Chapter 6 - six

๐——๐—˜๐—˜

๐—๐˜‚๐—น๐˜† ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿญ, ๐—ช๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†, ๐Ÿญ:๐Ÿฐ๐Ÿฌ ๐—ฝ.๐—บ.

It was our last class na for the day and we were just waiting for Mrs. Kajo, teacher namin sa Music.

Gwen was beside me, as usual, but naka-rest sa kamay niya yung isang side ng face niya kasi sobrang inaantok siya. Napapapikit na nga siya, eh. Si Helen naman, nasa office ng student council. Why? Because she was elected as the class representative. Who was she with? Well, none other than Paris Abrell.

It was Gwen's birthday kahapon kaya medyo groggy siya today because she had a party sa kanila. Helen and I were there, but umuwi kami nang maaga. Two in the morning na natapos yung party kaya puyat talaga siya.

While I was finishing an essay na homework namin for English, my gaze detection flared up. I looked up from my papers and almost dropped my jaw when I found that it was Shishi looking at me. He was looking over his shoulder pa talaga.

I was so tempted to touch my face and check my reflection from my compact mirror. May dumi ba ako sa mukha o tinubuan na ako ng ass crack sa noo?

Nag-iwas naman agad siya ng tingin. Siguro napatingin lang din siya. Pero dahil self-conscious ako, kinuha ko agad yung mirror from my bag and checked myself. But I looked okay. Mukha pa rin naman akong tao.

Shishi and I never really spoke to each other. The only time that he spoke to me directly was on our first day and when Gwen took his seat. Pero minsan, nagkakatinginan kami. Mas madalas nga lang siyang sumimangot kaysa mag-iwas ng tingin like what he did today.

It was normal that we were not acquaintances, but lahat kasi ng friends niya, ka-close na namin. Of course, Kyo was our club's president so palagi kaming nagkikita after classes and he was really nice. Paris always hung out in our clubroom to wait for Kyo. I noticed na lagi niyang pinipikon si Helen. Siguro dahil mainit talaga ang ulo ni Helen sa kanya kaya niya ginagawa 'yon.

And Amy was very nice as well. Sumasama siya sa amin minsan kaya medyo naging ka-close na rin namin siya. Hindi pala sila ni Shishi. She did not tell us that, but we saw it in Kurai Miwako kasi there were blogs about them na puro speculations tungkol sa real status ng relationship nila.

It all started the week after my first PAD gig. I had to go out kasi nakalimutan ko yung phone ko sa garden when we hung out there during study hall and it was raining. Drizzle pa lang paglabas ko ng building namin, but on my way to the garden biglang nag-downpour. Amy saw me leaving the main building because she had to go to the clinic to get pain relievers for her stomachache. She called me from the front doors and I was surprised because she knew my name. She told me to wait and went back inside. Paglabas niya, nakapayong na siya and she accompanied me sa garden. Basa na yung phone ko kasi walang shade yung table na pinagpatungan ko, but hindi naman nasira.

After that, she started hanging out with us lalo kapag lunch. She even ditched Callie, her friend na kasama niya sa room, and Scheri, the other girl na napunta sa 1-B. Well, not totally ditched, during lunchtime lang naman. Pero minsan, si Shishi ang kasama niya sa separate na table. Minsan lang yun kasi sabi niya, mas madalas daw na hindi mag-lunch si Shishi kaya sa garden nakatambay. Or uuwi raw si Shishi at babalik for our period after study hall. Malapit lang daw kasi ang bahay ni Shishi dito sa school. Ang dami kong nalaman kay Shishi dahil kay Amy.

One thing I noticed about her was all she could talk about was Shishi and how close they were. So there was that. But it was fine, as long as it did not affect us personally. There were things na sa Kurai Miwako ko lang nakita. For one, Shishi's full name being Shiloh Ander Lorca Dominguez, and that his mother was Spanish while his father was Pinoy and he was born in Spain but moved here sa Pinas when he was barely a year old. There were also other nasty rumors about him na mukhang hindi naman totoo. Pero yung mga nalalaman namin from Amy were not that trivial. Like the fact na inaanak ng mommy niya yung ate ni Shishi so they had been together since he lived here.

