["PLAY THE KING" IS ACT TWO OF THE "PLAY" SERIES. PLEASE READ "PLAY THE QUEEN" FIRST.]
It's been four months since Priam Torres, the once unpopular president of the Elysian University Student Council, assumed office. Thanks to his chief-of-staff Cas...
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REYNARD
JUST A few more words and . . . done! I clicked the send button on my email composer and waited for the confirmation message. Once the email was successfully sent, I reclined my back against my comfy swivel chair. Finally! Tapos na rin ang article na naka-due today! I could somewhat relax and do something else.
Inunat ko ang aking mga braso at pinatunog ang aking leeg. Sitting in front of my computer for an hour was taking a toll on my back. I'm just twenty years old, pero parang pangmatanda na ang back pain ko. What time is it? Oh, it's ten minutes past five! Darn it! I got a scheduled important appointment this afternoon.
I turned my computer off and grabbed my hoodie draped on the backrest of my seat. Time to bounce! I hoped the person that I was about to meet would forgive me for my tardiness. Can you blame me? Hindi ko na namamalayan ang takbo ng oras kapag sobrang absorbed ko sa aking isinusulat. Time went by so fast as if it's a blink-and-you-miss-it moment.
"Aba? Aalis ka na?" tanong ng kapwa reporter ko sa kabilang workstation. Napatingin siya sa kaniyang relo bago muling iniangat ang tingin sa 'kin. "Ang aga pa, ah?"
"Bakit?" Naningkit ang mga mata ko, may halong pang-iintriga ang aking tingin. "Gusto mo bang samahan kita rito, Rie?"
"How many times must I tell you to stop calling me by that name!" Rie almost yelled at me. She cupped her mouth, realizing that she raised her voice a bit and caught the attention of other people in our office. "Minsan pang tawagin mo akong Rie, ihahampas ko sa 'yo itong keyboard."
I laid my palms flat on the table and leaned toward her. If she wanted to strike me, my face was just within her arm's reach. "I wanna see you try, Rie."
She glanced sideways and chewed her lower lip. Hindi niya magawa dahil agaw-atensiyon na naman siya. Our editor was also just at the other end of the workstation. Kapag gumawa siya ng iskandalo, magiging agaw-pansin siya. Me calling her by a nickname wouldn't justify the violence.
"I have no time for this," she muttered. What was being displayed on her monitor screen reflected in her eyes. I couldn't see it clearly, but she had a word processor open. "Stressed na ako sa dami ng isinusulat kong articles dahil sa mga pinaggagawa ng USC acting president. Huwag mo nang dagdagan pa ang sakit ng ulo ko."
"Willing akong mag-stay if you say please." Tumayo na ako nang tuwid. As much as I wanted to tease her more, she could be unpredictable sometimes. Baka lumabas ako ng office na namamaga ang kaliwang pisngi ko. I didn't want people thinking that I got rejected and received a slap in the face.
She rolled her eyes. "At sino ka para pakiusapan kong mag-stay rito? Umalis ka na nga! Naiistorbo ako sa 'yo."
"Okay!" I turned around and waved my right hand without looking back at her. "Oras na para makipag-meet ako sa aking date."
