Since the throbbing around my forehead did not stop, I immediately went to my bedroom to do my usual night routine after eating a light dinner with Yus.
I kept quietly cursing under my breath from how annoying it was. Gustuhin ko man sana na magkwento pa at ibigay ang opinyon ko sa mga nangyari ay hindi ko na nagawa dahil sa sobrang kirot nito.
Once I was finally in bed, I stared at the ceiling for a bit. The cousins’ words were still echoing in my head. I reached over and grabbed my phone from the side table.
This was kind of my responsibility, so I have to think of a solution. I was the one who invited Ivy to my party. Hindi lalala ang sitwasyon o kakalat ang sinabi ni Gracia kung walang ibang tao na nakapaligid at tutok na tutok saamin.
Everybody at the university will now know for sure. Kahit pa sinabi ko na hindi totoo ang sinabi ni Gracia kay Ivy sa harap nila. Some will still think that it was true. And some would be skeptical.
I opened my f*******: account and searched for our university’s freedom wall group page. Araw araw ay maraming nag po-post dito ng mga kung ano ano. At ang iba ay talagang nagiging issue kapag nakakagulat ang mga sinabi.
Tinignan ko kung may nag post na ba na parinig or call out kay Ivy at nakahinga ako nang maluwag dahil wala naman. Then I asked one of my 4th year friends to give me a name that handles our freedom wall.
From: Calista
Oh, I think si Penelope ang pinaka mabilis mag accommodate ng messages from us :)
To: Calista
Thank you so much, Cali! <3
Alam ko agad kung sinong Penelope ang tinutukoy niya. She had a thing with Markus before this school year started. Kahit mas mataas siya ng isang grade level saamin, magka edad pa rin naman sila.
Wala na nga akong naging huling balita sa kanila. Macy was the one who told us about them since sometimes she tags along with the boys' hangouts when she and Dexter are still together.
Speaking of Macy, she had been quiet most of the time. Talagang nagsalita lang siya nang gusto niyang patigilin si Gracia at parang naiirita pa siya.
I let a long sigh as I type a message from Penelope's personal account. Sana lang talaga ay pagbigyan niya ako.
To: Penelope
Hi, Penelope! Good evening. I know that this might be a funny request, but I really need your help for this one. Can you not post anything related to Ivy Marasigan?
Binasa ko muli ang mensahe at nag isip kung sapat na ba ito. Or should I also tell her the reason why? But that would arouse her curiousity more so I should keep it indirect.
I let out a groan before typing another two sentences before hitting the send button.
To: Penelope
Hi, Penelope! Good evening. I know that this might be a funny request, but I really need your help with this one. Can you not post anything related to Ivy Marasigan? Posts that are related to her are sensitive matter, and they are not good for the image of our university as well as for her mental health. Thank you, and have a good night! <3
After I hit send, I put my phone back on the side table and closed my eyes. I ended up falling asleep in just a few minutes. I had class the next day anyway, so I really need to sleep.
–
Kinabukasan ay tinitignan ko ang bawat estudyante at pinapakinggan nang palihim ang mga pinag uusapan nila kapag nadadaanan ko sila. I was kinda nervous, but thankfully, no one seemed to be talking about what happened at the party. That was a relief.
"Nasaan ang magpinsan?" I asked, then sat on one of the empty chairs.
It was our vacant period, and Macy got here earlier to save us a spot. Medyo natagalan lang ako sa pagdating dahil may kumausap pa saakin sa pasilyo.
Macy shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Wala namang nasabi saakin kung sasabay ba sila saatin ngayon e,"
I nodded. "Oh? Alright,"
Ngayon naman ay hinihintay namin si Yus na tanaw na namin at may kausap na isang grupo na puro lalaki. He said something with his set of teeth showing and amusement were also evident in his eyes, then our eyes met and was now approaching our table.
"Sabihin mo, Prius, ah!" pahabol pa ng kausap niya.
Yus didn’t even look back. Napailing iling lang siya hanggang sa tuluyan nang nasa harap namin siya ni Macy.
