wishful thoughts

10

"I'll give you one more hour to finish your activities. Ms. Xelouvilla will collect that," sambit ng Instructor namin bago umalis.

I sighed. Hindi naman ako ang Classroom President pero sa akin lahat inaatas.

Minsan gusto ko na lang magreklamo dahil baka iniisip nilang inaagawan ko si Lilieth ng pwesto, which I don't have interest in.

——

"Lahat ba ay nakapagpasa na?" tanong ko. They all nodded in response kaya ngumiti ako saka binuhat ang ilang mga sketchbook.

Napangiwi ako dahil bukod sa may kabigatan 'yon, mukhang makaka-ilang balik pa ako bago maibigay lahat kay Mr. Pajanostan. Ayaw ko namang humingi ng tulong dahil nakakahiyang abalahin sila.

Akmang aalis na sana ako nang may lumapit sa 'kin. I frozed for a minute.

"Let me help you," ani Kejadian na nakapagpatahimik sa lahat.

"I forgot to ask him something," he added, pertaining to our instructor. Nakarinig ako ng ilang mga pagsipol.

Ilang ulit akong kumurap bago nag-alangang tumango. "Okay, thank you."

Nauna akong lumabas ng room dahil naiilang ako sa mapanuksong tingin ng mga kaklase namin. I mean, why do they have to stare like that?

After a few seconds, lumabas na rin si Kejadian bitbit ang natirang mga sketchbook. I looked away when his brown eyes, met mine.

"Too heavy?" tanong niya kaya muli akong nag-angat ng tingin.

"It's fine. I can handle this," sagot ko. Agad siyang sumunod nang magsimula na akong maglakad. There's a deafening silence between us and it made me feel awkward.

"Pwede ka namang magsalita kung against ka sa mga inuutos nila. You're not the Classroom President, anyway. This is not your responsibility," biglang sabi niya.

Umawang ang labi ko. He's really straight-forward! But, how come he knows that I do not like this set up? Masyado ba akong halata or he's just too smart?

"Bakit? Natatakot ka bang maungusan kita kapag tinuloy ko ang pagiging sunod-sunuran sakanila?" I joked.

Nagulat ako nang marinig ang mahina niyang tawa. Akala ko kasi puro pag-aaral at pagsusungit lang ang alam niya.

"I don't mind being first or second. Studying is just part of our life that we need to surpass. Ginagawa ko lang kung anong dapat bilang isang estudyante."

Kumunot ang noo ko, "But.. aren't we studying because we want to achieve something bigger in the near future?"

He stopped from walking. There's a hint of amusement in his eyes. It made me gasp.

"For me, education does not guarantee success. Probably just a guide towards the right path. Plus, graduating doesn't mean you're already winning. It takes a lot of time, work, and effort. That's what I'm talking about," saad niya bago muling nagpatuloy sa paglalakad.