To Be Loved

Chapter Eight

"Merry Christmas!" I handed my gift to David. It's a cute box with a cute cupcake inside. I'm the one who baked it. I give it to my distant friends.

"Oh. Thank you," nakangiti niyang sabi at tinanggap. "Sorry, wala akong regalo sa'yo."

I laughed. "That's okay. May chance ka pa bumawi, kasi I'm inviting you to my seventeenth birthday on January 4. It'll be a small overnight vacation sa isang resthouse sa Zambales."

He grimaced. His face was written with sincere apology. "Gusto ko sana pumunta pero nasa Palawan kami by that time. Family vacation."

Napanguso ako sa kanya. I'm disappointed, but it's not a big deal.

"Thank you for the invite though. I'll still give you a birthday gift when we come back to school."

"I'll look forward to that," I smiled and he smiled back.

Nagpaalam na siya at pumunta sa mga lalaking kaibigan. Obviously, we don't hang out anymore. We drifted apart after Alana's debut. I don't know what happened, but he just stopped making an effort to spend time with us. Sinusubukan ko naman siyang ayain, pero palagi siyang tumatanggi gamit ang iba't-ibang dahilan.

I stopped when I realized that he's staying away. Or at least that's how it felt. Ayos pa rin naman ang pakikitungo niya sa akin. He's still casual to me. Iyon nga lang ay hindi na talaga kami nagkakasama. Kahit sa club activities ay may iba na siyang nakakausap.

That's normal. Kaya lang naman kami naging close nung umpisa ay dahil bago siya sa school at ako ang naging seatmate niya. It's not impossible for him to find new friends, iyong makakasama at makakasundo niya talaga kaya hindi ko masyadong dinamdam.

"Lavie, let's go?" Alana called for my attention. She was successful in snapping me out of my thoughts. Tumango ako at nakangiting lumapit sa kanya.

Tapos na ang Christmas party namin. It was our last Christmas party, dahil pagkatapos nito ay college na kami. Hindi uso ang ganitong klase ng tradition sa college. Universities usually have a campus wide Christmas concert or event, hindi yung room to room ay may gathering. At least that's what I heard.

Wala si Xavi sa labas ng room namin. Siguro ay hindi pa tapos ang Christmas party nila. Pumunta kami sa room nila Xavi. Mula sa sliding window ay natanaw namin ang loob. Nagpi-picture taking pa ang lahat.

Hinanap ng mga mata ko si Xavi. He's busy with his girl classmates. Nakapila para makapagpa-picture sa kanya. He looked bored, but still smiles a little at the camera. Ryd is just near him, busy taking photos with some girls, too.

Nahagip ng mga mata niya ang bintana. Kumaway ako. Umayos siya ng tayo. Natigil ang pagkuha ng picture nang may sinabi si Xavi sa mga ito. Mukhang nagpaalam na. He tapped Ryd's shoulder and when Ryd ignored him, he pulled him by the collar.

They disappeared from our view. After a few moments, the door opened and Xavi and Ryd got out of the room. Their hands were both filled with paper bags, iba't ibang sizes. That's not new. Tuwing Christmas party at Valentines ay palagi talaga silang may natatanggap na mga regalo.

"Director's Club tayo then NIU for dinner please?" Alana pleaded.

I nodded. "Sure. Basta libre mo."

Umirap siya sa akin. "You're such a cheapskate."

"Your family's richer," I shrugged. That's a fact.

"Mas mayaman sila Xavi," sagot niya. Sabay kaming tumingin kay Xavi. He just shook his head at our pettiness. Walang maiturong iba dahil iyon naman ang totoo. Serrano and Fajardo's wealth combined.