"Anong kakainin n'yo?" he asked.
I told him my usual, same with Macy. I also asked for two bottles of water since I forgot mine again. Yus just nodded and lined up—thankfully, the line wasn’t that long.
Macy suddenly sighed really loud next to me. From the corner of my eye, I saw her grab her phone off the table.
She rarely does that. Weird.
Umayos ako ng upo nang dumating na si Yus. I reached for my food, and then we all started eating. Sa kalagitnaan nang pag nguya ay nagdalawang balik ako ng tingin kay Yus.
I raised my left brow at him with lips slightly parted, anticipating what he would say. He had this teasing look as the side of his lips stretched like he found us funny or something.
Pabalik balik ang tingin niya saaming dalawa habang kumakain.
When we locked eyes again, he shook his head, but now he looked even more entertained. And from my peripheral view, Macy looked at us while chewing her food properly.
What is he thinking kaya at ganito kung makatingin saamin?
I just rolled my eyes at him and focused on my food. Asking him what’s on his mind would be a waste of energy.
–
"Hindi naman kayo nag away 'no?" then chuckled.
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" I asked, as I turned to look at him.
Nasa pasilyo kami at naglalakad na ngayon papunta sa library. We had a long test coming up after our vacant period, so we decided to use whatever time we had left for a quick review.
He shrugged his shoulders. "Natanong lang. Parehas kayong walang kibuan kanina e,"
"Oh, we didn't fight. Ano naman ang pag aawayan namin?"
"I don't know? Boys, I guess?" then chuckled again.
That ridiculous question earned him a nudge to his left side from me. Macy was just 5 steps ahead, so she could hear us loud and clear!
"Ayaw na namin mangyari 'yan. Boys are nothing to fight over with," I said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Oo nga pala, Macy..." he suddenly called her name, making Macy glance over her shoulder at him.
"Ano 'yon?" she asked, curious.
"Fracier wants to talk to you after class. Magkita raw kayo sa labas ng Annex," he said.
The word Annex instantly reminded me of that thing between Macy and Markus, so I pressed my lips together to hold back an awkward laugh. Nagkatinginan pa kami ni Macy na tila iisa lang ang nasa isip namin ngayon.
"Fracier?" she asked, sounding confused as her brows pulled together. "You mean, yung internal vp natin ngayon?"
Fracier? His name didn’t even sound familiar to me.
Tumango si Yus bago dinagdagan ang sinabi. "Wala nga lang nasabi kung ano yung kailangan niya sa'yo. But I guess, it is somewhat important"
Habang naglalakad papasok ng library ay tanaw na namin ang librarian na nakatingin saamin. Her wrinkled face and serious expression made it look like she was just forcing herself to keep doing this job.
She was standing near the entrance, beside a computer where we had to log in before finding a seat. The place was kinda packed, and everyone seemed absorbed in their own world.
We finally found a vacant table near the help desk. Every move we made was super careful—any sudden noise would totally be a
distraction to everyone around us.
Once we got our own books and settled in, Yus kept nudging my right side with his elbow, trying to get my attention. It was gentle, but repetitive. Sinamaan ko siya ng tingin dahil gusto ko nang magsimula sa pag review.
"What is it?" I asked, lowly yet firmly.
"Si Dexter..." he replied lowly.
Napatingin naman ako sa tinitignan niya at mapang asar na ngisi ang binungad saakin ni Dexter. Their table was across from ours, and I hadn’t even noticed them until now.
Nasa harap ko si Macy kaya likod niya ang tanaw nila Dexter. Though, they obviously know that she was Macy.
I rolled my eyes upward when he slightly pout his lips then point it to Macy, indirectly telling me to tell Macy that her asshole ex-boyfriend was here.
Macy must’ve caught on, though, because she glanced over her shoulder toward Dexter and his friends, probably picking up on where our attention went.
Dexter gave her a playful wave, which just made Macy twist her face in disgust. Napailing iling ako bago tinuon na talaga ang atensyon sa gagawin.
