Save Your Heart For Me *TO BE PUBLISHED BY LIFEBOOKS

Part 2

KINGSTON

I WAS walking in the corridor when I saw a familiar-looking girl moving towards my way from the opposite direction. This girl... She was the reason why I was in bad mood these days.

She was my schoolmate and yet she dared to sit at the enemy's bench in her school uniform while loudly cheering on the school where she did not belong to. Nang dahil sa kanya, naagawan ako ng bola ng point guard ng kalabang team. She upset me. And because she did, natalo kami sa unang game ng championship against the St. Paul Sharks.

It was humiliating. The fact that the ball that was in my possession had been stolen by an opponent was beyond mortifying. It had been so long since someone had successfully stolen a ball from me. I was a kid then.

Dahil sa isang insidenteng iyon, hindi na ako nakapaglaro nang maayos. It bothered me so much. And since I was the main man in my team, when I crumbled, they typically did also. And that was what happened. We lost. And it was all because of this girl.

Hindi lang ang pagkatalo namin sa mahalagang game ang pinag-usapan a few days ago, pati siya. Hindi lang ako ang hindi natuwa sa ginawa niya nang araw na iyon. Marami rin sa campus ang hindi makapaniwala sa kanya.

I learned that her name was Dana Mae Fuentes. She was in grade eleven so she was probably seventeen. She was unknown on campus until she did that disgraceful stunt in our game.

She looked so sweet and dainty in her light pink fabric headband. Mukhang hindi gagawa ng ganoong bagay ang babae. But maybe looks could be indeed deceiving.

She was laughing heartily with her friend. How could she afford to laugh like that after she sabotaged our game, her own school's team's game?

Hindi ko inalis ang tingin kay Dana habang naglalakad pasalubong sa kanya pero mukhang hindi niya ako nakikita dahil nakatingin siya sa kasama. She was unbelievable. While everyone around could not help but look at me, she made me feel as if I was invisible. Or maybe she was deliberately avoiding looking at me. Alam rin siguro na may matindi siyang kasalanan sa akin.

Halos magkalapit na kami pero hindi pa rin tumitingin sa akin si Dana habang nakikipag-usap sa kasama kaya sinadya kong umisod nang kaunti sa daanan para mabangga siya sa balikat ko. And she did. Pero hindi pa rin siya tumingin sa akin dahil niyuko kaagad niya ang nabitiwang folders at binders na nahulog sa sahig. Pinulot niya at ng kasamang babae ang mga nakakalat.

Tumingala sa akin ang kasama ni Dana at bahagyang lumaki ang mga mata nito dahil malamang ay na-recognize ako.

Tumigil si Dana sa gitna ng pagpupulot at napansin kong lumipat ang tingin niya sa sapatos ko. Napansin siguro na walang balak tumulong sa kanila ang nakabanggaan kaya tumingala siya sa akin.

Finally, our eyes met.

Kumurap-kurap pa si Dana bago lumarawan sa mga mata niya ang recognition. I was expecting to see the same reaction that her friend had but she just gave me a blank look. Ako yata ang nasorpresa sa aming dalawa nang biglang ngumiti ang babae.

"Hi! Baka gusto mo kaming tulungan?" she asked nicely.

I gawked at her.