War Has Begun (War Series #1)

Chapter 18

Ida Mishal doesn't have a uniform because Soler College of Arts doesn't have one. One particular picture from her caught my eye. In the picture, she's wearing a white body-fitting long-sleeved turtleneck she layered underneath a black strappy top. She tucked her top inside a pair of plaid black and white pencil skirt she secured with a black belt and she wore a pair of black highcut socks with her pair of black lowcut platform shoes.

I like her style—everyone does. Wala s'yang pakialam kung hindi karaniwang isinusuot sa Pilipinas ang isinosoot n'ya. She just wears whatever she feels like wearing, one of the reasons why girls my age like her so much.

Mas sikat na ngayon si Ida Mishal kaysa noon at madalas na rin ang mga collaboration n'ya sa ilang mga brands at iba pang sikat na mga personalities tulad n'ya. I noticed that she rarely posts videos with her friends in it nowadays. Mas madalas na ang travel vlogs, make-up, at everyday vlog sa university.

Napanguso ako at pinagmasdan ang isang litrato ni Ida Mishal na naka-tag si Jadon. Jadon is just standing beside her, wearing his uniform. Naka-bulsa ang dalawang kamay at may maliit na ngisi sa mga labi. Si Ida Mishal, naka-halukipkip sa tabi n'ya at seryoso lang na nakatingin sa kumukuha ng litrato.

Mayro'n ding mga litrato sa ibang bansa si Jadon kasama ang Mommy n'ya. I wonder if he's hanging out with his dad too. Mukha kasing puro Mommy n'ya ang kasama n'ya.

"Oo nga. I feel like Hanani's been hiding something from us," I heard one of my classmates from a minor subject said.

Wala pa ang professor namin para sa subject na 'yon—hindi ko sigurado kung dahil late lang o talagang hindi papasok. Five minutes na ang lumilipas. Ayon sa handbook namin, kung 30 minutes nang wala ang prof namin, puwede na kaming umalis sa klase. Sana, kung hindi talaga dadating ang professor, magsabi na lang s'ya nang direkta at huwag na kaming paghintayin.

Bumalik ang isipan ko sa pinag-uusapan ng dalawang babae kong kaklase. Hiding something. Bakit naman?

"She's been MIA all this time," my classmate said. "People are saying that she's hiding someone, like a boyfriend or something."

"Bakit naman n'ya itinatago? Ikinakahiya?" The girl laughed. "After all, having someone na hindi tulad nina Jadon will be embarrassing."

Or more like hiding it from judgmental people like you. Napa-irap ako sa ere at tumanaw sa labas ng bintana. Privacy—it's something people cannot give to someone like Hanani.

"Hindi ba, may boyfriend s'ya noon?"

"Yeah, Ise. Sa ACA. Pero I heard, Ise has someone new na raw," maarteng sagot ng isa sa mga babae. "I saw pictures of Ise with a new girl din last month."

"ACA din?"

The other girl snorted.

"Wala namang maganda sa ACA," she said and they laughed.

Agad akong napangiwi. I can't believe these girls.

"Taga-saan? Is she pretty?"

"Hanani's prettier but the girl looks less conservative than Hanani."

"Baka kaya iniwan si Hanani. She might have been a prude or something."

They laughed again and I stood up, getting fed up with how they talk about other people. I can't believe that they still think that way. It's making me feel sick.

Lumipat ako ng mauupuan. Wala si Kamille dahil pumunta sa washroom kaya ipinagtabi ko na lang ulit s'ya ng upuan.

I took my phone out and tried to browse on my phone. Nakita ko na may IG story si Ida Mishal at agad ko naman 'yong binuksan. It was a picture and my eyes widened a bit when I realized that she's with her friends.