Fascinated by You (GM Series #1)

28

"Easton?" she asked, shocked from what she heard. "You let her with Easton?" she blurted, her shocked expression turned into disbelief. Naiiling pa siyang bumaling ulit kay Caius.

Hindi siya makapaniwala na hinayaan lamang nitong makatuluyan ng kaibigan n'ya ang kaibigan nitong kaliwat-kanan ang babae. Na kung may unang dapat na tumutol sa dalawa, si Caius iyon dahil kilala nito ang kaibigan n'ya.

Caius laughed a bit. Napairap naman s'ya. "Oh, believe me, Jordyn. I have tried every means I can just for that fucking Easton to leave her but your best friend was really born with a metal head that she won't listen to me," sagot nito. "She never did."

Her disappointment went on as she shook her head more. "I can't believe you let my best friend be with your manwhore friend, Caius. What a disappointment," she spat.

Caius laughed again. "What?" he blurted. "Didn't you hear what I said, Jordyn? I told you, I tried everything to stop them but it didn't work. Nothing worked," ulit nito.

Umiling ulit siya at umirap muli. "What do I expect to you and your friends, pare-pareho lang naman kayo," she spat again before turning her back and started walking away.

But Caius chased her and held her on her elbow. "I'm not like them, you know that," he said.

She rolled her eyes and slapped his hand away from her elbow. "I didn't. And how would I know? Hindi naman tayo nagkakausap noon," she said.

"Oh? Talaga ba?" he mocked, biting his lips to suppress a smirk.

Sinamaan n'ya naman ito ng tingin. "Whatever, Caius. And tell Easton that I will never show up so their wedding won't happen!" she said before finally leaving.

Van, she knew there's something going on between her best friend and that Easton Kyle Javier. Hindi n'ya lang talaga inaasahan na aabot ang dalawa sa kasalan lalo na't alam niyang galit dito ang kayang kaibigan noong huli nilang pagkikita.

Hindi niya maiwasang mapa-buntong hininga na lamang habang naiisip na ganun na pala talaga karaming taon ang lumipas sa dami ng mga nangyari na.

"Ano 'yung eksena n'yo ni Sir Riley, ha? I saw you too, sinisigawan mo sya at may pahawak pa sya sa siko mo," Olive asked her.

"Wala 'yun," she answered.

"Huy! Anong wala? Huwag ako, Addison. Umamin ka, bakit ganun, ha? Bakit may pa-ganun kayo ni Sir?" she insist.

She shook her head. "Wala nga iyon. Nagtalo lang kami dahil sa kapatid n'ya," she answered.

Ayaw man n'yang ipaalam kahit kanino ang koneksyon nilang dalawa, ngunit kung ganitong may nakakita naman ni Olive ang eksena nilang dalawa kanina ay tingin n'ya ay kailangan n'ya iyong ipaliwanag dito.

"Kapatid n'ya? Anong meron sa kapatid n'ya?" usisa pa nito.

"His sister is my best friend. Sinabi niyang ikakasal na ang bestfriend ko at sa kaibigan niyang babaero. Nagalit lang ako dahil hinayaan niyang mahulog sa kaibigan n'ya ang bestfriend ko," sagot n'ya.

Olive's mouth formed and O. "So, all along ay magkakilala pala kayo ni Sir Riley pero wala ka man lang sinasabi, ganun ba, Addison?" she said.

"Ano namang sasabihin ko?" tanong naman n'ya.

"Na mag kakilala nga kayo! D'yos ko, anong pangalan n'ya sa facebook?" tanong pa nito.

"Malay ko," sagot n'ya.

"Bakit hindi mo alam? Akala ko ba mag kakilala kayo?" kulit pa nito sa kan'ya.

"Magkakilala lang, Olive. Hindi mag kaibigan," pagtatama n'ya.

'Tigilan mo na nga si Addison, Olivia. Para ka na namang tanga d'yan," Shan butted in.

Olive scoffed but didn't speak about it anymore. Masama na kasi ang tingin ni Shan dito, naiingayan at nakukulitan na rito.

"Napag-isipan mo na ba iyong alok sayo tungkol sa play?" Shan asked her.

She shook her head. "Ayaw ko nun, baka mapahiya lang ako, no," dahilan n'ya pa.

"Hindi mo pa naman nasusubukan, e. Try mo muna," Shan said.

"Pati ba naman ikaw, Shan? Alam mo bang naiirita na ako rito kay Olive sa kakapilit sakin tapos dadagdag ka pa," she said.

Shan shrugged. "Hindi ko kasi maintindihan kung bakit ayaw mo. Sigurado naman akong kaya mo. I still remember that activity we had back in Senior High School, ang galing ng acting mo run," he said.

She remembered that activity, Grade 12 sila nun at requirement nila sa 21st Century Literature na subject ang paggawa ng play para sa final grading. Pero syempre noon yun, dahil wala siyang choice kundi gawin yun para pumasa.

"Iba naman yun, Shan," she said.

"Ano namang pinag-kaiba nun? Pareho ka lang namang aarte, ipapakita na may talent ka sa bagay na iyon," he told her.

Minsan ay ayaw n'ya talagang nakakausap itong si Shan dahil madalas din siyang matameme sa mga pinagsasasabi nito. Hindi n'ya nga rin alam kung paano n'ya ito naging kaibigan. Basta ang naalala n'ya lang, ito ang unang kakilalang nakita noong first year dahil magkaklase na sila simula Grade 11.

"Ayoko pa rin. Baka ma-distract lang ako at magulo pa ang pag-aaral ko," I reasoned out though I know it's lame.

Shan didn't comment on that anymore. Tumahimik na lamang ito at nagbasa muli. Habang s'ya, natulala napatingin lang sa labas ng bintana. Inaalala ang mga kaganapan sa mga nakalipas na araw simula nang magkita silang muli ni Caius.

Kinakabahan siya, pakiramdam n'ya ay kailangan na niyang mag handa para sa pagkikita nila ng iba pa. Honestly, she doesn't mind meeting his other friends. They were a friend to her too before that tragedy happened. What she—rather whom she is afraid to meet is Maverick.

Masyadong mapait ang huli nilang pagkikita na hanggang ngayon ay ramdam pa n'ya ang marka niyon sa buong pagkatao n'ya. She just can't believe how bad the consequences she got for loving him.

But regardless of everything that happened, she can't get herself to regret loving him. Never has she regretted that once in her life, she fell in love with him. She still treasures all the things they did: their eating session inside his car, their unplanned dates and their random heart to heart talks. She loved all those and she won't deny that she had a hard time moving on from all those.

She was so dependent on him and to their memories that she almost begged to have him back. But she didn't, because the scars he left her were too deep for her to forget his sins.