was relieved when Ed assured me that he won't tell mom about our relationship. "Bakit ko naman sasabihin kay mama 'yong tungkol sa inyo? Alam naman nating dalawa na she likes to control things at ikaw 'yong taong madaling ma-convince kasi ang hina mo sa kanya. Be like me, nang pinilit niya akong mag-enroll sa isang course na ayaw ko, I lied to her to get away from her bullshit at nag-banda ako. Ngayon, wala na siyang magagawa kasi she knows that I'd always defy her."
I nodded. "I wish I were as brave as you," sagot ko sa kanya, then he tapped my back and said that, "My brother, you're already brave enough to stare at your reflection on the mirror and pretend that you didn't see a cryptid."
"Fuck you," I aggressively responded to him.
"But you're already doing that to Woo. Ang libog mo naman, Greyson! Have you heard of the word incest?!" sagot niya naman sa sinabi ko sabay tawa ng malakas. "By the way, nasaan ang boyfriend mo?"
"He's probably out somewhere since he couldn't stand your ego and crass sense of humor," I said before I rolled my eyes. Tinignan niya na lamang ako ng masama at wala siyang inimik dahil sa sinabi ko.
"I was just kidding. Nasa fourth floor siya with his best friend. Nagpapatulong kasi 'yong kaibigan niya sa kanya na gumawa ng project."
Nakita kong ngumiti siya habang tinitignan ang Funko Pops sa gilid ng higaan ni Lee. "Mukhang maswerte ka sa boyfriend mo, Greyson. I think he has a kind heart," he said.
I nodded. "Yes, 'di katulad ng iba riyan," mutawi ko naman bago ako tumawa. He probably knew that he was the person whom I was pertaining to that's why he hit my back.
"Mukha mong parang alupihang dagat," sambit pa niya bago siya pumunta ng restroom.
Nang pumasok na siya roon ay napangiti na lamang ako sa kawalan dahil sa sinabi niya sa akin. Ang swerte ko nga kay Lee. I hope that he will stay like this forever.
*****
It was already Sunday when Ed decided to treat us with food and drinks. Despidida party raw niya sa amin ni Lee kasi na-manage daw namin ang ugali niya for four days. Pa-thank you niya na rin sa amin kasi sinunod namin ang request niyang mag-absent until he decides to go back to his apartment. Uuwi na raw kasi siya bukas sa apartment niya at hihingi na raw siya ng kapatawaran kay Kelly dahil hindi niya kayang matiis ang girlfriend niya.
"Sa rooftop na tayo magpagabi," pag-aaya niya sa aming dalawa ni Lee. We brought blankets and pillows dahil ang sarap daw humiga sa rooftop sabi ni Lee. "Dati nang nag-iisa pa lang ako sa room natin, I prefer staying up late sa taas at tumitingin lang ako sa kalawakan," as what he told me with a raspy voice.
Narinig ni Kuya Edward ang sinabi ni Lee kaya kaagad siyang humirit ng, "Totoo ba iyan? If I were alone in a room, I'd rather watch adult movies to entertain myself."
Ngumiwi kaming dalawa ni Lee sa sinabi niya habang siya naman ay patay-malisya lang. "Kuya, with all due respect, you're too old to watch bold."
Tinignan ako ng napakasama ni Kuya Edward at tsaka siya sumagot ng, "And your face is so ugly, akala ko nagsasalitang monkey."
I pouted because of what he had said to me. Ang hirap talaga kapag may kapatid kang magaling sa pakikipag-bangayan.
*****
Nakasandal lang ang ulo ni Lee sa balikat ko habang si kuya naman ay nakangiti lang sa amin. Hindi man aminin ni kuya, pero alam kong masaya siya sa aming dalawa. Ngumiti rin ako kay kuya habang kumakain ako ng fries na pina-deliver niya.
Ang dami niyang pina-deliver, actually. Halos lahat ata ng menu sa restaurant na pinagbilhan niya ay inorder niya. Lee and I wondered kung paano namin mauubos ang lahat ng iyon, but we couldn't complain dahil tintreat lang naman kami ni kuya.
