ALEXIS and the Bet

Chapter Sixteen: The Hurt after the Fall

My life changed after that one date I had with Benjamin. Okay, I was just exaggerating, but life at school did make a huge U-turn, if not for the worse. The Pinksters became meaner and nastier towards me and my friends. They started calling me names like “four-eyed freak”, “ilusyonadang pangit” and “malanding nerd”. One girl even shouted “mang-aagaw” and “other woman” at me when I was walking by the corridor. Apparently, a  rumor had started that Benjamin and Ashley were supposed to get back together but then I stepped in between them, seduced Benjamin (I mean, really, seduced?) and stole him from Ashley. At first, my friends and I laughed at the ludicrous gossip, and I just shrugged the rumor off. But then, things had gotten out of hand.

The rumor started because of a blind item in the gossip column of the school paper, which was (And I was really not surprised at all) managed, written and contributed by the Pink Angel Society. It was a nasty blind item, and people at school began filling in the blanks as to who the “ambisyosang palaka” who caused a “pink angel” and a “jock prince” to head splitsville. What is splitsville, anyway?

And the worst of all was even my new appearance was starting a rumor. Ever since ate Rachel gave us beauty lessons, I began paying attention to making myself look presentable not only to grab Benjamin’s attention, but also to help me boost my self-confidence. And although I still wore my glasses since I was not really comfortable wearing contacts, people were still misinterpreting my sudden change in appearance.

We were at the cafeteria, and I was holding the school paper with trembling fingers.

“Naku, huwag mo ng pansinin ang gossip column na iyan,” Joey said. “Masanay ka na.”

I shook my head. “Hindi ata ako masasanay. Ang sasakit din naman ng mga sinasabi dito.”

Madie sat beside me. “Hindi naman totoo ang mga sinasabi diyan, kaya ‘wag kang magpapaapekto.”

“Oo nga, Alex,” Robyn added. “Tignan mo itong si Alicia. Alam mo bang madalas itong nababanggit sa blind item? Sino daw itong walang class na babaeng bird brain na habol ng habol sa legendary King Arthur? Ang tatanga talaga nang columnist ng blind item na iyon. Ba’t pa itatago sa blind item, eh, alam naman ng lahat na si Alicia yung bird brain na habol ng habol kay Arthur? Pero heto pa rin siya, hindi nagpapaapekto at go pa rin ng go sa kagagahan niya.”

We giggled at what Robyn said, causing Alicia to withdraw her attention from her chocolate sundae she was eating.

“Pinag-uusapan niyo ba ako?” Alicia asked innocently.

“Ay hind Alicia. Pinag-tsitsismisan ka lang namin,” Robyn answered sarcastically, making Alicia pout.

I ignored my friends and their banters as I drowned in my miserable state. What other people thought about me hurt a lot. It was not true, and therefore I should not let what other people say affect me. I still have my friends who knew the real me. Thinking about the support my friends made me feel a little better.

I saw Benjamin from afar waving at me. Oblivious of the murderous stares from the other girls in the cafeteria, I waved back at him. He approached our table and I scooted at the side to give room for him to sit.

His gaze fell on the paper I was holding and frowned. “Hindi ka dapat nagbabasa ng column na ‘yan.”

“Eh, kayo kaya nag-aaprove nito,” I said.

“Oo. In demand kasi siya lalo na sa mga kababaihan. Kailangan namin ng panghatak ng readers.”

“Nabasa mo na ba ito?”

“Oo naman. Editor ako ‘di ba?”

“So… Alam mo kung sino yung nasa blind item?”

“Hindi. Hindi ko naman kasi binibigyan ng pansin ang mga chismis.”