"Damn, Dimetria slayed it again this school year, bro." Liam said beside me while eating his fucking green gelato. Nandito kami ngayon sa likod ng school. The cafeteria is way too suffocating for us tyaka nakakasawa na. That's why we decided na dito na lang kami sa labas kumain.
And speaking of kain, "Hoy, nasaan na ba yung pagkain natin? Kanina pa tayo naghihintay." Asar kong tanong sa kanila. Ikaw ba naman kasi ang maghintay para sa pagkain mo tas mausisa mo anong oras na pero wala parin.
I need some serious fucking energy right now at finals na namin mamaya. I can't afford to lose it this school year. It's my last year in highschool and that fucking means last year na din ako maglalaro for our intrams.
Habang naghihintay sa pagkain ay may nasilayan naman ako sa hindi kalayuan. It was Michelle. Not realizing it myself, the corner of my lips suddenly rose seeing how happy she is with her friends. I never see her laugh around like that with me. It was refreshing knowing that she can also smile and laugh like that.
"Uy, si Frei, ngumingiti? Ayos ka lang?"
"Paiba-iba mood mo these past few days. I swear, dude, it's fucking creepy."
"Indeed, pare. Gagalit tapos biglang ngingiti. Tangina."
"Hayaan niyo na, ganyan talaga kapag inlove." Bigla namang sabat ni Daniel sa tatlo nilang kaibigan na pilit na inaasar si Fraizer. Not knowing that all of this happened because of Daniel. The nerve.
"Teka ano? Nabingi ako teka. Inlove?" Ang hindi makapaniwalang saad ni Lanz making the rest of the group mock Fraizer.
Neither of then couldn't believe what they were hearing. Yes, Fraizer is indeed a playboy and a player, he used to flirt with every girl around the place and it stopped when they entered their senior year. Hearing that Fraizer is inlove is such a shock for them. Relationships were just never his thing or so they thought.
"Who? Sino naman ang nakabighani ng puso ng isang Fraizer Hanz Zackermore?" Ang panloloko pang litanya ni Liam dito na ikinatuwa lang ulit nilang lahat.
"Fuck you, four." Pagmumura niya dito raising his middle finger at them.
Na tinawanan lang ulit ng apat. Lanz on the other hand acted dramatic, putting his hand on his chest na para bang nasaktan ito sa sinabi ng binata. The mockery didn't end not until Cali and Zakira passed by their table holding the food they ordered.
"Hey, babe." Sabi ni Cali kay Rain, kissing him on his right cheek.
"Sana all may babe."
"Sana all may tagadala ng pagkain."
"Sana all may humahalik."
The other three said bitterly at them making Cali chuckle and Rain? Rain just gave them a middle finger and continued his business with Cali. Lumapit naman sa gilid ko si Zakira opening my food acting as if it's hers. "Here, baby, eat your food, may laro ka pa later." She said annoyingly making the four rumble.
"Ikaw na ba si Mr. Right?" Ang kanta ni Liam na inirapan ko lamang. Ang sakit sa tenga.
"Zakira, ako na. I can perfectly use my hands, that's why just eat and mind your own damn fucking food." I coldly retorted at her. Zakira pouted and just minded her own business. Akala ko dun na yun matatapos pero she kept on bugging me as if it's like wala nang katapusan.
I shouldn't have agreed on going on a date with her yesterday. It was a fucking nightmare I tell you. My foot became sore after walking and walking for hours like that inside the mall. And ako pa talaga ang pinagdala niya ng mga pinamili niya? The hell? And she also caused a scene inside the mall. Bakit? Oh dahil lang naman sa nabangga siya ng isang babae. It was humiliating for fuck's sake.
Ilang saglit pa ay lumapit si Xerna sa table namin. "Hey, guys." She lively said at us. They greeted her and waved. "I heard that your companies will hold a meeting soon. Kasama kayo?" She asked.
"Yeah." I answered.
"Mhm. Nakakasawa na nga, nasa may lounge area lang naman kami. Ano naman kayang pinaguusapan nila at kasama si Dad? Weird." Ani Daniel na medyo naguguluhan sa mga nangyari.