Si Shishi, madalas siyang pumasok nang nakainom. There was a time pa na pumasok siya na nagdadabog siya. Sabi ni Paris, muntik na raw mapaaway sa mga taga-Northside, the private semi-military school on the other side of the city, while on his way papasok. I also caught him smoking sa loob ng school twice. Both times, I saw him sa pwesto nila sa garden. It was patay na oras at wala masyadong students and teachers kasi he skipped the class. The first time was when I went to the toilet in the middle of our lesson. One of our teachers saw me and asked me to bring a potted pink bougainvillea for her to the greenhouse kaya nakita ko si Shishi. Nakita niya rin ako kaya napatagal yung tingin ko sa kanya. I noticed it was not a cigarette in his hand, but a slender tube na color black na parang spoon kasi pabilog yung dulo.

"Hey, babe. Saang guild ka ba talaga sasali?"

I looked up from my papers again and paid attention to Gwen. "Why so atat?"

"Kasi kung saan-saang guild ka napunta. Ako ang nahihilo sa'yo."

"Hindi pa rin kasi ako makapag-decide, eh."

"Sa Cosers ka na lang kasi."

"Naiilang kasi ako sa guild na 'yon. They're all pros. Nakakahiyang makisali ako."

"Ate Jessa really wants you there. Nai-imagine ko na rin na naka-cosplay ka! You'd be so cute!"

I cringed. I never really considered myself to be the 'cute' type kasi mas bagay ako sa 'shunga' na category. "I'll think about it. The only thing I like about cosplaying is making the costumes, you know? But, yeah, I'll give it a thought."

"That's the spirit!" Gwen smiled. "They said may parade or show ang Cosers Guild every school festival. I will tell Kyo na ikaw ang mag-lead."

"You won't do that, Gwendolyn!" I pointed my finger at her. I knew it was impossible, but I was panicking inside already. Sometimes, I suspected I had anxiety. "I'm telling you. Ayoko nga."

"Arte. Bagay kaya sayo. Kasi sa guild namin, gagawa lang kami ng booth."

"Support ko na lang kayo," I said and went back to my essay.

"I still can't believe na girl ang best friend ni Sir," sabi ni Gwen after a while. Nakapangalumbaba ulit siya at nginuso niya si Shishi. He was talking to Amy and they seemed quite immersed sa topic nila. It was not a brand new sight kasi lagi naman silang ganyan. "Akala ko si Paris ang bestie niya."

"God moves in mysterious ways," I said with a jocular smile as I put my papers back inside my bag. Hindi pa ako tapos sa essay ko but I could feel na gustong makipagkwentuhan ni Gwen so sa bahay ko na lang gagawin yung homework ko mamaya. "Maybe they like each other and they're too shy to admit it."

Tumingin siya sa akin. "Like you and Zach?"

"Shut up. Do you really have to bring him up all the time?"

"Kasi you can't forever hide the fact na part siya ng buhay mo. All around you, lalo pag-uwi mo, everything will remind you of him. How will you move past him kung lagi mo siyang iniiwasan? Kahit topics lang about him? You have to get used to it."

"I'm trying, alright?"

Gwen nodded to my belly. "You should've told him kasi."

Napahawak ako doon and I felt the same stabbing pain in my chest. Binitiwan ko rin agad. "He changed bago pa siya umalis. And hindi niya na sinasagot yung calls and texts ko when I found out, 'di ba? This wouldn't have made him come back. He changed na talaga."

"We noticed that. Anyway." She sighed. "Don't come back to him ever kahit bumalik siya, okay? Find other things to focus on while you try to get used to his existence somewhere. Kaya sumali ka na ng guild para you have activities to do talaga, instead na panuorin mo lang kami and tumambay sa lobby."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I know. Okay, enough topic na about him."

Five minutes before mag-start ang next class namin, dumating na si Helen, followed by Paris. Tahimik sila, but they both looked annoyed. Nagkapikunan ulit siguro. Then Mrs. Kajo came in.

Tumingin ako kay Shishi, his head was buried in his bag. Tulog na naman. Hindi na lang siya pinansin ng teacher namin. Sanay na yata ang lahat sa kanya na wala naman siyang pinapakinggan.

"So, class, you're all aware of the upcoming annual school festival on the fourth week of October, right? Before the semestral break."

Some answered her question, those students na nasa pinakaunahan. They were the most attentive, so sila talaga yung laging sumasagot sa mga tanong ng teachers.

"And with that being said, I've already thought of the perfect project for all of you."

Of course, the attentive kids were curious so they asked her what that project was.

