The trial started

"Alrighty, so, who's gonna spill the tea first?"

The three of us—Jennifer, Magnolia, and I—were all awkwardly quiet in the guidance office, even the folks outside were hush-hush.

"Okay, Chris, you go first. You good? Need a band-aid or something? You feeling dizzy or like, gonna puke?" I just shook my head.

"Well, see, Constancio's been messing with me since we got in the same class."

"Write it down, Mr. Nunez... Uh, Christopher. When did you first become classmates?" asked Ms. Manlapaz.

"We've been classmates since first year, last year."

"Right, last year... So, was he always picking on you back then?"

"Not really. It started toward the end of the first grading period. That's when he began saying all this stuff I didn't really get because I don't speak Panggalatoc."

"Never say Panggalatoc, it's Pangasinan or Pangasinense. Panggalatoc sounds like an insult, like how the Spaniards called us Indios, or how some call Chinese 'Intsik' and the Japanese 'Sakang.' So, never use that term. Got it?"

"O-Okay, Ma'am."

"Alright, go on. So, what kind of stuff did he say to you, if you remember?"

"He'd always call me ugly. 'Hey, you love hanging out with pretty girls, but you're so ugly!' That's what he'd usually say. I ignored him even when my classmates laughed at me. At first, I thought it was just teasing, but it kept happening..."

"Okay... So, what other terms did Cons use on you?" Magnolia raised her hand.

"Alright, can Magnolia speak, Christopher?" I nodded.

"Go ahead... Mr. Romulo, write down what Magnolia says."

"M-Ma'am, Cons called Chris 'amuringis,' 'ambaleng.' Stuff like that. I've been here since grade 4, so I know more of those words. They're really insulting. He'd say them in front of our classmates and other students at the park during our free time."

"When did you first see Constancio treating Christopher like that?"

"Since the seating arrangement in Math class, when Chris and Jennifer got to sit next to each other. Jennifer's pretty, lots of guys have a crush on her, including Cons. Chris didn't seem to care. Jennifer would borrow Chris's red pen, and sometimes they'd touch hands."

"AAAYYYYYYIIIIIEEEEE!" screamed the peanut gallery by the big window.

"SSHHHHHHHHHHHHH..." hushed a CAT officer outside.

"Alright, Jennifer, your name came up. What do you have to say, Jennifer? Hold up, Martin, you'll write down what Jennifer says. Go ahead, Jennifer, anything to add?"

"Uhhhmmm, Ma'am, I noticed Cons bullying Chris too. Chris is really quiet. We became close friends with Chris and Magnolia, and Chris would join our group projects. He's great at drawing, especially for Science."

"What did Cons say in Pangasinan to insult Christopher?"

"Cons called him stuff like 'kurakbeng,' 'amuringis,' 'agto mansi-shampoo,' and 'angob baboy.' Some words sounded like Ilocano too, which I didn't understand. Our classmates would laugh at Chris, but he ignored it, thinking Cons was talking to someone else."

"Chris never reacted to those insults? Until this incident happened?"

Magnolia and Jennifer nodded in agreement with Ms. Manlapaz's last words.

"We'll compile all your statements, along with Constancio's, as an anecdotal record. A meeting will be arranged between Mrs. Donaldo and Mr. or Mrs. Resultay, Constancio's parents. Plus, the parents of the other students involved, like Bernard and others."

"Ma'am, Bernard and his mom are here."

"Don't let them in yet. Jennifer and Magnolia, sit at the dining table. David, grab a chair for Christopher and have him sit behind me. Marlon, Jenny, and Robilyn, surround Christopher. Take your positions."