Chasing Boundaries (Parallel Rhythms Series 1)

Chapter 4

Matapos ang briefing ay sabay-sabay na kaming lumabas ng gymnasium. I was just about to exit the gym when Archein caught up with me.

"Hey." he called.

Humarap ako sa kaniya habang naglalakad palabas ng gym. I raised both my brows, urging him to speak.

"Can we..." he licked his lower lip as he gazed away from me. "Can we eat lunch together again? Tomorrow?" nahihiyang tanong nito.

I was shock, but I never let it show. Magsasalita na sana ako nang maalala ko na pumayag na pala akong mag-lunch kasama si Liam bukas.

I heaved a sigh as I looked at him, apologetically. "Sorry, Archein." I smiled in an apologetic manner. I looked at him and saw how his shoulder loosened. Kinagat ko ang pang-ibabang labi ko bago nag-iwas ng tingin. "I have other plans for tomorrow." dagdag ko.

He scoffed. "Uhm, it's okay." I can sense the disappointment in his voice.

"Maybe next time?" I looked at him, with high hopes.

He looked back at me and a small smile creeped into his face. Matapos ay unti-unti itong tumango. "Sige." he answered. "Tara na." he said as he lead the way.

Tumango na lang ako at nagsimula nang maglakad. Sabay kaming naglakad patungo sa mga classrooms namin. Magkatabi lang naman ang classrooms namin kaya't hindi na ako lumayo pa sa kaniya.

He was silent the whole time. For the first time, I felt awkward while I was with him. Siguro'y dahil sa pag-reject ko ng offer niya? But he told me it's okay. I attempted to open up a conversation while we were walking but no word came out of my mouth.

I just heaved a sigh nang mapagtanto kong nasa harap na kami ng classroom ko. We both stopped on our tracks and looked at each other.

He smiled. "See you tomorrow?" I was shocked because he didn't sound disappointed anymore.

Ibinalik ko ang ngiti sa kaniya. "See you." tugon ko. I waved my hand at him as he said goodbye. Pinanood ko siyang maglakad palayo bago ako tuluyang pumasok sa classroom namin.

"Hoy! Harley! Pumasok ka na't cleaners ka ngayon!" rinig ko agad ang bulalas ni James na kapwa ko cleaners ngayong araw. I just rolled my eyes as I stepped inside of the room. I took a broom and started helping with the cleaning chore.

Nang uwian na ay as usual, dumaan muna ako sa 7-eleven para bumili ng matcha cone. Nagsalubong ang mga kilay ko nang mapansing nagre-stock nga ng matcha flavored ice creams ngunit hindi na iyon karamihan. I just heaved a sigh before exiting the store.

Nang makauwi ay agad akong pumasok sa kuwarto ko at nagbukas muna ng Twitter bago tuluyang nagpahinga.

Kinabukasan ay maaga akong pumasok sa paaralan. I wanted to ask Faith about the band offer she got. I want to ask her if she would want to accept or not.

"Gusto mo bang sumali?" tanong ko kay Faith na ngayon ay nakapangalumbaba at nasa malayo ang tingin. Sid, Faith, and I were gathered around a small round shaped table. I was taking a sip off my morning coffee as I looked at Faith, who actually looked really lost right now.

Faith sighed. "I don't know. Ayaw nila Mama." mahinang saad nito.

"Ikaw ang tinatanong namin, Faith. Gusto mo ba?" Sid asked, concerned.