Underneath the Mask

Chapter 18

Chapter 18 – same

Grade 10! Ahhhh. Finally. One more year, I am 18 and I am out of this life!

"Michelle! Where are you going?" Wow Mom's here, that's some kind of miracle

"Bryle's," sagot ko tapos nagderederetso na sa labas ng bahay.

"Michelle?" Mom again.

"Yes, mom?" lingon ko naman sakaniya

"Is Bryle your boyfriend?" yup, almost a year na but I wish I could say that but I can't

They, mom and dad, will just see it as business. Two powerful family joining together, benefits, not love.

"Nope." Sagot ko nalang tapos nagderetso na ako palabas ng bahay

Hindi na ako hinahatid ng driver, hindi na rin ako sumasabay kay Alice o kay Kuya Mark kasi pag-uwi namin ng Amanpulo, Mom and Dad left a Ford Explorer in the garage as a 'birthday' gift  and left again for some business meetings somewhere in the world. They didn't even bother greeting me or waiting for me to come home.

"Hey, baby" bati niya sakin pagkakita niya sakin nung lumabas siya ng bahay nila "What are you doing here?"

"Wala lang gusto ko lang sumabay papunta ng school." Sabi ko sakaniya ng medyo nahihiya

"I was about to fetch you, didn't receive my text?" I checked my phone and saw the text. "Come on, park your car, kotse natin gamitin ko."

Tumango naman ako saka ko pinasok yung kotse ko sa bahay nila. Papasok na sana ako ng Audi niya when I saw Tiffany getting out of the house.

"Hey, Ate! Its been a while. Oh em gee." Bati niya naman sakin na sobrang excited.

Inakap ko naman siya agad. This girl hates Alice but loves me for no reasons at all.

"We should go out, hindi ko parin tanggap na hindi ako kasama sa Amanpulo, last year! Malapit na birthday mo, ate! May pasabog nanaman ba si kuya? Hindi na ako papayag na hindi ako kasama!"

"Ikaw talagang bata ka! Pumasok ka na nga." Nag beso ulit kami, kumaway siya ng may malaking ngiti and sumakay na siya sa kotse nila

"Let's go babe?" biglang akap sakin ni Bryle mula sa likuran ko kaya tumango naman ako.

"Do you have to do anything later?"

"Depends. Why?" pakipot tayo unti para kunwari hindi alam.

"Let's go on a date. Wala akong training mamaya eh. And I miss you." Sabi niya sakin habang binubuksan yung pintuan ng Audi.

"We'll see." Sagot ko sakaniya kaya pinisil niya bigla yung pisngi ko.

Ride to school is full of stories, ganto yata talaga when two people started us friends. You get to say anything you want. Bonus pa, na alam niya kung sino ang paborito mong singer, in my case its Taylor Swift, kaya naman mas lalong masarap sumakay sa kotse niya. Taylor's voice is just ahhhh, dreamy.

Dumating kami sa school na may nag-aabang na Alice sa Parking lot. Adrenaline came to me kaya nagmadali akong lumabas ng kotse.

"Hey! Are you okay?" tanong ko agad sakaniya

"Yup," sagot niya pero hindi ako convince

"Still not saying yes?" tanong ko sakaniya pertaining to her relationship with Mico and umiling lang siya

"Why?" tanong ko ulit

"He is still not ready to meet my parents." Sabi niya sakin sabay simangot ulit