Then I heard Macy mutter under her breath and sigh. "You, motherfuck”
They were probably here to review too, but come on—if we’re here for the same reason, they really didn’t have to bother us like this!
"Psst," I suddenly heard from Dexter.
I slightly groaned because they were really distracting us. Nag angat ako ng ulo at
sinamaan ng tingin si Rafael na kasama niya.
I was still giving Rafael a glare before pointing my chin toward Dexter, silently telling him to get his friend to stop bothering us.
Agad na humawak si Rafael sa kaliwang balikat ni Dexter at hinampas ito ng ilang beses at may sinasabi na hindi ko masyadong marinig pero iniwas lang ni Dexter ang balikat niya.
"Ano ba," he complained, loud enough for others to hear.
Napatingin tuloy ang babae na nasa help desk at nag ayusan sila ng upo at tumikhim pa. "Eto kasi e..." Dexter said.
Rafael scoffed. "Grabe, pre..."
A few minutes passed, and everything finally went quiet. Then the bell rang. We all stood up and let out small sighs before returning the books we used.
Nilingon pa ni Macy ang kakatayo lang na si Dexter na hawak na ang patong patong na libro, at pinakita nito ang gitna niyang daliri.
Dexter's eyes widened in surprise before he laughed, completely caught off guard by Macy's sudden inappropriate gesture.
–
"Oh my gosh...sorry, girls" Gracia said as she took her seat.
"That's okay, girl. Hindi naman kami masyadong naghintay," Katrice chuckled.
Binaba ko ang sangria na hawak at dinilaan ang pang ibabang labi bago umayos ng upo. We were having dinner right now here in Alabang.
Katrice was actually the one who set this up, and she was friends particularly with Gracia.
We were complete tonight and were just talking about life updates and random stuff.
"Anyway, Azalea. I've heard a lot about you after we played golf at Ayala," Katrice said, turning to me.
Nakapwesto siya sa kabisera ng lamesa at ako ang nasa kaliwa niya habang nasa kanan naman si Gaia. Then Macy was sitting on my left, and Gracia was sitting on Gaia's right.
"Hmm? Really? Ano naman mga 'yon?" I asked.
"Actually, kay Rafael ko lang 'to narinig and...I didn't know that you are also invited sa birthday ni Eugene," she said with a smile, giving a small nod.
"Oh, you were also there too? How come we didn't see each other?" I asked, my eyes wide in surprise, still shocked by that statement.
Agad siyang umiling at natawa. "Hindi ako pumunta. May quick trip ako sa Hongkong that time e,"
"Nag away daw kayo ni Kaleb ah? Narinig ko lang sa dumalo," Gracia chimed in, swirling her wine glass with red wine.
Gaia gasped. "Talaga ba? Hindi ba manliligaw mo 'yon?"
"Ex-suitor," Macy clarified before chuckling.
Now, I had everyone’s attention.
"Ayan din ang narinig ko from my boyfriend since one of his cousins was there. Bakit? Ano ba dahilan?"
I let out an awkward chuckle before clearing my throat. Even though I really didn’t want to revisit that moment, they were asking about it, so I had to explain.
"Kaleb was blaming me for their breakup with Mary. Hindi ko nga alam ano bang exact na ginawa ko for that to happen e, " I began.
"I'd just genuinely asked him if pinagsasabay ba niya ang hindi ko alam na dati palang kaibigan ni Mary. And... huli ko rin nalaman na that girl ay anak pala ng importanteng kasosyo ng Dad niya," I added.
They all nodded.
"Oh, kinukuha pala loob para siguro sa important deal or whatnot," Macy commented.
I shrugged my shoulders. "Maybe. I don't know,"
"Baka naman excuse lang 'no?" Katrice said, and we all laughed.
"True," Gaia.
Pinanood ko sila habang nakikisali sa tawanan hanggang sa nagtanong muli si Katrice pero para naman kay Gracia. Gracia made a joke about being in a hot seat that made us laugh again.
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