Strings of Memory

Chapter 11

The Second Note

The color of my world has fully come back. Unlike before, when it would return only for a fleeting moment, this time, it's here to stay. Since I went home yesterday at hanggang ngayon na naglalakad ako papunta sa school, mayroon pa ding kulay ang mundo ko. And I don't know how to feel about it.

I know my deskmate is the reason why this happened. Because I heard her voice yesterday. The voice that shook me to my core. She affected me so much that it brought back the colors in my world, which had been devoid of them for years since my father died.

Humugot ako ng malalim na hininga bago inalis ang tingin sa kulay asul na langit. Nagpatuloy ako sa paglalakad at pilit na inalis ang mga nasa isip. Mas lalo ko lang pasasakitin ang ulo ko kung patuloy ko pa din itong iisipin.

"Good morning, Wynther. Ayos ka na ba?"

Napatingin ako sa deskmate ko na kakarating lang. Nagtama ang mga mata namin, at kasabay noon ang pagbilis ng tibok ng puso ko.

Fuck. I thought I had it under control, but I was wrong. Just a simple glimpse of her was already enough to make my heart go crazy. Hindi ko alam kung dahil ba iyon sa paraan ng pagtitig niya na puno ng pag-aalala para sa akin o dahil sa presensiya niya mismo. And I don't really want to know the reason.

"Kulang ka ba sa tulog? Ang laki ng eyebags mo." Sabi niya nang mapansin ang mga mata ko.

Hindi ko siya sinagot at dumukdok na lang sa desk ko. This is her fault. She wouldn't leave my mind last night, and because of that, I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about her voice, her touch, her eyes. Every thought made my heart pound loudly and fast—keeping me wide awake. Nanatili akong dilat buong gabi hanggang kaninang umaga. And all I want to do right now is sleep because I'm so fucking sleepy.

Time passed rather quickly, and as soon as the break bell rang, my deskmate suddenly grabbed my arm and started pulling me along without any explanation. I tried to pull away, but her grip only tightened, refusing to let go.

"Where are we going?" I asked for the umpteenth time.

She didn't answer. She just kept walking, her determination evident in every step. The crease on my forehead deepened. If she was going to drag me somewhere, she should at least tell me where. Hindi yung basta na lang siyang nanghihila. This is against my will—and I still have to buy some snacks since I skipped breakfast this morning.

Bigla na lang siyang huminto kaya napahinto din ako. Napatingin ako sa pinto sa harapan namin at binasa ang sign na nakalagay doon.

Faculty Office.

My brows furrowed. Anong ginagawa namin dito?

Kumatok ang deskmate ko ng tatlong beses bago binuksan ang pinto. Bumungad sa amin ang napakaraming mesa na may mga stack ng papel sa ibabaw. The room was empty, which wasn't surprising—it was break time, after all. Siguradong nasa cafeteria ang mga teachers at kumakain na ng mga meryenda nila habang ako ay nandito, hindi alam kung ano ba talaga ang ginagawa.

Muli niya akong hinila kaya wala akong nagawa kundi sumunod. Nilagpasan namin ang iba pang mga mesa hanggang sa huminto kami sa isang nasa sulok. Hindi ito kasing puno ng papel kagaya ng iba, may konting stack lang sa ibabaw. May nakaupo doon. A girl with long black hair tied in a ponytail. Nakayuko siya at may isinusulat.

"Good morning, Ma'am Esquivel," bati ng deskmate ko kaya naman napaangat ng tingin ang teacher na iyon.

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang makita kung sino iyon. It's Tori.

I froze. What is she doing here?

Tinignan ko ang nameplate na nasa mesa niya. It says that she's a music teacher.