Back to You

Chapter 5

"Bakit ka nawala agad kagabi?" I asked Damian while he was maneuvering the golf cart. Pang dalawahan lang ang mga cart at sya ang nakasama ko. Kuya was with Ate Phoebe while Dad was with his friend na kasali din nila sa paglalaro.

"I had an emergency at home." sagot nya naman. Agad akong nagalala ng maisip na baka may masamang nangyare sa parents nya.

"Why? Is Tita Allena fine?May nangyare ba?" he looked at me briefly then sighed. "Wala, it's personal. Stop asking." supladong sabi nya. Nahiya ako bigla at di na yun sinundan pa.

But I didn't want to waste my time with him kaya sinubukan ko pang magbigay ng ibang topic.

I wore the rose pendant necklace na binigay nya kagabi as a gift and the perfume na kasama. It smelled sweet at nagustuhan ko kaagad. I even partnered my attire sa suot nya. He was wearing a white collared black goft shirt na nakatuck in sa kanyang white pants and black rubber shoes. I wore a black gingham square neck top na tinuck ko din sa white high-wasted pants ko, I didn't know I had it until I was looking for a white pants kanina.

"Thank you nga pala sa regalo mo, I really loved this necklace and the perfume. Ginamit ko nga ngayon eh." nabigla sya sa sinabi ko. He looked at my necklace like it was so foreign to him. Tumango tsaka sumagot, "Yeah, it looked good on you." nag-init ang pisngi ko sa sinabi nya. Was it really true? It was the first time na pinuri nya ako. Or was it a compliment?

"Saan mo ba to nabili? Is it abroad or here pagkauwi mo?" I asked him pertaining to the necklace.

"I asked someone to get that for me." he said. To be honest, I kinda felt disappointed with what he said. When I received his gift kagabi, I was so thrilled by the idea na sya ang pumili ng ireregalo sa akin. Pero I just realized na baka nga inutos nya lang yun sa iba, he was busy and had no time for that.

Tumahimik nalang ako and still plastered a smile on my face. I didn't want him to see my disappointment. It was okay pa din, at least he gave it to me personally. And hey the big deal was he was there last night. Hindi na din masama.

The day ended swiftly din, he had to go back to US again that night.

I guess the turning point of the teenage years was my 16th birthday. Hindi ko alam kung anong meron nung gabi na yun na nagpabago sa pagtingin sa akin ng mga kaschoolmates ko. After that night, some of my boy classmates declared their admiration for me. One of them was even bolder to ask me if he could court me in front of our whole batch. For a week, lagi nya akong hinahatid sa parking lot ng school. Lagi din syang may dalang flowers and chocolates for me. When Kuya Andi heard of it, agad nyang kinausap si Leo and sinasabihan na hindi pa ako pwedeng magpaligaw. According to him, he had to wait until I'm 30 and legal. Daddy laughed it off, sabi nya ay kahit 27 pwede na. Wala naman sa akin yun dahil una, mga bata pa kami. Pangalawa, I really didn't like him. Leo stopped giving me stuffs after that but he didn't stop saying how much he liked me. Madalas pa din syang asarin ng mga kabarkada pag nalalapit ako sa gawi nila. Minsan itinutulak pa sa akin but I didn't mind. Mga kaibigan ko din naman sila.

Another one of the changes was the frequent approaches of the different school clubs sa akin, even the glee and dance club. I didn't know where they got the idea na mahilig akong kumanta or sumayaw.

It was all knew to me. Dati ay pinangingilagan ako ng mga tao, maybe because they knew my family. Lagi nilang iniiwasan ang mga lugar kung nasaan ako sa campus. During my first year, walang kumakausap sa akin. I could see their curious stares but walang lumalapit. I even heard one of them saying na baka maarte din ako at matapobre like my cousins sa side ng Mommy. That I might also order them around. I just shrugged it all off dahil hindi naman yun totoo.

Sobrang thankful ako nang makagrupo ko si Aika on one of our school projects, she was very smart at matulungin. Hindi sya mayabang at madamot sa mga nalalaman nya. Sya lang ang kumakausap sakin tuwing may meeting for the project. Ang iba laging nahihiya or kung hindi naman, walang pakialam sa presensya ko. Since then, I clinged to her na. I knew that she was hesitant to be friends with me nung una but eventually, she became comfortable din with me. She had two other friends, si Rein and Ron.

