✓ | REBIRTH OF THE REBEL [Book Two]

CHAPTER 13

[ C H A P T E R 13 ]

LATISHA VALENTINE

"ANG BLOOMING MO, BLESS."

My cousin immediately raised her hand as a gesture that she would slap my arm but it only stopped mid air, and instead of saying her displeasure, she glared at me with blazing frustration. Napangisi na lamang ako dahil asar na asar talaga ang mukha ni Blessime ngayon.

"Totoo naman ang sinabi ko, ang blooming mo. Ilang beses ka bang nadiligan ni——"

"Sundan mo 'yang sasabihin mo at hindi ako magdadalawang isip na isumplong ka sa Duke!" putol niya sa akin bago pa man lumabas ang pangalan ni Cyan sa bibig ko. It is now my turn to glare at her. "Manamik ka nalang, Tish. Kainin mo 'yang siopao ng walang ingay at kakalimutan kong may sinasabi ka."

Binagsak niya ang basket sa mesa bago nilabas ang mga laman no'n. Naiinis akong kumagat sa ibinigay niyang siopao sa akin at sinamaan siya ng tingin bago ako umupo sa isang kahoy na upuan. Tinitingnan ko lang ang mga dala nila galing sa palengke. Binigay na din sa akin ni Blessime 'yong pinabili ni Roshan na damit at tinanong pa ako kung bakit, pero wala akong nasagot.

"Wala ka ba talagang sasabihin sa akin?" saad ko nang lumipas ang ilang minuto at hindi pa rin siya nagsasalita tungkol sa kanilang dalawa. "You always invade my privacy but when it comes to you, you're sealed shut. This is unfair, Blessime."

She loosen her shoulder as she rolled her eyes at me. "It is as complicated as you think it is, Tish. I don't want to talk about it and if I tell you, it will confuse me more!"

"What is there to get confused about? If you two share the same boat why not?" I said seriously but she deeply sighs as a response. "Unless one of you wished to jump out of the boat instead of rowing together."

Blessime looked at me with her bothered face. Agad akong lumapit at hinawakan ang kanyang mga kamay ng makita ko ang sakit sa mga mata niya. "We are rebels, and we are not meant to be with the pure. I thought that a temporary relief was meant to stay brief, but it didn't. It was my fault why I engaged in such an adventure, and now I am paying the price."

"How I wish we could stop using context clues whenever we have a conversation," I said, trying to give her a hint that I don't understand what she said. She deeply sighs again and releases her hands from my grasp then continues what she was doing. "Bless, don't follow my steps. You are meant for something great, and if you think that this mere occurrence halts your objective to attain freedom, do not hesitate to cut it."

"Hindi gano'n kadali 'yon, Latisha." Her voice became sullen as it lay low, almost a soft whisper she did not mean to say aloud. "I know I have to cut the force that binds me to him, but deep in this cocoon longs for that rope. A toxin that I cannot remove, and I always hate it when I'm intoxicated."

"Akala ko ba siya ang may problema sa inyong dalawa?" may pang-aasar na sabi ko. Tinulak niya ako ng bahagya bago muling umikot ang kanyang mga mata. "You push him away because you don't want to feel dependent on that rope, right? Or you don't want him to know that you want him?"

She scoffed. "I don't want him." Napataas ang kilay ko sa sinabi niya. Blessime put the basket on the corner and focused her hands on cleansing the vegetables. "He wants me, but I'm not into him. As I said, he is like a toxin that lures me completely."

"I don't get you," tanging nasabi ko.

"Kaya sinabi ko na huwag mong ungkatin dahil pareho lang tayong walang naiintindihan," pabalang na saad niya. "If you are worrying, don't be. I'm old enough to handle my own problems. I can handle him, and this will be the first and last time we will talk about this moron, okay?"