Daniel's dad is one of my parents closest friend. General Dani Aguillar. One of the most respected General's here in the Philippines and in the looks of it, mukhang nasunod sa yapak ng ama ang dalawang magkapatid. Daniel and his older brother.
"Really? That sucks."
"It does." I snorted. It actually sucks, sitting inside the lounge area for hours. Then what? Kakain sa labas pagkatapos umupo sa lounge area, using my damn phone na mabilis pa ma-lowbat. Fucking annoying.
Xerna tapped on my shoulder bidding as a goodbye. "Later." She said and went off ahead.
Eating my lunch peacefully bigla-bigla naman kaming nakarinig ng sigawan. Out of shock, I immediately looked up to see what's happening and it took me a couple of seconds to process what's really happening.
It was Michelle for fuck's sake. Nakahiga ito sa may damuhan. Hindi na ako nag-aksaya pa ng oras and went in the scene. It was Daniel who should be carrying her but I took off his hands from her and carried her.
"Ako na." I said authoratively and went directly to inside the clinic.
Ano bang nangyayari sa babaeng 'to? Lapitin ng aksidente masyado? Pucha. Hindi ko lang nababantayan nang maayos nitong mga nakaraang araw, ganito na agad yung nangyayari.
•••
Michelle Adellaine Cruz
Maiigi kong binuksan ang aking mga mata just to see a white ceiling. Tatayo na sana ako but the pain coming from my head was hurting too much kaya napahiga na lang ako.
"Hey, hey. Don't strain yourself."
Rinig kong tinig ni Casty sa may kanan ko. "Huwag ka na munang tumayo and here, drink this water." Binigyan naman niya ako ng tubig na kaagad ko namang ininom.
I wanna ask him on what happened pero my throat was way too sore for me to even speak. "Teka I'll just go get Doc. Liyana." Ang muli pa nitong saad at umalis.
I scanned my whole surrounding and found myself lying inside the clinic bed—again. Mukhang memorable pa nga ata ang stay ko sa school na 'to. Suki ng clinic ampotchi.
And the clinic award goes to tenenen nenen! Michelle Adellaine Cruz. Pumasok naman si Doktora kasama si Casty at si Fraizer. Why in the world is he here?
"Fancy meeting you here once again, don't you think?" Doc. Liyana chuckled coming close to me. "How are you feeling?" She asked sitting down beside me.
"Ayos lang po, medyo nahihilo pero ayos lang."
"Hmm. I see. You need to drink lots of water, honey." And handed me another glass of water and some vitamins. "Opo."
"C-Can I ask kung anong nangyari at nandito ako? The only thing I remembered was that sumakit tiyan ko and then I passed out." Sa sinabi kong iyon ay nagkatinginan naman silang lahat at ngumiti sakin si Doc. Liyana.
"Well, you see, dear. You were actually poisoned. A chemical was found from the food you were eating and buti na lang, Fraizer brought you here as soon as possible. Kung hindi, something bad might have happened to you."
Hearing those from her, I was shook. Hindi dahil sa na food poisoned ako kundi dahil sa dinala ako dito ni Fraizer. Why would he do that? Kamakailan lang, galit na galit 'to sakin tas ngayon sinagip niya ako? Gulo niya ha. I looked at him with my brows furrowed only for him to look at the other direction. What a jerk.
"Kapag may naramdaman kang di kaaya-aya, call a doctor as soon as possible and if you want, you can call me." She winked and stood up from the bed. Going out along with Casty, mabilis kong nahagip yung dulo ng damit Fraizer causing him to stop and look at me with his brows also furrowed.
"What now—" I cutted him bago pa ito makareklamo. "We need to talk." He groaned from what I've said and tried to take away my hand from his shirt.
"Please." Pagmamakaawa ko dito which he took into consideration. It took him a couple of seconds before giving in and sat beside me. After sitting down, walang nagsalita saming dalawa.
"Michelle, kung hindi ka magsasalita, aalis na talaga ako. Your wasting my time."
"Okay, sorry. It's just that I think we need to talk—"
"Then speak, hindi yung nakatanga ka lang diyan." Matigas niyang sabi sakin that made me sigh. Para sa ikakatahimik na ng buhay ko at ng lahat.