"You will make music."

My brows scrunched together. Napatingin ako sa friends ko, they had the same 'what the fuck' expression in their faces. Helen met my gaze and she widened her eyes at me like saying, You hear that? What the fuck?

Paris raised his hand. Because of that, the fangirls got excited. Seriously, that was their only role in this story.

"Yes, Mr. Abrell, do you have a question?"

Tumayo na si Paris. "Mrs. Kajo, you look stunning today, by the way," he said, giving her his signature full-on 'heartthrob' smile. Our elderly teacher was too gullible and bought it. "Naisip ko lang, pa'no yun? Magko-compose ba kami ng sariling kanta? Medyo mahirap yata yun. Saka pa'no yun connected sa festival?"

Kung magtanong naman siya parang hindi siya musician.

Mrs. Kajo cleared her throat. "Take your seat, Mr. Abrell."

Naupo naman si Paris and he even shrugged at Amy na katabi niya.

"You will choose two pop songs at least to cover. And you have to give it a twist. Change the genre any way you want. And so it won't be hard on you because I know it will be, I will assign you partners from the instructors of Kapisanan ng Musika."

I forgot she was the advisor of that club. Kapisanan was one of the major clubs in Miwako, so they had their own advisor. Gusto kong mapa-facepalm tuloy. Gwapo lang si Paris pero tanga rin minsan. Club na pala nila ang kausap ng teacher namin, wala pa rin siyang clue.

"I'm seeing we have two of those instructors here in class," Mrs. Kajo said, looking at Paris. When her eyes landed on Shishi, napahinga na lang siya nang malalim. Who would have thought na instructor si Shishi? "Whoever will be paired with Mr. Abrell and Mr. Dominguez won't have another partner from Kapisanan. We have an even number of people in this class, and I've already chosen the pairs beforehand."

Hindi ko gusto yung project na 'to.

"Gusto niyo 'yon?" tanong ko sa friends ko.

They just gave me the same look.

"You will submit your project a week before the festival. Likes and shares in Facebook within the span of that week until the event will make at least thirty percent of your grade. So you have to do promotions. Kayo lang ang class na binigyan ko ng ganitong project, so you have all the means in the world to do your best."

Bagsak na kami dito. Sila Shishi at Paris ba kami? Our grade would be based on social media impact pa. I looked around the room, trying to find kung sino ba sa amin ang sumpa kaya sa amin napunta ang project na 'to, but bukod sa teacher sa harap, mukhang wala naman.

"One more thing, you need to sing, okay?" Mrs. Kajo smiled. Oh, Jesus, take the wheel. "It doesn't matter if you've got a bad voice, you can use autotune when recording. Kapisanan people have a lot of ways to amp up your game."

Oh, God. Ang panget ng boses ko. Sobra. Isipin ko pa lang, gusto ko nang magpakain sa lupa. I hated to fail but, damn, this was one thing I would never do.

"And if it's any consolation, pwede kayong mag-enlist ng help from professional musicians. They can sing with you too. Whatever you can do to get those likes and shares. I will announce the pairings now."

"At least, sana magka-partner tayo," Gwen said.

"Kaya nga," Helen agreed.

Inirapan ko sila. "Excuse me? Tatlo tayo."

"Shi, gising na!"

Napatingin ako sa unahan ko and I saw Amy trying to shake Shishi awake. He was still too deep in sleep.

"Baka tayo ang ma-pair up!" Amy hissed excitedly. "Wouldn't that be great? Gising na!"

Great? Siguro nga. They would make a great pair. Sana panget parehas ang boses nila.

I saw Shishi lift his head to look at his best friend. He rubbed the sleep away from his eyes with his knuckle, yawning. And I did not realize until a few seconds later na napapatitig pala ako sa kanya. Narinig ko pang nagtatanong siya tungkol sa project.

Sometimes, the small things he did could be quite captivating.

"Ms. Chan will be with Ms. Renfro. And from Kapisanan, you will work with Ms. Amore."

"That sounds familiar," Gwen mused. "Amore?"

"Warren's sister. Emma," sabi ni Helen. She looked so nonchalant, the way she stared out the window sa side ko. "Purple hair? Nose ring?"

"Oh." Gwen pursed her lips. Napatingin siya sa unahan. "I guess this upsets her."

