"Ugh, saan ko nilagay 'yon?"
I was already panicking. Game day kasi ni Jordi ngayon and I wanted to be early para makanood ng training nila pregame, pero hindi ko mahanap 'yung tickets.
I was looking around for about an hour already nang napag-isipan kong tignan 'yung wallet ko. "Ang tanga mo talaga, Margs!" Sabi ko sa sarili ko. It's been there the entire time! Hindi ko man lang naisip 'yon. I facepalmed and decided to call Nat, na magready na since I was already about to leave the house with Kuya Arman.
I was wearing a maroon tube top and black high-waisted shorts. Nagdala na rin ako ng black denim jacket at baka lamigin ako roon. I paired my outfit with my Nike Air Jordan 1's. I placed maroon hair clips sa right side ng hair ko as an accessory. Nagdala na rin ako ng maroon na scrunchie just in case I wanted to tie my hair. O diba, very supportive. UP na UP.
Umalis na kami ni Kuya Arman and picked up Nat from their house. "Ganda naman natin ngayon. May date kayo after?" Tanong ni Nat as soon as she entered the car.
"Lagi naman akong maganda," I said with confidence.
"So, may date nga?" Tinanong ulit ako.
"Well, it depends. He needs to win in order for us to date. Hahaha!" I answered. "Aba! Wala pang kayo niyan, ha," inasar ba naman ako.
Nakarating na kami ni Nat sa FilOil Arena. We entered the venue and headed to where we were assigned to sit. The teams were already warming up for the game. Wala pa masyadong tao sa loob, kami lang and a few other supporters. Since Nat and I's seats were right behind the team's bench, napalingon silang lahat sa amin.
"Uy, may kinikilig!" inasar ni Aldous bigla si Jordi. "Pare, inspired na 'yan," sabi naman ni Abel. "Sana all!" ani Jelo.
A chorus of hi's and hello's were all I heard after, so I greeted them back.
Jordi jogged to our direction and greeted the both of us. "Hey, Gwy! Emilia, it's great seeing you here," he smiled.
"Good luck with the game, Jordi. 'Wag magpapa-injure, ha?" He chuckled and thanked me. We talked a bit more until Nat spoke.
"Mamaya na kayo maglandian diyan. Bumalik ka na don, JM. Magsisimula na 'yung game, oh." Bitter ka, sis? Joke lang.
"Alright, mom. Catch you later, Emilia," he said while winking at me.
Jordi, sambutin mo na ako ngayon. Matagal na akong na-fall, nakakainip maghintay. Char. Willing to wait naman ako for you (and spicy Chicken Joy).
Nagsimula na 'yung game. Jordi was part of the first five. Siya 'yung nasa gitna at nagreready para kunin 'yung bola.
"U! Nibersidad ng Pilipinas! U! Nibersidad ng Pilipinas!" Sigaw ko habang dinidribble ni Collin 'yung bola. Nang ipinasa niya ito kay Jordi, agad akong napatayo at nagcheer.
"Let's go, Jordi!" Napalakas yata ito at napalingon siya sakin before shooting the shot. Fuck! Three points agad. Ang galing talaga.
"That's my sharpshooter!" I said while I was in ecstasy.
A few injuries occurred in the second quarter, pero ayos pa naman 'yung mga players. Sanay na sila, e. Nothing major happened naman.
It was already the final quarter. 61-58 'yung score. UPIS was ahead at nagpapahinga si Jordi sa bench.
"You were great out there," sabi ko sa kanya while he was drinking water. "You think so?" He asked while panting. "I know so. Uy, tawag ka na doon. Go get 'em, my sharpshooter!"
He froze for a bit before returning to the court. I didn't know if what I said had an effect on him but he was playing much better compared to the previous quarters.
Ten seconds nalang ang natitira. Tie sila ngayon, 71-71. I didn't want to look so I closed my eyes and looked down. Narinig ko 'yung cheers ng side namin, so I looked up. 74-71. Jordi took the last shot.
Fuck, we won! May date kami ni Jordi. Shit. Teka, hindi naman siya date. Pero ganon na rin iyon! Pucha. Excited na ako.
The team was celebrating in the middle so I waited for Jordi in my seat. "Puntahan mo na si JM. I'll be fine on my own. Didiretso naman ako sa bahay nila. Enjoy, love!" Sabi ni Nat sakin and kissed my cheek saka umalis.
Lumapit ako sa court at nakita ko agad si Jordi na papalapit na sa akin. "Congrats, Jordi! Ang galing mo kanina," I said while side-hugging him. He was stunned.
"You know what that means..." He laughed. "Wanna come with me inside? I'm just going to wash up then we can leave after." I nodded at sumabay na sa kanya papuntang locker room.
"Hey, Margi," bati sakin ni Collin and sat down beside me.
"Oh, hi Collin! Tambay lang ako dito nang saglit, ah? I'm waiting for Jordi, e," paalam ko sa kanya.
"It's alright. Anyway, may tanong kasi ako. Sino 'yung kasama mo kanina?" He said while scratching the back of his head. Oh my gosh! Si Nat?!
"Ah... kaibigan ko. Natalia Gwyneveere Suarez, Nat 'yung tawag namin sa kanya. Childhood friend niya si Jordi, actually. Bakit? Bet mo ba?" I teased.
"That I can't tell yet. Thanks, anyways. See you around, Margs!" At iniwan na niya ako.
"Nako, magkaka-love life na ata 'tong si Natalia," I thought and scrolled through my socials habang iniintay si Jordi.
Someone suddenly covered my eyes. Napatili ako at narinig ko 'yung tawa ni Jordi. Nakakainis.
"Ah, tuwa ka na niyan?" Inis kong sinabi sa kanya. Tumatawa pa rin siya at nagsalita ulit ako, "Alis na 'ko, hindi ko na itutuloy 'tong date natin," mabilis kong sinabi sa kanya at naglakad palabas.
He grabbed my wrist at hinila ako pabalik sa kanya. "Date, huh?" He was staring right at me with dark eyes. He looked amused.
"Uh... I didn't know what else to call it. Wala namang meaning 'yon. Pwede naman kasing friendly date, diba? 'To naman, laging seryoso," I said, trying to get away from his grip.
He didn't let me go right away. "I'm sorry for earlier. I thought it was funny." My heart melted. He sounded really sincere.
"Hahaha anuba! I was just messing with you. Ano, tara na?" I said excitedly. He nodded and got his things from the locker room.
We reached the parking lot at pumasok sa loob ng sasakyan niya. Tinext ko si Kuya Arman na hintayin nalang ako sa kompanya ni Mama.
"Where are we going?" I asked, having no clue about our so-called 'date'.
"I'm not telling. Just relax, I think you'll love it there," sabi niya sakin at nagmaneho na papunta sa destination namin.
YOU ARE READING
FANGIRL (Jordi Gomez de Liaño)
Fiksi Penggemar[UAAP Series #1] Emilia Margaret Pangilinan, a twelfth-grader from the University of the Philippines Rural High School, is an avid fan of the UPIS Basketball Team. She has her eyes set on their sharpshooter, Jordi Gomez de Liaño. What happens when J...
