Chapter 14:

It was really hard to have a history with someone famous. Kahit parang hindi ko mabanggit sa kanila ay alam na nila ang sasabihin ko dahil maraming tenga at mata ang nakatuon saamin.

"But I heard he's dating someone new. Kilala mo ba si Mary?" Amara asked, raising her champagne flute to her lips as she watched me closely.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I know a lot of people with the same name,"

She let out a chuckle before finally sipping on her champagne. "Si Mary na part ng journalism department natin,"

My lips formed an 'O' as I nodded when I finally realized who she was referring to. I met her once.

Grade 12 kami noon parehas at in-interview ako dahil kasali ako sa isang beauty contest na madalas isingit tuwing may events.

"Oh, I see that she is still in that department. Akala ko kasi umalis na siya dahil..." my tone became hesitant with what was I about to say next because it sounded bad to hear. "Plagiarized daw ang iba niyang gawa last year,"

"That was just a rumor meant to defame me," a voice suddenly cut in.

Parehas kaming napatingin sa biglang nagsalita. Mary was standing beside our table with a smile plastered on her lips.

I cleared my throat, feeling a little embarrassed at being caught talking about her.

"Hey," I greeted with a forced smile.

"Hello, Azalea. Akala ko namamalikmata lang ako nang una kitang makita dito," she chuckled, then gave me a quick once-over. "I love your dress. Chic and classy—just like you."

Her tone sounded genuine, so my smile turned sincere. "Thank you."

She then turned to Amara, who had been watching her quietly. Sa kanila naman lumipat ang atensyon ko. Sumulyap ako kay Amara at nakatingin ito kay Mary habang pinaglalaruan ang pendant ng kwintas niya.

"By the way, I heard that your father is looking for you" she said to Amara.

Amara’s lips parted, her gaze still locked on Mary. "Again?" she sighed before standing up and leaving the table.

I crossed my legs as I shifted in my seat. Si Mary naman ang pumalit sa pwesto ni Amara. She motioned toward my plate, which still had baby back ribs and a small serving of cherry tomato pasta.

"It is really not surprising that you know Eugene. Given the fact that one of your blockmates is his cousin," she said, resting her chin on her right hand.

I pursed my lips before answering. "No… ngayon ko lang siya nakilala. Amara just told me about his cousin a few days ago."

Her eyes widened a bit before nodding. "Oh...akala ko naman kilala mo na talaga si Eugene. Eugene is still a freshman, yet he knows a lot of people," then tilted her neck to the other side.

Then she cleared her throat before shifting in her seat. "Anyway, hindi 'yan ang tunay pakay ko so let me get this straight. Do you know what Yus's schedule?"

"Huh? For what?" I asked, eyes widened a bit.

Why was she asking me instead of going directly to Yus?

She let out a chuckle, glancing around before meeting my gaze again.

"Your...that man is avoiding me. Naka ilang punta na ako sa room nila at umaalis agad kapag nakikita ako,"

I pursed my lips as I nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"Kaya ikaw na ang kinausap ko at baka sakaling...you know, you can persuade him for me. I want to write an article about him since he is the only child of the modern Raceliz,"

"And what is that supposed to—"

Medyo nagsalubong ang dalawang kilay ko nang mag angat ng tingin sa lalaking biglang lumapit sa lamesa namin.

"I see that the princess is here," Kaleb smirked at me before leaning in to kiss Mary.

"Hi, baby. I'm still in the middle of persuading her to let me talk to Prius," she said between kisses.

Mary let out a small moan before kissing him back, the wet sound of their lips meeting making me cringe.

Did they really have to do that in front of me?

I glanced around, wondering if anyone else was watching them. Bakit may mga taong gustong-gusto ang PDA? Was this their kind of fun?

Then, I narrowed my eyes at Kaleb. Hindi siya ang babaeng nakita kong kausap niya kanina. "Please tell me you're not two-timing her,”

"The hell?" natatawang napatingin si Kaleb saakin.

I kept my gaze on him, waiting for his response. The girl he was talking to earlier wasn’t Mary. I caught a glimpse of her dress—it was velvety gray. Mary’s was tufted blue.

Mary’s arms crossed against her chest as she flared her nose, visibly trying to control her emotions.

Kaleb scoffed before throwing her a quick glance. "I don’t know what she’s talking about."

Mary’s gaze bore into him, lips pressed into a thin line.

"S-she is just a friend, okay? I was talking to her because I needed—"

"And who are you referring to, hmm?" then raised her left brow at him.

"It was Helen! Your friend!" Kaleb shot back, his voice slightly rising.

"Ex-bestfriend!" agap naman ni Mary.

Is this my cue to leave now?

Kaleb scoffed. "I was just talking to her. No malice or whatever,"

They stared at each other, tension thick between them. Mary’s lips were pursed, while Kaleb’s mouth hung slightly open, as if he wanted to say more but held back.

I cleared my throat, reminding them I was still here.

Dinapo ni Mary ang kaliwang palad sa kanyang noo bago bumuntong hininga na tila kinakalma pa rin ang sarili. Their conversation was actually incomprehensible, yet my intuition tells me otherwise.

There must be something...like a history...between Kaleb and Helen. Kaya ganito nalang maka react si Mary. If there was really nothing, she should’ve just brushed it off.