The Nobody Theory

chapter one.

     There are about seven billion people on Earth, born from different countries and divided by their own races. Sabi ng iba, sa sobrang dami ng tao sa planetang ‘to, may chansang may isang taong pinaka-compatible ka with. The only downside here is that the person could either be ten minutes away from you, or a dozen countries far off.

Because of the unlikely chance of meeting that someone, ‘di na ako aasa pa. Plus, what would we even talk about if I ever met them? Baka kahit makasama ko siya ay awkward parin.

So I continue on with my life after thinking of the same thoughts I thought of even now- alam ko namang daydreams lang 'to at wala ng iba eh. Daydreams that occasionally become scenes in my head, starting with the same question everytime; what if my life was different?

“Ms. Augustin?” Tumingin ako kay ma'am Vanessa na kanina pa pala ako tinatawag. “Sorry po. Ito po ‘yung pinapabigay ni sir.” Because of the freezing coldness of the aircon, mas hinigpitan 'ko ang grip ko sa jacket ko pagkatapos ko ibigay yung mga papel sa teacher namin.

Umiling-iling siya. “Naku, Aurora, didn’t I already say you should be more mindful of your surroundings? Baka maaksidente ka pa niyan anytime you get lost in your thoughts.”

“Sorry, ma'am. I'll try to change it.” ‘Di ko na hinintay pa ang sasabihin niya, making my way carefully out of the faculty room. Ang lamig, grabe.

Pagkalabas na pagkalabas ko ay bumungad agad sakin ang nakangiting mukha ni Farah. “Rory! Tagal ah. Halika na, kasama natin sila Daelynn sa table ngayon.” She put her hand on my back, guiding me to the cafeteria.

Habang wala kaming imikan ay nauna siya sa paglalakad. I stared at her light brown hair. It was unlike the natural black hair she had back then. Still, 'di lang naman ‘yun yung nag-iba.
Halos magkadikit na kami nung bata pa kami. Now, well, things change. ‘Di naman purkit bestfriend mo noon, dapat for life na 'yun.

Farah still goes out of her way to talk to me and occasionally invite me to sit with her, pero wala na ‘yung dating closeness namin. If you were to ask me, there’s just a thin line between strangers and acquaintances, at sure akong ilang months nalang ay mahahakbang na namin ‘yun.

“How’s ate Kira?” Medyo nasorpresa ako sa tanong niya. Out of nowhere eh. “Busy sa bakery.” Maikli kong sabi. Tumango nalang si Farah na sanay na sa short answers ko.

Ate Kira’s my older sister, at kahit may online business siya ngayon ay tumutulong parin siya sa mama namin sa bakery niya.

“How’s your boyfriend?” I ask, not really curious. At least para hindi naman kami balutin ng awkwardness all the way to the cafeteria. Ang layo pa eh. “He's... Good.” Medyo nervous niyang sabi. Tumigil ako ng tumingin siya sakin ng may timidness sa mukha niya.

Ano kaya nangyari dito? Baka may problems sila or something? I inwardly shrug as we continue to move.

Finally, after a few more minutes of walking through the almost empty hallways of the building, naabot narin naman ang entrance ng cafeteria. People flock the tables and the lunch counters, all clad in white and yellow uniforms.

“Nasan sila?” Tumawa si Farah sa tanong ‘ko. “Makikita parin natin sila amidst the crowd dahil sa kalakasan ng boses nila.” Sure enough, agad akong nakarinig ng OA na tawa on the far end corner of the room, kung san busy si Sera sa pagtirintas ng buhok ni Daelynn.

“Shut up, bitch. You sound like a cackling witch when you laugh.” Asar na sambit ni Sera na halos hilain na buhok ng kaibigan niya.

“There you guys are. Ayokong mabago yung classy image ko ‘pag nakita ng mga taong ang kasama ko lang dito ay ‘tong babaeng ‘to.” Sabi niya pa samin sabay eye roll sa likod ni Daelynn.

Sa unang tingin, masasabi mo talagang close sila. I, however, always hear the passive aggressive words they sometimes exchange with each other. Buti nalang talaga at hindi lang sila ang nakakasama ni Farah, even though they're ‘closer’ to her than her other friends.

Nilabas ni Farah ang lunch niya habang kumuha nalang ako ng chocolate sa bag ‘ko. Nakakatamad pumila eh.