Tumingin ako kay Amy saglit at natawa. "Baka. Hey, 'di ba si Emma yung nakwento mo sa'min? Sa toilet ng bar?"

Napatingin si Helen sa amin pero saglit lang.

"Yeah. I mean, that's cool and all. Saka nasa bar tayo no'n, eh. So I wasn't totally shocked. Siguro kasi I knew her kahit sa name lang. Kaya ko nakwento sa inyo agad."

"Ms. Lo will be with Mr. Abrell."

"Oh, fuck this whole shit." Helen groaned and mahina niya pang hinampas yung table niya. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and drilled holes into the back of Paris' head. Paris did not even turn nga, eh. Parang wala lang sa kanya. Maybe hindi niya rin gusto, considering na mukhang nagkapikunan sila kanina.

"Gosh! She is so lucky to be paired with a PAD member!"

"Putang ina," mahina pero malutong na sabi ni Helen kaya natawa kami ni Gwen. Kapag kasi nagmura na siya in Tagalog, totoo na yung inis niya no'n.

"And the last pair is... Ms. Yurieva and..."

Oh, fuck. Eto na.

"So it's Ms. Yurieva and Mr. Dominguez. Sorry, I had to make corrections there."

"Ano ba 'yan!"

Dominguez? That was freaking Shishi, 'di ba?

My heart started beating like crazy with just the thought of spending time with him, making music with him which he loved to do. Ang layo agad nang narating ng isip ko, scenes like us singing together and the likes. Gusto ko nang magbigti kasi I should not be having thoughts like that.

"OMG! Si Shishi ang partner mo, Dee!" Gwen shook my arm. "That's fate!"

Nahirapan yung utak ko na i-process yung nangyayari. OA na kung OA pero ang daming bagay na dapat ika-shock. Firstly, napakasungit ng lalakeng 'yan. Baka sapakin na lang ako bigla n'yan. Paano ko siya pakikisamahan? I was a little curioused sa kanya after everything I saw him do but that did not change the fact na he was one of the school bullies. Secondly, he was famous. Music artist talaga 'yan. Professional 'yan. Hindi magwo-work ang pabebe ways ko for sure. Pressured na agad ako.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Kajo, can't you just pair Shishi with me?"

I subtly threw a glare at Amy's way. She was already standing up. I did not know what her problem was and what she was fighting for, but she irritated me with what she was doing. First time kong mairita sa kanya.

"No, Ms. Chan. You already have a partner."

Padabog pa na umupo si Amy. What a brat.

"Ang arte nito," nakasimangot na sabi ni Helen.

"Pa'no 'yan, Shi?" Amy looked so distressed. "Hindi tayo ang partners."

But Shishi just shook his head and looked outside the window, muttering a silent, "Tss."

When Amy turned around to face us people sitting in the back, tumaas ang brows ko. "Hey, Dee."

"Why?"

"Take care of Shishi, okay?"

Sumulyap ako saglit kay Shishi. Nakasubsob na ulit siya sa bag niya. Then kay Amy ulit ako tumingin. "Sure."

She smiled before giving me a thumbs-up and faced the front of the class again. Weird.

"Kinikilig ka, 'no? Si Shishi kasi ang partner mo," bulong ni Gwen sa akin kaya inirapan ko ulit siya.

I could not say that I was kinikilig. Excited, perhaps, but I was feeling more pressured and nervous. I was not a talented person to begin with, so what could I possibly contribute to this project?

"Go to your respective partners now, class. You can meet with your Kapisanan groupmates after school. We still have fifteen minutes left for you to discuss plans about your project with your partners. Start now."

The whole room was in chaos. Everyone was excited to failโ€”duh, hahakutin na nila Shishi and Paris yung shares at likes na 'yan. Mrs. Kajo was not thinking when she came up with this. Unless makuha ng classmates ko ang tulong nila Selena Gomez or Justin Bieber. Or kahit si Sarah Geronimo.

Gwen and Amy went to the back to speak. Paris walked over to Helen, smiling at me on his way, but she only looked at him as he took Gwen's chair. Despite that, he still laid out things he said they could consider.

As for me, I stayed glued to my seat. I did not know what to do. Gusto kong lumapit kay Shishi but I was scared kasi baka mag-feeling Super Saiyan siya. Lagi pa naman siyang high blood.

"Ms. Yurieva? Why don't you go to your partner?" Mrs. Kajo asked. Nagulat na nga lang ako kasi nasa gilid ko na siya. My friends looked at her before looking at me.