Bumili rin si kuya ng beers at chips sa 7-Eleven sa harap ng dormitory namin. Gusto raw niyang maging masaya kaming tatlo sa last night niya rito. I wanted to tell him that drinking doesn't equate to happiness, but I just kept that thought to myself dahil alam kong may snarky response na naman akong matatanggap sa kanya once na sasabihin ko iyon.
"Mr. Woo, pwedeng humingi ng favor sa iyo?" tanong ni Kuya Edward kay Lee. He just nodded as a response.
"To be honest with you, hindi ko nakita si Greyson na ganito kasaya kahit noong mga bata pa kaming dalawa. This is the first time that I truly felt that he is genuinely happy, at sobrang saya ko dahil diyan," wika niya. Naramdaman ko sa balikat ko na ngumiti si Lee kaya napangiti na rin ako. "Thank you for giving him that happiness. Sana huwag kang magsawang ibigay iyan sa kapatid ko kapag wala na ako rito sa dormitory ninyo. Kahit na nag-aasaran kami niyan palagi ay mahal ko iyang bakulaw na iyan!"
Inalis ni Lee ang kanyang ulo sa balikat ko at tsaka siya kumuha ng beer sa harap namin. Tumawa rin siya dahil sa huling parte ng sinabi ni kuya. "I promise you, Ed, I will lways make him the happiest guy on Earth."
I felt that my cheeks were turning red when I heard him utter that. My brother was about to say something in return pero napatigil siya nang may narinig kaming may bumukas ng pinto palabas dito sa may rooftop.
It was Cobi who looked just as surprised as us.
Then another person walked in.
It was Mathias who was holding his hand.
"What the-" Lee and I exclaimed in unison.
*****
Habang nakatitig lang kaming dalawa ni Lee kina Mathias at Cobi ay nagsalita na kaagad si Kuya Edward.
"Mathias, kumusta ka na? Si Ed ito, iyong kuya ni Greyson," bati niya kay Mathias bago niya niyakap ang kaibigan ko.
"Okay naman po, kuya," nauutal na sagot naman ni Mathias habang namumula ang kanyang mga pisngi. Si Cobi naman ay hindi makatingin sa aming dalawa ni Lee na para bang ang mga sinampay na mga brief ang pinakamagandang view sa oras na iyon.
"And you are?" tanong naman ni Kuya Edward kay Cobi while he was smiling.
"I'm Cobi, Lee's best friend," he responded awkwardly. They shook hands rightafter.
"Lee's best friend and Mathias's . . ." my brother responded while he was squinting his eyes.
"Friend," dali-dali namang sagot ni Cobi bago niya kinamot ang likod ng kanyang ulo.
Nagtinginan na lamang kaming dalawa ni Lee dahil naguguluhan kaming dalawa sa kanila. The last time that we saw them together, ang kulang na lang ay magsuntukan ulit sila, and the last time that I was hanging out with Mathias, he was anxious about his situation with Cobi.
Kuya Edward smirked but he accepted Cobi's response. "Tara, sabayan niyo kaming tatlo rito na uminom at kumain. Mag-enjoy lang kayong dalawa riyan," he uttered before they gave them ice cold beers. After n'on ay tinawag ako ni kuya at pumunta kami sa isang sulok ng rooftop na malayo sa kanilang tatlo.
"Greyson," wika niya habang hawak-hawak ang dalawang balikat ko. "May sa demonyo ba ang dormitory na ito? Bakit parang kailangan na required ang may pumatol sa lalaki rito?"
Pinitik ko ang noo niya at tsaka ako nagsabi sa kanya ng, "Dahan-dahan ka sa pananalita mo. Hindi porke't nakakita ka ng dalawa," mutawi ko bago ko tinignan sina Cobi at Mathias na malagkit ang tinginan sa isa't isa bago ako nagpatuloy. "Sige, apat siguro. Hindi porke't nakakita ka ng apat na mga taong masaya sa isa't isa ay in-assume mo na kaagad na may ka-demonyohan ang dorm namin. What I learned lately is that hindi kailangan ng label kapag nagmamahal ka. Wala iyan sa kasarian. Bakit, minahal mo ba si Kelly dahil lang na babae siya?"