Ron at first was very bitchy towards me. Lagi nyang tinitignan ang mga gamit ko at ang suot ko na para bang sinasadya kong ilantad yun, and always waiting for me to say something wrong. Kaunting reklamo sa akin ay maiinis na sya agad. He seemed to always oppose my ideas and suggestions. It only changed nung ibully sya ng mga kaklase naming lalaki including Leo nung Grade 7 kami, we were in PE class and we had to play Basketball. Of course, he was grouped with the boys. Nang matalo ang team nila, sya ang sinisi at binato pa ng bola ng isa naming kaklase. Everyone else was just watching dahil takot madamay, even Aika and Rein. I didn't know how I did it pero nang pinulot ko ang bola at ihagis pabalik sa kanila, they immediately stopped insulting Ron. Kinuha ang mga gamit at umalis na sa gym. Gradually ay naging mabait din sya sa akin. Rein was the opposite of Ron, palagi nya ako isinasali sa usapan and laging sinisiguradong hindi ako naa-out of place. She is super bubbly and friendly. Kahit saan sya magpunta ay meron syang mga kakilala but she is also very straight-forward gaining her some haters, too. Cade naman was the most recent addition sa barkadahan namin, Grade 9 na kami ng magtransfer sya sa school namin. She is very shy, timid and onservative. I didn't know how she gets along with Rein and Ron na parehong may loud personality.

For years ay silang apat lang ang kasama ko, kaya naman nagugulat ako ngayon. Maybe because I didn't also tried to approach other people, nang makita kong ayaw nila akong kausapin ay di na ako sumubok lumapit. First time nung 16th birthday ko dahil I almost invited the whole campus. Nagulat pa ako ng madaming pumunta. I didn't want a grand celebration, I only wanted to be with my friends. Ron suggested na mag invite ako ng mga schoolmates para mas masaya. But we all knew his agenda, may gusto sya sa kabilang section. Hindi naman sya kinakausap nito and to not make it obvious ay pinaimbita ang lahat sa akin. After all, last year na namin as junior high students.

Madami na din ang kumakausap at bumabati sa akin after my birthday, I got invited din sa madaming 16th birthday celebrations ng batchmates ko.

Pag ka senior high, I transferred to Ateneo. I was really glad na ganun din ang mga kaibigan ko. The beginning of my senior high was so fun, we had a lot of new friends at mas dumadami ang nakakasama namin nila Aika. I also had my firsts during Grade 11. Out of curiosity ay sinubukan naming uminom ng mga kaibigan ko, it was only the 5 of us. Nagpaalam kami na we had to spend overnight at Aika's house para sa isang exam but that day was also the end of our exam week. Aika's Mom, Tita Millet was so cool to let us fed our curiosity that night. She was so supportive but still gave us the possible consequences of our action and advised us to do it only on our own places para safe. We got super wasted that night, hindi kami tumigil sa pagsusuka buong magdamag. We promised na hindi na kami maglalasing ulit. Good thing that Tita Millet was there and took care of us. Another first was cutting class para panuodin ang gig ng rockstar crush ni Rein which Kuya found out dahil nakita kami ni Rico. Apparently, the restaurant bar was owned by his girlfriend's family. We also got our first fight because some girls from another school bullied Cade dahil sa isang manliligaw nya. Kinulong nila si Cade sa cr ng isang mall at binuhusan ng fruit shake. To get even, we reported them sa kanilang school principal. They were suspended at mas lalo pang nagalit sa amin. Nagabot na naman ang mga grupo namin sa isang coffee shop, one girl threw her iced coffee to us na binalikan ko naman ng paghagis ng mainit kong kape. She screamed dahil di hamak na mas masakit yun. In the end, I got away with it dahil sila ang nagumpisa ng gulo as seen in the CCTV. Kami din ang iba pang tao sa coffee shop sa amin dahil kilala nila kami. Dad also talked with the owner of the coffee shop which banned all the other girls. Fortunately, hindi na nila kami ginulo pang ulit. Nang malaman ni Kuya ang nangyare, galit na galit sya sa akin. According to him, dahil sa katigasan ng ulo namin kaya kami napaaway.

Since then lagi nang nakabantay si Kuya sa mga ginagawa naming magkakabarkada. I assured him that those things would not happen again pero lagi nya pa din akong hinihigpitan.

I had to admit that I was a little rebellious that time because Mom just got married . I was so hurt at ilang araw na hindi lumabas sa kwarto. Mas nagtampo ako nang lumipad si Daddy at si Kuya to Paris to attend her wedding. All I was thinking that time were how heartless Mom is to invite us at kung gaano katanga at martyr si Dad to attend her wedding with another man. Pinipilit pa nila akong sumama pero nagmatigas akong huwag. That was the first time na hindi ko sinunod si Kuya at si Daddy.