"Why did you saved me?"
"What? I didn't saved you." He defended na ikina-irap ko naman. "C'mon, stop denying it. Nanggaling na mismo sa bibig ni doktora."
"Tinulungan lang kita but I didn't save you."
"Huh? Parehas lang 'yun!"
"No, it's not. Magkaiba yun. Ang save, sinagip sa bingwit ng kamatayan at ang help ay tinulungan lang. Use your brain, Michelle." Sarkastikong balik sakin nito na ikinabuka naman ng bunganga ko. So ako pa 'tong tanga saming dalawa? Ganun? Punyemas. Sinabi nang huwag makikipagtalo sa matalino, Michelle.
"Okay, fine." I said, giving up. "Pero bakit nga? Galit ka sakin, diba? So bakit?" Ang tanong ko sa kaniya pero guess what he did? Guess! He fucking scoffed at me as if it's like I said something hilarious.
"Galit ako sayo pero that doesn't mean I'm a fucking jerk na hahayaan ka na lang mamatay diyan."
"But you are a jerk." Balik kong saad dito na ikinadigkit pa lalo ng mga kilay niya. Pft. Para siyang inaaping bata sa lagay niya. Di makapaniwala sa sinabi ko, sis? "After I helped you! 'Yan yung sasabihin mo sakin? What a bitch."
"Excuse me? What bitch? Ikaw nga 'tong magagalit sakin tas in-expect na ako magsorry when in fact ikaw 'tong bigla-bigla na lang magagalit tas ano? Iiwan ako dun nang walang kamalay-malay. Now, sino satin ang mas gago, ha?" Hindi ko na kinaya. Communication is the key. Ulol. I was expecting this to be smooth pero kapag talaga ito ang kausap mo, hindi nagiging maayos ang lahat. Punyeta. Sinasagad niya ako ha.
Fraizer got taken aback from what Michelle had said. It was true after all. He was expecting her to say sorry when in fact she left her all clueless back there. The one to blame here was himself. He couldn't speak at all. Sighing, he looked at her and said, "I'm sorry."
Teka, ano daw? I was way too shook to hear him say that word. I felt how my eyebrow rose up from what he said. Tama ba talaga naririnig ko? At talagang binabaan niya ang pride niya. "Hah. Talaga."
Pero hindi doon natatapos yun, eh. Hindi talaga. "Um," I started off awkwardly. "The thing you said about getting jealous, why were you jealous?" I asked him straightforwardly. He looked at me and pouted. Gago? Ang panget.
"Wala lang." Liar.
"Wala lang your face. Bakit nga?" Pangungulit nito na ikinabuntong hininga niya. "Okay, fine. Oo, I was jealous of Daniel. You promised you'd watch me play then wala ka? Tas nakita ko you were cheering loudly from afar sa game niya."
I let the silence come to us for a few seconds before asking him, "Yun lang?" He nodded. I can't believe this. Parang bata ampotchi. I couldn't help myself but to laugh at his stupidity. Yun lang? Kaya siya nagalit? Parang bata anpotchi talaga.
"Stop for fuck's sake. It's annoying the fuck out of me." Reklamo nito sakin na mas lalo ko lang tinawanan. "Edi cover your ears. Duh?" I sarcastically retorted at Fraizer making him irap-irap the fuck out of me. Punyeta.
"Okay fine. Manonood na ako, nakalimutan ko, okay? And speaking of game, wala ka bang laro ngayon?"
"Meron." Ang tanging sambit nito na ikinagulat ko. "Meron?!" Ang ulit ko dito na ikinatango lamang niya. "May laro ka pala, bakit ka nandito?!" Sigaw kong tanong muli dito.
"Bakit nga kaya? Tyaka stop shouting, kanina ka pa." Ang sarkastikong tugon nito sakin na ikinadikit ng mga kilay ko. Aba, malay ko. Kaya nga tinatanong ko siya. Kingina. "Paano yan?"
"Ayos lang. I took a favor from coach na mag-skip muna akong first half ng game."
"Ilang minuto na ba akong tulog?"