"Yeah, sure, sorry," sabi ko na lang at tumayo na. Lumapit ako kay Shishi, stopping just beside the desk behind him. Ewan ko ba, this guy was very intimidating.

I asked myself, What do I do? Hassle pala talaga na siya ang naka-partner ko. Gusto ko siyang gisingin but I knew for sure, magagalit lang siya.

Lumapit sa akin si Paris. "What's up?"

"Tulog kasi, eh," sabi ko sa kanya. "I don't wanna wake him up, baka mangagat."

Seรฑorito, gising na.

"Akong bahala." Binaba ni Paris yung hood from Shishi's head and hit him there without hesitations kaya kahit ako nagulat. "Hoy, kulot, gising. Nandyan na partner mo. Kailangan niyong pag-usapan yung tungkol sa project."

"Ano ba 'yon?" Shishi snarled. It was comical but I could swear I saw a lion roaring in him. Okay, maybe I was seeing things. Nakatalikod siya sa direction ko kaya hindi ko masyadong makita ang mukha niya pero parang hindi ko na gugustuhing makita pa. "Para ka namang tanga, Paris, eh. Kitang natutulog ako, puta."

"Mahiya ka naman sa partner mo, tol. Kanina pa naghihintay d'yan."

He sniffed loudly na parang may sipon siya. "Bakit, sino bang partner ko?"

Biglang kumabog yung dibdib ko dahil sa tanong niya. Jeez, Dee.

"Si Dee," Paris said, nodding his head to my direction.

Hindi agad nagsalita si Shishi. Hindi niya yata alam na nasa likod lang niya ako. But after a few beats, nagsalita na rin siya. "Sino 'yon?"

My jaw almost dropped to the ground.

Was he being serious? We had been together in the same class for almost a month now, and he did not know me? Okay, I was just a peasant and he was a royalty in this school but that was still plain insulting.

"Tanga. Ayan. 'Yang nasa likod mo." Paris nudged him sa shoulder muna before pointing to me.

Huminga ako nang malalim to gather my strength. Hinanda ko ang taas ng kilay ko dahil siguradong lilingunin na ako ni Shishi. I should show him na hindi naman ako bully-material.

Shishi craned his neck to look at me. But when we locked eyes, kusang bumaba ang kilay ko.

That stare reminded me of my dad. The stare of someone who knew that you were beneath them. Yung tingin na nakakapangliit. I wanted to turn my back on him, go back to my seat, and ask Mrs. Kajo if I could switch partners with Amy para kami na lang ni Gwen. Heck, I would even settle for Paris kasi package siyang groupmate.

"Maiwan ko na kayo. Mukhang wala rin kaming magagawa ni Helen, eh. Sayang oras. Tawagin mo na lang ako kapag inaway ka n'yan, Dee," Paris told me with a wink before he went back to my little friend. Gusto ko siyang hilahin pabalik at sabihin na samahan niya ako dahil hindi ko kayang makipag-deal sa kaibigan niya but of course, nakakahiya 'yon.

Naiwan kami ni Shishi na parang mga timang. Nagtititigan.

Bumaba ang tingin niya. Mula ulo hanggang paa niya ako tiningnan. Nailang tuloy ako. Then bigla pa siyang sumimangot.

I took another deep breath. I would not get anywhere kapag nakipagtitigan ako sa kanya. "Sorry to bother you, Shishi. Anong plano mo para sa project natin?"

"Wala."

Nakakainis. Wala siyang kwentang kausap. Grades ko ang nakasalalay dito. I could not fail. I had to prove something to my parents.

"Wala akong plano. At kung magkakaroon man, saka na lang. Inaantok pa 'ko."

"Butโ€”"

"But-but-in ko kaya mukha mo? Saka na nga lang sabi, eh. Istorbo ka."

Napasimangot ako. "Hindi ako nang-iistorbo. Nautusan lang ako na makipag-usap sa'yo."

"Eh bakit hindi yung nag-utos sa'yo ang kausapin mo?"

"Baka kasi ikaw yung ka-partner ko?"

"Eh sa tinatamad nga ako at inaantok, eh," maangas na sabi niya. "Bakit, wala na bang next time? Mamamatay ka na ba bukas?"

