DESPEDIDA GONE WRONG. What's supposed to be a memorable send-off party ends up in tragedy as the celebrant drops dead after making a toast. Of all the possibilities, murder seems to be most likely scenario. And the suspects? The four attendees who w...
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ANASTACIA
HINDI KO alam kung may mukha pa akong maihaharap kay Cole at sa mga kasama namin sa police precinct kanina. I felt like my clothes were torn from my body and I had to expose myself naked in front of everyone, out of my will. I hoped that was just figuratively, but it also happened literally in the form of the video.
Halos wala akong imik matapos kaming interview-in ng police detective. All throughout the meeting, I hung my head low out of embarrassment. There were so many thoughts in my head, I almost lost count of them.
Ano ang iisipin ni Cole tungkol sa akin?
Ano ang iisipin nina Beatrice at Desmond? Pati ni Atty. Frigette?
Ano ang iisipin ng mga pulis na nakapanood sa video?
Ano ang iisipin ni mama kapag nalaman niya ang tungkol dito?
Ano ang iisipin ng mga classmate at schoolmate ko sakaling mag-leak ang video?
At bakit nagawa ito sa akin ni Zack?
I felt betrayed. He stabbed me not only once but multiple times in the back. How I wish that I could ask him. But he's already dead. Gusto ko ng kasagutan. Pero wala na akong paraan para malaman ang katotohanan.
Hanggang sa pagsakay namin sa sasakyan ni Cole, nakayuko at tahimik pa rin ako. Tahimik kaming apat sa kabuuan ng biyahe. My secret wasn't the only one that was exposed. Maging ang itinatago ng tatlo kong kasama, naibunyag na rin. Salamat sa phone ni Zack. Isa-isang inihatid ni Cole ang mga kasama namin: una si Beatice, sunod si Desmond. Nang kaming dalawa na lamang ang naiwan, nanatili pa ring tahimik sa loob ng sasakyan.
If I didn't have any secret in that device, I would have been pissed and argued relentlessly with Cole. Paano niya nagawang gumamit ng drugs? At sa loob pa mismo ng campus? Nang mapanood ko ang video niya kanina, doon ko pa lang na-realize kung bakit nagtanong sa akin si Beatrice noong nasa despedida party kami ni sir. I defended him because I believed that if he was using, I'd be the first one to know. But looked like I didn't know him at all.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, both of us had secrets that we wished the late Zack brought to his grave. Pareho kaming makasalanan at may kasalanan. Hindi ko lang masabi kung alin ang mas malala at mas mahirap patawarin.
"Are you disappointed in me?"
I raised my head and looked sideways at Cole. Sa wakas, nabasag na rin ang katahimikan sa pagitan namin. This wasn't the usual scenario kapag magkasama kami sa kotse niya. He usually asked me kung kumusta ang theater classes ko, kung may nang-aaway ba sa akin. Ako naman, sasagot at tatanungin siya kung kumusta ang kanilang preparations para sa inter-school basketball competitions.
My eyes looked down at my lap. Hindi ko namalayan ang sakit sa pagkabaon ng mga kuko ko sa aking palad. "I don't think na nasa tamang posisyon ako para sabihing disappointed ako."