"48 minutes." Umawang naman ang bibig ko sa sinabi niya. 48 minutes? Teka, anong oras na ba? "Go then you jerk. Ayos na ako. Paano kita makikitang maglaro kung wala ka sa game?"
"Kaya nga pupunta na diba? Pero don't even bother, just rest." Ang mumunting saad nito bago tumayo. "Pero I promised."
"And you broke the promise."
"'Di mo sure. Wala naman akong sinabi kung kailan ako manunuod. Pwedeng next year." Depensa ko sa sarili ko na ikinatawa naman niya. Walang nakakatawa sa sinabi ko. I was stating facts. "Unbelievable. Anla, ewan ko sayo. Una na ako." Ang huli niyang sinabi bago ito umalis ng clinic.
Hindi naman nagtagal ay pumasok naman sina Xerna and the rest of the gang. "Michelle, kamusta pakiramdam mo?" Alalang tanong sakin ni Xerna. "Ayos na." Sagot ko dito at ngumiti pa nang bahagya.
"The store where we bought our food have already countless crimes such as poisoning, kilala na daw sila dun." Saad nito sa nangyari.
"The school principal interrogated us about it and um," Putol ni Julie at nagkatinginan silang magkambal. "The police got involved, worst case scenario ay makulong sila."
"Dude, kung nandun ka lang sa office, matatakot ka sa kung paano magalit si Principal Rinaldi. Ih, creepy." Ani Lino sa may tabi at niyakap pa ang sarili na akala mo takot na takot sa nangyari.
"Buti na lang pala at nagpaiwan ako." Casty said while scratching his head and smiling nervously. "Yeah, good for you. The principal was fuming mad." Reklamo pa ni Enrike.
The only thing I could was to chuckle at them. It was such a cute view. "I'm fine, really. Sa ngayon, let's go and watch the finals of basketball." I requested na ikinataas lang ng mga kilay nila.
"Anong watch? You stay in bed." Saad ni Casty na parang nanay.
Julie nodded at what Casty said at dumagdag pa ng depensa. "Mhm. You might strain yourself, diyan ka na lang muna." They tried stopping me from going but I was persistent and just did my request.
Though, we stayed inside the clinic for a while bago umalis. Nagchikahan muna kami sa kung ano-anong bagay bago inimis ang gamit ko roon at nagpaalam kay doktora na manunuod na kami sa may court. "You sure, kaya mo na?"
"Yes po. Salamat po ulit."
"Okie. Don't strain yourself too much, pagkauwi sa bahay, kumain ka and drink lots of water then rest kapag may naramdam na 'di maganda, call a doctor as soon as possible, okay?" Paalala niya sakin at tumango naman ako, giving her the sweetest smile I could give. One of the best doctors to ever exist.
Habang tinatahak namin ang daan ay palakas nang palakas ang hiyawan ng mga estudyante galing mismo sa may court. Mas lalo pa itong lumakas nang makapasok na kami sa loob ng court.
"Laban Escartes! Viva Escartes!" Ang sigaw ng tao while there are some students who are drumming to the beat.
"Lucha, Avista! Ve a la corona! Royale! Royale! Royale!" Ang sigaw naman ng mga naka-yellow at may iba ding nag-d-drums beating it to the beat of the cheer.
Wow. UAAP lang ang peg. Ano 'to? UST vs. Ateneo? Sa school namin gaganapin? Nice. Naghanap naman kami ng magandang pwesto at dun kami tumabi banda kay na Lanz. "Uy, Xerna and company!" Ang bungad samin nito na nakipag-apir kay Lino. "Lino, pare!"
Sobrang nakakabingi ang cheer ng mga estudyante ngayon sa loob ng court. Trying to focus my attention on the game, nagulat naman ako nang makita ko ang score. Masyadong tambak ang Escartes samin.
45-27
18 points ang lamang namin sa kanila. Tinignan ko nang maiigi ang mga naglalaro at mabilis ko namang nahanap ang kapatid ko at si Daniel. And Fraizer? Fraizer was nowhere to be found inside the court. I tried looking for him in every corner of the court pero wala talaga. Pinauna ko na nga siya't lahat tas ganito? Hindi ko siya makikitang maglaro when in fact dapat nagpapahinga ako ngayon. Hay, whatever. Che-cheer ko na lang kapatid ko at si Daniel.
