Gangster High 1 (The Art of Game) ✅

chapter 19: The Two Faces of a Queen

Chapter 19

THE TWO FACES OF A QUEEN

"Bakit hindi mo sinabi sa akin ang bagay na ito sa simula pa lang?" 'Yon ang mga salitang kaagad na lumabas sa bibig ko nang makita kong papalapit sa kinaroroonan ko si Tiarah.

Hindi s'ya nagsalita. Sa halip ay dire-diretso s'yang lumapit at tahimik na naupo sa tabi ko at pinagmasdan ang mga bituin sa kalangitan. We were on the roof top of Rapsodhee High's main building. Dito ako nagpalipas ng oras pagkatapos sumabog sa harapan ko ang katotohanan tungkol kay Sahara.

"Sahara's story was written so badly." After a long time, Tiarah finally broke the silence. Palihim ko siyang sinulyapan. She was still the serious Tiarah I knew, but this time, sadness was in her eyes. "It's funny that it was she who wrote her own story. Hopeless author, wasn't she?"

"Paanong nangyari ang lahat?" I asked.

Tiningnan niya ako. Matagal. Alam ko, pinag-iisipan n'ya kung sasagutin n'ya o hindi ang tanong ko. Humugot s'ya ng malalim na buntong-hininga bago muling tumingala sa langit.

"Tell me, Temple, tell me the truth. Am I a devil, I mean... is Tiarah Clevielle a devil?" Her question was unexpected. I frowned. She was talking as if she was not Tiarah. She went on, "I want you to be honest. Well, you are always honest. Brutal honest. So, answer my question. Am I a devil?"

"Yes, you are," walang preno kong sagot. It was the truth though and she knew it. There was no point in denying it at all.

Isang nakakaloko, pero mabilis na ngisi ang sumilay sa labi n'ya. "Let me tell you a story about two sisters who were challenged by death and life," she said. "Let us call them Sahara and Tiarah. Sa kanilang dalawa, si Tiarah ang demonyita, maldita, pasaway, sakit sa ulo, bratinela... etcetera etcetera. Those were the words she always hears from everyone. And Sahara was her opposite. Sahara was an angel. Huh! No one knows that their so-called angel was the most dangerous woman on earth. No one knows... except Tiarah. Do you have any idea kung bakit masama ang tingin ng lahat sa kanya? O kung ano'ng klaseng relasyon mayroon ang magkapatid?"

This was the first time that Tiarah and I talked and had a very sensitive conversation. Telling the story using the third person point of view was uncomfortable. I felt like I was listening to someone I didn't even know... as if Tiarah wasn't here with me at all. It gave me goosebumps.

Ano nga ba'ng relasyon ang mayroon sila ni Sahara? I never saw them laughing at each other, changing jokes, or even asking 'how are you'. Sobra silang pormal sa isa't isa. Lagi ko ngang iniisip noon na they were not on good terms.

"They were good, Tiarah and Sahara, they were good. Despite the big differences, they were good. The truth is Sahara was the real devil, war freak, brutal, and no one saw her like that," sabi ulit ni Tiarah pagkuwan. "However, Tiarah loved her with all her heart. She loved her so much kaya nagagawa niyang saluhin lahat ng kalokohang ginawa ng kapatid niya."

"What?" Gulat ko siyang nilingon.

"Nagulat ka ba?" She looked back at me. "Yes, you heard it right. In real life na sila lang ang nakakaalam, Sahara was the real devil and Tiarah was always there to cover her ass."

"You gotta be kidding me." She could be ruining Sahara's name to wash her own hand.

"I know what you are thinking." Mapait na ngiti ang sumilay sa labi niya.