ano, Pre-med? Friends parin tayo, right?”

My fists clenched at my sides. Talagang burgis ka, gago.  I'm not jealous. Ang pagkakaalam ko may girlfriend na 'yan eh.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to keep my cool. “Baka kailangan ko ng break sa friendship natin, Renz.”

He blinked, his playful smirk fading into confusion. “Huh? What do you mean?"

I glanced at Manuel, still happily inspecting his moisturizer. "Let's just say... I’m done with your games.”

Renz laughed nervously, but there was something more in his eyes now. "Come on, Drakon. Don't be like that."

But I was already turning away, tugging Manuel along with me. Maybe it was time I distanced myself from people like Renz—before I got hurt any further.

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