Before I knew it, I was already into the game. I was shouting, screaming and cheering in every point Avista gets. Sa munting pagsasaya naming lahat bigla naman kaming nafoul dahil sa biglang aksidenteng nangyari sa loob ng laro. They called it a time-out for both teams to check on the player and by the looks of it, hindi ito maganda.
"That must've hurt big time, don't you think, Mr. Peñaverde?"
"Yeah. Just by looking at it made me shiver in pain. And that foul goes to Avista Royale. Sucks, they were already having the game though."
"Indeed. What will happen to Escartes now? And with the looks of it, it's going pretty bad for them."
The two commentators said to each other, making the opposing team go wild with the last comment about Escartes. Isang uri ng matapang na tao. "Okay, sorry sorry. My bad." Ang paghingi ng tawad ng commentator sa mga manunuod.
Ilang saglit pa ay bumalik na sila sa game and what shocked us the most is when we saw who went inside the game.
"Is it who am I seeing now, Peñeverde? Siya nga ba talaga?"
"You're not seeing wrong. It is who I think it is."
"And there it goes friends! Our very own captain of this school year finally stepping in the game, Mr. Fraizer Hanz Zackermore!"
Doon na biglang nagkagulo sng buong tao sa loob ng court. Fraizer's impact was so powerful making everyone shout and scream. Oh boy, this is about to get intense.
"Escartes being behind with 21 points, will tables turn around as the captain finally stepped in or will it go downhill for them? Who knows?! No one does!"
"And so, let us start and continue the game to see."
With the buzzer going on. The screams from before became much more louder than it was before. Mas bumigat naman bigla ngayon ang laban lalo na at naglalaro na si Fraizer. He looks so different from who he really is when he's playing. Sobrang seryoso. With the tension going on, mabilis naman na nakahabol ang Escartes sa punto namin.
53-47
Si Fraizer ang nagbubuhat sa team nila. I can't lie, I'm impressed. With that short period of time ay mabilis itong nakahabol sa kanila. Maya-maya pa sa isang shoot ni Fraizer ay tie na sila ng Avista making everyone cheer and shout more. It was unbelievable. Akala all this time he was just bluffing about everything pero mukhang seryoso nga siya.
Kung kanina ay natutuwa ako kapag nakakapunto ang Avista, ngayon naman ay nadidismaya ako kapag nakikita kong naaagaw ang bola sa team nila. "What the hell?! Daya mo oy! Walang agawan ng bola!" Ang sigaw ko dito na mukhang nakakuha ng pansin ni Enrike.
"Avista pero sa Escartes nag-c-cheer. Bakit kaya?" Tuksong tanong sakin nito na medyo ikinagulat ko. Wala akong masabi. Wala akong maisip na palusot. "Bisto ka na. Huwag ka na magisip pa ng palusot, Michelle." Ani pa nito at tumawa.
"Kawawa naman yung kapatid mo, nagpapakahirap para maging proud ka pero kay," Tumigil ito at tumingin sakin habang nakangisi. "Kay captain ka nag-c-cheer." At sa sinabi niyang yun ay doon ko na naramdaman na uminit ang pisngi ko. Nakakahiya.
I tried hiding ny face pero it was no use. Pinagtatawanan na niya ako nang sobra-sobra. Bistong-bisto na ako hmp. "Bati na pala kayo eh." Ang sabi pa nito at ngumiti sakin na ikinatango ko lang.
"Yeah, kanina lang."
Ang muli ko pang saad na ikinangiti ko naman. I tried hiding the smile but it was no use. Sadyang masaya lang ako knowing that we're already back to normal. I'm happy.
Kaso with me smiling, my head suddenly throb. Hindi ko nakayanan ang biglang pagkahilo at napahawak ako sa railings. A sudden memory came flashing right in front my eyes. It was that person before I passed out. The way that person smirked at me. I know who this is. Familiar pero hindi ko malaman kung sino.
