Oriel looked conflicted pero sa huli isinuko niya din sa akin ang student's book niya. Mabilis kong ibinuklat ang maliit na libro na kasing liit ng small version ng isang bible pero hindi kasing kapal. Hinanap ko ang students information niya and voila!
"Section S..." basa ko mula sa maliit na libro na hawak ko.
ꗢ
Tanging katahimikan lamang ang bumalot sa kanila habang kanina pang umalis si Sir Herbert upang asikasuhin ang problema tungkol sa maling registration nang dalagang nangangalang Oriel.
Oriel squirm on her seat. Hindi siya naging panatag at hindi mapakali dahil sa sobrang tahimik na namutawi sa loob ng silid-aralan.
She clenched her fist at nag-lakas-loob upang basagin ang katahimikan. "Hey..."
"Please, just be quiet." diretso na saad ng binata na nasa tabi niya lamang habang walang kurap na nagbabasa sa hawak nitong libro.
'How rude...'
Oriel couldn't help but pout her lips habang tinapunan niya ng nakamamatay na tingin ang tila walang pakialam na binata na patuloy sa paglipat ng mga pahina ng libro.
She was bored out of her mind, kulang na lang at mamatay na talaga siya sa inip. She wanted to talk to someone, anyone, she doesn't care who that person is, as long as she had at least someone to talk to—except him.
Hindi niya mapigilan tapunan ng isa pang nakakamatay na tingin ang kanyang katabi mula sa ibabaw ng kanyang pilik-mata.
Anyone but that guy...
Prudent Espinosa, was the embodiment of a snob poor-brat. He had a cold and boring personality. He was too stingy with his words, which he treated as valuable as gold.
Oriel couldn't help but dissed the guy at humiling na sana mapanis na lamang ang laway nito. Though, she got to admit that he had a beautiful face that could bewitched any man or woman to submit and kissed the sole of his feet.
'Too bad, he always sporting that ridiculous boring look on his face', isip niya habang nakahalumbabang nakatingin sa gwapo at maamong mukha ng binata.
When Prudent raised his head from being buried on the pages of his book, nahuli niyang nakatingin sa kanya si Oriel, who had a dreamy look in her eyes.
Awtomatikong kumunot ang kanyang noo, "What the heck are you looking at?"
Hindi niya mapigilan makaramdam ng inis. The girl was staring at him like he was some kind of prince charming, straight from the fairy tale books.
Blood instantly rush to her head. Nakaramdam siya ng hiya ng mahuli siyang nakatingin sa mukha ng binata while daydreaming. Parang gusto niyang lamunin na siya ngayon sa lupa dahil sa kahihiyan.
Her face is as red as tomato. She frantically waved her hands in defense, "I-I w-wasn't staring! I-I was—I was—"
Umiwas siya ng tingin habang nilibot ang bawat sulok ng silid-aralan upang makahanap ng palusot.
There was no way in hell she would freaking admit that she was staring. That would be a total embarrassment. She had her dignity and pride on the line.
"I—I—I—" Iniiwasan niyang tumingin sa direction ng binata, afraid that she would get caught lying. Patuloy niyang nilibot ang kanyang tingin hanggang sa pumako ito sa libro na hawak ng lalaki.
"I w-was just looking at your book! Yes, I was just looking at the book, curious of its content to the point na hindi mo na ako pinapansin." she immediately blurted.
Of course, it was an impromptu lie which she made up on the spot, and Prudent wasn't foolish not to know that.
He had been observing the girl, so he had seen the way she had looked around until her stare made a stop on the book on his hands. He already knows what she gonna say before she could even open her mouth.
"Is that so?", he wasn't buying it.
He looked at her dead in the eyes. Oriel unconsciously straighten her back.
'Why is he so intimidating?!' she made a cry in her head.
"Ayaw mong maniwala? Totoo ang sinabi ko! You're just like the rest of the men's population. Hindi na ako magtaka kung bakit aliw na aliw ka dyan sa libro mo." sabi niya.
"Heh" he made a mocking sound, "then prove it. What do you think I'm reading?"
"Isn't obvious?" she instantly stood up from her seat. "It's porn magazine!" malakas na sabi niya like she was announcing to the whole world to hear.
Every guy in the world is interested in those things. To the point that they could be creative with the book cover. Hindi siya naniniwala nga Advanced Chemistry ang binabasa ng lalaki.
She was confident that behind those educational cover are lewd and lecherous photos of different women in nudes.
Tahimikan ang namutawi sa pamamagitan nila habang umalingawlingaw ang boses niya sa apat na sulok ng silid-aralan.
Her index finger which was accusingly pointing towards Prudent was awkwardly hanging in the air.
"You're so stupid."
Napantig ang kanyang tenga dahil sa sinabi ng binata. His voice was not too high for a woman and not too low for a man.
Prudent had a blank expression on his face. Hinarap niya ang hawak na libro sa direksyon ng dalaga, showing the contents of the book.
"Oh my god!" bulalas niya dahil sa gulat at agad tinakpan ang kanyang mga mata. "My poor innocent eyes!"
"What are you doing!?" hindi niya mapigilan sumigaw ng tinangka ni Prudent na tanggalin ang kanyang mga kamay na tumatakip sa kanyang mga mata.
"Stop acting like a Virgin Mary and look." saway ni Prudent.
But she remain stubborn as a rock, "What? No! I don't want to see it."
"Fine" ...and he just give up like that.
He slump on his seat and leave the book wide open on the desk. Oriel curiously peeked between the gaps of her fingers and realize that Prudent is currently staring at her with mocking eyes.
Yung kahihiyan na naramdaman niya kanina lang ay tila bumabalik. This time, it came back with full force, face blushing with shame and humiliation.
Umiwas siya ng tingin at hindi sinadyang napatingin sa mesa kung saan nilantad ang nakabuka na libro sa kanyang harapan.
Bumungad sa kanya ang mga maraming numero and equations. There are even formulas that was too hard and less than easy to decipher.
She couldn't even understand what she was reading but one thing for certain, it wasn't a porn magazine.
It was really an Advanced Chemistry book!
Oh my...
"Porn magazine, huh." she could hear the sarcasm dripping from his words.
Kahit hindi siya nakatingin nito, alam niyang nakangisi ito sa kanya, ngisi na puno ng sarkastiko at panliliit.
Hiyang-hiya siya sa kanyang sarili kaya umusbong ang kanyang inis at uminit ang kanyang ulo nang makita kung paano siya tignan ni Prudent, she said with a slight raised of her tone, "s-shut up!"
Prudent, of course, remain cold and wasn't affected with her outburst. Instead, kinuha niya ang libro mula sa lamesa ng dalaga.
Tinaas niya ang kanyang tingin, making eye-contact with Oriel, "Not all men are horrible" he flatly said.
"If it makes you feel better, I'm not like those guys. I'm not interested in porn." That might be the longest sentence he had ever said after meeting Oriel.
Pagkatapos niyang ipinahiwatig ang kanyang parte, binaba niya ang kanyang tingin sa kanyang libro at muling bumalik sa kanyang binabasa, returning to the way it used to before the whole porn magazine scenario.