He stared at me for so long before he gave me a wide grin. "Sa unang beses, napatahimik mo ako sa sinabi mo, a," he said before he hugged me so tightly.
*****
Kinabukasan ay umuwi na si Kuya Ed bago pa man kami magising ni Lee. He left us P10,000 na allowance daw namin sa loob ng dorm, and a letter that indicates that if I need money from him raw ay huwag akong mahiyang humingi sa kanya. I smiled upon reading his quick hand-written message on top of my table.
Pagkapasok namin ni Lee sa campus ay napansin naming nagkukumpulan ang mga tao sa isang sulok habang nakatingin sa kanilang cell phone at nag-uusap. When I saw Kiko right there ay kaagad kaming nagtanong sa kanya kung ano ang nangyayari. Kiko borrowed my cell phone rightafter and searched something on the web. Hindi ko napigilang magulat nang makita ko ang headline ng isang website.
"I was Molested: Liesel University's Darkest Secret Uncovered"
Lee and I were dumbfounded when we read the article. Ayon sa interview sa isang estudyante rito na hindi pinangalanan ng website na iyon for his own privacy ay minolestya raw siya ni Venus Liesel about two weeks ago. What he confessed was very similar to my own experience with her. I couldn't finish the article since nati-trigger ako. Lee, on the other hand, comforted me when he found out that I was uncomfortable at that time. Nagpaalam na lamang kami kay Kiko bago kami umalis at pumunta sa grandstand para magpahangin.
A few minutes later ay pinatawag ang lahat ng mga estudyante sa gymnasium para sa isang meeting.
Sa gymnasium ay nandoon ang committee, mga dean ng iba't ibang departments na university, si Venus, at ang may ari ng university na si Mr. Warren Liesel. Napansin ko rin na nasa harap nila ang news and media reporters.
"Good morning, everyone!" panimulang bati ni Mr. Liesel sa mga tao. "We received a news last night that there was a certain person who recently had an interview with a worldly-renowned website. I, together with all the faculty members and the deans of this university, decided to conduct this meeting to clear the issue for once and for all. Here is my daughter to give out her statement regarding this matter," he said before he handed the microphone to Venus.
"I am Venus Liesel and I am a victim of false accusation," as what she stated in her speech. "I never molested someone in my whole career as I am a professional person. That interview was merely fabricated to ruin our university. This issue will be handled by my lawyer and rest assured that justice will be served," she added.
A furious Mr. Liesel grabbed the microphone from his daughter and asked us kung meron bang makakapagpatunay sa kumakalat na maling balita. "If you had experienced this kind of assault with Miss Liesel before, raise your hand," he said with a raging look on his face.
But nobody raised his hand. Even myself.
Lee held my hand and clenched it. I looked at him and he nodded his head. "I can't do it, Lee," I said to him. He respected my decision and just smiled at me before we diverted our attention back to the stage.
"No one?" tanong ni Mr. Liesel sa pangalawang beses, pero sa pagkakataong ito ay marami ang nagtaas ng kanilang mga kamay. I even saw Cobi raising his hand from afar with no hesitation.
There were fifteen of them in total, and I was the sixteenth one who did it to attest the ongoing rumors regarding Miss Liesel. Mr. Warren Liesel could not help but to shed a tear on what he had witnessed, and his daughter was already static and crying dahil sa kahihiyan na natanggap niya. The media was already taking photos of her before she even stormed off the stage as the deans and faculty members were looking at her angrily. Si Mr. Liesel naman ay nakaupo sa sulok, hinahawakan ang kanyang dibdib dahil sa nangyari.
This was a tragic moment for our university, but this was also the most fulfilling thing to witness.
Lee tapped my back as he whispered to my ear, "I'm so proud of you, Greyson." He kissed my left cheek rightafter and hugged me even though people were looking at us.