The Art of War

[10] Fourth Year - Finale

FOURTH YEAR - FINALE

For the first time in forever, um, well, since Sixth Grade, Laurie decided to skip school. An exam day, no less.

Hindi naman sa hindi siya bumangon, tumayo siya. He actually went through the whole morning routine: nagtoothbrush siya, naligo't nagbihis, he even ate the Exam Day Breakfast his mum cooked up for him.

Ninais sana niyang bumalik sa kwarto at maglugmok sa kanyang kama pagkatapos, pero naisip niya ang mum niya, ayaw naman niyang magtaka at magalala ito. Kaya napagdesisyunan niyang magpanggap na lang na pumasok sa eskwela.

Okay, linawin natin, technically, pumasok naman talaga si Laurie... he was within campus grounds, yes, pero pagkadating niya rito ay dumiretso siya sa School Infirmary — the haven housing the school's best actors and actresses. Dito ay nadatnan na niyang nakapulong ang iilan sa mga FAMAS awardees ng eskwelahan, nakahilata sa mga kama.

Medyo nairita ang binata dahil ginusto sana niyang mapag-isa. What in the name of hell were these four other students doing here anyway? Eh ang aga-aga pa ah, ni wala pa nga 'yung School Nurse, and it was a test day, for chrissakes!

But then, wasn't Laurie here too? So who was he to judge? The boy scoffed to himself, just went on with his business of not giving a shit and seized his own clinic bed. May hindi kanais-nais na halimuyak ng chemicals ang kama at 'sing nipis pa ng tissue paper ang kutson nito, but he didn't care.

Out of habit now, Laurie pulled out a book from his backpack and started to read. Pagkatapos niya rito ay kumuha nanaman siya ng isa pa, ngunit bago pa niya masimulang basahin ito, animo'y isang aparisyon na sumulpot sa isip niya si Aria.

Well, fuck.

He wasn't even sure if his goddamn brain was still on his side anymore, because it kept on doing that without his permission! It's been days since The Incident... since Laurie was demoted back to being nonexistent, pero sa araw-araw yata na ginawa ng Diyos ay paulit-ulit na rume-replay sa utak niya ang mga bwisit na pangyayari noong araw na 'yun.

I can't believe I did that.

What a stupid thing to do, and what a stupid, stupid thing to say. Leche talaga. Bakit kasi hindi niya pinag-iisipan ang mga ginawa niya?! Ayan tuloy, kung anu-anong shit ang lumabas sa bibig niya! And now, now he had to deal with the consequences of his stupidity.

Hindi na kasi kami dapat nagpunta pa ng café. No, it went farther back than even that. He shouldn't have spent so much time with her at the museum.  Hindi na dapat siya dumamoves, gumawa ng paraan at naghanap ng pagkakataon para magkasama pa sila ng mas matagal. He shouldn't have walked around with her at the gallery, shouldn't have talked to her so much, definitely shouldn't have shared his food with her or laughed with her or watched her fucking pouty lips read that stupid poem —

His memory fluttered to those moments of complete brainlessness when he had been stealing glances at her. His chest twinged, much like it had yesterday, and the days before... especially at so many points during the day of The Incident, points where he should've turned around and come home. Kaso hindi eh, ang tanga-tanga lang.

Pinalakad niya ang isa niyang kamay sa kanyang mukha saka siya umiling, umaasa't nagbabaka-sakali na kapag ginawa niya ito'y mapupuksa niya ang brain cells niyang nagtataglay ng mga alaala nila ni Aria.

Asa pa siya.

I'm overdramatizing things, he thought. Those wretched fucking adolescent emotions overcame him yet again, and helplessly, he was filled with a sad sort of melancholy as he remembered how he and Aria talked, how they laughed, how they walked together — those simple, silly little things. The possibility of... Of...