“So, I have a chika,” Tawag pansin ni Daelynn sabay turo sa table kung san currently ay may limang babaeng naka-upo. “You guys know how Hailee May always bullies this one girl in our class?”

“Yeah, the Karios girl? Ano naman?”

“I heard naging sila daw kasi ng boyfriend niya dati.” Agad-agad napatawa si Sera. “Girl, kahit may slight na itsura naman ‘yung babae, ‘di sila bagay ni Harry! Patawa ka, Daelynn?”

“I'm not joking! Now, look,” Daelynn subtly pointed at the girl next to Hailee. “Waverly also got involved with her boyfriend too.”

“What?! No way! San mo ba ‘yan naririnig? That’s bullshit!” Maang na napatingin kaming tatlo nila Farah sa biglang nagdabog na si Sera. “Girl, affected ka? I just heard it. Chika doesn’t need any truth, it’s just there for people to talk about.”

Umiling si Farah habang kumakain. “Hindi naman tamang pag-usapan sila ng masama.” I nodded at nung nakita yun ni Daelynn ay tumawa siya. “Pfft, of course you'd agree, Aurora. You won't talk about anyone even if it's about singing praises.” To that, I shrugged. Wala naman magbabago kung pag-usapan ko sila eh. Nasayang lang laway ko.

The three of them immediately go back to talking about the five girls. ‘Di narin naman ako nasorpresa. Everytime na magkakasama sila, wala na atang mas intriguing na topic sa kanila other than Valentine and her friends. Kinda weird but who cares? Hindi lang naman sila ang gumagawa nun eh.

I looked at their table one last time. Siguro sanay narin sila sa mga rumors.

     Agad akong sumakay sa bisikleta ko matapos kong i-secure ang bag ko. Nakapagpalit narin ako ng leggings dahil baka makain pa ng gulong yung skirt ko. As for my hair na laging nakaharang sa mukha ko, 'di ko nalang ‘to pinansin. Lilipad rin naman ‘yan dahil sa hangin mamaya eh.

People were starting to crowd in the parking lot, so I immediately start pedaling to get out faster. Haven Academy is home to almost two thousand kids ranging from kindergarten to senior high school students. Thankful lang ako dahil sa main gymnasium ko lang nakikita ang ganoong karaming tao.

The way back home is a peaceful ride, albeit a lonely one. Madalang lang ang mga kotseng dumadaan at konti ang mga taong nasa labas. Bagay naman ‘to sa location na papunta ako ngayon, which is a field full of flowers on one side and a beach on the other.

It’s a relaxing route on the way to the house, kaya sometimes, humihinto pa ‘ko sa tabi para tumitig lang sa view.

This time however, I notice someone new on the side of the road. Kulay auburn na buhok, tied to a half-bun. Pamilyar ang side profile niya, pero ‘di ko masyado maaninag dahil nakababa ang titig niya sa phone niya. Suot suot niya ang uniform ng school habang may green na jacket na naka-pulupot sa beywang niya.

On her left shoulder, a bag rested itself neatly against her side. The frown on her face didn’t sit well with the view of the wildflowers and tulips on the field, pero mukha namang hindi siya dito para i-enjoy yung view. Naliligaw ba ‘to? Baka may hinihintay?

Then a dog from the other side howled the same time na natapat ang bike ko sa kanya, and I could see the illustrious green of her eyes as she glanced my way.

3 feet away from her and I finally broke the eye contact she surprisingly held. I tightened my grip on the handle ng halos mawalan pa ‘ko ng balance sa sinasakyan ko. Oh god. That was awkward. Mas binilisan ko ang pag-pedal ko para madali akong makalayas sa scene. I'm such a klutz.

Napasimangot nalang ako ng marinig ang mahinang tawa sa likod ko. Ano naman kaya nakakatawa dun?

I slowed down my pedaling, turning back to the girl ng medyo makalayo na sa kanya. Nagbalik uli ang atensyon niya sa phone niya, ngunit may sumilay na ngiti na sa labi niya. Hmph. Nice to see that my awkwardness is amusing to some, I guess.

Tumingin uli ako sa daan, 'di namamalayan na nag-zi-zigzag na direksiyon ng bisikleta ko.

It’s kinda bizzare I guess. Who knew makikita ko si Valentine of all people in my favorite place?