Those Blurry Lines

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Turning Point

"O, shot na!" sigaw ko sa kanila.

Nararamdaman ko na ang alak sa sistema ko pero nasa tamang huwisyo pa naman. It was a lively Friday night. Kailangan ko 'to.

With all the things happening in my life right now, I need a huge break. Kaya naman nagyaya ako sa mga kaibigan ko sa Imperial.

Sinalinan ko ang shot glass ni Jesther at kaagad naman niya itong ininom.

"Whooo!" sigaw ni Maybel.

I'm starting to sweat. Galing na kami sa dancefloor at bumalik sa table namin para magpahinga.

"Parang ang happy mo yata ngayon, ah? You treated us drinks without complaining," si Yumi.

"I'm not happy. I just felt the need to waste my mother's money."

Tumawa si Jesther. "Woah, that's a weird reason."

"She's weird," natatawang bulong ni Maybel. They all laughed except me.

"Are you referring to yourself?" I fired back, taking a shot.

Hindi kaagad siya nakapagsalita. I heard a few 'oohh' from the others. I flipped my hair and took another shot.

"Wait, I have a question for you," ani Yumi. I raised a brow. "My grandmother is in the hospital for a week now, and I saw Jackson. He's holding a lot of plastic bags. Parang stressed rin. Did something happen?"

I stopped. "H-Hindi ko alam," I said and looked away.

"Ah, okay," aniya.

I was bothered. Ever since I left him, we did not interact anymore. If I saw him in the campus, ginagawa ko talaga ang lahat para maiwasan siya.

It was a mixture of guilt and pain. He is really kind to me. I appreciated his hospitality, but I don't want to be a burden... kahit sinabi niyang tanggap niya ako.

My whole mood went over the sewer. Walang gana akong sumandal paatras sa couch. Maybel and Yumi were having the best time of their lives. Si Jesther naman, nakangiti lamang at patingin-tingin sa 'kin.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I only nodded. He gave me a reassuring smile, but I only looked away.

I scanned the whole place. Nagbabakasakali na makita siya, but I only saw some of his friends, Jimson, Geron, Bertrude Beryl and some foreigner, at the far end of the place.

When I met Jimson's gaze, he nodded at me and I nodded back. Ginala ko ulit ang paningin ko, pero hindi ko siya nakita.

I just spent the remaining hours looking back and forth at the dance floor and their table.

What would he do in a hospital? Is he sick? Or maybe a family member?

I should do something, right? Kahit para masuklian man lang ang kabutihan niya. I rolled my eyes. Why would I do that?

Tumagilid ako sa malambot at malamig kong kama at nakita ang puppy keychain sa bedside table. I reached out to tap its head, so it started moving.

I sighed. "Hindi dapat kita iniisip. Hindi dapat ako lumagpas sa linya," I reminded myself.

I pulled my sheets closer to me and stared at the keychain until I fell asleep.

Matindi ang sikat ng araw kahit 10 AM pa lang naman. Holding a box of shawarma, water bottles, and some chicken wings, I went inside the campus.

We have an orientation right now. Due to some conflicts, it was scheduled at 11 AM to 1 PM. We were required to bring food for our lunch.

Dahil gusto kong aksayahin ang pera ng magaling kong nanay, dinamihan ko na. Ipamimigay ko 'to sa mga ka-block ko.