"Ayos ka lang? Should I help you go to the clinic?" Alalang tanong naman ni Enrike sakin.
Everything was swirling around me and the good thing is that Cali catched me before I fell. "Hey, I got you. You look like you're in a bad shape, I saw what happened a while ago." Aniya sakin, that I only waved off. "I'm fine. It's nothing serious." Ang tanging saad ko dito na kahit hindi siya kumbisinado ay kinuha na lamang niya ang aking sagot at bumalik na muli sa panonood.
While taling everything in accounting, bigla naman akong nakarinig nang isang malakas na buzzer making the crowd go wild. I asked them what happend and they answered, "Avista lost." Jillian devestatedly said.
It was like music to my ears. The two cornes of my lips rose up upon hearing the news. "Really?!" I asked that just made her nod. I looked at the score board and tunay nga. Avista lost to Escartes. "Hoy! Yes!" Ang bigla ko namang sigaw sa kanila na ikinagulo naman ng isipan nila.
"You happy?" Ang gulat pang tanong sakin ni Lino.
"Of course I am! Panalo ang Escartes!" Tuwa kong sagot dito na inaalog pa nang mahina si Enrike at pinapakita sa kaniya na nanalo ang Escartes samin.
I saw how everyone was cheering and how happy Fraizer is with his teammates. It touched my heart seeing how happy he is. Sa hindi ko maipaliwanag na dahilan ay kinuha ko ang cellphone ko at kumuha ng isang litrato. Saying 'Congratulations' with the paawa and heart emoji, posting it on Instagram.
Ang daming nagsibabaan para makipagpicture at kamay sa kaniya. Hindi na akong nagabala pang bumaba at hinayaang matapos ang lahat.
The day ended pretty quickly than what I expected it to be. Sa paguwi nila, everyone was congratulating everyone. And me? I tried looking for him para ma-congratulate siya and there I found them going out of the court. He looked so happy with him winning with his team.
I took the chance on walking towards him nang mawalan na ng tao isa-isa. "Hey." I greeted with a smile.
"Hey." He greeted back.
"I watched your game. Quits na tayo ha?" Pagkukumbinsi ko dito na ikinatawa niya lang. "Oo na."
"Congrats for winning on your last year here."
"Tss. It's nothing. Kita mo naman, the tables have turned as soon as I entered." He confidently said while smirking. Na inismiran ko lang naman. Ang taas ng tingin sa sarili ang hijo de puta.
"Tapos na intrams, huh? Exams na." Ang pagbabago ko sa usapan. Hindi naman nagbago ang ekspresyon nito sa kaniyang mukha. Fraizer just looked at me with his usual poker face but this time around, it softened. "Huy! Tinitingin-tingin mo? Na-fa-fall ka na sakin 'no?" Pagbibiro ko sa kaniya. Biro lang talaga pero sa pagbibiro kong 'yun ay ako ang napatigil sa sinabi niya.
"Paano kung 'oo'? Sasaluhin mo ba ako?" Ang balik na tanong nito sakin habang nakatingin nang diretso sa mata ko.
I tried opening my mouth pero walang tunog ang lumabas. I felt how my eyebrow creased and cheeks burn up. Anong pinagsasabi nito? Everything was too quick for me to process, the next thing I new is that he's already caressing my cheek.
Na-estatwa ako sa pwesto ko. Hindi ako makagalaw. At sa pwesto naming yun, bigla namang dumating ang kapatid ko. "Ate!" Sigaw nito habang tumatakbo papalapit samin.
Mabilis naman niyang binawi ang kamay niya at tumingin kay Aljon para ngumitu at batiin ito. "Ate, tara na. Uwi na tayo. Pagod ako." Maktol nito sakin habang niyayaya na akong umuwi. Hindi parin ako makapagsalita sa mga nangyari. "Kuya, congrats nga pala sa inyo. Galing mo kanina." Puri pa nito bago ako hataking muli.
"ATE! Tara na!" Ang muling tugon nito bago tuluyang magpaalam kay Fraizer.
Habang hatak-hatak ako ay tinitignan ko naman kung paano ako lumayo sa kaniya. He waved me goodbye and mouthed,
"Goodbye."