Chapter 10

"Oh, no. I was about to go to Rita," sabi ko sa kanya. "Sa kanya ako manghihiram ng pera."

"Mag-e-effort ka pa sa paglalakad. I insist," he told me and he let go of my arm unwillingly. "Let me pay for it para di ka na mapagod pabalik-balik."

Hindi na'ko nakapag-object pa nang inabot na niya agad ang bayad sa cashier at binigay sa'kin ang bottled water. I just accepted it and said, "Thanks. I'll pay you tomorrow. Mali lang kasi 'yung wallet na nadala ko today."

"Ano ka ba? Kahit hindi na. It's just water."

"No. I also insist," I said firmly. "Nakakahiya. Saka pasensya ka na."

"Happy to help," sabi niya habang nakangiti. And this time, in broad daylight, I saw his perfect white teeth. Perfect smile, I thought.

Nagpasalamat ulit ako sa kanya at agad na bumalik sa table namin ni Rita. And as usual, di na naman ako nakaligtas sa interview portion niya. She saw it, too.

"What was that all about?" simula nang pagtatanong niya.

"That was embarrassing," I said. "Nakalimutan ko 'yung wallet ko sa bahay at mali 'yung nadala ko. The worse part is wala itong lamang pera."

"Oh, my God. So, he paid for you," she assumed correctly and I nodded. "What a knight in shining armor. Feeling ko crush ka ni Jake."

"WHAT!?" I protested. "Crush agad? Mabait lang 'yung tao, noh. Saka babayaran ko siya bukas."

"Hulaan ko, 'yan din sabi mo sa kanya pero ayaw niyang bayaran mo."

"Yeah, so?"

"So, that's a sign. I really think he likes you."

I tried to ignore that idea at tinapos ko na lang kainin ang baon ko. Cookery ang sumunod kong klase pagkatapos ng lunch. Then after that, I was so happy kasi magkaklase ulit kami ni Rita sa PE. And not only that, pati si Kurt ay naging kaklase rin namin. The three of us were together hanggang sa last period namin which was History.

Last period went by and everyone flooded out of the classroom. Palabas na kami ng campus nang tinanong kami ni Rita kung mahilig ba kami ni Kurt sa milktea dahil may alam siyang lugar na pupuntahan. Nag-aya siyang mag-hangout muna kami after school bago umuwi.

Kurt was a fan of milktea even way back in Manila, habang so-so lang ako. So, the three of us decided to go to the place Rita was talking about habang si Kurt ang nag-volunteer na mag-drive ulit ng kotse. Nag-tryout siya sa basketball team at nakapasok siya, which was not surprising at all. Nagkwento rin si Rita ng experience niya nung nagpa-audition sila ng mga bagong Glee Club members. She was a bit disappointed kasi wala raw masyadong sumali at konti lang ang natanggap.

Well, I was glad to hear na parehong productive ang first day nilang dalawa while I decided not to join any clubs this semester. Titingnan ko pa rin next sem. We also talked about the tracks that we were taking. We all wanted to pursue different career paths: culinary, law, and musical theater, respectively.

Dumating na rin kami sa wakas dun sa place na may malaking signage sa labas saying: Milky Way. It was actually a café where you could dine-in. There were tables and chairs inside and they didn't only serve milktea, they also had pastries, cake, and kinds of bread. The ambiance was like Starbucks except milktea ang sini-serve nila instead of coffee.

Nag-order kami ng iba-ibang flavor ng milktea at cinnamon bread for each of us. While we were waiting, pareho kaming napalingon sa pinto ng café nang may pumasok na isang grupo ng mga estyudyante. It was led by Anastasia Ortega.

Papunta silang lahat sa direksyon kung saan kami nakaupo. Dumaan lang sila sa table namin at pumunta sa bandang dulo --- except kay Anastasia. She stopped by right where we were seated.

"Hi," bati niya sa'min. "I'm so sorry, I was not able to personally welcome you guys earlier. But I know and I'm confident that you're in good hands dahil sina Rita at Jake ang nag-accommodate sa inyo."

Her hands were clasped together habang kausap kami. She looked even more stunning sa malapitan at mukha pa rin siyang fresh kahit after class na.

"By the way, I'm Anastasia Ortega, President of the Student Government. But please, just call me Ana," she held out her hand at dahil nasa aisle ako nakaupo, ako ang naunang kumamay sa kanya.

"I'm Kat."

"And I'm Kurt," pakilala naman ng kambal ko when it was his turn to shake Ana's hands. "And you're right. Rita and Jake did a good job taking care of us."

"Well, I'm happy to hear that. Thank you, Rita," she told my friend who was seated beside me.

"My pleasure," sagot ni Rita. "So, you're also here to hangout?"

"Oh, no, not really. I'm with my officials now kasi need na namin i-finalize ang mga first few projects natin sa school. We just need a refreshing ambiance kaya kami nandito."

She seemed pretty nice. Bago siya umalis, she even told us that in case we need anything at school, we can count on Rita and Jake. Or even her.

Dumating na rin sa wakas ang mga in-order namin. I found myself enjoying milktea especially the pearls playing inside my mouth. And then bigla kong na-realize, Puerto Estrella wasn't so bad after all. For the first time in my life, nakaramdam ako ng sense of belongingness. Hindi lang dahil ito ang birthplace namin ni Kurt at ng mga parents namin, but also because of the people.

And the place . . . pakiramdam ko may gravity na parang nagpu-pull sa'kin. A weird sensation that made me feel attached which I couldn't explain. It's heavy. Powerful. Mysterious.

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