Red Strings of Fate (Haunted Series 2)

Strings 18: Precious

"My sister. She watched that movie."

"Jamie? I didn't peg Jamie as the type of girl who'd watch those kinds of movies."

I heard him scoff in laughter habang kinukuha ko ang ibang nakalista. "Syempre hindi. I was talking about Cici."

"Cici? CJ? Your youngest sister CJ, is watching porn that's cinematically made?" Narinig ko uli siyang tumawa.

"I caught her in the entertainment room." I can't believe he's saying this to me. "Don't tell anyone or she'll cry to me about it."

Napailing ako, "Noted po. Pero wag mo naman ipagkalat—"

"Hey baby girl, I believe this belongs to you?" Lumingon ako nang marinig ko ang boses niyang malayo na sa akin. 

Lumapit siya sa isang babae na nakahulog ng wallet at nagulat nalang ako nang naglabas 'yon ng isang hagikhik. Kitang kita ang pamumula niya hanggang sa layo ng kinatatayuan ko, at nahiya na ako sa existence ko. 

Why am I here, just to suffer?

James walked back towards me and I saw how her face fell from seeing me wait for him. Gusto ko sumigaw, I'm not with him girl!

"It seems girls like it, you simply don't." Kibit balikat niya at kinuha ang cart sakin at naunang naglakad.

Kaya ba siya lumapit sa babae to prove me wrong? "You are so petty."

"Was that petty?" He laughed and I eyed him randomly grabbing things. "Sa ating dalawa, you told me that I'm a shrimp to say I'm not attractive. Nice argument and not at all petty." 

"When you put it like that, perhaps it wasn't my best moment," I murmured.

"Perhaps." He hummed, mirroring my words. "To be honest, it wasn't your worst. Your worst excuse is telling me I have to cosplay—"

"Putangina, gago, tumahimik ka na." Mabilis pa sa bulalakaw akong tumalon para takpan ang bunganga niya. Nagulat ang mga tao sa paligid namin sa ginagawa ko but I don't care, I want him to shut up.

Tumawa siya at tinanggal ang kamay ko. "Okay that wasn't the worst worse."

Nauna nakong kumuha ng isang bag ng tissue at hindi na siya hinintay sa paglalakad pero hindi pa pala siya tapos magsalita.

"The worst excuse you did was wearing that scream mask at the backseat of your friend's car." Hinagis ko ang bag ng tissue at nasalo niya naman 'yun habang tumatawa. "Tingin mo ba hindi kita makikilala? You are not superman exactly."

Gusto ko nang takpan ang tenga ko, gusto kong mawalan ng ability makarinig bigla. Buong mukha ko siguro pulang pula sa pinagsasabi niya. "Shuutaaa shut up please."

"What? I'm commending you for the effort. I did get scared for a moment." I wasn't trying to scare him, I was hiding!

"Okay, since ungkatan to ng mga kagaguhan natin, you were a jerk for pretending you were drowning last week." Nakapamewang ako sa harap niya and I see his smile fall.

"I'm sorry, did I unlock a memory of someone drowning?" He looks so genuine apologizing at medyo na guilty ako. Ako naman ang tumulak sa kanya.

"No, but you let me believe that you were dying," I remember the panic, I remember feeling so helpless and I can still feel the erratic beat of my heart.

Bigla niya akong kinurot sa pisngi. "Aww didn't know that you'd care if I die."

And now we're back.

I scoffed, "Of course not! Ayaw ko lang makulong no. Sayang lang kagandahan ko kung nasa likod lang ng rehas diba?" I gave him a smile and pushed the cart away from him.