Pinagtitinginan na kami ng ibang classmates namin na malapit sa amin. Si Helen nakasimangot na. Nakikita kong gusto na niyang lumapit at makialam.

"Kasi nga, Shishi," diniinan ko yung pagbanggit sa pangalan niya. But hindi ko na rin naituloy ang sasabihin ko because he shot me a deadly glare.

"Kapag sinabi kong next time, next time," matigas na sabi niya before facing his desk again. He let his head fall on top of his bag and went back to sleep.

I was left there standing, not believing anything that just happened.

What happened to the boy who gave those kids food to eat for the night? What happened to the boy who high-fived them with a smirk on his lips, like he was delighted to hear them say thanks?

This guy was such an enigma.

My shoulders fell slowly. I let out a sigh and went back to my seat.

You really are a lion trapped in a human's body, Shishi.

โˆ˜ โธป โˆ˜

๐—›๐—˜๐—Ÿ๐—˜๐—ก

๐—๐˜‚๐—น๐˜† ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿญ, ๐—ช๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†, ๐Ÿฏ ๐—ฝ.๐—บ.

"So that's what he did," Amy said, ending her long monologue with a smile that showed how deep her dimples were. She told us about how Shishi beat up a guy who stalked her a year ago. Ni-reject niya raw yung guy, so he stalked her, and nagsumbong siya kay Shishi kaya inabangan no'ng tatlo. But it was only Shishi who threw the punches.

We stood outside Kapisanan ng Musika's clubroom in Yon, sa harap ng window overlooking the courtyard that connected this building to Roku. Gwen asked me na samahan siya para hindi lang si Amy ang kasama niya so they could talk to Emma Amore about our project.

Emma. Emma and her snarky smirk.

Dee was not with us because she had to go home early. Her mom wanted to bring her to a friend's party in Batangas. Dee hated it but she had to do whatever they said, although yung mom niya lang naman ang palaging maraming lakad. She was trying to keep them off her ass kasi kapag nagtigas siya ng ulo, isasama siya sa Russia. That would suck terribly. She and Gwen were the only things that kept me wanting to go to this school.

Honestly, I wanted to go home na. Magre-review pa ako because I had just started my IB course for Literature last week. That was twice a week, every Tuesdays and Thursdays.

And bad trip kasi ako kay Paris. Sa meeting ng class representatives kanina, he kept talking to me. He told me a lot of stories about people I did not even know sa loob ng meeting room. Mas chismoso pa siya sa babae. Kaya ako nairita sa kanya and I asked him if he also talked in his sleep because his mouth ran all the time. Sabi niya, ang suplada ko raw and asked me pa if it was the time of the month. Kaya ako lalong nainis.

I told him na wala siyang pake and not to talk to me kasi we were not friends, so he shut up. We never spoke again until we had to because of the project. I told him I was not in the mood to use my brain, kaya he just hung out sa upuan ni Gwen para kunwari nagdi-discuss pa rin kami. He was probably annoyed with me as well, kaya hindi siya nanggulo.

I did not even have any idea why we were there sa meeting room. Dee nominated me as class representative before. Sabi niya sa class, mataas daw ang grades ko from middle school. So ang akala ng classmates namin, responsible ako and tiwala agad sila na may leadership skills talaga ako just because of some stupid numbers on some pieces of paper. Paris volunteered when we were asked for a male representative. I wanted to back out when he was appointed, but no one wanted to volunteer or even nominate.

"What happened next?" Gwen asked. She glanced at me once and I had to hold in a snort because I knew the meaning behind that look. She was asking for help to keep the conversation going kasi she was either running out of words or losing interest. She was way too nicer than me. If I were in her shoes, I would stop talking. But she wanted to be polite so she entertained Amy pa rin.

"He stopped stalking me, but Shishi was suspended for a few days. Three days yata? I can't remember, but not a full week. The punishment was worth it naman kasi he did it to protect me."

"Did he say that?"

"Not exactly those words, but he said it was fine when I apologized. Sabi niya, at least hindi na ako guguluhin. Yun yung sinabi niya."

"Aw, that's sweet."

Yumuko ako. I pretended I was pulling up my grey socks that stopped below my knees so they would not see na napailing ako.

"Did you, like, date before?"

Amy's cheeks flushed. The more time she spent with us, medyo nakikita ko na yung sinasabi ni Dee dati. She was pretty. "No, never kami nag-date. I don't wanna date him until he stops hooking up with his groupies."

