A Past with an Alien

CHAPTER 16

IRIS

Despite feeling disconnected from my mind and spirit, I had to go to work. I tried to conceal my puffy eyes with foundation powder.

"Even before the Spaniards came to the Philippines," I said with no hint of life. I was next to the blackboard, and in front of me were my students. The good thing was that they paid attention. "There was once a group of people who came here first."

I tried lifting my finger and pointing at the Manila paper on the blackboard. "Who are these groups of people?"

The class answered in unison. "Aeta, Indones, and Malay!"

"Very good."

"Wrong!" A voice woke me up. It was Melvin, and he was glancing around the classroom.

My forehead furrowed. "Why, Melvin? Is there anyone else?"

He stood up as his eyes shifted from left to right. "Aliens! They were first here!" The whole class roared with laughter.

I took a deep breath. I already expected that. My head suddenly throbbed. "Class, quiet! Stop it, Melvin, please! Take your seat."

"I'm telling the truth; they are already here...in San Francisco," he insisted. He clenched his fists. There was unexpressed anger on his face when he turned around and looked at everyone. "If you don't believe, I don't care!"

The laughter got louder this time. I was surprised when Melvin bolted out of the classroom. And I had no choice but to chase him.

"Melvin!" I called. He never looked back. I noticed he was rubbing his hand on his face. He ran much faster and headed straight toward the back of the campus.

"Why are you running?" Mira appeared out of nowhere, which stopped me because we almost bumped into each other. I held my chest and panted hard. "We waited for you yesterday, but you never came. Care to explain why?"

I just realized it now: I never showed up as promised. I could only imagine how disappointed my friends were waiting for me. But what happened yesterday was different and changed me.

"Because I wasn't feeling well." Mira looked me in the eye when I said that. She nodded as if she had read my face and understood why.

"But why are you running now?" Come on, Miranda. You were asking me like a reporter, question after question.

"Melvin, my student, walked out. The class laughed at him."

"Why? Did he say something?"

"He said that the aliens first discovered our country."

"I knew it! Blame it on this Dragonball anime. They should ban these kinds of so-called children's shows. I knew Melvin. He is a kid who had a world of his own."

"I have to go, Mira. I'll talk to you later. I need to talk to him. He was embarrassed."

I was about to leave when she grabbed my arm again. "This evening, huh! We have part two, and you cannot refuse us. We will corner you."

I took a deep breath. "All right, all right,"

My friend won't stop bothering me for a day until I have no choice. She let go of me, and I left her in the corridor.

I arrived at the back of the campus. There were numerous hardwood trees around the covered court, and their branches leaned against the fence. I wondered where this boy had gone. When I turned my head in the right direction, I caught sight of Melvin sitting on a branch of a fallen tree. Slowly, I approached him while he picked up pebbles and threw them away. As I approached, he turned his head to see me coming.