Chapter 10

Umuwi akong bahay na gulong-gulo ang utak dahil sa nangyari kanina sa amin ni Prince. Naiiyak ako dahil hindi ko akalaing dadating kami sa point na ganito ni Prince. He's the only childhood friend who remained in my life. I can't afford to lose him but I know that I can't reciprocate the feelings he has for me. Never sumagi sa isip ko na mapupunta kami sa isang romantic relationship. Kailangan kong ayusin ito, hindi pwedeng masira lang ang years of friendship namin ng ganun-ganun na lang. I called and texted him pero hindi niya ako sinasagot. I even tried asking tita about his whereabouts pero hindi daw siya nagsasabi sa kanya.

Enrolment na ngayon for second semester nang makasalubong ko si Brianna sa corridor.

"Hey Brianna, alam mo ba kung nasaan si Prince."

"Hanapan ba ako ng nawawalang tao?" taas-kilay ne'tong tanong sa akin.

"I saw him sa swimming pool area ng university," si Mariella na nasa likod ko, na hindi ko man lang napansin.

I thanked her and naglakad na papunta sa sinabi niyang lugar. Hinanap ko si Prince doon at nakita kong may twalya sa isang lounge kaya baka nasa shower area siya. Tama nga ako, lumabas si Prince sa shower area.

"Hey!" bati ko sa kanya.

"Kailangan mo?"

"Bakit ako pa? Sa dami nang girls mo, bakit?" tanong ko sa kanya.

"Hindi ko din alam e, ang pangit mo naman," tumatawang sagot niya sa akin.

"You think this is a joke?" Naiiritang tanong ko sa kanya. How can he talk about this lightly?

"Hyacinth, hindi naman ikaw ang nasasaktan e. After the incident sa parking na-realize ko na, kasalanan ko naman kasi I never made my intentions clear. Hindi mo kasalanan 'yun. Don't worry, I will deal with my feelings. Sabi mo nga, ang dami kong girls malay mo isa sa kanila 'yung para sa akin talaga."

"Are we good?"

"Oo naman but please give me time to at least forget my feelings for you. Hindi madali para sa akin 'to. Tsaka iisipin ko na lang na sobrang pangit mo naman para magustuhan ko."

"Tanga ka, sa ganda kong 'to," bwisit na bulyaw ko sa kanya.

"See ang sadista mo para magustuhan ko. Nampucha! Maling-mali," mapang-asar na gulo niya sa buhok ko, "See you soon, Hyacinth. I will deal with my own feelings, no worries."

Nabunutan ako ng tinik dahil sa pag-uusap namin ni Prince. Nag-enroll na lang ako. Nakita ko si Arjo sa parking lalapitan ko na sana siya kaso nakita kong kasama niya si Tanner. Hindi ko alam kung bakit nandito siya, binilisan ko na lang pumunta sa sasakyan.

"Hoy Hyacinth, nagmamadali ka ba?" si Aries na kasama ang kapatid palapit sa akin.

"Oo e, bakit?"

"Kain muna tayo."

"Next time."

Nakita kong lumingon si Tanner at Arjo sa akin. Nag-iwas ng tingin si Arjo habang si Tanner ay tumititig pa rin sa akin. Umalis na ang magkapatid kaya aalis na din sana ako nang lumapit ang mag-pinsan sa akin.

"Are you avoiding me?"

"Excuse me? No."

"You are avoiding me."

"Naitsapwera na naman ang kagwapuhan ko dito, walanghiya!" si Arjo na pinapanood lang kami, "goodbye sa inyong dalawa, sana ay masarap ang tulog niyo mamaya."

"What do you need?" I asked him.

"I miss you."

"Luh, putangina!! Yung puso ko," wala sa sarili kong sagot sa kanya.

He laughed, "Am I going to bring it back to you?"

"Ha?"

"Your heart. Because it was with me from the very start."

Parang tanga naman 'tong lalaking 'to. Aatakin talaga ako sa puso. Bakit hindi na lang buong ako ang kunin niya kahit di na niya ibalik.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You look hot, e," he winked at me.

"I'm outta here."

He hugs me. He fucking hugs me.

"Can we talk?"

"I don't want to talk."

"Let's just kiss, then?" he said playfully.

Napairap ako, "Ang sarap mong kausap."

"Masarap ako as a whole," Tumatawang sagot niya, "Gusto mo ba akong tikman?"

"Uuwi na ako."

"I am home."

"With all due respect, I am leaving. Baka hinihintay na ako 'nung magkapatid."

"I heard you rejected them. "

He smiled, "Just please let's talk."

"Ano bang pag-uusapan natin?"

"About what happened ten years ago."

Nagulat ako. I didn't expect this. How would he casually tell me something like this? Gusto kong tumakbo na lang. The incident ten years ago made me so mad with everyone. I hid myself from everyone for almost two years. For that two years I was homeschooled, napilitan lang akong pumasok na sa school for high school. My brothers wanted me to have a normal life as a teenager. Sinikap kong mag-aral ng mabuti at pinilit maging normal lang na estudyante but due to my family name, I didn't experience a normal life. I heard girls of my class talking shit about my mom and dad. I heard people in the school talked shit about how my dad killed my mom, how pathetic my mom is, how heartless my dad is. Everything's fuck up back then, I barely survived the first two years of high school. I am just grateful that my kuyas are always there. I am also happy that Aries and Arjo and even Prince were there to save my ass from those bullies. They are the only people who saw me as a person with feelings genuinely in that school. My classmate will just come to me whenever they need something. They will flock to me when I have new things to show. I was scammed by most of the girls in my class that they are my friends because I am rich but behind my back they would talk how pathetic I am just to fit in. I envied my classmates who do not have all the riches in life but genuinely felt happiness of having a supportive parents and a wonderful social circle. I envied girls who would date their crush without getting called names like slut, whore and being called that I would end up like my dad, a cheater. My kuyas wanted me to enroll in a private school but I decided to enroll in a public Science high school para sana mas normal ang magiging buhay ko kasi I thought wala masyadong nakakakilala sa amin doon but I am fucking wrong. Fresh pa sa memories ng mga tao ang nangyari sa magulang ko dahil matagal na naging headline 'yun ng mga newspapers, tv news and all.