Napaangat ako ng tingin. "He does what?"

Amy bit her lower lip. Magsasalita pa sana siya but the clubroom's door slid open. Naglabasan na yung members. The Vandalics were not there kasi Shishi and Paris picked up Kyo from our clubroom to go to their band's practice. We waited until we spotted a purple head behind the sea of students.

"Hey, Emma. Emma!" Amy called, waving her arm.

Emma saw us agad at tinanggal niya yung earphones niya. Hung from her shoulder was a big rectangular bag that I guessed was for her keyboard. Amy told us earlier that Emma played the organ. As always, she wore fishnets. Lumapit siya sa amin and nagkatinginan kami saglit. "Bakit?"

"Mrs. Kajo assigned us forโ€”"

"Right," putol niya sa sinasabi ni Amy. Huminga siya nang malalim at ngumiti siya sa isang side lang ng lips niya. She spread her arms slightly and said, "Well, here I am. Anong plano?"

"Um, this is Gwen nga pala." Amy gestured to my friend. "Siya yung isa nating groupmate. And this is Helen, our classmate."

Emma eyed Gwen and me. Lalong nag-widen yung half smirk niya. "Okay. So ano ngang plano?"

"We actually went here to ask you that. Kasi ikaw yung, like, guide namin, right?"

The finger Emma used to scratch the side of her nose near the ring had a star tattoo. "Wala pa rin akong naiisip, eh. Pero nasabi ko na kay Warren kagabi."

Nagkatinginan kaming tatlo.

"When was this announced sa club niyo?" Amy asked.

"Kahapon. Hindi ba sinabi sa inyo nila Paris?"

Umiling si Amy.

"Tanga talaga mga 'yon," natatawang sabi ni Emma.

For a second habang natawa siya, nagkatinginan kami. Her brown eyes were made wider because of her heavy eyeliner. Kahit hindi kami required na magsuot ng blazer namin until the end of the term, she wore hers. Even under the layers of her clothes, halatang skinny siya. Sunken din yung cheeks niya.

"Sabi ni Warren pwede tayong humingi ng tulong sa PAD. Hindi rin masyadong na-explain details sa'min kahapon. Alam lang namin magre-record ng kanta. Ano bang sabi sa inyo ni Kajo?"

Amy and Gwen explained the details to her. She nodded every now and then, her tongue playing the inside of her cheek.

"Okay. Sumama na lang tayo sa susunod na practice nila. Itatanong ko kay Warren," Emma said and looked at me. "Ikaw? Sinong partner mo sa club?"

"Paris," I replied kaya napa-chuckle siya. "Lucky me, right?"

Natawa silang tatlo.

"Sakto pala, eh," sabi pa ni Emma. "Takits na lang tayo sa practice nila. Kunin ko na rin number mo, Gwen, para ma-text kita."

Napakunot ang noo ko sa sinabi niya. Especially when Gwen started typing her number sa phone niya. Instead na ibulsa niya ulit 'yon, bigla niyang inabot sa akin.

"Sa'yo rin. Iresponsable partner mo, eh."

Tumingin ako kay Gwen saglit to see kung parehas ba kami ng reaction sa number exchange na 'to, but her face did not change. Parang wala lang sa kanya. Kinuha ko na rin yung phone ni Emma and typed in my number.

"Mauna na 'ko," Emma said and went ahead sa'min.

Sabay-sabay na kaming tatlo na bumaba. Amy bade good bye when we reached the lockers kasi nauna rin naman siyang magpalit ng shoes. Outside, Kuya Simon was waiting for us.

As we hopped inside his car, he asked, "Where's Dee?"

"Dragged into an oldies-only party," sabi ko and we all shared a laugh.

Kuya Simon floored his car into the road. When we were already in the highway, I received a text from an unknown number. Before I read it, tumingin ako kay Gwen. She rode shotgun, and she was busy exchanging jokes with her brother. So I opened the text and I did not expect na mapapangiti ako because of amusement.

๐ก๐จ๐ฉ๐ž ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ง'๐ญ ๐ญ๐š๐ค๐ž ๐ญ๐จ๐จ ๐ฆ๐š๐ง๐ฒ ๐š๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ค๐š๐ฌ๐ข ๐ฌ๐š๐ฌ๐š๐ค๐ข๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐จ ๐ฆ๐จ ๐ค๐š๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐š๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ. ;)